Med Monthly January 2014

Med Monthly JANUARY 2014

Does Your Medical Practice Need a Website? pg. 38

RX For Your Practice Website:

Let the Professionals Do It! pg. 46

Competing for Patients Online:

Three of the Latest Web Design Trends pg. 48

the

The Importance of Search Engine Optimization For Your Practice’s Website pg. 42

ctice Your Pra Website

issue

contents

DOES MY MEDICAL PRACTICE NEED A WEBSITE?

features

38

38 DOES MY MEDICAL PRACTICE NEED A WEBSITE? 42 THE IMPORTANCE OF SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION FOR YOUR PRACTICE’S WEBSITE 46 RX FOR YOUR PRACTICE WEBSITE: Let the Professionals Do It! 48 COMPETING FOR PATIENTS ONLINE: Three of the Latest Web Design Trends

insight 10 AGING POPULATION AND GROWING DISEASE BURDEN WILL INCREASE DEMAND FOR SPECIALISTS 12 RETURN ON PATIENT INVESTMENT 14 GENERIC INJECTABLES IN PREFILLED DEVICES POSITIONED TO GROW THROUGH THE END OF THE DECADE

international 22 RISING DISEASE INCIDENCE BOOSTS FUTURE UPTAKE OF MULTIPARAMETER PATIENT MONITORING IN EUROPE

research and technology 24 NIH DEPOSITS FIRST BATCH OF GENOMIC DATA FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE 28 IT MAY BE TIME TO SWITCH YOUR EHR THINKING 30 SURVEY IDENTIFIES KEY AREAS OF EHEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND CONVERGENCE WITH OTHER INDUSTRIES

legal

practice tips

32 HHS RELEASES NOTICES FOR TRANSITION TO ACA COMPLIANT INSURANCE POLICIES

16 GROWING TREND: Direct Employer Contracts With Healthcare Providers in the Self-Insured Industry

34 AFFORDABLE CARE ACT CHECKUP: 2014 Payroll

18 HOW TO PREPARE TO SELL A MEDICAL PRACTICE 20 COMPASSION AND CARING ARE GIFTS REMEMBERED

50

DR. HONG; ARTIST, MISSIONARY AND PHYSICIAN

36 SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCES THAT IT WILL REVIEW THE CONTRACEPTIVE MANDATE

the arts 50 DR. HONG: Artist, Missionary, and Physician

healthy living 52 KICKING UP THE HEAT IN THE KITCHEN WITH HOT SAUCE 54 SRIRACHI QUINOA BITES

in every issue 4 editor’s letter 8 news briefs

60 resource guide 78 top 9 list

January 1, 2014 begins the attestation period for Stage 2 Meaningful Use. If you are a member of the North Carolina Medical Society, you have access to the resources provided for our members to help your practice achieve Meaningful Use in 2014.

Call us today at 919-833-3836 x141

Providing Jobs, Services, Vendors, and CME www.ncmedsoc.org

HELPING YOU WITH REAL ESTATE, SO YOU CAN FOCUS ON HELPING OTHERS.

York Properties Broker Team

We understand that most physicians cannot take valuable time away from seeing patients and managing their day-to-day operations of their practice to think about real estate. For over 100 years we have been helping clients find the best real estate solutions in the Triangle. Our combination of energetic young leaders, wisdom of established team members, and full range of real estate services have provided our healthcare clients with peace of mind, ideas and solutions.

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BROKERAGE LEASING PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT SECURITY MAINTENANCE LANDSCAPING

editor’s letter The true importance of a website presence is that it offers a business a large opportunity to increase sales, customer loyalty and engagement. According to one study, 58% of consumers would be influenced to further interact with a small business that meets online expectations. Med Monthly’s January issue gives insights into how a website should be designed, direction on content, and tips for search engine optimization.

People are spending more time online, including researching medical questions. Oftentimes their next step is to find a physician for specific advice and treatment while already browsing. In Thomas Hibbards’ feature, he gives detailed tips on how to make your site more successful. For instance, he suggests ensuring the speed loading each page is quick and including patient forms.

“The Importance of Search Engine Optimization for Your Practice’s Website” by Lori Gertz discusses the course of action to take to optimize your website so that yours pulls up towards the top of the list. Certain keywords should be used for SEO to lead patients to your site. “Rich and dynamic content” as well as “case studies, blog posts, videos, interviews, [and] photos…” for instance will increase your ranking.

Should you try to create your own website? Experts say no.

Professionals who design websites know how to market your practice most effectively. As Bob Bedi says in “RX for Your Practice Website: Let the Professionals Do It!” just as grocery stores place their goods in certain locations for optimal sale, designers know how to lay out the website pages so that it is easy for the patient to read and find pertinent information.

Amanda Kanaan’s feature “Competing for Patients Online: Three of the Latest Web Design Trends” elaborates on pertinent components of an effective website. What she calls “Responsive Design” means that the website should be viewable from any size electronic device. There should also be a few interactive tools. Amanda’s example was having a dosing calculator for parents to figure out the amount of medicine to give to their child. Finally, make sure you are HIPAA compliant before placing documents online.

February’s issue of Med Monthly focuses on the emergent market for ‘Med Spas’. The number of these clinics should continue to grow as primary care MDs seek to replace lost income and as baby boomers age, desiring noninvasive cosmetic procedures made possible by an ever-developing generation of laser equipment.

Ashley Austin Managing Editor

4 | JANUARY 2014

Med Monthly January 2014 Publisher Philip Driver Managing Editor Ashley Austin Creative Director Thomas Hibbard Contributors Ashley Acornley, MS, RD, LDN Bob Bedi Michelle L. Durner, CHBME Lori Gertz Barbara Hales, M.D. Amanda Kanaan Patricia A. Moran Meghan C. O’Connor Denise Price Thomas Nisha Salim Mark D. Scudder Cody Vicknair

contributors Ashley Acornley, RD, LDN holds a BS in Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Kinesiology from Penn State University. She completed her Dietetic Internship at Meredith College and recently completed her Master’s Degree in Nutrition. She is also an AFAA certified personal trainer. Her blog can be found at: ashleyfreshfromthefarm.wordpress.com

Michelle L. Durner, CHBME is the President of Applied Medical Systems, Inc. – a Durham, NCbased company which provides medical billing, coding, practice management, and consulting services to start-up practices, hospitals, private practices, and emergency physician groups across the nation. To contact Michelle or to learn more about Applied Medical Systems, visit www.appliedmedicalsystems.com

Lori Gertz

Med Monthly is a national monthly magazine committed to providing insights about the health care profession, current events, what’s working and what’s not in the health care industry, as well as practical advice for physicians and practices.

We are currently accepting articles to be considered for publication. For more information on writing for Med Monthly, check out our writer’s guidelines at medmonthly.com/writers-guidelines P.O. Box 99488 Raleigh, NC 27624 medmedia9@gmail.com Online 24/7 at medmonthly.com

is the chief genius at her 15 year old strategic marketing company, Freakin’ Genius Marketing. Her intense focus on brand building is further strengthened by her uncanny ability to weave pointsof-difference through all of the tactical solutions, most specifically 1:1 marketing solutions. Her Amazon Bestselling book, Be the News: A Guide to Going Viral With Your Human Interest Story contains even more ideas and resources to grassroots marketing techniques, most specifically media relations.

Barbara Hales, M.D. is a skilled expert in promoting your health services. As seen on NBC, CBS,ABC and FOX network affiliates as well as Newsweek, Dr. Hales writes all the content you need to promote your medical services. Her latest book is on the best seller list and she can do the same for you. Check out her site at www.TheWriteTreatment.com

Nisha Salim is a freelance writer who specializes in writing factually accurate, research-backed healthcare articles.

General science, education, social media and content marketing are her other areas of interest. Take a look at her website, NishaSalim. com, to learn more about her.

WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |5

designer's thoughts

From the Drawing Board Med Monthly’s “Research and Technology” section this month covers Electronic Health Records and the questions to ask before choosing an EHR vendor, genomic data sequencing to assist in Alzheimer’s research, and the importance of cloud technology in health care in 2014 and beyond.

In Barbara Hales M.D.’s article, “It May Be Time to Switch Your EHR Thinking”, she shares 21 questions you should consider prior to selecting a vendor for your EHR records. With Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements and more than 500 vendors to choose from, it’s critical to answer these questions before committing to a new EHR system or updating your old.

In “NIH Deposits First Batch of Genomic Data for Alzheimer’s Disease”, the National Institute of Health reports on genome sequencing to indentify new clues to the fundamental cause of Alzheimer’s disease. NIH Director, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., states “The Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP) is designed to identify genetic risks for late-onset of Alzheimer’s disease, but it could also discover versions of genes that protect us. These insights could lead to a new era in prevention and treatment.”

Implementing cloud computing technologies appropriately will assist health care providers improve the quality of medical services and the efficiency of operations, share information across geographic locations and manage expenditures. Frost & Sullivan’s survey records several key topics to consider in 2014 on this evolving technology in their article, “Insight Based on a ‘2013 Search for Growth’ Survey Identifies Key Areas of eHealth Technology and Convergence with Other Industries.”

MedMonthly will continue in its endeavors to report on the latest medical research and technology. If there are topics or insights on advances in medical technology you would like to share with us for future issues, please contact us at medmedia9@gmail.com.

Thomas Hibbard Creative Director

6 | JANUARY 2014

THINKING ABOUT SELLING YOUR PRACTICE?

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This option also includes a brief practice consultation to explain the benefits of marketing through the Medical Practice Listings website.

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news briefs

OVERVIEW OF THE INDIAN DIAGNOSTIC MARKET Bharat Book Bureau presents the new report, on ‘Indian Diagnostic Opportunities 2018’ The global healthcare industry generated revenues of USD 6 trillion in 2011. And the diagnostic segment has grown in leaps and bounds. This crucial segment is subdivided into two broad categories - in-vitro diagnostics and imaging diagnostics. The global in-vitro market generated revenues of USD 52.04 billion in 2012. This is estimated to reach USD 87 billion by 2018.

The global imaging market generated revenues of USD 25.43 billion in 2012, which is expected to reach USD 39 billion by 2018.

In India, the in-vitro segment of the industry accrued revenues of USD 463.50 million in 2012, which is estimated to touch USD 1,254 million by 2018. The principal areas of growth include hematology, biochemistry, hematology, molecular diagnostics and specialty diagnostics.

The increase in the number of hospitals and healthcare facilities, development of healthcare infrastructure and the advancement of medical equipment propelled the growth of this industry. Further, the increase in the complexity of diseases has prompted the industry to provide better facilities for diagnosis and sample collection.  Source: http://www. pressreleasepoint.com/overviewindian-diagnostic-market 8 | JANUARY 2014

TechNavio Releases Reports on Medical Devices Markets In conjunction with the MEDICA event happening in Düsseldorf this week, TechNavio a leading technology research and advisory company shared its market research insights for its various reports: • Wearable Medical Technology Market; • PTCA Balloon Catheter Market; • Positron Emission Tomography Market; • Antimicrobial Coatings Market; • Dental Implants Market.

Speaking on this subject, TechNavio’s senior analyst and co-author of the Healthcare and Life sciences reports commented, “Several drivers are aiding the growth of this market which includes continuous technological innovations, increasing need for patient-friendly devices, nursing shortages amidst a growing aging population who don’t want to be dependent on others. The emergence of electronic medical devices would enhance this industry in a large way.”

He went on to add, “Patients are now becoming aware of the impact caused by various diseases and there is increasing demand to have affordable healthcare devices, which can be easily accessible and easy to operate. How companies are able to address these growing needs and are able to provide value for money for the end customers through business strategies like mergers and acquisitions and public-private partnerships will be closely watched by all.”

The full versions of the reports within the Healthcare and Life Sciences series cover the main driving factors, challenges, and future trends of this market, also giving analysis on product segmentations, vendor shares, growth rate by revenue, and an evaluation of the different buying criteria in order of importance.

After closely tracking the Wearable Medical Technology Market, TechNavio analysts have forecasted the market to grow to US$1,536.64 million by 2016 growing at a 50 percent CAGR for the period 2012-2016.

Wearable medical technology is helping patients adapt their lifestyle and get real-time feedback. With increasing technology and ready adaptability, a number of medical imaging devices are becoming wearable, including glucose monitors, ECG monitors, pulse oximeters, and blood pressure monitors.

Globally, the market has some unique characteristics. While in some developing countries local or regional vendors are dominating this market, the market overall has only few mainstream players like Abbott Laboratories, Baxter International, Boston Scientific, Covidien, DENTSPLY International, GE Healthcare, Johnson and Johnson, Medtronic, Nobel Biocare Holding, Osstem Implant, Philips Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare & Straumann Holding.

As international players are increasing their footprints, local vendors are finding it difficult in competing with them, especially on the quality features, price, and performance. The competitive business environment in this market will be intensifying with the increase in product extensions and technological innovations. International players will be growing inorganically during the period 2014-2018 by acquiring regional or local players. New players will be only focusing in providing solutions in niche segments such as neurological diseases and cardiovascular disease.  Source: http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/136493/

Broadcasting is Key Communication Medium in Emergencies ITU held a Workshop on Emergency Broadcasting to the world, as we have seen with the devastation caused by highlight the importance of international cooperation the recent Typhoon Haiyan, it is absolutely essential that needed to enhance the reach of broadcasting in emergency the public is provided the necessary emergency inforsituations, such as in the Philippines, which was recently mation quickly, comprehensively and accurately,” said devastated by Typhoon Haiyan and the cyclones that have Christoph Dosch, Chairman of ITU-R Study Group 6 battered the coastal districts of eastern India.

(Broadcasting service). “Terrestrial television and radio A new ITU Report on Emergency Broadcasting on the broadcasters provide the fastest, reliable and most effective essential role of terrestrial radio and television broadcastmeans of delivering information to the public in these critiing will be finalized by April 2014 and made available cal situations.”  online free of charge. The Report will be compiled by Source: http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/broadcasting-keyco-Rapporteurs to Study Group 6, Lynn Claudy (National communication-medium-emergencies Association of Broadcasters, USA) and Gary Stanley (Babcock International Group, U.K.).

“Emergency broadcasting plays a critical role in the rapid dissemination of information to the public, and is a key element in helping save lives in the aftermath of natural disasters,” said ITU SecretaryGeneral Hamadoun I. Touré. “The ITU Report on Emergency Broadcasting will provide broadcasters, first responders and the general public important information on how to prepare for natural disasters and their aftermath.”

For many decades, radio and television broadcasters have been the primary source of critical information to the public in the event of disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, snowstorms, earthquakes, tsunamis, and even terrorist attacks and industrial catastrophes. Due to their wide coverage, broadcasting services are more likely to survive such events than other communication networks.

Radio and television broadcasting provides reliable point-to-multipoint delivery of essential information and safety advice to the public as well as to first responders and others via widely available consumer receivers, both mobile and fixed.

Even in cases where electricity and mobile-phone base stations are no longer available, reception of broadcast signals is still possible with batterySOON operated receivers in cars and in hand-held COMING NTHLY devices such as mobile phones equipped O IN MED M with a radio or TV receiver. coming “The Workshop addressed key issues In the up e, Med 2014 issu related to broadcasting as a means of comFebruary l be theme wil municating to the public during emergencies Monthly’s ’s and how it fulfils these requirements most reMed Spa liably and effectively,” said Mr François Rancy, Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau.

“With the number of natural disasters and other large-scale emergency situations on the rise around WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |9

insight

Aging Population and Growing Disease Burden Will Increase Demand for Specialists

‘‘

“The disease burden associated with a growing elderly population will require a large and diverse health care workforce that can effectively and efficiently diagnose and treat patients with complex medical conditions”

10 | JANUARY 2014

The rise in prevalence of chronic diseases and complex medical conditions associated with a rapidly aging population will increase demand for medical specialists throughout the United States, according to a study by IHS (NYSE: IHS), the leading source of information and analysis. The study was released today in the November issue of Health Affairs, a journal of health, health care, and policy published by Project HOPE. Changing demographics and expanded medical coverage under the Affordable Care Act will increase demand for medical services and primary care and specialty physicians. Ambulatory care service volume is projected to increase by 8 to 12 percent between 2013 and 2025, while hospital inpatient days are projected to increase by about 19 percent (reflecting higher rates of hospitalization and surgery among the elderly population).

Demand for adult primary care services is projected to increase by approximately 14 percent during this period, while demand for specialty care will increase more quickly among medical specialties that disproportionately care for older patients. High growth specialties include: vascular surgery, up 31 percent, followed by cardiology, up 20 percent; and neurological surgery, radiology and general surgery, all up 18 percent. In comparison, projected growth for general pediatrics during the same period is just 6 percent reflecting projected low growth of the child population.

According to Census Bureau projections cited in the study, the nation’s elderly population (65 and older) will increase by nearly 45 percent between now and 2025, a period when the general population will grow by 9.5 percent. With an aging population, the study says, comes increasing prevalence of chronic diseases – by 2025, the portion of the population with cardiovascular disease or a history of stroke or heart disease is projected to increase by nearly 27 percent and the percentage with diabetes by 21 percent.

The study also notes that the projected growth in demand for specialty services varies substantially by state, reflecting differences in population growth, demographic characteristics, economic factors and the expansion of health coverage. For example, demand at the national level for cardiologist services is projected to increase by 20 percent through 2025, but in West Virginia the demand will grow by 5 percent while in Nevada it will increase by 51 percent. Demand growth for vascular surgery services ranges from 12 percent in Iowa to 63 percent in Arizona.

“The disease burden associated with a growing elderly population will require a large and diverse health care workforce that can effectively and efficiently diagnose and treat patients with complex medical conditions,” says Tim Dall, managing director for healthcare and pharma at IHS. Failure to train sufficient numbers and the correct mix of medical specialists could exacerbate already long wait times for appointments, reduce access to health care and reduce

quality of life for some of the nation’s most vulnerable patients, according to the study.

For a copy of the report, The Care Span: Aging Population and Growing Disease Burden Will Require Large and Specialized Health Care Workforce, go to http:// www.ihs.com/products/consulting/industries/healthcare. aspx and then open the article posted on the right side of the page beneath Download Whitepapers.  About IHS (www.ihs.com) IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 165 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence.

IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005.

Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs approximately 8,000 people in 31 countries around the world.

Source: http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/aging-populationand-growing-disease-burden-will-increase-demandspecialists

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Contact us for more information at: 919.747.9031 medmedia9@gmail.com WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |11

insight

Return on

PATIENT

Investment

By Michelle Durner, CHBME Applied Medical Systems, Inc.

Y

ou invest time and resources into continuing medical education and technology improvements throughout your office to provide the highest level of care possible. You spend money on marketing efforts to attract patients to your practice to be able to provide this care. While the patient is in your office you are in control of their satisfaction. Your bedside manner and medical acumen determine whether the patient is satisfied with the care they receive. However, after the patient leaves your office, their satisfaction is dependent on a number of factors, including the many aspects of how their financial obligations for the visit are handled.

In today’s volatile healthcare marketplace, it is imperative to understand the importance of a streamlined revenue cycle, and how keeping patients coming back can be just as much about providing excellent customer service as it can be about providing quality medical care.

