The world of healthcare embracing the digital world has been a very well celebrated move. This move has helped so many people in so many ways. It allowed people to stay at home and be safe during the pandemic. It allows people in rural areas to connect to specialists far away without all of the travel. And it has been a huge benefit to everyone with mobility issues. Knowing that they can get immediate access to their doctors without the physical toll it would usually take.
But if everything is moving towards digital, where does that leave physician practices? How are they meant to survive if everyone is rushing towards virtual visits and telehealth? It’s like the old phrase says, in order to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs. Are physician practices the eggs in order for us to have the delicious omelet of digital healthcare? And can we break them in a way that we all benefit?
We reached out to the Healthcare IT Today Community to get their insights on this topic. Read down below to see whether they think physician practices will survive, and if so, how.
Dr. Christopher Crow, CEO and Co-Founder at Catalyst Health Group
Practices will survive…but for them to thrive, the industry needs to shift how care is paid for. New technologies and integrated care teams will be essential for addressing issues like burnout, medication adherence and rising costs.
And to implement all this effectively, we must shift away from our current fee-for-service structure that incentivizes patient volume above all else, and instead move to a prospective payment model that incentivizes quality, value and patient health above all.
Amit Jayakar, Vice President of Commercial Operations at Fathom
What technology should be embraced by small practices that have limited budgets? Automation technology is the holy grail for small practices, which often run with a limited staff. It’s the solution providers need as they strive to reduce administrative burdens and boost slim margins. However, many new software automation solutions are often expensive to implement. This leaves small/medium practices underserviced and unable to leverage essential automation tools. These providers must seek out turnkey automation platforms with no implementation fee and only charge for coded encounters. With these tools, practices will be ROI positive on Day 1 without any investment.
Michael Rivers, Sr. Medical Director of Ophthalmology at ModMed
Patients have more options for care providers than ever before, and a recent survey conducted by ModMed showed the majority of patients value digital engagement tools when selecting a care provider. Six of 10 respondents to the survey said they are likely to select one doctor over another if they can schedule appointments online. And 61% of patients expect to make payments for their care online or through a digital app. These tools are critical to attracting and retaining patients.
Kenya McEwen, Director of Quality and Compliance at MRO
Even though October 6, 2022, unofficially coined “information liberation day”, is in healthcare’s rear view mirror ONC’s new information blocking law remains front and center for physician practices in the year ahead. Information blocking regulations have been discussed for many months. But the compliance requirements are now here. The most important steps for physicians to take include educating clinicians and staff, updating policies and procedures, and defining the practice’s electronic version of its designated record set (DRS).
Everyone from practice leadership to billers should be educated about information blocking rules. There are numerous resources available from the ONC and practices can also look to their health system partners’ compliance teams for guidance. Information blocking rules apply to small and large practices alike. There are no exceptions for inconvenience or understaffing.
And the ONC has already received over 300 complaints of information blocking; most from patients and their representatives. Should your practice receive a complaint, it is best practice to quickly communicate and follow-up with the person filing the complaint. Demonstrate and document your efforts to meet the EHI request. These proactive steps will go a long way in circumventing the complaint and a future ONC fine.
Chris Baird, CMO at Weave
When cost is a top factor in selecting the right technology, small practices have to focus on the technology that provides the best ROI. Considering that most healthcare offices are currently short-staffed, automation of tedious tasks is incredibly important to keep the office busy and generate revenue while also keeping staff happy so they can deliver excellent patient experiences.
Fortunately, there are a variety of tools that smaller practices can invest in to streamline time-consuming administrative processes and make the most of limited budgets. Tools that enable online scheduling, send automatic appointment reminders and provide digital intake forms are turnkey, accessible solutions for practices to integrate – and result in a better overall patient experience. As these tools streamline admin and paperwork for all parties, they also free up valuable employee time to better focus on offering patients a more personal experience, ultimately benefiting patients and providers.
