Practice University: Symposium
An Education Series for Practice Management

Breakfast

8:00-8:30 AM

Welcome & Introductions

8:30-8:45 AM

Make a Great First Impression — Best Practices for Scheduling & the Front Desk

While it seems obvious, often we do not recognize the importance and impact that our front desk professionals have on our patients' first and sometimes last impressions. In this session, we address those issues and provide best practices to improve your patient relationships.

Objectives

• Prioritize excellent customer service skills as we deal with higher expectations
• Manage the process of check-in, check-out, phone calls, appointment scheduling, wait times while handling tedious tasks and patients
• Adopt a patient-centered attitude and “Best Practice” culture

8:45-9:30 AM

Why “Just Go with the Flow” May Not Be Working: Clinical Workflows to Benefit Your Patients & Physicians

Healthcare providers face pressure to do more, in less time, with fewer resources. Every minute wasted due to inefficient workflows and communication problems is a minute taken away from providing care to patients. Optimizing efficient clinical workflows saves time, allows practices to use their resources more efficiently, and most importantly — protects the patient. This session outlines opportunities to improve practice operations.

Objectives

• Identify and remove inefficient processes which slow patient care and waste resources
• Discuss the importance of efficient communication & tracking tools to achieve good clinical outcomes
• Articulate ways to promote team buy-in to improve clinical workflow processes

9:30-10:15 AM

Break

10:15-10:30 AM

I Could Tell You, but I Would Have to Kill You — HIPAA & Privacy Updates

HIPAA can easily become a roadblock to receiving or disclosing records. Many times, those roadblocks are due to confusion about the rules. While most everyone understands HIPAA has to do with privacy and protecting patient health information, the nuances of properly handling this information can be misunderstood. Not only can a misstep impact a practice's reputation, but it can lead to financial penalties and even jail time. This session addresses the must-know guidelines and updates to stay compliant.

Objectives

• Outline proper disclosure guidelines under HIPAA
• Address the impact of the Information Blocking Rule on the disclosure of electronic records
• Review proposed updates to the rule that could impact your practice

10:30-11:15 PM

Can They Be Salvaged? - Critical Conversations with Physicians & Staff

The successful practice executive must not only understand the operations within a medical practice but also possess the ability to effectively communicate with its stakeholders — physicians, staff, and patients. The inability to establish working relationships and successfully navigate difficult situations can leave the executive looking either incompetent or unconfident or worse, both. This session addresses communication techniques to prepare you to present at your best.

Objectives

• Discover the keys to effective communication
• Recognize the implications of body language, tone of voice and communication styles
• Apply best practices to lead change and handle difficult scenarios

11:15-12:00 PM

Lunch — MPS Update

12:00-1:15 PM

Employment Law for Medical Practices, the People Helping People Business

There are “regular” employment law regulations, and then there are “healthcare” employment laws and regulations. The changes never seem to stop. This session provides a timely update on the nuances of employment law you need to know in your practice.

Objectives

• Understand the latest legal and regulatory updates
• Identify hotspots in today's enforcement environment
• Articulate practical tips to navigate the current season of change

1:15-2:15 PM

Regulatory Enforcement: Avoiding Fines & Prison Time

This session provides an update on healthcare regulatory compliance and government enforcement activities under the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, Healthcare Fraud Act, and what may lie ahead with respect to the various COVID-19 relief programs made available to medical practices.

Objectives

• Provide an updated perspective on the current regulatory environment
• Describe how to best prepare your organization to be compliant
• Prevent (hopefully) common issues for your practice

2:15-3:15 PM

Break

3:15-3:30 PM

You Have Done the Work, Now Get Paid — Denial Management

For years denials have been a struggle for medical practices and continue to be a challenging part of the revenue cycle. To improve claim success and financial outcomes, practices need to tackle denials with preventive strategies versus costly rework. The session explores methods to identify the origin of denials, opportunities for process improvement, and the benefits of a team-based approach to denial management.

Objectives

• Create strategies to mitigate denials and protect revenue
• Recognize the necessity of communication and education to avoid denials
• Outline the value of data and analytics for continuous improvement

3:30-4:15 PM

Succession Planning — Who's Next?

Losing a key staff member in a critical role can create a major disruption within your organization if you are not prepared. Unfortunately— whether by choice or by circumstance— this scenario is not a matter of if, but when. Strategic succession planning can help protect your practice against major disruption, increase employee retention and satisfaction, and ensure strong leadership for the future. In this session, we provide the tools to assist you to prepare the next generation of leaders within your organization.

Objectives

• Determine key roles in your organization
• Identify potential leaders
• Prepare potential leaders for the future

4:15-5:00 PM

Q&A, Wrap-Up

5:00-5:15 PM

Reception

Join your fellow attendees for an opportunity to relax and recap the day. Hosted by the MPS team, the reception provides an opportunity to ask questions, exchange ideas, and gather best practices while expanding your professional network.

5:15-6:30 PM

Breakfast

8:00-8:30 AM

Let's Make A Deal — Negotiating Contracts for Your Practice

Healthcare reform has added elements of complexity to the relationship among doctors, patients, and managed care organizations. This has made it necessary to carefully review your managed care contracts and clearly define the contractual terms and expectations of both parties. Physician practices should review and understand the minute details of any and every contract prior to its execution. This session gives the manager guidance to negotiate their organization's contracts.

Objectives

• Review the definitions and terms of a typical managed care contract
• Understand how to analyze your data prior to approaching a managed care plan
• Provide negotiation tips on making the best contracting decisions for your practice

8:30-10:00 AM

Where Have All Our Patients Gone? — Marketing to the Next Generation

As our population changes, so do the wants and needs of our patients. Younger generations have different expectations in their healthcare interactions. In this session, we discuss the evolving expectations of patients, the opportunities to connect with them, and how technology can assist in providing a satisfying patient experience.

Objectives

• Identify the challenges of marketing in healthcare
• Define the next generation's patient, their expectations, and influences
• Provide marketing techniques for targeting younger generations

10:00-10:45 AM

Extended Break — Hotel Checkout

10:45-11:15 AM

What Are You Doing for You? — Building Your Professional Development Plan & Finding Work-Life Balance

As a Practice Executive, you spend so much time thinking about the needs of your patients, your physicians, your employees, and your family, but when do you think about yourself? The data is clear that burnout is a real threat to our very survival. This session provides you with tools and strategies to ensure you are able to continue leading your practice for years to come while minimizing the impact on your mental and physical health.

Objectives

• Review the benefits of creating an organizational culture that supports and enables work-life balance
• Discover the common reasons we procrastinate on specific tasks
• Discuss challenges of delegation and discover strategies for improvement/li>

11:15-12:00 PM

Adjourn

Attendees are welcome to stay and talk with the MPS consultants privately about any individual practice questions or needs.

12:00 PM