Expectations & Communication

Your communication, or the lack thereof, sets the stage for your patient’s expectations in terms of the revenue cycle. As soon as the patient makes an appointment, your staff should make the patient aware of the payment policy around copays, deductibles and coinsurance. When the patient presents for the appointment, assert this by having policies posted at check-in and check-out. Finally, follow through and request said monies due. This is easier said than done, but it is easier to collect from the patient when your policies are made clear from the beginning.

The patient’s liability is largely dependent upon their coverage through the individual insurance carriers. It is in the best interest of the practice to verify coverage, 12| JANUARY 2014

pre-authorize services, and estimate the portion of the visit that is the patient’s responsibility. Just as important as determining this information, however, is clearly communicating your findings, and the resulting liability, with the patient ahead of time. Nothing upsets a patient more than receiving a bill for services that they thought were completely covered.

Additionally, if you outsource your billing functions, be sure to give the patient the contact information and let them know from the beginning that your billing functions are handled by a third party.

Documentation

The revenue cycle itself starts with you documenting the services provided to the patient. It is extremely important to be clear and thorough in every aspect of your documentation. If you are deficient in any way, it will compromise your ability to accurately code the chart, which will have a negative impact on the revenue cycle.

Not to mention the potential impact on patient care, both within the same practice and with outside practices through referrals. Proper documentation is imperative for providing good customer service to your patients. Don’t compromise the entire process in this crucial, but often cumbersome, step.

Coding

Regardless of whether you code your own charts or have an outside agency do it for you, coding drives the insurance process and determines if a claim is paid, how much is paid, what is the copay, is there a deductible, etc. Something as simple as a modifier or preventative vs.

medical diagnosis can compromise payment. With ICD10 being effective in October 2014, this piece will become even more cumbersome for the provider and confusing for the patient. The easiest way to upset a patient is to assign an inappropriate code such that they receive an unnecessary statement with a resulting call to you and/ or the insurance carrier. Most patients are not going to understand why certain codes were or were not used and the insurance carrier is only going to refer them back to you anyway. You need to get it right the first time.

Claims

You have done your part to collect patient copays and deductibles, appropriately document and code the visit, now what? If the claim isn’t submitted in a timely manner, not only could that result in the patient being unhappy but it could also result in your not being paid at all. Claims have the possibility of getting stuck in various parts of the process: charges not entered, claim errors delaying submission, clearinghouse edits, payer kick outs, etc.. You must have personnel continuously monitoring the process to make sure that everything is being promptly submitted and that claims are not falling through the cracks.

In addition to the initial claim, there are also secondary and tertiary claims to take into account. Regardless of whether these claims are crossed-over from Medicare or automatically generated from your system, you still have to be proactive monitoring these claims. Generally speaking, collecting the last 20% of the amount due requires up to 80% of the work. If a patient is waiting on an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or statement to submit expenses for reimbursement or file their taxes, do you want to be the piece of the puzzle that is holding up the process? I didn’t think so.

Payments & Denials

Payment arrives! You’re done, right? Nope.

You must have edits within your practice management system that verify that the payment you received is accurate based upon the managed care contract that you have with the various carriers. Not receiving the accurate payment could mean a disproportionate amount due from the patient in terms of the coinsurance and deductibles. This is one area where spending the necessary time setting up the process on the front end can pay huge dividends on the back end.

Should you be lucky enough to receive a denial, that shouldn’t just sit around either. A lot of providers put the burden on the patient to research a denial that isn’t related to the actual medical care. In this day of eligibility verification and real time edits, your staff can do much more work to resolve a denial without having to involve (and possibility infuriate) the patient. Patients generally do not want to accept responsibility for any portion of

the billing process. It is best to avoid having them do the legwork for issues that could have been handled by your staff or, better still, prevented in the first place.

Statements

At the end of the day, should your patient receive a statement with a denial or an amount due that they must take action on, the statement must be clear TO THEM, not just to your office staff! If you took the time and spent the money to send the patient a statement, make sure that they don’t have to call your office to discuss the statement. In order for this to happen, the statement will need to have the following clearly listed: l

Full description of the visit and what they are being charged for. l Detail of all insurance payments and denials. If there are denials listed, make sure that they are written in clear language that the patient will understand. l Breakdown of everything that is the patient’s responsibility. Simply listing the total balance on the account is not enough. l Make sure that remit to and contact instructions are clearly marked. The easier you make it for the patient to handle this on their own, the more likely they will be able to do so.

Contact & Follow Up

Of course, your staff should be easily reachable and thoroughly educated in the revenue cycle process. In addition, they need to provide exemplary customer service and be eager to assist any patients who need help. The last thing a patient wants is to be told to call the insurance carrier or to be pushed off to someone else for assistance.

If for any reason you do have to tell the patient that you will research the issue, you MUST circle back around and follow up with the patient.

If you utilize a billing service make sure that you are clear with them regarding how your patients should be treated. Let them know that they are an extension of your practice and that you expect consistent treatment throughout the entire patient experience.

Patient satisfaction is key in a growing medical practice. It’s common knowledge that it costs less to retain established patients than it does to attract new ones.

That being said, it is easy to lose focus on the full patient experience while you are trying to provide the best care possible and run a business at the same time. The key is having the proper workflow and policies in place, and making sure that everyone on your staff understands your purpose and is on the same page. With a streamlined, complete, and accurate revenue cycle you will not only see an increase in patient satisfaction, but you will also see a nice increase in reimbursements. Win / Win!  WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |13

insight

Generic Injectables in Prefilled Devices Positioned to Grow Through the End of the Decade

14 | JANUARY 2014

‘‘

As the market continues to mature, the action among generics companies will move increasingly in the direction of injectables.

As generics continue to encroach upon branded drug markets, their share as a percentage of all marketed drugs continues to increase. To date, this phenomenon has been focused on oral solid dosage forms a segment that lowers formulation risks for generics companies seeking to minimize costs, reduce regulatory oversight and eliminate potential supply chain complexities that could foster launch delays and consume a portion of the coveted 180-day FDA first-filer exclusivity marketing window.

As competition among generics suppliers for new products accelerates and would-be ANDA filers become increasingly aggressive in attempting to identify future opportunities, their ANDA filing strategies have come to reflect this. It’s is no longer uncommon for the owners of brand drug NDAs to find a list of tentative ANDA approvals in the FDA queue as their patent and/or exclusivity protection comes to an end. So-called P (iv) filings are now routine for most brand drugs, requiring NDA holders to decide on a legal strategy to protect the brand often many years before existing patents for their products are due to expire.

The end result is a generic drug segment that is rapidly evolving and highly unpredictable an environment that lacks a true data compass to assist decision makers in mapping strategies for success in this segment.

Attempting to determine the optimal time to file an ANDA application is a process that can be worth hundreds of millions in profits for first-to-filers.

But it is a process that is fraught with risk and potential consequences.

As the market continues to mature, the action among generics companies will move increasingly in the direction of injectables. The level of activity will be tempered by two factors: (1) compared to oral drugs, the list of approved injectables is quite small, providing generics suppliers with fewer opportunities to pursue new products; (2) the generics segment as it is currently defined by the provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Act effectively exclude the market for biosimilars, and by association the truly attractive and potentially lucrative biologicals such as Humira, Enbrel, and Neulasta.

But as the pendulum swings toward injectables, owners of injectable NDAs will face a new set of challenges. For injectable drug companies on either side of the market, understanding the essential dynamics of generic injectables is a key to meeting operational targets.

Greystone has just completed a new and comprehensive study that analyzes the market for generic injectables supplied in prefilled devices through 2019. The report Prefilled Generic Injectables to 2019: Products, Devices, Therapeutics, Markets and Forecasts - includes analysis and assessments of products and markets, analysis of market factors, and profiles of market participants.  About Greystone Greystone Research Associates (greystoneassociates.org) is a medical technology consulting firm focused on the areas of medical market strategy, product commercialization, venture development, and market research. We assist medical and healthcare market participants in achieving their business objectives through the creation of detailed development strategies, product commercialization programs, and comprehensive market and technology research and analysis. Our market research publications are designed, researched and written to provide timely and insightful information and data on focused market segments, with the aim of providing market participants with the essential knowledge to refine and execute their marketing plans and financial targets.

Source: http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/137367/ WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |15

practice tips

GROWING TREND:

by Cody Vicknair Gallagher Healthcare

16 | JANUARY 2014

Direct Employer Contracts with Healthcare Providers in the Self-Insured Industry

W

hile not a new trend, direct employer contracting with providers is rapidly picking up steam, particularly among self-insured companies. The arrangement can provide employers and healthcare providers with myriad benefits, but with these benefits come risks.

Before providers agree to enter into such an arrangement with employers or approach self-insured employers to discuss a partnership (if this allowable under a provider’s contract terms with existing health plans), it is important to understand how the arrangement works, why it can work well for both parties and some the risks providers need to be aware of.

How the arrangement works:

When a self-insured employer contracts directly with a provider, that provider becomes a part of the employer’s network. Depending upon the arrangement, the provider may be contracted to provide employees with a narrow scope of services — such as services within a single specialty or specific types of procedures — or access to many or all of its services.

In the event that employees require medical services, their employer directs them to receive care from a provider, and sometimes a specific doctor, within the network that provides these services.

Why it works:

Through this arrangement, both parties can benefit. Self-insured employers can reduce their costs in a few ways that include: 1) by negotiating the cost of services directly with the provider, employers can request savings through lower rates; and 2) by essentially removing commercial payers from the equation, this eliminates the fees associated with paying plans to put together networks and handle insurance claims.

In addition to achieving cost savings, the ability to choose which providers to directly contract with allows employers to research their options and identify high-quality providers — providers most likely to deliver care that will bring an employee back to work as soon as possible.

To earn these contracts, a provider will likely need to demonstrate the ability for its physicians and staff to deliver high-quality care and superior outcomes (supported by data) as well as be willing to offer savings to the employer. If a fair rate can be negotiated, and patients receive excellent care that does not require the provider to incur unnecessary additional expenses, providers that enter into these contracts can help capture new patient volume and the associated revenues needed to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive healthcare environment.

Risks:

While there are certainly substantial potential benefits for providers that can directly contract with self-insured employers, there are risks providers should take into consideration before entering into such arrangements.

These include the potential for increased liability exposure, issues with the Stark Law (since cases are being directed to a specific facility) and EMTALA, as well as the technical risks associated with bundled payment agreements and incident risks related to capitation agreements.

When considering these and other risks providers associated with directly contracting with employers, a provider would be wise to engage the services of a risk advisor prior to entering into such arrangements. A risk advisor can help ensure the provider follows proper risk management practices, maintains appropriate amounts of malpractice insurance and maximizes the benefits of the arrangement.  Source: http://www.gallaghermalpractice.com/blog/post/Direct-Employer-Contractswith-Healthcare-Providers-in-the-Self-Insured-Industry

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practice tips

How to Prepare to Sell a Medical Practice

By Nisha Salim

There are several reasons why physicians decide to sell their practice.

Those who run private practices may be unable to cope with the financial pressures of managing a small business, and complying with the ever18 | JANUARY 2014

changing regulatory framework. Some sell to a larger group of hospitals, and become employees of that organization to enjoy better work-life balance, higher job security, and less financial pressure. Physicians who want to

spend more time actually caring for the patients rather than tending to the business may also decide to sell their practice. Or they may have simply decided to retire.

No matter what your reasons are,

it is important to take adequate steps to ensure that the selling process is smooth, right from when you start thinking about the sale to actually making the deal.

How can a physician prepare for the sale?

Start the planning process as early as possible. If you are able to plan at least a couple of years in advance, you may have enough time to organize the office and documents, identify the best buyer, negotiate a suitable price, and close the deal. Spend some time to figure out all the overhead expenses of the practice - from medical and office supplies to building maintenance costs - to determine the net worth of the practice. Throughout the selling process, you will need the services of experienced professionals such as an accountant, a health care attorney, financial advisor, and possibly even a property appraiser.

You may want to notify all your staff members, colleagues, and patients about the sale. Let them know about what is going to happen after the sale. If you’re going to sell to a larger organization and become an employee there, your patients will still have access to you, and your existing employees can also become employees of the larger hospital. On the other hand, if you’re selling to retire, then the employees will have to get used to the new employer.

You may also want to prepare for potential buyers to examine the physical premises of the practice, as well as the finances, employees, contracts, and existing patients.

Get your finances organized

Get the financial information sorted and in a form that is easily understandable to potential buyers as well as institutions who may be financing the deal. It is important to have three years of profit and loss statements and orderly tax returns.

Hire the services of an accountant to help identify expenses that could potentially make the practice look less attractive to a buyer.

Personal expenses (for example the physician’s vehicle) which may have been considered as business expenses for taxation purposes will need to be taken out of the picture while working toward a sale. Record all profits and follow best accounting practices to ensure that all the cash that comes in is recorded in the books. The practice may be deemed less valuable than it actually is if the income isn’t recorded properly. Also hold off on discretionary expenses and minimize overheads. A potential buyer will look at the profit, so maximize it as much as possible.

Continue working hard even as you are preparing to sell. Remember that buyers will also look at the revenue stream trend. If you can show an increasing revenue stream, you will be able to command a better price.

Enhance the curb appeal

You may think there is more to the practice than what it looks like from the outside, and sure there is, but first impressions do matter. Just as you prepare a house, prepare your practice too for the sale. Clean out the clutter, discard broken equipment and expired drugs, and do some work on the décor, garden and lawn. You don’t need to invest a huge amount of money to improve the appearance, just enough to bring a higher potential payoff.

Investing in technology might be well worth the expense because it will be able to command a higher sale price.

Determine a realistic price

You may need the services of a professional valuator to ascertain a realistic price for your practice. A professional independent party will be able to appraise the value of the practice by considering the tangible and intangible assets, and accounts

receivable of the practice. Tangible assets include medical equipment, fixtures, furniture, and the property itself. Intangible assets include the practice good will and professional goodwill. Elements such as the policies and procedures that are in place, the quality of staff, practice history, and revenue history factor into intangible assets.

It is important for the physician to have a clear idea of the true value of his or her practice right from the start of the negotiations. Armed with a good understanding of the true value of the practice, and evaluation prepared by an independent third party, you will have significant leverage while negotiating for the price.

Find a buyer

You can get the word out among a select network that you’re looking to sell. Look for a local buyer who may be interested. If you’re selling to another hospital, you can get in touch with other local hospitals and healthcare centers. Get more than one party interested at the same time in order to get the best deal.

If you practice is in a good locality, you may not need the services of a broker. But if you are unable to find buyers, by all means hire an experienced professional to help you out. Advertise on medical publications and the Internet to find interested parties. Other practices in the locality are good prospective buyers, because they know you and your practice, and they know the market and the potential.

Be prepared to openly discuss the reasons why you’re selling. It is important to solicit the support of your staff because they can influence the sale especially when buyers come visiting.

A final thought

Once you make a decision to sell, start preparing immediately because everything usually takes a lot longer than you think it is going to take.  WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |19

practice tips

By Denise Price Thomas

20 | | JANUARY 2014 16

Compassion and Caring Are Gifts Remembered

H

e had me at “Hello” and I remember it still today! The minute I walked into the room, his sparkling blue eyes met mine and I could see and feel just how much he truly cared. In that instant it was as if our hearts were connected. It was as if he could read my mind. It was truly a magical moment!

His arms reached toward me as he pulled the chair out for me....a wheelchair that is. I had just entered the big and scary Emergency Department of a large hospital organization. The young man recognized just how much pain I was in and that I needed prompt attention.

While assisting me with the necessary paperwork, he offered an ice pack for my pain, reaching toward the desk drawer, never leaving my side. He escorted me to a very quiet spot where we waited just long enough for a young lady to appear with a sincere greeting and smile, taking me back to the next station.

She escorted my daughter and me to a clean and quiet exam room where she dimmed the lights. She seemed immediately aware of my pain, helping me move onto the stretcher while using her calm and quiet voice, “It is fine, don’t feel rushed, just take your time.”

She began asking many necessary questions, listening carefully as my daughter answered each one. I could tell that she was determined to fit the pieces together with a desire to discover the problem.

The nurse informed me that she would be starting an IV and that I would feel a stick. Her patience and gentle hands, along with her great eyesight were very much appreciated.

The physician arrived, introduced himself to me and to my daughter, pulled up a chair right beside me and said, “I am so sorry that you feel so bad, tell me what is going on.” As he sat right by my side, he listened and asked more questions. We could tell that he was genuinely concerned.

He wanted me to know that he would be consulting the specialist at the main hospital and ordering the necessary tests to rule out a stroke or cerebral hemorrhage. He kept us informed.

We never had to ask what was going on, we were told.

We never had to find someone to answer our questions, they came to us, we were thankful.

When eye contact was made with health care professionals they never turned away, we were appreciative.

When they explained why I needed to be transferred by ambulance to the main hospital, we felt confident.

I knew that we were in a caring place with caring people from the first moment. There was never a need for anyone to apologize for anything. Each and every member of this health care team had been alert, attentive, professional and caring beyond measure. “They” had me at hello.

In my profession, I address the good, the bad and the “oh my goodness!” as an “Undercover Patient” however this

time it was for real. I was not an “Undercover Patient” ~ that’s right…..the covers were OFF! I was a real patient.

What I did not hear, see or miss was: • Personal conversations • Food & drinks • A complaining staff • Lack of accountability

What I did hear, see, appreciate and will always remember: • Concerned, caring and professional conversations • Clean and professional environment • A supportive team of health care professionals • 100% accountability

These are gifts that cost you nothing. These are free gifts to your patients that will be appreciated and remembered, bringing you more return business and also bringing you new patients by word-of-mouth.

By the way, my final diagnosis was Cranial Shingle.

It was “all in my head,” however our hearts truly were connected through compassion. 

“Training Wheels in Heels” Denise Price Thomas Trainer for Health Care Professionals Focusing on Exceptional Customer Service, Effective Communication & Exemplary Compassion 34+ year career in health care and certified in health care management Undercover Patient Providing Insight to Your Practice Through the “Eyes of a Patient” Conference Speaker Presenting also as “Gladys Friday”, Health Care Comedienne

Home Grown/Nationally Known www.denisepricethomas.com denisepricethomas@gmail.com 704-747-8699 WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 21

international

Rising Disease Incidence Boosts Future Uptake of Multiparameter Patient

Monitoring in Europe

Rising incidences of chronic illnesses, heart disorders and hypertension are widening the patient population pool in Europe, creating demand for technologically advanced multiparameter monitoring devices. Lack of reimbursement, however, remains a crucial issue restraining adoption of most high-end imaging modalities.

As a result, the market is not expected to attain full potential, with revenues reaching only $387.3 million in 2017 from $334.8 million in 2012, according to new research from Frost & Sullivan’s (medtech.frost.com) Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Solutions Market analysis.

“Increasing awareness on the clinical and economic advantages of multiparameter patient monitors has aided 22 | JANUARY 2014

uptake, particularly in cardiac applications,” said Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Research Analyst Akanksha Joshi.

“Moreover, safe and cost-effective devices that offer integration, connectivity and easy monitoring of vital patient parameters in all areas of care bedside, critical care and during emergencies sustains market growth in Europe.”

