Opinion
When can I retire?
Many of us lack a clear idea of where our retirement income will come from, or if it will be there when we arrive.
Opinion
Review your insurance
Malpractice insurance requirements will remain fairly static throughout your career, but other insurance needs evolve over time. A good example is...
Opinion
Keep your staff current – and happy
Like you, staff members provide better care to patients when they know the latest findings and techniques.
Opinion
Hiring the right employees
Many of the personnel questions I receive concern the dreaded “marginal employee” – a person who has never done anything truly heinous to merit...
Opinion
Sexual harassment: Prevention and defense
Medical offices are far from immune from harassment, of course, and the problem is not limited to staff interactions.
Opinion
Handling defamatory online reviews
The first thing to do before taking any action is determine whether that defamatory review is, in fact, defamatory.
Opinion
How to handle negative online reviews
It happens to all of us: You log onto the Internet one day and discover a scathing review from a disgruntled patient or family member.
Opinion
Firing patients
As with pretty much everything in a private practice, accurate and written documentation of dismissible behavior is essential.
Opinion
Terminating an employee
Make it clear, when necessary, that the decision has already been made, so arguing or pleading will change nothing.
Opinion
Phone etiquette, part 2
A peer should never answer and then be expected to wait while your employee tracks you down.
Opinion
How well are your phones being answered?
Even now, in the era of texting and e-mail, the telephone remains our primary point of contact with new and long-time patients.
Opinion
The Sunshine Act, 5 years hence
The law’s questionable impact and apparent lack of enforcement do not mean you can ignore it. The data are still being collected and displayed.
Opinion
Credit cards FAQ
How do you safeguard the credit information you keep on file? The same way we do medical information; it's all covered by the same HIPAA rules.
Opinion
Stop extending credit
No business owner in his or her right mind allows customers to take away goods or services without paying for them; but doctors do it every day....