Although technological advances broaden the market scope, hospitals across Europe lack funds and invest only in equipment that is urgently required, thereby limiting the sale of multiparameter patient monitors. Long replacement periods that delay the purchase of new systems, coupled with the absence of reimbursement policies for cardiac diagnostic imaging procedures, add to market woes.

Price erosion leads to a further decrease in revenues.

As such, maintaining existing customer relationships will be vital for manufacturers to retain profit margins. Providing affordable, integrated, end-to-end solutions that can be customised or bundled with another product to suit end-user requirements will help suppliers stay competitive.

“Mergers and acquisitions will enable such customisation and satisfy customers’ need for reasonably priced products,” concluded Joshi. “Conducting promotional and marketing activities to demonstrate product attributes and draw the attention of customers to the benefits of multiparameter patient monitoring solutions will also be crucial to quicken market expansion.”

For more information on this research, please email Anna Zanchi, Corporate Communications, at anna.zanchi[.]frost.com Multiparameter Patient Monitoring Solutions Market is part of the Advanced Medical Technologies Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan’s related research services include: Emerging Trends in Critical Care Solutions in Europe, Global Trends in Medical Imaging Cardiology Applications, and Market Trends for Western & Eastern European Ventilation Equipment & Accessories. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.  About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan (frost.com), the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

Contact us: Start the discussion.

Source: http://www.newswiretoday.com/ news/135927/

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research & technology

R

esearchers can now freely access the first batch of genome sequence data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced. The ADSP is one of the first projects undertaken under an intensified national program of research to

24 | JANUARY 2014

NIH Deposits First Batch of Genomic Data For Alzheimer’s Disease

prevent or effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease.

The first data release includes data from 410 individuals in 89 families.

Researchers deposited completed WGS data on 61 families and have deposited WGS data on parts of the remaining 28 families, which will be completed soon. WGS determines the order of

all 3 billion letters in an individual’s genome. Researchers can access the sequence data at dbGaP or the National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease Data Storage Site (NIAGADS), https://www.niagads. org .

“Providing raw DNA sequence data to a wide range of researchers

proves a powerful crowd-sourced way to find genomic changes that put us at increased risk for this devastating disease,” said NIH Director, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., who announced the start of the project in February 2012. “The ADSP is designed to identify genetic risks for late-onset of Alzheimer’s disease, but it could also

discover versions of genes that protect us. These insights could lead to a new era in prevention and treatment.”

As many as 5 million Americans 65 and older are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to grow significantly with the aging of the baby boom generation. The National Alzheimer’s

Project Act became law in 2011 in recognition of the need to do more to combat the disease. The law called for upgrading research efforts by the public and private sectors, as well as expanding access to and improving clinical and long term care. One of the first actions taken by NIH under Alzheimer’s Act was the allocation of additional funding in fiscal 2012 for a series of studies, including this genome sequencing effort. Today’s announcement marks the first data release from that project.

Genome sequencing — determining the order of chemical letters in a cell’s DNA — is considered a key strategy to identifying new clues to the fundamental cause of Alzheimer’s disease and the development of new diagnostics and treatments. The clues come from differences in the order of DNA letters in Alzheimer’s patients compared to control groups.

To carry out the ADSP, two NIH institutes — the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) — formed a collaboration to manage patient samples and genome sequencing. NHGRI has devoted $25 million in sequencing capacity at its three flagship centers: The Genome Institute at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis; the Human Genome Sequencing Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; and the Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA. “NHGRI’s expertise in managing large sequencing initiatives is a hugely important addition to the search for the genetic roots of late onset Alzheimer’s disease,” said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, MD. “Partnerships between NIH institutes, like this one between NIA and NHGRI, have proved a powerful strategy for focusing research resources on critical public health problems.”

The sequencing centers will produce whole genome sequence of continued on page 26 WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 25

continued from page 25

582 subjects from 111 families in the Family Based Study, a collection of several different groups of patient cohorts. The cohorts come from the NIH-Late Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease (NIA LOAD); the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease (NCRAD); Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC); and the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE), in addition to patient collections provided by several universities.

“Critical to this ambitious genomics project is the well-characterized patient resource developed by the National Institute on Aging,” observed NHGRI Director Eric D. Green, M.D., Ph.D. “Such a partnership between our two institutes will be immensely helpful in establishing how best to use genome sequencing to elucidate the genomic contributions to complex genetic disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.”

In addition to the WGS studies, the three sequencing centers also have begun whole exome sequencing on an additional 11,000 individuals -6,000 affected individuals compared to 5,000 controls. Whole exome sequencing determines the order of genomic letters for the approximately 21,000 genes in the human genome, a considerably smaller data set than the 3 billion letters examined in WGS but intensely focused on the proteinproducing genes.

The current deposit of genomic data includes phenotypes, such as the Alzheimer’s symptoms of affected individuals, as well as family pedigrees and other demographic information.

The rapid release of this community resource follows NIH’s standard rules of data sharing, including requirements for consent and IRB approval. Prepublication release of the raw sequence data also follows The Bermuda Principles and the Ft. Lauderdale Large Scale Biological Sequencing Projects accord of 2003.

26 | JANUARY 2014

“These studies have been designed to have enough statistical power to discover both risk alleles and protective alleles,” said Adam Felsenfeld, Ph.D., director of the NHGRI Genome Sequencing Program.

“The analysis of this genomic data is just getting started, and we are looking forward to what we might learn.”

Marilyn Miller, Ph.D., who heads the NIA’s extramural Alzheimer’s disease genetics program, said the large scope of the study is key to success in identifying new genes, and with it, potential targets for more effective interventions. “Because Alzheimer’s is so complex, this broadbased collaborative effort, involving so many participants, will enable us to find potential solutions to tackle the disease.”

The National Alzheimer’s Project Act ordered the establishment of a National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease , which sets five primary goals. Its first goal – to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025 – specifically recognizes genetics research as key to achieving the plan’s research goals, and a number of ongoing genetics projects are underway, including the NHGRI/NIA sequencing effort.

National Human Genome Research Institute is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health. The NHGRI Extramural Research Program supports grants for research and training and career development at sites nationwide.

Additional information about NHGRI can be found at www.genome.gov.

National Institute on Aging leads the federal government effort conducting and supporting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. It provides information on age-related cognitive change and neurodegenerative disease specifically at its Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center at www. nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers.  Source: http://www.nih.gov/news/ health/dec2013/nhgri-02.htm

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research & technology

It May Be Time to Switch Your EHR Thinking

By Barbara Hales, M.D. The year 2013 was dubbed “The Year of the EHR Switch” and with good reason!

Many physicians and healthcare facilities jumped on the bandwagon early to comply with federal mandates to digitalize records- even before meaningful use criteria was determined. It seemed that over night, there were more than 500 vendors.

Most did not interface with each other.

Now, we have not only criteria for this but Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements as well. Many of the earlier EMR systems were not built with the criteria in mind and have not upgraded accordingly.

So, ask yourself, “Is my EHR system meeting my needs? This is a crucial question that you need to answer and one that is being eyed across 28 | JANUARY 2014

the country. For those that are first scrambling to get a system, do you know what your needs are?

In view of increasing liability from “cut and paste” techniques on templates that have gotten many doctors in hot water, there are several issues to consider regarding a digital system.

21 Questions to Ask When Considering an EHR While it is natural to see what other medical practices are using, there are key questions that should be asked prior to picking out a vendor for the EHR that is most appropriate for you.

It’s time to bring out the game of 21 questions just like the one you played as a youngster. (Upgraded, of course!)

1. Is it compatible with both IBM PC and MAC computers?

2. Will the new system interface with the computer system of your affiliated hospital?

3. Does it meet the criteria for Meaningful Use Stage I and II? 4. Is there a separate flow sheet for medications, laboratory test results and radiological test findings?

5. If your practice focuses on a specific area of medicine, is this program geared to my specialty?

Templates, terminology and coding for a specific specialty will decrease headaches and save time.

6. Are there templates specific to your specialty that will document repetitive acts and highlight abnormalities?

7. Can you emphasize abnormal

findings without entering data for segments of the template that were not performed on a given day?

8. Are there printed notifications to you and your patients when medications are recalled or when new warnings are issued regarding drugs that your patients are on?

9. Is there a patient portal built into the system with easy access?

10. Is the system certified?

11. How is the training for implementation of the system?

Is it?

• Video training • Onsite training • Training at your office?

12. What is the support system provided by the vendor?

• Is it a 24/7 manned support to answer any technical questions (when the problem arises and before frustration and tempers flare) or is the support only available from 9-5 on Monday through Friday?

• Is it a live answer or must you email the problem to be answered later?

13. Will the vendor upgrade the system as federal requirements are amended? Is there a fee for this?

14 . Is there a fee for each user to the system or does the cost encompass the entire practice?

15. Can this system be used or interfaced in multiple locations?

16. Can this system be used on multiple devices?

• Desktop computers • Tablets • Smart phones 17. Can this system easily integrate information from a previous system? How easy is it to export your records to take them to a new system? Remember, the patient data is yours.

18. Does this system function with voice-recognition programs as well as physically entering data?

19. Will the vendor put you in touch with a local practice similar to yours so that you can bring your

team for a visit and discuss how happy they are with their current system?

Of course every salesperson will tell you their electronic medical record software is easy to use. You need to decide for yourself what “easy to use” means and how easy it was for current clients to implement.

20. Does this vendor support both a cloud system and onsite system?

21. What is the storage or backup for files? Is it done automatically and easily accessible from any location?

Is It Time For the Change?

Let’s face it. We all hate change.

We hate having to go through this daunting task of redoing files and relearning how to implement a new system…and we hate incurring a new cost!

The thing is, if your vendor does not keep you prepared and does not protect you from pitfalls that an old system may expose you to, it may be more costly and more frightening not to switch!

However, you can protect yourself a bit for a vendor change in the future.

Construct a Back Door After you have had a “legal eagle” oversee your vendor contract, do not sign until there is an “opt out” or cancellation clause inserted.

If the system that you have elected to implement, no longer functions up to your expectations and you see a better system that works for you or is more affordable, you don’t want to be locked into a system that you loathe. Having no means of opting out translates to having to throw thousands of dollars away to pay a vendor for a commitment while changing. If there is an early termination fee, know about this ahead of time. There should be no unplanned expenditures.

Good luck with your new system.

Despite changes coming down the road, hopefully you can grow with this vendor and system for years to come. 

research & technology

A New Insight Based on a ‘2013 Search For Growth’ Survey Identifies Key Areas of eHealth Technology and Convergence with Other Industries

30 | JANUARY 2014

mHealth, Cloud in Healthcare and Regulatory Environments will be the key subjects in 2014 and beyond.

“Frost & Sullivan’s research team has used the findings to select and prioritize the subjects that are deemed to be poised for the greatest growth,” explains Frost & Sullivan Partner Dorman Followwill. “The insight has also been essential in unveiling the business outlook for Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Clinical Diagnostics and Medical Devices, as well as to provide a global perspective on the industry’s geographical hot spots. mHealth expansion has been fuelled by the unprecedented spread of mobile technologies, as well as advancements in their innovative application to address health priorities. It is largely supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other wireless devices. The penetration prospects of mHealth technologies are significant in the following areas: wireless vital signs monitoring, location-aware telemonitoring systems and Bluetooth wireless technology-enabled health trackers. It is an exciting area of opportunity for healthcare growth and will provide innovative solutions for stakeholders, both providers and patients alike, across the spectrum.

In addition, as more healthcare IT and patient monitoring tools are integrated, every hospital facility will eventually have to acquire a fully-enterprise wireless solution. The most innovative mobile healthcare solutions that best meet pressing healthcare needs will be adopted as the gold standard.

Enterprise-wide healthcare informatics will also improve the quality of medical services and efficiency of operations while reducing expenditures. Cloud computing is considered to be a key enabler for enterprise-wide solutions. Implementing cloud computing technologies appropriately will help healthcare providers improve the quality of medical services and the efficiency of operations, share information across geographic locations and manage expenditures. The concept can be applied in a variety of ways, including data storage and data loss prevention, maintaining patient information records and authorized sharing of information.

The advantages that cloud computing provides can change the dynamics of the healthcare informatics industry over time. The need for efficient sharing of information across locations in a synchronized manner will be a key driver for cloud computing in healthcare.

As for Regulatory Environment, recent healthcare

reforms and policy initiatives across many countries have emphasized the importance of quality of care more than quantity. In the absence of a sufficient proof of clinical benefit, reimbursements may pose a major hurdle.

All in all, three big predictions may be formulated based on the survey’s results: • As healthcare is geared towards a personalized medicine model, companion diagnostics will alter drug development and the commercialization process of drug candidates. Combining biomarkers and drugs will result in enhanced therapeutic efficacy and safety.

• The healthcare and life sciences industry will consolidate further in this decade, with many big pharma companies seeking alternatives to the blockbuster model.

• The rise of new technologies capable of integrating medical devices into a connected platform will enhance the functionality of devices, reduce the man power burden and minimize errors.

Other hot areas that have emerged from the same survey include: Cancer Market Outlook, Remote Monitoring, Drug Delivery Market, Patient and Consumer Engagement, Healthcare Dashboards, eHealth Medical Records, Medical Devices Growth Drivers, Drug Discovery Research Outsourcing Market, Homecare Market Trends, Video Telemedicine and Cardiovascular Therapeutics.

To know more about Frost & Sullivan predictions and to find out where the global and regional hot spots are in the healthcare industry, please contact Anna Zanchi, Corporate Communications, at anna.zanchi[.]frost.com  About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan (frost.com), the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community.

Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies? Contact us: Start the discussion.

Source: http://www.newswiretoday.com/advertise.php WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |31

legal

HHS Releases Notices for Transition to ACA Compliant Insurance Policies

By Meghan C. O’Connor von Briesen & Roper, S.C. On November 21st the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) issued a memorandum outlining standard notices that are required to transition certain cancelled or terminated health insurance policies to comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The November 21 memo follows a memorandum released last week outlining a transitional policy that would allow insurers to choose to continue coverage that would otherwise be terminated or canceled and would allow affected individuals and small businesses to re-enroll in such non-compliant coverage.

If insurers decide to continue offering plans that do not comply with ACA requirements, the transitional policy announced last week requires insurers to comply with certain conditions in order to continue offering such plans through 2014.

One such transition condition is that 32 | JANUARY 2014

insurers must provide a notice to all individuals and small businesses that received – or would receive – a cancellation or termination notice.

The notice must inform policyholders regarding: • Changes in available options; • Which market reforms would not be reflected in any continuing coverage (e.g., preexisting condition exclusions, discrimination based on health status, limits on out-of-pocket costs, coverage of essential health benefits, and coverage for clinical trials); • The potential right to enroll in a qualified health plan offered through an Exchange and possibly qualify for financial assistance; • How to access such coverage through an Exchange; and • The right to enroll in coverage outside of an Exchange that complies with ACA market reforms.

CCIIO’s November 21 memorandum provides standard notice language that insurers must send policyholders in order to satisfy these requirements. The standard notices explain that policies “will NOT provide all of the rights and protections of the health care law” and that “[t]he Marketplace allows you to choose a private plan that fits your budget and health care needs. You may also qualify for tax credits or other financial assistance to help you afford health insurance coverage through the Marketplace.”

The notice must be delivered to policyholders separately from any other plan materials or correspondence, and for insurers that decide to cancel coverage, the standard notice language must be prominently displayed in all cancellation notices.  Source: http://blog.vonbriesenhealth. com/2013/11/22/hhs-releases-noticesfor-transition-to-aca-compliantinsurance-policies/

WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |37

legal

Affordable Care Act

Checkup:

2014 Payroll

By Patricia A. Moran Mintz Levin

This past summer, the Obama administration decided to delay the “employer shared responsibility” portion (also known as the “employer mandate” or “pay or play mandate”) of the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) for one year until January 1, 2015. This delay, while welcome, has lulled many employers into a false sense of security; many assume that not much needs to be done in 2013 or 2014 to get ready for 2015. In our view, nothing could be further from the truth.

Among other things, one thing that employers should be doing now is setting up payroll systems to track and record employees’ work hours starting in 2014. These records will serve two important purposes under the ACA. • First, an employer will be able to prove to the IRS whether it is or is not an “applicable large employer” subject to the employer mandate. An employer is an “applicable large employer” for a calendar year if it employed an average of at least 50 full time and full 34 | JANUARY 2014

time equivalent employees on business days during the preceding calendar year. So, for 2015, the IRS will be looking at 2014 payroll data. “Full time” employees are those who work 30 hours of service per week. To find monthly “full time equivalent” employees, employers need to add up all the hours of the employees who worked less than 30 hours per week during that month and divide by 120.

• Second, once an employer determines it is likely to be subject to the law, it will need good payroll records in order to identify its “full time” employees. Under the ACA, 95% of an employer’s “full time” employees and their dependents must be offered ACA-compliant health care coverage; if they are not, the employer may be subject to a tax penalty. The concept of “full time” is purely hours-based and there are no categorical exclusions. For example, employers will no longer be able to make blanket eligibility exclusions for temps,

co-ops, casual employees and the like; if an employee works 30 hours/week under the ACA’s rules, he or she is full time, regardless of employment category.

Further, for certain types of employees, employers may use a “lookback/measurement” methodology to identify which employees are and are not full time; absent additional guidance from the IRS, the first “measurement” periods will need to begin in 2014, further necessitating the existence of robust payroll records sooner rather than later.

As noted above, the “full time” standard is 30 “hours of service” per week. So, payroll systems will need to capture all relevant “hours of service.” Under the ACA, “hours of service” include: (1) each hour for which an employee is paid, or entitled to payment, for the performance of duties for the employer; and (2) each hour for which an employee is paid, or entitled to payment by the employer on account of a period of time during which no duties are performed due to vacation, holiday, illness, incapacity (including disability), layoff, jury duty, military duty or a leave of absence.

Finally, an employer will want to make sure that appropriate records are being used to track “hours of service”. For hourly employees, employers must count all

actual hours of service from records of hours worked and hours for which payment is made or due. For non-hourly (i.e. salaried) employees, employers have three options: 1. Count all actual hours of service from records of hours worked and hours for which payment is made or due; 2. Count eight hours of service for each day for which the employee would be required to be credited with at least one hour of service (the “days worked equivalency”); or 3. Count 40 hours of service per week for each week for which the employee would be required to be credited with at least one hour of service (the “weeks worked equivalency”).

Employers are urged to discuss these new ACA payroll requirements with their internal and external payroll managers to make certain that their payroll systems are properly tracking hours in 2014.  Source: http://www.employmentmattersblog.com/2013/11/ affordable-care-act-checkup-2014-payroll/ Article reproduced with permission of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo P.C. © 2013 Mintz Levin, www. mintz.com.

legal

It’s Official –

Supreme Court Announces That It Will Review the Contraceptive Mandate

By Mark D. Scudder Barnes & Thornburg LLP On Nov. 26, 2013, U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will review two cases in which for-profit employers challenged the application of the contraceptive mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The cases are Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialites Corp. v. Sebelius.

Both employers say that their religious beliefs bar them from providing employees with drugs or other items that they consider abortifacients. These employers argue that the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects their religious beliefs and therefore bars the application of the contraceptive mandate. In contrast, the government argues that for-profit corporations cannot exercise religion and therefore have no protection from the mandate.

At present, the federal courts of appeal are deeply divided on this issue. Three circuits—the Seventh, Tenth, and D.C. Circuits—have upheld challenges to the mandate, while two circuits—the Third and the Sixth—have rejected these challenges. The most recent decision came from the Seventh Circuit in Korte v. Sebelius, Case No. 12-3841, and Grote v. Sebelius, Case No. 13-1077. The court’s ruling, issued Nov. 8, 2013, held that the Religious Freedom 36 | JANUARY 2014

Restoration Act barred the application of the mandate to closely held, for-profit corporations when the mandate substantially burdened the religious-exercise rights of the business owners and their companies.

The Supreme Court will likely hear oral argument in the consolidated Hobby Lobby and Conestoga case in March 2014. The decision is expected to decide whether— and to what extent—for-profit corporations have a right to exercise religion. Many commentators see parallels between this case and the Citizens United case in which the Court held that corporations had a First Amendment right to make certain political expenditures. If the Court finds that corporations also have religious rights, it could have significant impact on the application of other laws— including the Title VII, the ADA, the FMLA, etc. For example, could a religious employer object to providing FMLA leave for an employee to care for a same-sex spouse, even in a state that recognizes same-sex unions?

Keep an eye on this case—it could have far-reaching consequences.  Source: http://www.natlawreview.com/article/it-s-officialsupreme-court-announces-it-will-review-contraceptivemandate

features

M

edical practices, in general, are small businesses, and small businesses advertise to grow their enterprises. Therefore, having a website is an important component to any successful advertising campaign. Websites are “the new storefronts” and medical practices should not be missing out on this valuable opportunity.

Acknowledging the fact that doctors are either some of the first or some of the last to adopt new forms of media and marketing to maximize their practice, the world is constantly evolving and patient behaviors are changing.

Patients are spending more time online, searching the Internet for answers to their medical questions.

Many surfers, between 50 and 90 million, are researching health-related questions. They get their answers from a variety of online resources, and eventually some will seek to establish a patient-physician relationship for specific medical advice and treatment.

This is your core audience. Traditional means of finding a physician are still used (i.e. word-of-mouth, yellow pages), but it is becoming more common for patients to choose or evaluate their physicians from their selection of choices on the Internet.

This is especially true for prospective patients who have just recently relocated to a new area.

Having a medical practice website that is attractive, concise, well organized, and easy to navigate, can reap many benefits for a practice, including: • Increased marketability to prospective patients, including information about the practice’s mission, location, and medical services to new patients • Improved patient services with downloadable patient forms, and easy directions to the practice • Enhanced professional image among colleagues, an important

38 | JANUARY 2014

By Thomas Hibbard Creative Director, Med Monthly referral base. Additionally, adding the web address to marketing material, business cards, and other office letterhead can increase awareness

Website Design Tips Some basic tips to keep in mind when designing any medical practice website are: • Use a good color scheme to enhance readability • Leave white space for the eyes to rest - a crowded page is more difficult to read • Speed is essential. Pages should load within 8-15 seconds. Don’t “bloat” pages with too much text

or graphics. If copy runs too long, make another page • Use a consistent navigation so the user can easily traverse the site • Limit use of multimedia, animation, and Flash to appropriate areas. These can slow down a site and frustrate the viewer • Use clear, sharp photos of the office, patients, and medical staff • KIS (Keep It Simple) - Starting and ending a medical web site project can be challenging. Therefore, it’s recommended that practices start with a finite scope, then add to the web site after a few months of service. In the world of web, often less is more

Does My Medical Practice Need a Website?

6 “Musts” for a Medical Practice Website 1. Bio Page. The most online traffic will be to your bio page of physicians and staff. Make sure all information is current and complete, including any new specialties, certifications and medical associations to keep patients informed.

2. Patient registration and forms.

Ensure patients can make appointments, register and access important forms no matter where they are. Putting the registration form under “new patient” or “welcome” on one’s site will allow patients to find it easily. A

registration form is okay to have on your website, but avoid posting any forms about patient’s personal medical information because they would not be secure and could be a HIPAA violation.

3. Accessible contact information.

Display contact information clearly on every page. Make sure it shows up on local search results, and include the address on the footer of each page.

4. Services and insurance. List all services and insurance companies your practice accepts. Practices should keep this open-ended, so that if the patient’s insurer is not listed, he or she can call for options.

5. Timely news and updates. Make sure to display recent blogs, news and other alerts or updates to make sure the website looks fresh and timely. This helps patients feel comfortable that their doctor is engaged with the community and current issues. It also makes the practice look fresher, bigger and more sophisticated. Practices will also be rewarded by Google if they show they are constantly updating the site and will rank higher than other practices.

6. Patient education resources.

Patients are relying more and more on the Internet for medical information and news, which continued on page 40 WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 39

continued from page 39

can often lead to confusion and inaccurate diagnoses. With so many people looking for health information online, it is critical your healthcare practice website include easy to understand educational content and that you direct patients to the information after a diagnosis is made. It also plays an important role in your online marketing efforts. If you provide patient education on your website and a patient is searching for a particular set of symptoms or conditions, they are much more likely to find you if your content is relevant to their search.

And what better way to find a qualified provider than through the educational content on your website.

Once You Have a Website If your medical practice has a website, it may have been a while since you last updated it, or perhaps you’re not using it to its fullest potential. One option is to include frequently asked questions (FAQs) online. You can also use your website to offer online scheduling for things such as flushot clinics, or to offer downloadable electronic forms. And don’t forget about promotion. If you have a flatscreen TV set in your waiting room, you should have information playing about your website.

Attract With a Low-Risk Offer Another option to attract viewers is to have an irresistible low-risk offer on the practice homepage for a prospective patient enticing them to want to take the next step and learn more about your practice, services and staff. A low-risk or irresistible offer is usually something free for the prospective patient or reader of your web site. It can be a coupon, a free pamphlet, a checklist, or a free DVD that engages and entices the reader to want to know more about who you are and what you offer. Just about everyone will give you their email address to get something free. If you make it easy to get ‘something of value’ for free, people inevitably will take you up on the offer. You then have a lead and can start accumulating a clearer message to those now showing interest in your practice.

Increase Your SEO High traffic is important but all your efforts will be for nothing if your visitors can’t find you when using important keywords and phrases.

Realize they’re not going to Google Search the name of your practice.

They’ll most likely search your name, city and services offered. See Lori Gertz’s article, “The Importance of Search Engine Optimization for Your Practice’s Website” in this issue for more detailed information on increasing your SEO.

Get Rid of FLASH You have between 3 and 5 seconds for your web site homepage to load.

Visitors judge the value of your practice and business in a matter of seconds. Bear in mind, the more you add to your site, the longer it takes to load. The amount of visibility you’re losing with a Flash movie on your homepage makes it more likely the viewers will leave your web site rather than fight with the hassles of adding a Java download to speed up their viewing. And iPhones and iPads do not support Flash, so you’ll lose some of your potential viewers. Google doesn’t read Flash script either, so it won’t help you climb up the SEO ranks either.

Final Thoughts These tips are only some of the actions you can take to design an attractive, inviting website and to increase the effectiveness of your web presence. A combination of professional web design and regularly updated, relevant content (i.e. stories, articles, blog posts, etc.) are able to make your website more interesting and cause your visitors will stay longer and interact with you more.

Google also gives websites that keep current information recognition with higher rankings in their results pages. As long as your site is dynamic and informative, your patients will keep visiting and you’ve increased the growth potential of your medical practice. 

Subscribe to receive Med Monthly e-news Click here to join our e-news subscribers and get current medical news as it happens Visit us online anytime at medmonthly.com 40 | JANUARY 2014

features

The Importance of Search Engine Optimization for Your Practice’s Website

By Lori Gertz Freakin’ Genius Marketing 42

| JANUARY 2014

SEO or search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your practice website to be found in the search engines for relevant keyword searches. For example, if a potential patient is searching for a pediatrician in the University Heights area of San Diego and there are ten pediatricians there, it goes without saying that you’d want your practice to come up first in the local results.

Another important and somewhat unknown fact is that if someone is searching for you, and actually finds you with the search terms they use – they are more likely to come see you and become a regular patient. Yep. SEO leads have a close to 15% close rate! (Source: Search Engine Journal) That 15% close rate means they convert to customers and in your case — patients, while outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) are defined as good if they result in a 1.7% close rate.

Still don’t quite believe it? As of 2013, 56% of American adults were smartphone owners, which stresses how key it is to rank highly in the search engines for keyword searches that prospective patients might be making from their mobile devices alone, no less from those searching for you from the comfort of their home computer.

Here are seven proactive SEO tricks and tips to help you increase your website’s rank above the competition in your market:

1. Identify the Right Keywords

Make a list of keywords that you think people would search when looking for your health care facility and services. Collaborate with team members to ensure that this list is comprehensive.

After you’ve compiled this list of search terms, test them by searching each keyword phrase in Google’s Keyword Planner to see which phrases have a decent amount of local monthly search traffic, but with low competition from other websites or advertisers. When analyzing these keywords, shoot for keyword phrases with 200 to 10,000 local monthly searches.

Once you’ve cleaned up your list, begin incorporating these keywords throughout various relevant pages on your site as well as in a variety of information-driven blog posts or articles you submit elsewhere.

Google research reports that 77% of patients used search prior to booking an appointment, which is why it’s important to build your keywords into your website. It feeds the search engines so they know what your website is about and drives more patients to your door.

2. Include a Site Map

Creating a simple site map is an often forgotten tactic for indexing your website properly with the search engines. A site map help give Bing, Google and Yahoo a map of how your website is laid out and connected. It can also help users better access your website.

3. Create Dynamic, Rich Content

Creating original content for your website has become a key component for website success if how you measure it is whether you stand out ahead of your online competition, specifically in the search engines.

Educate your audience by offering rich and dynamic content rather than static pages.

Publish content like cases studies, blog posts, videos, interviews, photos, patient testimonials, infographics, medical breakthroughs, conversations about your specialization and you’ll drive more value to your website and increase your search engine rankings by more relevant content containing your keywords.

An excellent way to brainstorm quality content for your organization is to think of the commonly asked questions by patients in your field. Create content that answers these questions to answer potential patient’s queries about your area of expertise. BTW, it will also build you amazing credibility and authority for your practice as an expert on the subject area.

You can setup a free blog using WordPress or Google’s Blogspot and embed it right into your website to start writing and creating original content that drives traffic, educates potential patients and builds credibility! A triple whammy!

continued on page 44

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4. Pick Your Meta Data: Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

The keywords targeted for your SEO strategy should not only be present throughout the original content on your website but they should also be present in the metadata of each those pages. For newbies, these title and meta tags are located in the “back end” of your site. The site behind the site, if you will.

This is information that is built into the HTML code of a document. Meta data tells the search engines what the page is about using the title tag, the meta description and headers.

The title tag acts as the title of the page at the top of the browser and in the blue text in the search engine results.

Try a search and you will see what I’m talking about. Create them to be no longer than 65 characters and naturally incorporate your keywords, while naming the page. Eg: ContactUs/Makeappointment A meta description shouldn’t be longer than 150 characters as it describes the page’s content.

Headers added throughout a piece of content using header tags will also help to further direct search engines as to what the contents of the page and your site are about.

5. Try Other Search Targets

Many health care professionals are missing an opportunity to rank highly for other search related verticals including slideshows, images, local, mobile, video, audio, etc. You can leverage these unique SEO verticals to drive highly targeted traffic to your website or blog.

Here are a few guides to making the most of the SEO of your video, images, slideshows, local and mobile efforts.

• Video: Create A YouTube Traffic Jam With These 4 Simple Optimization Tips • Local: The Definitive Guide to Local SEO • Mobile: The Definitive Guide to Google’s New Mobile SEO Rules • Images: 10 Must Know Image Optimization Tips • Slideshows: 7 Ways to Optimize Your SlideShare Presentations for More Traffic

6. Utilize Social Media

Social media helps facilitate two-way conversations between your practice and a prospective patient. One of the uses of social media is to drive traffic to your website from a larger audience outside of your core database of patients.

Google and the other search engines take into consideration hundreds of factors when determining the SEO quality of a web page. Social media is one of those factors taken into consideration.

If a page on your website is shared across social media 44 | JANUARY 2014

in a meaningful way, then the engines weigh this as a signal that that particular page on your website is quality information on your expertise.

Social media’s impact on SEO is a basic form of linkbuilding, except on websites like Facebook or Twitter. This further emphasizes the need for quality content, so it can be consistently shared across relevant social channels.

Start simple when it comes to social media; utilize LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter to start building an audience and informing them of your unique offerings and knowledge.

When it comes to setting up your social media accounts for the first time, fill out as much information as you possibly can when it comes to the name, the bio, and the description to give the search engines as much information as possible to help them rank your social profile activity.

Focus on quality over quantity when it comes to the content your practice shares on social media. If you’ve got a small budget, limited time and personnel, direct your energy towards talking with your community on a one-toone basis and join in discussions that fall in line with your expertise.

7. The Importance of Local Search Marketing

Did you know that 50% of all local searches are performed on a mobile device? (Source: Yext). Make use of a mobile friendly, local experience for your prospective patients today.

Local search is one of the most important search verticals for physicians because in order for patients to make use of your services and expertise, they have to visit you at your offices. So first they have to find you. And then they have to find your office. It’s crucial when someone is searching for you or your practice that you’re at the top of the results.

So how do you do it? Make sure your practice’s name, address and phone number is accurately updated on a Google+ Local Page, Foursquare Page and on your website’s footer across the entire website.

Listing your contact info will continue to help Google associate the correct location with your organization.

When you can, add the city and state to your title tags on your website to further optimize your patient’s experience.

Keep close monitoring of any professional reviews your practice receives to ensure they aren’t negatively affecting your rankings. The amount of reviews and their sentiment impacts your ranking overtime, stay on top of the incoming recommendations and monitor their impact.  Lori Gertz is Chief Freakin’ Genius at Freakin’Genius Marketing specializing in website strategy, design, content development and deployment in a world of multitudes of devices. www.freakingeniusmarketing.com.

It’s Time to Get Online!

Showcase your practice and develop the right image.

Our website packages are custom designed and affordable.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to learn more.

Increase your patient volume and profitability with a website from

MedMedia9.

Visit us today at medmedia9.com to find out how we can make your practice grow. Click on the “Web Design” tab for more details and view the sample website.

Call MedMedia9 today at 919-747-9031.

M edM edia9

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features

RX For Your Practice Website:

Let the Professionals Do It!

By Bob Bedi Senior Partner, Media Integrations When it comes to creating a website for yourself or your practice, the prescription is pretty self-evident. It literally pays for physicians and health care providers to enlist the services of an experienced web design company to do the work for you.

In the medical profession, patients benefit from enlisting the services 46 | JANUARY 2014

of experienced practitioners and specialists who know their craft, are passionate about what they do, and deliver the best results possible. The same is true in the field of website creations.

Did you know that 97% of consumers now search online for local services?* You’re almost certainly one

of them!

We live in a time when a practice’s online visibility and identity are critical. If your business doesn’t rank highly for key search terms in your field, you are essentially invisible to motivated prospects who are looking for a provider just like you. Equally important, if you are found, but

leave an unremarkable impression, you’re likely to lose business to other practices that have mastered internet marketing more effectively.

It’s not unreasonable to assert that in 2014, any business that wishes to be viewed credibly needs a well conceived website that can tell its story effectively and be found by search engines. For the same reason it would be unrealistic for patients to “heal thyself,” successful medical practitioners understand why this critical task belongs in the hands of the experts.

Here Are Three Key Reasons: Web design professionals understand effective design.

Just as grocery stores know where to place their meats, milk and veggies, there is a science to designing websites that will encourage reader engagement. Even if potential patients can’t articulate why they don’t like a particular website, they intuitively know when they are looking at an amateurish presentation. And there’s a very good likelihood they won’t stay long or follow up to make an appointment. First impressions truly are lasting impressions. Bad ones are difficult to overcome.

An effective design will draw the reader’s attention to different places on the monitor in a logical progression and will provide the information that he or she is most likely to seek. It is likely to use pictures, colors, type sizes and graphics effectively, to help messages stand out. The essentials, such as phone number, address and a call-to-action such as scheduling an appointment will be very visible and prominent throughout the website.

In 2000, website usability expert Steve Krug wrote one of the essential books on web design, called Don’t Make Me Think. Steve’s mantra, followed by professional designers to this day, is that if you force site visitors to work too hard to find what they’re looking for, there’s a very good chance they’ll look elsewhere instead.

Effective web design, implemented by experienced professionals, ensures that your current and future patients will find what they’re looking for on your website.

Web design professionals understand search engine behavior.

Google alone has over 400 factors they consider when ranking businesses for specific search terms and they are constantly tweaking their formula and priorities. Websites need to be well written, both for humans and search engines. The accompanying meta tags that search engines index must spotlight the terms that will be sought out by consumers, in order to ensure online visibility.

Reputable web design companies do a good job of keeping up with the changes in search engine priorities and understand concepts like keyword density – making certain that the most important and frequently sought out terms appear with the right frequency on each page of the website.

Equally important, they have access to search data which will allow them to identify the terms that consumers are using to find specific types of business.

They will know the relative importance of a word like “doctor” versus one like “physician.” They will understand how to apply this information to the copy they write and the code they insert, to resonate most effectively with humans and search engines.

Web design professionals understand how to tell your story.

We live in a world where every business has competition. However, the reverse is also true. Every business has unique assets which can be promoted effectively and utilized to differentiate itself from similar companies. Without an effective “storyteller” on your side, your website is likely to fade into the background with all the other unremarkable competitors. By taking the time to provide site visitors with information they are looking for and will retain,

you give yourself the best opportunity to earn prospects’ business and trust.

Reputable web design companies will take this process a step further, by researching best practices for specific industries. They will understand and apply this information in the presentation of their client’s message.

When it comes to creating your website identity, it may tempting to cut corners and save a few dollars, by enlisting the “services” of a friend or relative, or by trying to do it yourself.

The end result, if you head down this path, is almost certainly going to be poorly conceived, poorly written, difficult to find by search engines and most importantly … ineffective in attracting new patients and serving your existing ones. Conversely, a professionally designed, written and coded website is likely to be visible online and create the type of memorable impression you desire.

In the final analysis, here’s a good exercise to undertake. Consider the lifetime value of a new patient to your practice and compare that to the investment you’ll be making in an effective website. If your online profile plays a key role in introducing even a handful of new patients to your practice in a year’s time, it will pay for itself many times over. Factor in the value of your personal time as part of the do-it-yourself alternative and there is no question that using a professional web design company is a great use of your practice’s resources. It’s the best way to manage a key element of your marketing and overall brand and an essential cost of doing business if you want to be credible with patients and prospects.  ______________ * Source: BIA/Kelsey Bob Bedi is the Senior Partner at Media Integrations, a national branding and marketing strategies company, based in Raleigh, NC. The company specializes in brand identities, market segmentation strategies, web design and social media implementation.

WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 47

features

Competing for Patients Online:

Three of the Latest Web Design Trends

By Amanda Kanaan President, WhiteCoat Designs

48 | JANUARY 2014

If you’ve ever had a patient present in your office with a self-diagnosis from WebMD, then you know firsthand the impact of the internet on health care. Patients are not only searching for conditions online, they’re also comparing doctors. In fact, patients are now “shopping” online for medical providers in the same way they look for a good restaurant or a new purse.

Your website has just seven seconds to make an impression on patients or they’ll move on to the next link in Google. Patients will also use your website to compare you to your competitors, and will actually choose a provider based on the design, functionality and messaging of a website. With that in mind, here are three of the latest website design trends to help you stand out online.

1. Responsive Design

More than half of all smartphone owners have used their phone to look up health or medical information.

Mobile websites make browsing the desktop version of your site much easier and faster for patients. Since users’ search behaviors are different on mobile devices versus desktop computers, having a mobile website is a necessity if you want to improve the online experience for patients.

However, website designers are now taking this thought process one step further by creating “responsive” websites. This allows your website to adapt to any device – not just smartphones. From smartphones to tablets (ipads, etc.) to computers, there are many different size devices these days. A responsive website automatically responds and adapts to any size device which results in a better user experience. This also makes your website much more likely to convert visitors into patients, because it is more functional and aesthetically pleasing.

2. Patient Interaction

Websites should be more than a pretty online brochure. There are plenty of interactive tools you can integrate to keep patients on your website longer, which is not only good for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes but also to bring value to your relationship with the patient.

A good example is symptom checkers. There are many companies that offer affordable online tools, such as symptom checkers, that allow patients to use your website as a resource for researching a condition. After all, wouldn’t you rather a patient come to your website to look up a symptom rather than relying on WebMD? Another great example is a dosage calculator for parents to calculate their children’s medications online – a great tool for pediatric websites. These tools not only bring value to the relationship with your patients, but they also drive additional traffic to your website and position you as the expert in your specialty

(meaning anytime a patient has a concern, you are top of mind).

3. HIPAA Forms

Medical providers are extremely nervous about collecting Protected Health Information (PHI) online, and rightfully so. However, there are now companies that specialize in meeting HIPAA’s compliance regulations for online interactions. With so many patients now online, this not only makes communication with your practice more convenient but it can also make your staff more efficient.

A prime example of this is the ability for patients to request an appointment online. If you can securely collect PHI (including the reason for their appointment) and allow patients to simply fill out a form through your website, then your scheduling staff can significantly increase efficiency. Once your staff receives the form submission then they can call the patient back to schedule when it’s convenient (i.e. during low call volume times). This can also reduce the number of missed calls or the length of time patients are on hold. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Another great example is to give your patients the ability to fill out registration paperwork online. Some practices use a patient portal for these purposes, but if not, you can collect these forms online and then just upload to your EHR. Implementing secure online forms not only makes your practice more efficient but it’s also something patients appreciate; Sixty-five percent of patients are willing to switch to a physician who engages them using digital communications. According to this research, patients are more likely to choose your practice if you can interact with them online.

Patients conduct their banking online, they shop online, and it’s to be expected that they would also want to engage in their healthcare online. For this reason, it’s going to be more important than ever to invest in a strong online presence in 2014. By keeping your website up to date with the latest design techniques, engaging your patients through online resources, and providing them with secure ways to schedule and interact with your office, your practice will stand out amongst all the growing competition online.  Source: Pew Research Center, Pew Internet & American Life Project (2011) Amanda Kanaan is the Founder and President of WhiteCoat Designs – a medical marketing agency providing doctors with medical website design, search engine optimization (SEO), mobile and responsive websites, social media management, graphic design, physician liaison services, and more. To contact Amanda or to learn more about WhiteCoat Designs, visit www.whitecoat-designs.com.

WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 49

the arts

Dr. Hong: Artist, Missionary, and Physician

D

r. Kuhn Hong retired from Little Company of Mary Hospital in June after 24 years as the Medical Director of Nuclear Medicine., but his physician skills are not his only talent.

Dr. Hong is an amazing artist whose work now adorns the halls of Little Company of Mary Hospital. Read more about his story, and how he came to be an artist, medical mission volunteer, and physician.

He is this year’s Sister Nancy Boyle Award for Excellence honoree. Dr. Hong is currently on a medical mission in Ethiopia for the next three years at Myungsung Christian Medical Center in Addis Ababa. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Hong has visited more than 20 countries for short-term medical mission trips, including Haiti, Honduras, North Korea and many countries in Africa, providing medical examinations to many people who have never received medical care. As a man who likes to combine his many talents and put them to amazing use, Dr. Hong has not only provided medical aid to these various countries, but has also sketched and painted his experiences along the way. His artwork has been featured throughout the hallways of the hospital and in various publications, including The Atlantic, Chicago Medicine and Today’s Christian Doctor.

Interview with the artist: Dr. Kuhn Hong

Dr. Hong has been working on the craft of art since he was a child growing up as a refugee in South Korea. We had the chance to interview him about his art, and how it plays into his mission work and work as a physician.

50

| JANUARY 2014

What inspires you to create art?

I learned quickly that we could create something in art by observing objects, including people and scenery. We can express the feeling through the painting and tell a story by recording what’s happening. Although abstract art could be a totally different way of expression, I prefer traditional painting to be able to relate the natural setting from the real life. It does not mean recording a photographic depiction and exactly matching to the real happening. The artist could create an interesting painting even if it did not happen in real time.

When I joined my first short term medical mission trip to the Amazon River 15 years ago, I realized I could start to sketch the beautiful scenery along the tributary of the Amazon River, villages, and people living in the huts with thatched roofs with palm leaves. After so many years of not painting due to busy practice of daily life in the hospital, I was able to rekindle my desire of drawing and painting.

How do you select subjects or scenes that you will paint?

Since my traveling in different countries was not for leisure, but rather business trips for taking care of patients or doctors, I did not have many choices. Since I could not visit famous or well known attraction places, I compromised with wherever and whatever was available where I was working. However, I found that this gave me great opportunity to draw more natural settings of routine daily life of the native people, rather than artificial arrangements like a Hollywood studio. I worked hard to draw many sketches and constantly and ended up with few great pictures from those try outs. When I come home from the trip, I use those sketches as a backup of limited memory to produce much bigger paintings in large canvas.

From that time on, I made certain to carry sketchbooks and basic coloring tools with me for the following medical mission trips.

What is it like painting and drawing on mission trips?

Many people in the third world would not appreciate to be photographed. Some of them believe their soul could be taken away by flash photographs. However, drawing sketches would not be much trouble since it would not identify the person. By observing my drawing, some people would beg me to draw him/her for the next picture and even nicely pose in front of me. In spite of language barrier, I could make many friends through drawing sketches of them. Since I was there for the purpose of medical mission, taking care of patients at the makeshift clinic in a jungle or giving lectures at a university hospital, I was only able to draw sketches during a break time in busy schedules while hundreds of patients were waiting in line. Even in that limited access of drawing sessions, it is always inspiring to draw a new exotic place and friendly people in fascinating tribal costumes.

How has art helped you as a physician?

When I give lectures in other countries, I may not have proper slides or books to show during presentations.

Having artistic talent, I can use my impromptu illustration on the spot and the audience is very impressed and understands clearly. This also allows me to relate to the patients, especially young minors and the family members who want to know the situation of the disease they have and their treatment plan. As a matter of fact, I am a specialist of “medical imaging” and dealing with anatomy and pathology of human body.

Dr. Hong’s paintings are for sale, and all proceeds will be used for the expense of acquiring the necessary medical equipment for his three-year mission trip in Ethiopia.

View his art at Little Company of Mary.  Source: http://lcmhealthnews.org/hospital-news/interviewwith-the-artist-dr-kuhn-hong WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 51

healthy living

Kicking Up the Heat in the Kitchen with

By Ashley Acornley, MS, RD, LDN If you enjoy adding extra spice in your entrees, and like kicking up the heat in the kitchen, then hot sauce is a musthave ingredient in your pantry. Hot sauce is a low-calorie condiment that can be added to intensify taste or used to replace other higher-calorie condiments like mayonnaise and creamy dressings. One teaspoon of hot sauce has only about one calorie, so it’s an especially good flavor booster for people looking to lose weight. There are also added health benefits to consuming hot sauce, including boosting your metabolism and keeping you satisfied after a meal. As a Registered Dietitian, I give hot sauce a stamp of approval for adding bold flavor to your dishes, while leaving the calories behind.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Lauren Heald from Hot Shots Distributing Inc., a hot sauce distributing company located in Charlotte, NC. Hot Shots is the largest distributor of hot sauce in the United States. The business was started by Lauren’s aunt and uncle about fifteen years ago, and Lauren became a part of the business after 52 | JANUARY 2014

graduating from college. She was kind enough to provide me with details about the hot sauce industry, as well as some creative ways to incorporate hot sauce into your daily diet.

Hot Shots offers 1,200 unique and tasty food items, including a variety of hot sauce flavors. The company mainly distributes their products to restaurants, retail websites, high-end gourmet stores, and many “mom and pop” shops. Lauren attributes Hot Shots’ great success to their wide reach across the United States as well as the variety of products they offer to customers.

Lauren sees the hot sauce industry expanding exponentially over the next few years. Even when the economy was at its worst, their business continued to grow steadily. Hot sauce is considered a fun “affordable luxury” to use at home when cooking and trying to save money.

Hot sauce is inexpensive and simple to incorporate into a variety of cuisines. According to Lauren, hot sauce is in the top 10 fastest growing food segments today.

In addition, Hot Shots has recently started to promote the nutritional benefits of hot sauce. Customers have recently been asking whether their products are low in sodium and gluten free, and inquiring about the types of peppers included in their products. They are now categorizing their products based on these specific health factors in order to assist their customer base. The quality of their products are of utmost importance to the company, so they have plenty of products that are now gluten free, low sodium, and certified organic. Hot Shots’ #1 seller is called “Gator Hammock.” It is a very versatile hot sauce and tastes great in many dishes. Lauren’s husband, Matt, is the chef of their family, and incorporates this hot sauce into a variety of his homemade dishes, including pizza, mac n’ cheese, salad dressings, and hot dogs.

Benefits of Hot Sauce:

1. It doesn’t pack on the calories: While certain condiments offer plentiful flavor, hot sauce does the same at a fraction of the calories. Most hot sauces only weigh in at six calories per tablespoon.

2. It kicks up your metabolism: Hot sauce offers a boost of vitamin C and capsaicin, a compound found in hot peppers that is responsible for some serious heat.

Vitamin C and capsaicin have both been shown to assist in revving up your metabolism, which helps you to burn calories at a faster rate.

3. It helps keep you satisfied: A little hot sauce goes a long way! By keeping your dishes on the spicier side, you’ll need to eat a little slower. Hot sauce is a great way to pace yourself if you tend to finish your meals too quickly.

4. It can improve your mood: While other factors absolutely play a role, capsaicin increases “feel good” hormones called endorphins. Endorphins are an integral part to sustaining a good mood and positive attitude.

5. Curbs appetite: Eating a meal that contains capsaicin not only reduces levels of hunger-causing ghrelin hormones, but also raises GLP-1, an appetitesuppressing hormone, claims new research in the European Journal of Nutrition. According to this new

research, people who drank capsaicin-spiced tomato juice before each meal over 2 days ingested 16 percent fewer calories than those who drank plain tomato juice.

Hot Sauce Serving Tips: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Create a tangy wing sauce.

Fold into scrambled eggs.

Add some pep to your hollandaise sauce.

Flavor your tartar sauce.

Put a dash of heat into baby back ribs.

Whisk into a vinaigrette for a salad, or alongside ketchup and mayo for a thousand island dressing.

7. Add a hefty dose of hot sauce to pork; pile into a tortilla for a pulled pork taco.

8. Swirl into soups (tortilla soup, black bean, chili, hot and sour soup) 9. Warm up with a Mexican hot chocolate 10. Liven up your cocktail sauce.

11. Melt with butter and douse over your movie popcorn.

12. Top half a grapefruit with a few shakes of hot sauce, plus a teaspoon of brown sugar.

13. Melt in with cheese or chocolate for a sinfully hot fondue.

14. Stir into shepherd’s pie for a contemporary burn to an old classic.

15. Splash on tacos, brown rice, or low-fat tomato or lentil soup.

16. Caramelize onions, mix with hot sauce; top a burger.

17. Stir into mustard, pile onto a hot dog or use as a dip for pigs in a blanket. 

For more information: Site: www.hotshotshotsauce.com Facebook: Hot Shots Distributing Inc. Twitter: @hotshotsinc

Recipe on page 54 WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 53

Sriracha Quinoa Bites

By Ashley Acornley, MS, RD, LDN

Ingredients:

Adapted from: Leaf and Grain Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yields: 18-20 quinoa bites

Preparation:

2 cups cooked quinoa 3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, grated 2 eggs, beaten 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped 1 tablespoon honey 1-2 tablespoons sriracha pepper sauce (or more, if desired) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (whole wheat preferred)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F 2. Oil the cups of two mini 12-count muffin pans.

3. Stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. The mixture should be sticky and cling to a spoon. (Add more breadcrumbs if it’s too loose.)

4. Spoon the mixture into one cup. Press down firmly with your fingers. Add more, if necessary, to fill even with the top. Press firmly again. Continue filling the cups in this manner. You should be able to fill 18 to 20 of the cups.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Keep an eye on the edges, making sure they do not brown.

6. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and turn out on a cooling rack. Serve immediately or place in freezer for later use.

54 | JANUARY 2014

U.S. OPTICAL BOARDS Alaska P.O. Box 110806 Juneau, AK 99811 (907)465-5470 http://www.dced.state.ak.us/occ/pdop.htm

Idaho 450 W. State St., 10th Floor Boise , ID 83720 (208)334-5500 www2.state.id.us/dhw

Oregon 3218 Pringle Rd. SE Ste. 270 Salem, OR 97302 (503)373-7721 www.obo.state.or.us

Arizona 1400 W. Washington, Rm. 230 Phoenix, AZ 85007 (602)542-3095 http://www.do.az.gov

Kentucky P.O. Box 1360 Frankfurt, KY 40602 (502)564-3296 http://bod.ky.gov

Arkansas P.O. Box 627 Helena, AR 72342 (870)572-2847

Massachusetts 239 Causeway St. Boston, MA 02114 (617)727-5339 http://1.usa.gov/zbJVt7

Rhode Island 3 Capitol Hill, Rm 104 Providence, RI 02908 (401)222-7883 http://sos.ri.gov/govdirectory/index.php? page=DetailDeptAgency&eid=260

California 2005 Evergreen St., Ste. 1200 Sacramento, CA 95815 (916)263-2382 www.medbd.ca.gov Colorado 1560 Broadway St. #1310 Denver, CO 80202 (303)894-7750 http://www.dora.state.co.us/optometry/ Connecticut 410 Capitol Ave., MS #12APP P.O. Box 340308 Hartford, CT 06134 (860)509-7603 ext. 4 http://www.dph.state.ct.us/ Florida 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin C08 Tallahassee, FL 32399 (850)245-4474 doh.state.fl.us Georgia 237 Coliseum Dr. Macon, GA 31217 (478)207-1671 www.sos.state.ga.us Hawaii P.O. Box 3469 Honolulu, HI 96801 (808)586-2704 optician@dcca.hawaii.gov

Nevada P.O. Box 70503 Reno, NV 89570 (775)853-1421 http://nvbdo.state.nv.us/ New Hampshire 129 Pleasant St. Concord, NH 03301 (603)271-5590 www.state.nh.us New Jersey P.O. Box 45011 Newark, NJ 07101 (973)504-6435 http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/ ophth/ New York 89 Washington Ave., 2nd Floor W. Albany, NY 12234 (518)402-5944 http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/od/ North Carolina P.O. Box 25336 Raleigh, NC 27611 (919)733-9321 http://www.ncoptometry.org/ Ohio 77 S. High St. Columbus, OH 43266 (614)466-9707 http://optical.ohio.gov/

South Carolina P.O. Box 11329 Columbia, SC 29211 (803)896-4665 www.llr.state.sc.us Tennessee Heritage Place Metro Center 227 French Landing, Ste. 300 Nashville, TN 37243 (615)253-6061 http://health.state.tn.us/boards/do/ Texas P.O. Box 149347 Austin, TX 78714 (512)834-6661 www.roatx.org Vermont National Life Bldg N FL. 2 Montpelier, VT 05620 (802)828-2191 http://vtprofessionals.org/opr1/ opticians/ Virginia 3600 W. Broad St. Richmond, VA 23230 (804)367-8500 www.state.va.us/licenses Washington 300 SE Quince P.O. Box 47870 Olympia, WA 98504 (360)236-4947 http://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/MedicalCommission. aspx

WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |55

U.S. DENTAL BOARDS Alabama Alabama Board of Dental Examiners 5346 Stadium Trace Pkwy., Ste. 112 Hoover, AL 35244 (205) 985-7267 http://www.dentalboard.org/ Alaska P.O. Box 110806 Juneau, AK 99811-0806 (907)465-2542 http://bit.ly/uaqEO8 Arizona 4205 N. 7th Ave. Suite 300 Phoenix, AZ 85103 (602)242-1492 http://azdentalboard.us/ Arkansas 101 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 111 Little Rock, AR 72201 (501)682-2085 http://www.asbde.org/ California 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1550Â Sacramento, CA 95815 877-729-7789 http://www.dbc.ca.gov/ Colorado 1560 Broadway, Suite 1350 Denver, CO 80202 (303)894-7800 http://www.dora.state.co.us/dental/ Connecticut 410 Capitol Ave. Hartford, CT 06134 (860)509-8000 http://www.ct.gov/dph/site/default.asp Delaware Cannon Building, Suite 203 861 Solver Lake Blvd.

Dover, DE 19904 (302)744-4500 http://1.usa.gov/t0mbWZ Florida 4052 Bald Cypress Way Bin C-08 Tallahassee, FL 32399 (850)245-4474 http://bit.ly/w1m4MI 56 | JANUARY 2014

Georgia 237 Coliseum Drive Macon, GA 31217 (478)207-2440 http://sos.georgia.gov/plb/dentistry/ Hawaii DCCA-PVL Att: Dental P.O. Box 3469 Honolulu, HI 96801 (808)586-3000 http://1.usa.gov/s5Ry9i Idaho P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720 (208)334-2369 http://isbd.idaho.gov/ Illinois 320 W. Washington St. Springfield, IL 62786 (217)785-0820 http://bit.ly/svi6Od Indiana 402 W. Washington St., Room W072 Indianapolis, IN 46204 (317)232-2980 http://www.in.gov/pla/dental.htm Iowa 400 SW 8th St. Suite D Des Moines, IA 50309 (515)281-5157 http://www.state.ia.us/dentalboard/ Kansas 900 SW Jackson Room 564-S Topeka, KS 66612 (785)296-6400 http://www.accesskansas.org/kdb/ Kentucky 312 Whittington Parkway, Suite 101 Louisville, KY 40222 (502)429-7280 http://dentistry.ky.gov/ Louisiana 365 Canal St., Suite 2680 New Orleans, LA 70130 (504)568-8574 http://www.lsbd.org/

Maine 143 State House Station 161 Capitol St. Augusta, ME 04333 (207)287-3333 http://www.mainedental.org/ Maryland 55 Wade Ave. Catonsville, Maryland 21228 (410)402-8500 http://dhmh.state.md.us/dental/ Massachusetts 1000 Washington St., Suite 710 Boston, MA 02118 (617)727-1944 http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/hcq/dhpl/ dentist/ Michigan P.O. Box 30664 Lansing, MI 48909 (517)241-2650 http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7154-35299_28150_27529_27533---,00. html Minnesota 2829 University Ave., SE. Suite 450 Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612)617-2250 http://www.dentalboard.state.mn.us/ Mississippi 600 E. Amite St., Suite 100 Jackson, MS 39201 (601)944-9622 http://bit.ly/uuXKxl Missouri 3605 Missouri Blvd.

P.O. Box 1367 Jefferson City, MO 65102 (573)751-0040 http://pr.mo.gov/dental.asp Montana P.O. Box 200113 Helena, MT 59620 (406)444-2511 http://bsd.dli.mt.gov/license/bsd_ boards/den_board/board_page.asp

Nebraska 301 Centennial Mall South Lincoln, NE 68509 (402)471-3121 http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/Pages/ crl_medical_dent_hygiene_board.aspx

Ohio Riffe Center 77 S. High St.,17th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614)466-2580 http://www.dental.ohio.gov/

Nevada 6010 S. Rainbow Blvd. Suite A-1 Las Vegas, NV 89118 (702)486-7044 http://www.nvdentalboard.nv.gov/

Oklahoma 201 N.E. 38th Terr., #2 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 (405)524-9037 http://www.dentist.state.ok.us/

New Hampshire 2 Industrial Park Dr. Concord, NH 03301 (603)271-4561 http://www.nh.gov/dental/

Oregon 1600 SW 4th Ave. Suite 770 Portland, OR 97201 (971)673-3200 http://www.oregon.gov/Dentistry/

New Jersey P.O Box 45005 Newark, NJ 07101 (973)504-6405 http://bit.ly/uO2tLg

Pennsylvania P.O. Box 2649 Harrisburg, PA 17105 (717)783-7162 http://bit.ly/s5oYiS

New Mexico Toney Anaya Building 2550 Cerrillos Rd. Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505)476-4680 http://www.rld.state.nm.us/boards/Dental_Health_Care.aspx

Rhode Island Dept. of Health Three Capitol Hill, Room 104 Providence, RI 02908 (401)222-2828 http://1.usa.gov/u66MaB

New York 89 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12234 (518)474-3817 http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/dent/

South Carolina P.O. Box 11329 Columbia, SC 29211 (803)896-4599 http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/Dentistry/

North Carolina 507 Airport Blvd., Suite 105 Morrisville, NC 27560 (919)678-8223 http://www.ncdentalboard.org/

South Dakota P.O. Box 1079 105. S. Euclid Ave. Suite C Pierre, SC 57501 (605)224-1282 https://www.sdboardofdentistry.com/

North Dakota P.O. Box 7246 Bismark, ND 58507 (701)258-8600 http://www.nddentalboard.org/

Tennessee 227 French Landing, Suite 300 Nashville, TN 37243 (615)532-3202 http://health.state.tn.us/boards/dentistry/

Texas 333 Guadeloupe St. Suite 3-800 Austin, TX 78701 (512)463-6400 http://www.tsbde.state.tx.us/ Utah 160 E. 300 South Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801)530-6628 http://1.usa.gov/xMVXWm Vermont National Life Building North FL2 Montpelier, VT 05620 (802)828-1505 http://bit.ly/zSHgpa Virginia Perimeter Center 9960 Maryland Dr., Suite 300 Henrico, VA 23233 (804)367-4538 http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/dentistry Washington 310 Israel Rd. SE P.O. Box 47865 Olympia, WA 98504 (360)236-4700 http://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/ProfessionsNewReneworUpdate/Dentist.aspx West Virginia 1319 Robert C. Byrd Dr. P.O. Box 1447 Crab Orchard, WV 25827 1-877-914-8266 http://www.wvdentalboard.org/ Wisconsin P.O. Box 8935 Madison, WI 53708 1(877)617-1565 http://dsps.wi.gov/Default. aspx?Page=90c5523f-bab0-4a45-ab943d9f699d4eb5 Wyoming 1800 Carey Ave., 4th Floor Cheyenne, WY 82002 (307)777-6529 http://plboards.state.wy.us/dental/index.asp WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |57

U.S. MEDICAL BOARDS Alabama P.O. Box 946 Montgomery, AL 36101 (334)242-4116 http://www.albme.org/ Alaska 550 West 7th Ave., Suite 1500 Anchorage, AK 99501 (907)269-8163 http://bit.ly/zZ455T Arizona 9545 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85258 (480)551-2700 http://www.azmd.gov Arkansas 1401 West Capitol Ave., Suite 340 Little Rock, AR 72201 (501)296-1802 http://www.armedicalboard.org/ California 2005 Evergreen St., Suite 1200 Sacramento, CA 95815 (916)263-2382 http://www.mbc.ca.gov/ Colorado 1560 Broadway, Suite 1350 Denver, CO 80202 (303)894-7690 http://www.dora.state.co.us/medical/ Connecticut 401 Capitol Ave. Hartford, CT 06134 (860)509-8000 http://www.ct.gov/dph/site/default.asp Delaware Division of Professional Regulation Cannon Building 861 Silver Lake Blvd., Suite 203 Dover, DE 19904 (302)744-4500 http://dpr.delaware.gov/ District of Columbia 899 North Capitol St., NE Washington, DC 20002 (202)442-5955 http://www.dchealth.dc.gov/doh 58 | JANUARY 2014

Florida 2585 Merchants Row Blvd.

Tallahassee, FL 32399 (850)245-4444 http://www.stateofflorida.com/Portal/ DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=115

Louisiana LSBME P.O. Box 30250 New Orleans, LA 70190 (504)568-6820 http://www.lsbme.la.gov/

Georgia 2 Peachtree Street NW, 36th Floor Atlanta, GA 30303 (404)656-3913 http://bit.ly/vPJQyG

Maine 161 Capitol Street 137 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333 (207)287-3601 http://bit.ly/hnrzp

Hawaii DCCA-PVL P.O. Box 3469 Honolulu, HI 96801 (808)587-3295 http://hawaii.gov/dcca/pvl/boards/medical/

Maryland 4201 Patterson Ave. Baltimore, MD 21215 (410)764-4777 http://www.mbp.state.md.us/

Idaho Idaho Board of Medicine P.O. Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720 (208)327-7000 http://bit.ly/orPmFU

Massachusetts 200 Harvard Mill Sq., Suite 330 Wakefield, MA 01880 (781)876-8200 http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/borim/

Illinois 320 West Washington St. Springfield, IL 62786 (217)785 -0820 http://www.idfpr.com/profs/info/Physicians.asp

Michigan Bureau of Health Professions P.O. Box 30670 Lansing, MI 48909 (517)335-0918 http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7154-35299_28150_27529_27541-58914-,00.html

Indiana 402 W. Washington St. #W072 Indianapolis, IN 46204 (317)233-0800 http://www.in.gov/pla/ Iowa 400 SW 8th St., Suite C Des Moines, IA 50309 (515)281-6641 http://medicalboard.iowa.gov/ Kansas 800 SW Jackson, Lower Level, Suite A Topeka, KS 66612 (785)296-7413 http://www.ksbha.org/ Kentucky 310 Whittington Pkwy., Suite 1B Louisville, KY 40222 (502)429-7150 http://kbml.ky.gov/default.htm

Minnesota University Park Plaza 2829 University Ave. SE, Suite 500 Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612)617-2130 http://bit.ly/pAFXGq Mississippi 1867 Crane Ridge Drive, Suite 200-B Jackson, MS 39216 (601)987-3079 http://www.msbml.state.ms.us/ Missouri Missouri Division of Professional Registration 3605 Missouri Blvd.

P.O. Box 1335 Jefferson City, MO 65102 (573)751-0293 http://pr.mo.gov/healingarts.asp

Montana 301 S. Park Ave. #430 Helena, MT 59601 (406)841-2300 http://bsd.dli.mt.gov/license/bsd_ boards/med_board/board_page.asp Nebraska Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services P.O. Box 95026 Lincoln, NE 68509 (402)471-3121 http://www.mdpreferredservices.com/ state-licensing-boards/nebraska-boardof-medicine-and-surgery Nevada Board of Medical Examiners P.O. Box 7238 Reno, NV 89510 (775)688-2559 http://www.medboard.nv.gov/ New Hampshire New Hampshire State Board of Medicine 2 Industrial Park Dr. #8 Concord, NH 03301 (603)271-1203 http://www.nh.gov/medicine/ New Jersey P. O. Box 360 Trenton, NJ 08625 (609)292-7837 http://bit.ly/w5rc8J New Mexico 2055 S. Pacheco St. Building 400 Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505)476-7220 http://www.nmmb.state.nm.us/ New York Office of the Professions State Education Building, 2nd Floor Albany, NY 12234 (518)474-3817 http://www.op.nysed.gov/ North Carolina P.O. Box 20007 Raleigh, NC 27619 (919)326-1100 http://www.ncmedboard.org/

North Dakota 418 E. Broadway Ave., Suite 12 Bismarck, ND 58501 (701)328-6500 http://www.ndbomex.com/

Texas P.O. Box 2018 Austin, TX 78768 (512)305-7010 http://bit.ly/rFyCEW

Ohio 30 E. Broad St., 3rd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 (614)466-3934 http://med.ohio.gov/

Utah P.O. Box 146741 Salt Lake City, UT 84114 (801)530-6628 http://www.dopl.utah.gov/

Oklahoma P.O. Box 18256 Oklahoma City, OK 73154 (405)962-1400 http://www.okmedicalboard.org/

Vermont P.O. Box 70 Burlington, VT 05402 (802)657-4220 http://1.usa.gov/wMdnxh

Oregon 1500 SW 1st Ave., Suite 620 Portland, OR 97201 (971)673-2700 http://www.oregon.gov/OMB/

Virginia Virginia Dept. of Health Professions Perimeter Center 9960 Maryland Dr., Suite 300 Henrico, VA 23233 (804)367-4400 http://1.usa.gov/xjfJXK

Pennsylvania P.O. Box 2649 Harrisburg, PA 17105 (717)787-8503 http://www.dos.state.pa.us/portal/server. pt/community/state_board_of_medicine/12512 Rhode Island 3 Capitol Hill Providence, RI 02908 (401)222-5960 http://1.usa.gov/xgocXV South Carolina P.O. Box 11289 Columbia, SC 29211 (803)896-4500 http://www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/medical/ South Dakota 101 N. Main Ave. Suite 301 Sioux Falls, SD 57104 (605)367-7781 http://www.sdbmoe.gov/ Tennessee 425 5th Ave. North Cordell Hull Bldg. 3rd Floor Nashville, TN 37243 (615)741-3111 http://health.state.tn.us/boards/me/

Washington Public Health Systems Development Washington State Department of Health 101 Israel Rd. SE, MS 47890 Tumwater, WA 98501 (360)236-4085 http://www.medlicense.com/washingtonmedicallicense.html West Virginia 101 Dee Dr., Suite 103 Charleston, WV 25311 (304)558-2921 http://www.wvbom.wv.gov/ Wisconsin P.O. Box 8935 Madison, WI 53708 (877)617-1565 http://drl.wi.gov/board_detail. asp?boardid=35&locid=0 Wyoming 320 W. 25th St., Suite 200 Cheyenne, WY 82002 (307)778-7053 http://wyomedboard.state.wy.us/

WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 59

medical resource guide Urgent Care & Occupational Medicine Consultant

ACCOUNTING Boyle CPA, PLLC 3716 National Drive, Suite 206 Raleigh, NC 27612 (919) 720-4970 www.boyle-cpa.com

Lawrence Earl, MD COO/CMO ASAP Urgentcare Medical Director, NADME.org 908-635-4775 (m) 866-405-4770 (f ) http://www.asap-urgentcare.com/ UrgentCareMentor.com

EQUIPMENT APPRAISER Brumbaugh Appraisals 8601 Six Forks Road, Suite 400, Raleigh, NC 27615 (919) 870-8258 www.brumbaughappraisals.com

Utilization Solutions service@pushpa.biz (919) 289-9126

ADVERTISING

www.pushpa.biz

MedMedia9

PO Box 98313 Raleigh, NC 27624 (919)747-9031

DENTAL www.medmedia9.com

BILLING & COLLECTION

Biomet 3i

4555 Riverside Dr. Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 (800)342-5454 www.biomet3i.com

Dental Management Club Applied Medical Systems, Inc. Billing - Coding - Practice Solutions 4220 NC Hwy 55, Suite 130B Durham, NC 27713 (800) 334-6606 www.ams-nc.com

CODING SPECIALISTS Place Your Ad Here

CONSULTING SERVICES, PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Physician Wellness Services 5000 West 36th Street, Suite 240 Minneapolis, MN 55416 888.892.3861 www.physicianwellnessservices.com

Urgent Care America

17595 S. Tamiami Trail Fort Meyers, FL 33908 (239)415-3222 www.urgentcareamerica.net

60 | JANUARY 2014

4924 Balboa Blvd #460 Encino, CA 91316 www.dentalmanagementclub.com

The Dental Box Company, Inc.

PO Box 101430 Pittsburgh, PA 15237 (412)364-8712 www.thedentalbox.com

DIETICIAN

FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS Sigmon Daknis Wealth Management 701 Town Center Dr. , Ste. #104 Newport News, VA 23606 (757)223-5902 www.sigmondaknis.com

INSURANCE, MED. LIABILITY Gallagher Healthcare 12621 Featherwood Drive Suite 300 Houston, TX 77034 (800) 634-9513 www.gallaghermalpractice.com

Jones Insurance 820 Benson Rd. Garner, North Carolina 27529 (919) 772-0233 www.Jones-insurance.com

Triangle Nutrition Therapy 4030 Wake Forest Road, Suite 300 Raleigh, NC 27609 (919)876-9779 http://trianglediet.com/

ELECTRONIC MED. RECORDS

LOCUM TENENS Physician Solutions

PO Box 98313 Raleigh, NC 27624 (919)845-0054 www.physiciansolutions.com

AdvancedMD 10011 S. Centennial Pkwy Sandy, UT 84070 (800) 825-0224 www.advancedmd.com

CollaborateMD 201 E. Pine St. #1310 Orlando, FL 32801 (888)348-8457 www.collaboratemd.com

MEDICAL ARCHITECTS MMA Medical Architects

520 Sutter Street San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 346-9990 http://www.mmamedarc.com

medical resource guide MedMedia9

MEDICAL ART

PRACTICE FINANCING

PO Box 98313 Raleigh, NC 27624 (919)747-9031

Deborah Brenner

www.medmedia9.com

877 Island Ave #315 San Diego, CA 92101 (619)818-4714 www.deborahbrenner.com

MedImagery

Laura Maaske 262-308-1300 Laura@medimagery.com http://www.medimagery.com

WhiteCoat Designs

Web, Print & Marketing Solutions for Doctors (919)714-9885 www.whitecoat-designs.com

Assured Pharmaceuticals Matthew Hall (704)419-3005 mhall@assuredpharma.com

www.assurepharma.com

MEDICAL PRACTICE SALES

8317 Six Forks Rd. Ste #205 Raleigh, NC 27624 (919)848-4202 www.medicalpracticelistings.com

MEDICAL PRACTICE VALUATIONS

Tarheel Physicians Supply 1934 Colwell Ave. Wilmington, NC 28403 (800)672-0441

Mark MacKinnon, Regional Sales Manager 3801 Columbine Circle Charlotte, NC 28211 (704)995-9193 mark.mackinnon@bankofamerica.com www.bankofamerica.com/practicesolutions

Medical Practice Listings

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

Bank of America

REAL ESTATE York Properties, Inc. Headquarters & Property Management 1900 Cameron Street Raleigh, NC 27605 (919) 821-1350 Commercial Sales & Leasing (919) 821-7177 www.yorkproperties.com

STAFFING COMPANIES

BizScore www.thetps.com

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT FINANCING Bank of America

Mark MacKinnon, Regional Sales Manager 3801 Columbine Circle Charlotte, NC 28211 (704)995-9193 mark.mackinnon@bankofamerica.com

PO Box 99488 Raleigh, NC 27624 (919)846-4747

Additional Staffing Group, Inc.

www.bizscorevaluation.com

MEDICAL PUBLISHING MedMedia9

www.medmedia9.com

MEDICAL RESEARCH

High Performance Network Robert Sayre Marketing Adviser/Business Coach http://www.linkedin.com/pub/robsayre/2/977/355/

SUPPLIES, GENERAL CNF Medical

PO Box 98313 Raleigh, NC 27624 (919)747-9031

www.bankofamerica.com/practicesolutions

MEDICAL MARKETING

8319 Six Forks Rd, Suite 103 Raleigh, NC 27615 (919) 844-6601 Astaffinggroup.com

Scynexis, Inc.

3501 C Tricenter Blvd.

Durham, NC 27713 (919) 933-4990

1100 Patterson Avenue Winston Salem, NC 27101 (877)631-3077 www.cnfmedical.com

Gebauer Company

4444 East 153rd St. Cleveland, OH 44128-2955 (216)581-3030 www.gebauerspainease.com

WEBSITE DESIGN www.scynexis.com

MedMedia9

PO Box 98313 Raleigh, NC 27624 (919)747-9031 www.medmedia9.com WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 61

classified listings

Classified To place a classified ad, call 919.747.9031

Physicians needed North Carolina GP Needed Immediately On-Going 3 Days Per Week at Occupational Clinic . General Practictioner needed on-going 3 days per week at occupational clinic in Greensboro, NC. Numerous available shifts for October.

Averages 25 patients per day with no call and shift hours from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com 3-5 days per week in Durham, NC . Geriatric physician needed immediately 3-5 days per week, on-going at nursing home in Durham. Nursing home focuses on therapy and nursing after patients are released from the hospital. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com GP Needed Immediately On-Going 1-3 Days Per Week at Addictive Disease Clinics located in Charlotte, Hickory, Concord & Marion North Carolina. General Practitioner with a knowledge or interest in addictive disease. Needed in October on-going 1-3 times per week. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com Primary Care Physician in Northwest NC (multiple locations). Primary care physician needed immediately for ongoing coverage at one of the largest substance abuse treatment facilities in NC. Doctor will be responsible for new patient evaluations and supportive aftercare. Counseling and therapy are combined with physician’s medical assessment and care for the treatment of adults, adolescents and families. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com Pediatrician or Family Medicine Doctor in Fayetteville Comfortable with seeing children. Need is immediate - Full time ongoing for maternity leave. 8 am - 5 pm.

Outpatient only. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com

62 | JANUARY 2014

Immediate need for full time GP/FP for urgent cares in eastern NC. Urgent care centers from Raleigh to the eastern coast of NC seek immediate primary care physician. Full time opportunity with possibility for permanent placement. Physician Solutions, PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com General Practitioner Needed in Greensboro. Occupational health care clinic seeks general practitioner for disability physicals ongoing 1-3 days a week. Adults only. 8 am-5 pm. No call required. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email us at physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Pediatrician or Family Physician Needed Immediately at clinic in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Pediatric clinic in Roanoke Rapids, NC seeks Peds physician or FP comfortable with children for 2-3 months/on-going/full-time.

The chosen physician will need to be credentialed through the hospital, please email your CV, medical license and DEA so we can fill this position immediately. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com Occupational Clinic in Greensboro, NC seeks FP/GP for On-Going Shifts. Locum tenens position (4-5 days a week) available for an occupational, urgent care and walk in clinic. The practice is located in Greensboro NC. Hours are 8 am-5 pm. Approximately 20 patients/ day. Excellent staff. Outpatient only. physiciansolutions@gmail.com Diabetic Clinic 1 hour from Charlotte seeks FP/GP/ IM for On-Going Shifts.Primary care physician needed immediately for outpatient diabetic clinic one hour outside Charlotte, NC On-going. Hours are 8 am -5 pm with no call. Approximately 15-20 patients a day. Call or email for more information. 919-845-0054 physiciansolutions@gmail.com Clinic between Fayetteville and Wilmington seeks FP/ GP/IM Mar 22 FT ongoing. A small hospital’s outpatient clinic located within an hour of both Fayetteville and Wilmington seeks PA to work FT ongoing beginning March 22. Shifts can be either 8 or 12 hours. No call. email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com

Classified To place a classified ad, call 919.747.9031

Physicians needed North Carolina (cont.)

Addictive Disease Clinic in Charlotte, NC and surrounding cities seeks GP/FP/IM for on-going shifts An addictive disease clinic with locations with locations in Charlotte, NC and surrounding cities seeks a GP with an interest in addictive medicine for on-going shifts. This clinic has 15-25 open shifts every month and we are looking to bring on a new doctor for consistent coverage. The average daily patient load is between 20 and 25 with shifts from 8 am - 5 pm and 6 am - 2 pm. If you are interested in this position please send us your CV and feel free to contact us via email or phone with questions or to learn about other positions.

Physician Solutions, PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com

FT/PT Mid-Level Provider needed for Wilmington practice immediately. Small internal medicine private practice 45 minutes outside Wilmington seeks mid-level provider starting immediately. FT/PT. M-F 8:00-5:00.

Possible permanent placement. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email us at physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Asheboro Family Practice and Urgent Care seeks GP for intermittent coverage. Family Practice and Urgent Care seeks general practitioner for intermittent days from 8a-8p. Provider will see about 35 patients with no call. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email us at physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Greensboro occupational health care clinic seeksgeneral practitioner for intermittent shifts. Primary care physicians needed for occupational medicine. Adults only. Hours are 8am-5pm. Large corporation, no call required. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-8450054 or email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Child Health Clinic in Statesville, NC seeks pediatrician or Family Physician comfortable with peds for on-going, full-time shifts. Physician will work M-F 8 am - 5 pm, ongoing. Qualified physician will know EMR or Allscripts software. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com

IM/FP needed in Fayetteville clinic immediately. Fayetteville health department needs coverage March through June full or part time. Patients adult health and women’s health. Adults only. No call 8a-5p.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Peds Clinic near Raleigh seeks Mid-Level Provider for on-going coverage 4x/wk. Health Department pediatrics clinic 45 min from Raleigh needs coverage 4 days a week from January through June. Provider will see about 20 patients daily, hours are 8am-5pm with an hour for lunch. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-8450054 or email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Geriatric physician needed immediately 2 to 5 days per week, on-going eastern NC. Nursing homes in Durham, Fayetteville and Rocky Mount seek GP/IM/ FP with geriatric experience to work full or part time.

Nursing home focuses on therapy and nursing after patients are released from the hospital. 8a-5p, no call.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

FT Mid-Level Provider needed for Wilmington practice immediately. Small private practice 45 minutes outside Wilmington seeks mid-level provider starting January.

M-F 8:00-5:00, PT or FT. This practice also is looking for a PA permanently in April. Accommodations, PLI, and mileage provided. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Employee Health Clinic seeks Mid-Level Provider for FT on-going coverage near Charlotte. Practice 45 minutes from Charlotte seeks on-going coverage for employee health clinic beginning in March. Provider will see about 20-24 patients daily, hours are 8am-5pm with an hour for lunch. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email us at physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Nursing home in Durham seeks PT/FT NP/PA for immediate ongoing scheduling. Durham nursing home seeks part time or full time mid-level for ongoing locums.

Must have geriatric experience. 8-5p. Other facilities in Fayetteville and Rocky Mount. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email us at physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

continued on page 65 WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM |63

Modern Med Spa Available

Located in beautiful coastal North Carolina Modern, well-appointed med spa is available in the eastern part of the state. This Spa specializes in BOTOX, facial therapy and treatments, laser hair removal, eye lash extensions and body waxing as well as a menu of anti-aging options. This impressive practice is perfect as-is and can accommodate additional services like; primary health or dermatology.

The Gross revenue is over $1,500.000 during 2012 with consistent high revenue numbers for the past several years. The average number of patients seen daily is between 26 and 32 with room for improvement. You will find this Med Spa to be in a highly visible location with upscale amenities. The building is leased and the lease can be assigned or restructured. Highly profitable and organized, this spa POISED FOR SUCCESS. 919.848.4202 medlisting@gmail.com medicalpracticelistings.com

PRIMARY CARE PRACTICE East of Raleigh, North Carolina We are offering a well established primary care practice only minutes east of Raleigh North Carolina. The retiring physician maintains a 5 day work week and has a solid base of patients that can easily be expanded. There are 6 fully equipped exam rooms, a large private doctor’s office, spacious business office, and patient friendly check in and out while the patient waiting room is generous overlooking manicured flowered grounds. This family practice is open Monday through Friday and treats 8 to a dozen patients per day.

Currently operating on paper charts, there is no EMR in place. The Gross revenue is about $235,000 yearly.

We are offering this practice for $130,000 which includes all the medical equipment and furniture. The building is free standing and can be leased or purchased.

Contact Cara or Philip at 919-848-4202 to receive details and reasonable offers will be presented to the selling physician.

Medical Practice Listings Selling and buying made easy

MedicalPracticeListings.com | medlisting@gmail.com | 919-848-4202 64 | JANUARY 2014

classified listings

Classified

continued from page 63

To place a classified ad, call 919.747.9031

Physicians needed North Carolina (cont.)

Fayetteville occupational health care clinic seeks GP for May. Primary care physicians needed for occupational medicine. Adults only. 8-5p. Large corporation, no call required. Intermittent dates in the future and second office in Greensboro with ongoing scheduling.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Nursing home in Durham seeks PT/FT Geriatrics doctor for immediate ongoing scheduling. Durham nursing home seeks part time or full time MD for ongoing locums. Must have geriatric experience. 8-5p. Other facilities in Fayetteville and Rocky Mount. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Family Practice 1 h SE of Raleigh seeks coverage.

Goldsboro FP seeks MD for July 6-7 and intermittent shifts. 8-5p. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Pediatric clinic near Greensboro needs 10 weeks of 3 day a week coverage beginning June 1. Burlington pediatric clinic seeks coverage June 1 3 days a week for 10 weeks. 8-5p. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Greenville Clinic seeks GP. GP/IM needed for intermittent shifts. Must have experience or be willing to do pain management and trigger point injections. 8-5p.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Raleigh practice seeks BC FP for permanent placement in new facility summer 2013. Board Certified Family Practitioner sought for FT permanent placement in new clinic in Raleigh to start summer of 2013.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Clinic between Fayetteville and Wilmington seeks FP/ GP/IM Mar 22 FT ongoing . A small hospital’s outpatient clinic located within an hour of both Fayetteville and Wilmington seeks PA to work FT ongoing beginning March 22. Shifts can be either 8 or 12 hours. No call. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Western North Carolina Clinic needs continuing physician coverage. Clinic seeks coverage for their walk in clinic which sees all ages. Ongoing, 8am-5pm, no call.

35-40 patients a day. Well established clinic located in a beautiful area. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

IM/FP/Peds opportunity in Fayetteville clinic immediately. Fayetteville clinic needs immediate coverage for the following clinics: adult health, women’s health and STD. No call 8a-5p.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Pediatrician Needed MD June-Aug, Burlington NC 3x week for 10 wks starting June 1st, 8-5 Mon-Fri Burlington, NC: located 1 hour west of Raleigh. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Pediatrician, IM & FP needed, Fayetteville NC Urgent Need for immediate MDs - Pediatrics, Family Practice or Internal Medicine - PT/FT, 8-5 Mon-Fri. Ongoing. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Locum & Permanent MD Needed , Kinston NC Urgent Need for immediate MD placement, 8-5 MonFri. Must be able to do family planning & light maternity, Kinston, NC: 1.5 hours outside Raleigh. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

PT MD needed for Occupational practice, Greensboro NC. Urgent need for PT MD to do disability physicals 2-3 days weekly, 8-5, on-going scheduling.

Greensboro, NC. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Permanent PA or MD needed in Goldsboro, NC On-going permanent position Mon- Fri 8-5, Goldsboro, NC: 1 hour 10 minutes outside Raleigh. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Family Practice MD needed 2-3x/week, Goldsboro intermittent dates, 8-5p,Goldsboro, NC 1h SE of Raleigh. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

continued on page 66 WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 65

classified listings

Classified

continued from page 65

To place a classified ad, call 919.747.9031

Physicians needed North Carolina (cont.)

FULL TIME MD needed for Family Practice in Washington, N.C. Family Practitioner needed for FT MD June 15-Sept 1 on-going Mon- Fri 8-5, Washington, NC, 1 hour 45 minutes outside Raleigh. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Geriatric Experienced Mid Level or MD, Durham NC Must have geriatric experience, PT/FT, Locations in Durham, Rocky Mount & Fayetteville, NC. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Family Practitioner opportunity available one hour east of Charlotte Monday through Friday. The hours will be 8:00am until 5:00pm either full time or part time.

You will be seeing 15-20 new patients a day. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Family Physician opportunity for a leading medical practice in the Raleigh area. Must be able to start immediately and be comfortable with seeing all ages.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

General Practitioner/ Internal Medicine/ Family Physician opportunity available at a large substance abuse treatment facilitiy in Western NC. Doctor will be responsible for new patient evaluations and supportive aftercare. Counseling and therapy are combined with physician’s medical assessment and care for the treatment of adults, adolescents and families. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com. continued on page 68

Woman’s Practice in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Immediate opportunity for a Primary Care Physician at a large practice located one hour south of Raleigh. The hours are from 8:00am until 5:00pm You will be treating generally 20-25 patients per day. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Family MD opportunity at an Urgent Care facility that sees all ages in the Jacksonville, NC area. This will be an ongoing schedule from 8:00am until 6:00pm 1-2 days a week, including weekend dates. You will treating generally 30-35 patients a day. There is potential for permanent placement. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Primary care physician opportunity for busy occupational medicine practices near Greensboro/Fayetteville, NC. There are two locations with positions available within 15 minutes of Greensboro and Fayettteville. Your schedule will be from 8:00am until 5:00 pm either full time or part time, no call necessary. Patient treatment will consist of adults only in both facilities. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

66 | JANUARY 2014

We have a established woman’s practice in the Raleigh North Carolina area that is available for purchase. Grossing a consistent $800,000.00 per year, the retained earnings are impressive to say the least. This is a two provider practice that see patients Monday through Friday from 8 till 6. This free standing practice is very visible and located in the heart of medical community. There are 7 well appointed exam rooms, recently upgraded computer (EMR), the carpet and paint have always been maintained. The all brick building can be leased or purchased.

Contact Cara or Philip for details regarding this very successful practice.

Medical Practice Listings; 919-848-4202

Primary Care Specializing in Women’s Health

Located on NC’s Beautiful Coast, Morehead City

Practice established in 2005, averaging over $540,000 the past 3 years. Free standing practice building for sale or lease. This practice has 5 well equipped exam rooms and is offered for $38,000.

919.848.4202 medlisting@gmail.com medicalpracticelistings.com

NC OPPORTUNITIES LOCUMS OR PERMANENT

Physician Solutions has immediate opportunities for psychiatrists throughout NC. Top wages, professional liability insurance and accommodations provided.

Call us today if you are available for a few days a month, on-going or for permanent placement.

Please contact Physican Solutions at 919-845-0054 or physiciansolutions@gmail.com For more information about Physician Solutions or to see all of our locums and permanent listings, please visit physiciansolutions.com

MD STAFFING AGENCY FOR SALE IN NORTH CAROLINA The perfect opportunity for anyone who wants to purchase an established business. l One

of the oldest Locums companies l Large client list l Dozens of MDs under contract l Executive office setting l Modern computers and equipment l Revenue over a million per year l Retiring owner

Please direct all correspondence to driverphilip@gmail.com.

Only serious, qualified inquirers.

classified listings

Classified

continued from page 66

To place a classified ad, call 919.747.9031

Physicians needed North Carolina (cont.)

Primary Care Physician opportunity for a leading women’s practice in the Lenoir, NC area. Treating Physician must be comfortable with light OB and well women’s exams. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

General Practitioner/Internal Medicine Physician opportunity for intermittent shifts at a prominent practice in the Greenville, NC area. Treament schedule will be from 8:00am until 5:00pm. The practicing physician must have experience or be willing to perform pain management and trigger point injections. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Exceptional Family Physician opportunity at a practice in the Raleigh, NC area. Schedule will be ongoing Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 5:00pm. Must be comfortable with treating all ages. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Immediate Pediatrician opportunity at a small outpatient hospital. Located between Fayetteville and Wilmington, this facility requires someone for intermittent shifts. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Pediatrics Opportunity - Roanoke Rapids Area Northeastern North Carolina Pediatric Practice seeks on-going physician for full time coverage beginning mid-October through the end of the year. Practice sees about 16-25 patients a day, hours are 8:00-5:00 with negotiable call. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Family Practitioner Opportunity - Greenville area Immediate opportunity for a family practitioner for a practice about 20 miles east of Greenville. The hours will be 8:00am until 5:00pm. Must see all ages. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Primary Care Physician - Washington area Seeking a physician for a general primary care practice.

Treatment will include seeing 3-4 pediatric and about 10 adult patients per day. The hours are 8:00- 5:00pm M-F. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Family Physician –Williamston area Immediate opportunity at a developing family practice in the Williamston area. You will be treating 8-16 patients per day from 8:00-5:00 pm. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Physicians needed South Carolina A family and urgent care in Little River, SC seeks an FP/EM physician for 1 to 2 days per week, on-going shifts. The practice is a one-physician facility and is looking for a physician to come in regularly. The practice is small and does not have a large patient load.

The qualified physician will have experience in Family or Emergency medicine. If you have any availability and a SC medical license contact us today and we will do our best to work around your schedule. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com

Physicians needed Virginia Pediatric Locums Physician needed in Harrisonburg, Danville and Lynchburg, VA. These locum positions require 30 to 40 hours per week, on-going. If you are seeking a beautiful climate and flexibility with your schedule, please consider one of these opportunities. Send copies of your CV, VA. medical license, DEA certificate and NPI certificate with number to Physician Solutions for immediate consideration. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com continued on page 70

68 | JANUARY 2014

Internal Medicine Practice for Sale Located in the heart of the medical community in Cary, North Carolina, this Internal Medicine practice is accepting most private and government insurance payments.

PEDIATRICIAN

or family medicine doctor needed in

FAYETTEVILLE, NC

The average patients per day is 20-25+, and the gross yearly income is $555,000.

Listing Price: $430,000

Call 919-848-4202 or email medlistings@gmail.com www.medicalpracticelistings.com

Comfortable seeing children. Needed immediately.

Call 919- 845-0054 or email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com www.physiciansolutions.com

PHYSICIANS NEEDED: Mental health facility in Eastern North Carolina seeks: PA/FT ongoing, start immediately Physician Assistant needed to work with physicians to provide primary care for resident patients. FT ongoing 8a-5p. Limited inpatient call is required. The position is responsible for performing history and physicals of patients on admission, annual physicals, dictate discharge summaries, sick call on unit assigned, suture minor lacerations, prescribe medications and order lab work. Works 8 hour shifts Monday through Friday with some extended work on rotating basis required. It is a 24 hour in-patient facility that serves adolescent, adult and geriatric patients.

FT ongoing Medical Director, start immediately The Director of Medical Services is responsible for ensuring all patients receive quality medical care. The director supervises medical physicians and physician extenders. The Director of Medical Services also provides guidance to the following service areas: Dental Clinic, X-Ray Department, Laboratory Services, Infection Control, Speech/Language Services, Employee Health,

Pharmacy Department, Physical Therapy and Telemedicine. The Medical Director reports directly to the Clinical Director. The position will manage and participate in direct patient care as required; maintain and participate in an on-call schedule ensuring that a physician is always available to hospitalized patients; and maintain privileges of medical staff.

Permanent Psychiatrist needed FT, start immediately An accredited State Psychiatric Hospital serving the eastern region of North Carolina, is recruiting for permanent full-time Psychiatrist. The 24 hour in-patient facility serves adolescent, adult and geriatric patients. The psychiatrist will serve as a team leader for multi-disciplinary team to ensure quality patient care/treatment. Responsibilities include:

evaluation of patient on admission and development of a comprehensive treatment plan, serve on medical staff committees, complete court papers, documentation of patient progress in medical record, education of patients/families, provision of educational groups for patients.

Send copies of your CV, NC medical license, DEA certificate and NPI certificate with number to Physician Solutions for immediate consideration. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624 PH: (919) 845-0054 | email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com WWW.MEDMONTHLY.COM | 69

classified listings

Classified

continued from page 68

To place a classified ad, call 919.747.9031

Physicians needed Virginia (cont.)

Urgent Care opportunities throughout Virginia. We have contracts with numerous facilities and eight to 14-hour shifts are available. If you have experience treating patients from pediatrics to geriatrics, we welcome your inquires. Send copies of your CV, VA medical license, DEA certificate and NPI certificate with number to Physician Solutions for immediate consideration. Physician Solutions, P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624, and PH: (919) 845-0054, E-mail: physiciansolutions@gmail.com Virginia practice outside of Washington DC seeks IM doctor FT/PT now – June 1. IM physician needed immediately FT/PT for Virginia clinic near Washington DC. 8-5p Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Nurse Practitioners needed North Carolina Permanent NP needed in Goldsboro, NC On-going permanent position Mon- Fri 8-5 Goldsboro, NC: 1hour 10 minutes outside Raleigh.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Charlotte Occupational clinic seeks NP in March for ongoing coverage. Nurse practitioner needed in employee health clinic for large corporation in Charlotte.

8a-5p ongoing full time or part time. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Permanent NP needed in Goldsboro, NC On-going permanent position Mon- Fri 8-5 Goldsboro, NC: 1hour 10 minutes outside Raleigh.

Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

70 | JANUARY 2014

Charlotte Occupational clinic seeks NP in March for ongoing coverage. Nurse practitioner needed in employee health clinic for large corporation in Charlotte.

8a-5p ongoing full time or part time. Please contact Physician Solutions at 919-845-0054 or email physiciansolutions@gmail.com.

Practice wanted North Carolina Pediatric Practice Wanted in Raleigh, NC Medical Practice Listings has a qualified buyer for a pediatric practice in Raleigh, Cary or surrounding area. If you are retiring, relocating or considering your options as a pediatric practice owner, contact us and review your options. Medical Practice Listings is the leading seller of practices in the US. When you list with us, your practice receives exceptional national, regional and local exposure.

Contact us today at (919) 848-4202.

Practice for sale North Carolina Primary Care Practice Only Minutes East of Raleigh North Carolina. The retiring physician maintains a 5 day work week and has a solid base of patients that can easily be expanded. There are 6 fully equipped exam rooms, a large private doctor’s office, spacious business office, and patient friendly check in and out while the patient waiting room is generous overlooking manicured flowered grounds. This family practice is open Monday through Friday and treats 8 to a dozen patients per day. The Gross revenue is about $235,000 yearly. Contact Cara or Philip at 919 848 4202 or email: medlistings@gmail.com to receive details.

Family Practice located in Hickory, NC. Well-established and a solid 40 to 55 patients split between an MD and physician assistant. Experienced staff and outstanding medical equipment. Gross revenues average $1,500,000 with strong profits. Monthly practice rent is only $3,000 and the utilities are very reasonable. The practice with all equipment, charts and good will are priced at $625,000.

Contact Medical Practice Listings for additional information. Medical Practice Listings, P.O. Box 99488, Raleigh, NC 27624. PH: (919) 848-4202 or email: medlistings@gmail.com

Classified To place a classified ad, call 919.747.9031

Practice for sale North Carolina (cont.)

Impressive Internal Medicine Practice in Durham, NC: The City of Medicine. Over 20 years serving the community, this practice is now listed for sale. There are four wellequipped exam rooms, new computer equipment and a solid patient following. The owner is retiring and willing to continue with the new owner for a few months to assist with a smooth transition. Contact Medical Practice Listings at (919) 848-4202 for more information. View additional listings at: www.medicalpracticelistings.com Primary Care Practice specializing in women’s care. The owning female physician is willing to continue with the practice for a reasonable time to assist with smooth ownership transfer. The patient load is 35 to 40 patients per day, however that could double with a second provider.

Exceptional cash flow and profitable practice that will surprise even the most optimistic practice seeker. This is a remarkable opportunity to purchase a well-established woman’s practice. Spacious practice with several wellappointed exam rooms throughout. New computers and medical management software add to this modern front desk environment. This practice is being offered for $435,000. Contact Medical Practice Listings for additional information. Medical Practice Listings, P.O. Box 99488, Raleigh, NC 27624. PH: (919) 848-4202 or send an email to medlistings@gmail.com Internal Medicine Practice located just outside Fayetteville, NC is now being offered. The owning physician is retiring and is willing to continue working for the new owner for a month or two assisting with a smooth transaction. The practice treats patients four and a half days per week with no call or hospital rounds. The schedule accommodates 35 patients per day. You will be hard pressed to find a more beautiful practice that is modern, tastefully decorated and well appointed with vibrant art work. The practice, patient charts, equipment and good will is being offered for $415,000 while the free standing building is being offered for $635,000. Contact Medical Practice Listings for additional information. Medical Practice Listings, P.O. Box 99488, Raleigh, NC 27624. PH: (919) 848-4202 or email: medlistings@gmail.com

Modern Vein Care Practice located in the mountains of NC. Booking seven to 10 procedures per day, you will find this impressive vein practice attractive in many ways.

Housed in the same practice building with an internal medicine, you will enjoy the referrals from this as well as other primary care and specialties in the community. We have this practice listed for $295,000 which includes charts, equipment and good will. Contact Medical Practice Listings at (919) 848-4202 for more information. View additional listings at www.medicalpracticelistings.com

South Carolina Lucrative ENT Practice with room for growth, located three miles from the beach. Physician’s assistant, audiologist, esthetician and well-trained staff. Electronic medical records, mirror imaging system, established patient and referral base, hearing aids and balance testing, esthetic services and Candela laser. All aspects of otolaryngology, busy skin cancer practice, established referral base for reconstructive eyelid surgery, Botox and facial fillers. All new surgical equipment, image-guidance sinus surgery, balloon sinuplasty, nerve monitor for ear/parotid/thyroid surgery. Room for establishing allergy, cosmetics, laryngology and trans-nasal esophagoscopy. All the organization is done; walk into a ready-made practice as your own boss and make the changes you want, when you want. Physician will to stay on for a smooth transition. Hospital support is also an option for up to a year. The listing price is $395,000 for the practice, charts, equipment and good will. Contact Medical Practice Listings for additional information. Medical Practice Listings, P.O. Box 99488, Raleigh, NC 27624. PH: (919) 848-4202 or email: medlistings@gmail.com

Washington Family Practice located in Bainbridge Island, WA has recently been listed. Solid patient following and cash flow makes this 17-year-old practice very attractive. Contact Medical Practice Listings for more details. email: medlistings@gmail.com or (919) 848-4202. 

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Internal Medicine Practice Wilmington, North Carolina Newly listed Internal Medicine practice in the beautiful city of Wilmington, NC. With Gross revenues over $400,000, 18 to 22 patients per day, this practice is ready for the physician that enjoys beach life. The medical office is located in a brick wrapped condo and is highly visible. This well appointed practice has a solid patient base and is offered for $85,000.

Medical Practice Listings l 919-848-4202 l medlisting@gmail.com l medicalpracticelistings.com

Primary Care Practice For Sale Wilmington, NC Established primary care on the coast of North Carolina’s beautiful beaches.

Fully staffed with MD’s and PA’s to treat both appointment and walk-in patients.

Excellent exam room layout, equipment and visibility.

Contact Medical Practice Listings for more information.

Medical Practice Listings 919.848.4202 | medlistings@gmail.com www.medicalpracticelistings.com

Practice for Sale in South Denver Neurofeedback and Psychological Practice Located in South Denver, Colorado, this practice features high patient volume and high visibility on the internet. Established referral sources, owner (psychologist) has excellent reputation based on 30 years experience in Denver. Private pay and insurances, high-density traffic, beautifully decorated and furnished offices, 378 active and inactive clients, corporate clients, $14,000 physical assets, good parking, near bus and rapid transit housed in a well-maintained medical building.

Live and work in one of the most healthy cities in the U.S. List Price: $150,000 | Established: 2007 | Location: Colorado For more information contact Dr. Jack McInroy at 303-929-2598 or Shrink1324@gmail.com

NC MedSpa For Sale

Hospice Practice Wanted

MedSpa Located in North Carolina

Hospice Practice wanted in Raleigh/ Durham area of North Carolina.

We have recently listed a MedSpa in NC This established practice has staff MDs, PAs and nurses to assist patients. Some of the procedures performed include: Botox, Dysport, Restylane, Perian, Juvederm, Radiesse, IPL Photoreju Venation, fractional laser resurfacing as well as customized facials. There are too many procedures to mention in this very upscale practice. The qualified buyer will be impressed with the $900,000 gross revenue. This is a new listing, and we are in the valuation process.

Medical Practice Listings has a qualified physician buyer that is ready to purchase. If you are considering your hospice practice options, contact us for a confidential discussion regarding your practice.

Contact Medical Practice Listings today to discuss the practice details.

For more information call Medical Practice Listings at 919-848-4202 or e-mail medlistings@gmail.com

To find out more information call 919-848-4202 or e-mail medlistings@gmail.com www.medicalpracticelistings.com

www.medicalpracticelistings.com

Unfortunately, its motor is inside playing video games.

Kids spend several hours a day playing video games and less than 15 minutes in P.E. Most can’t do two push-ups.

Many are obese, and nearly half exhibit risk factors of heart disease. The American Council on Exercise and major medical organizations consider this situation a national health risk. Continuing budget cutbacks have forced many schools to drop P.E.—in fact, 49 states no longer even require it daily.

You can help. Dust off that bike. Get out the skates.

Swim with your kids. Play catch. Show them exercise is fun and promotes a long, healthy life. And call ACE. Find out more on how you can get these young engines fired up. Then maybe the video games will get dusty.

A Public Service Message brought to you by the American Council on Exercise, a not-for-profit organization committed to the promotion of safe and effective exercise

American Council on Exercise

®

ACE Certified: The Mark of Quality Look for the ACE symbol of excellence in fitness training and education.

For more information, visit our website: www.ACEfitness.org

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Woman's Practice A vailable for Sale Available for purchase is a beautiful boutique women’s Internal Medicine and Primary Care practice located in the Raleigh area of North Carolina.

The physician owner has truly found a niche specializing in women’s care. Enhanced with female-related outpatient procedures, the average patient per day is 40+. The owner of the practice is an Internal Medicine MD with a Nurse Practitioner working in the practice full time. Modern exam tables, instruments and medical furniture.

Gross Yearly Income: $585,000 | List Price: $365,000

Call 919-848-4202 or email medlistings@gmail.com www.medicalpracticelistings.com

Practice for Sale in Raleigh, NC Primary care practice specializing in women’s care Raleigh, North Carolina The owning physician is willing to continue with the practice for a reasonable time to assist with smooth ownership transfer. The patient load is 35 to 40 patients per day, however, that could double with a second provider. Exceptional cash flow and profit will surprise even the most optimistic practice seeker. This is a remarkable opportunity to purchase a well-established woman’s practice. Spacious practice with several well-appointed exam rooms and beautifully decorated throughout. New computers and medical management software add to this modern front desk environment.

List price: $435,000

Call Medical Practice Listings at (919) 848-4202 for details and to view our other listings visit www.medicalpracticelistings.com

Pediatrics Practice Wanted Pediatrics practice wanted in NC Considering your options regarding your pediatric practice? We can help.

Medical Practice Listings has a well qualified buyer for a pediatric practice anywhere in central North Carolina.

Contact us today to discuss your options confidentially.

Medical Practice Listings Call 919-848-4202 or e-mail medlistings@gmail.com www.medicalpracticelistings.com

Adult & pediAtric integrAtive medicine prActice for sAle This Adult and Pediatric Integrative Medicine practice, located in Cary, NC, incorporates the latest conventional and natural therapies for the treatment and prevention of health problems not requiring surgical intervention. It currently provides the following therapeutic modalities: • • • • •

Conventional Medicine Natural and Holistic Medicine Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy Functional Medicine Nutritional Therapy

• • • • • •

Mind-Body Medicine Detoxification Supplements Optimal Weigh Program Preventive Care Wellness Program Diagnostic Testing

There is a Compounding Pharmacy located in the same suites with a consulting pharmacist working with this Integrative practice. Average Patients per Day: 12-20

Primary Care Practice for Sale Hickory, North Carolina Established primary care practice in the beautiful foothills of North Carolina The owning physician is retiring, creating an excellent opportunity for a progressive buyer.

There are two full-time physician assistants that see the majority of the patients which averages between 45 to 65 per day.

There is lots of room to grow this already solid practice that has a yearly gross of $1,500,00.

You will be impressed with this modern and highly visible practice.

Call for pricing and details.

Gross Yearly Income: $335,000+ | List Price: $125,000

Call 919-848-4202 or email medlistings@gmail.com www.medicalpracticelistings.com

Call Medical Practice Listings at (919) 848-4202 for details and to view our other listings vist www.medicalpracticelistings.com

FAMILY PRACTICE FOR SALE A beautiful practice located in Seattle, Washington This upscale primary care practice has a boutique look and feel while realizing consistent revenues and patient flow. You will be impressed with the well appointed layout, functionality as well as the organization of this true gem of a practice. Currently accepting over 20 insurance carriers including Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Cigna, City of Seattle, Great West and United Healthcare. The astute physician considering this practice will be impressed with the comprehensive collection of computers, office furniture and medical equipment such as Welch Allyn Otoscope, Ritter Autoclave, Spirometer and Moore Medical Exam table.

Physician compensation is consistently in the $200,000 range with upside as you wish. Do not procrastinate; this practice will not be available for long.

List price: $255,000 | Year Established: 2007 | Gross Yearly Income: $380,000

Medical Practice Listings Selling and buying made easy

MedicalPracticeListings.com | medlisting@gmail.com | 919.848.4202

Wanted: Urgent Care Practice Urgent care practice wanted in North Carolina.

Qualified physician is seeking to purchase an established urgent care within 100 miles of Raleigh, North Carolina.

If you are considering retiring, relocations or closing your practice for personal reasons, contact us for a confidential discussion regarding your urgent care. You will receive cash at closing and not be required to carry a note.

Medical Practice Listings Buying and selling made easy

ADVERTISE YOUR PRACTICE BUILDING IN MED MONTHLY By placing a professional ad in Med Monthly, you're spending smart money and directing your marketing efforts toward qualified clients.

Contact one of our advertising agents and find out how inexpensive yet powerful your ad in Med Monthly can be.

Call 919-848-4202 or e-mail medlistings@gmail.com www.medicalpracticelistings.com

medmonthly.com | 919.747.9031

PRIMARY CARE PRACTICE - Hickory, North Carolina This is an outstanding opportunity to acquire one of the most organized and profitable primary care practices in the area. Grossing a million and a half yearly, the principal physician enjoys ordinary practice income of over $300,000 annually.

Hickory is located in the foot-hills of North Carolina and is surrounded by picturesque mountains, lakes, upscale shopping malls and the school systems are excellent. If you are looking for an established practice that runs like a well oiled machine, request more information.

The free standing building that houses this practice is available to purchase or rent with an option. There are 4 exam rooms with a well appointed procedure room. The owning physician works 4 to 5 days per week and there is a full time physician assistant staffed as well.

For the well qualified purchasing physician, the owner may consider some owner-financing. Call us today.

List price: $425,000 | Year Established: 2007 | Gross Yearly Income: $1,500,000

Medical Practice Listings Selling and buying made easy

MedicalPracticeListings.com | medlisting@gmail.com | 919-848-4202 76 | JANUARY 2014

Comprehensive Ophthalmic and Neuro-Ophthalmic Neuro-Ophthalmic Practice Raleigh North Carolina This is a great opportunity to purchase an established ophthalmic practice in the heart of Raleigh. Locate on a major road with established clients and plenty of room for growth; you will appreciate the upside this practice offers.

This practice performs comprehensive ophthalmic and neuro-ophthalmic exams with diagnosis and treatment of eye disease of all ages.

PEDIATRICIAN

OR FAMILY MEDICINE DOCTOR NEEDED IN

ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC In mid December, a pediatrician or family medicine doctor comfortable with seeing children is needed full time in Roanoke Rapids (1 hour north of Raleigh, NC) until a permanent doctor can be found.

Credentialing at the hospital is necessary.

Surgical procedures include no stitch cataract surgery, laser treatment for glaucoma and diabetic eye disease. This practice offers state-of-the-art equipment and offer you the finest quality optical products with contact lens fitting and follow-up care & frames for all ages.

List Price: $75,000 | Gross Yearly Income: $310,000

Contact Cara or Philip 919-848-4202 for more information or visit MedicalPracticeListings.com

Women’s Health Practice in Morehead City, NC

Call 919- 845-0054 or email: physiciansolutions@gmail.com www.physiciansolutions.com PRACTICE FOR SALE

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CARE PRACTICE FOR SALE Greensboro, North Carolina

Newly listed Primary Care specializing in Women’s care located in the beautiful coastal city of Morehead City. This spacious practice has 5 exam rooms with one electronic tilting exam table and 4 other Ritter exam tables. Excellent visibility and parking make this an ideal location to market and expand. This practice is fully equipped and is ready for a new owner that is ready to hit the ground running. The owning MD is retiring and will be accommodating during the transition period. This medical building is owned and is offered for sale, lease or lease to own. The gross receipts for the past 3 years exceed $540,000 per year. If you are looking to purchase an excellent practice located in a picturesque setting, please contact us today.

Well-established practice serving the Greensboro and High Point areas for over 15 years. Five exam rooms that are fully equipped, plus digital X-Ray. Extensive corporate accounts as well as walk-in traffic. Lab equipment includes CBC. The owning MD is retiring, creating an excellent opportunity for a MD to take over an existing patient base and treat 25 plus patients per day from day one. The practice space is 2,375 sq. feet. This is an exceptionally opportunity. Leased equipment includes: X-Ray $835 per month, copier $127 per month, and CBC $200 per month. Call Medical Practice Listings at (919) 848-4202 for more information.

Asking price: $385,000

Medical Practice Listings Buying and selling made easy

Call 919-848-4202 or email medlistings@gmail.com www.medicalpracticelistings.com

To view more listings visit us online at medicalpracticelistings.com

the top

1

CONTENT IS KING

Without content, there is no website. What keeps content on top is the increasing need to be able to access any content anywhere you are. Responsive web design and SEO are responsible for keeping content in its top position and is vital for your website’s success.

2 In keeping with the theme of this month’s issue of Med Monthly, here are the top 9 tips in website design to assist you in making your medical practice website as dynamic and effective as possible.

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3

RESPONSIVE DESIGN

Attention will be made earlier in a website design project to ensure that the responsiveness of the site is based on the design and not the vast variety of devices out there.

The idea of forgetting about the size of devices will help drive better responsive design, so we will start seeing websites designed with breakpoints of all types.

FAREWELL FLASH

Flash is on its way out. The leading reasons for its demise are it adds nothing for the SEO of a site, many mobile devices don’t support it, and it is a pain to update. Plus, there are so many other technologies out there that can do what Flash does now.

Website Design Tips

4

TYPOGRAPHY’S RETURN

The last couple of years have seen the first breakthroughs in web type in a very long time.

This, along with SEO recognition of text for higher rankings, will inevitably drive the increased usage of typography as the central element in website design. Also, typography and layouts that are based on content are inherently easier to make responsive than really complicated layouts with different types of images.

5

LARGER, IMPACTFUL IMAGES

More websites are using large images on their home page to make an impact. These same websites are also keeping bandwidth and data usage in mind by only serving large images to those with large screens.

6

MORE WHITE SPACE

Websites were being designed with more white space. Responsive web design and a clean design aesthetic are both factors. These white space heavy designs lend an air of gravitas, and who doesn’t want their website to make them seem professional and knowledgeable?

7

SOCIAL NETWORK SHARING

Look for more social media integration into your favorite websites and even new websites. While sharing buttons at the end of articles is widely used, deeper integration with social media networks on websites will continue to increase.

8

CALMER COLOR SCHEMES

Color trends come and go quickly, but look for the use of more subdued or calmer color schemes as new websites make their way to the Web. It’s really hard to predict what colors are going to be the most common at any given time, but light colors are more than likely to dominate the color palettes of new websites and mobile apps.

It is safe to add that the use of whites, grays, and blacks will be used more as the primary colors in a design than actual hues.

9

MOBILE APPS

Even though there is a push to make websites work on all devices, including mobile ones, certain websites seem to work better when they are used through their own app. Twitter, Facebook, etc are all examples of such websites, where their apps are much better than their mobile browsing experience.

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Physician Solutions is now hiring primary care MD’s and PA’s in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina

If you are a well informed physician or mid-level, we could use your services from 2 to 5 days per week. Find out why dozens of doctors choose Physician Solutions.

Short-term or long-term, Physician Solutions has you covered P.O. Box 98313, Raleigh, NC 27624 Scan this QR code with your smartphone to learn more.

phone: 919.845.0054 fax: 919.845.1947 e-mail: physiciansolutions@gmail.com www.physiciansolutions.com