The vast majority of offices already know this. According to a recent study from Weave on the state of healthcare staffing, 97% of small healthcare businesses say delivering good patient experiences requires the right tools or technology. However, only 27% have invested in these tools for employees to do their jobs, and that’s why new technology must be seen as an investment in the business’s long-term success.
Hadi Chaudhry, CEO at CareCloud
Patients demand digital platforms that allow them to quickly access care digitally, just as they access other services. Who would ever buy a car online? It’s a normal thing now. Look at Carvana. Who orders groceries online and drives to pick them up at the curb? Walmart has changed its physical storefront to accommodate this. Things like these have motivated businesses to connect digital technology to service delivery through apps and platforms.
Paul Brient, Chief Product Officer at athenahealth
Private practices, medical offices, and smaller clinics often have less support staff compared to larger practices and health systems. Therefore they will benefit disproportionally from technologies that optimize time and streamline practice workflows. High value digital solutions that can help practice staff make the best use of their time include digital check-in, voice assistants, digital dictation, and virtual care. In addition, smaller practices rarely have dedicated IT staff so it is helpful to look to SaaS-based systems that are easy to implement for these technologies.
Chris Larkin, Chief Technology Officer at Concord Technologies
Small practices need reliable, affordable technology solutions that provide insight and perform operations-critical tasks, freeing up staff for patient care. In today’s competitive and data-driven healthcare landscape, that kind of integrated system is essential when it comes to secure data delivery, classification and integration into workflows.
Steve Gallion, Chief Executive Officer at Medtrainer
Small practices should invest in tools that help them get more done with fewer resources. Compliance management software can automate tedious administrative tasks, including ongoing training and day-to-day management. This means staff can get more done with less stress — a huge win for office morale, practice efficiency, and patient experience.
Ramesh Ramani, CEO at ExpertusONE
Training and compliance are critical components of healthcare work and healthcare organizations should leverage technology to support their teams so that they can adhere to compliance standards, keep up with required training, and manage it all in this new era of flexible work.
Adoption of mobile training through easy-to-use apps is beneficial to healthcare providers that move between locations so they can access critical training no matter their location. Healthcare organizations must train their team members to leverage new digital tools so that they can do their jobs effectively and keep up with the industry competition.
Mobile functionality is self-explanatory, yes, but it is missing from a surprising number of digital training experiences. Users must be able to access their learning in a mobile-first environment so they can train on their own terms.
Chad Anguilm, Vice President, In-Practice Technology Services at Medical Advantage
Limited budgets should prioritize a properly configured EHR, complete with a suite of patient engagement tools that set up a Virtual Front Door. When the EHR is optimized and working in tandem with a solid patient engagement platform, everything becomes more efficient, For example, routine patient self-service tool usage frees up more time for staff to spend helping patients increasing the overall quality of care.
Lori Mohr, In-Practice Technology Services Manager at Medical Advantage
Practices on a limited budget should invest to ensure the EHR is working as efficiently and effectively as possible. Also, invest in improving the patient experience through patient engagement technologies that often work in conjunction with EHRs
Michael Cohen-Wolkowiez, Chief Medical Advisor at Lightship
As the idea of healthcare delivery shifts more from an in-clinic model to an at-home experience centered around the patient, it presents a substantial opportunity to advance clinical trials. If we can leverage the at-home healthcare delivery transformation for clinical research, physician practices will be uniquely positioned to have a major role in the delivery of clinical trials centered around the participant.
To fulfill this promise, several factors will need to be considered including clinical research training, data collection and sharing through wearables, patient/participant clinical trial experience, alternative business models, and equity in access to healthcare and trials.
Colin Banas, MD, Chief Medical Officer at DrFirst
Physician practices are under siege. On one side they have retail health outlets popping up in malls, grocery stores, and pharmacies. On the other, big health systems are still gobbling up clinics to expand their networks. Will physician practices survive?
This may be a geographic issue, as some rural areas may not experience the same pressure. The real question is: what does the future look like in areas where these new models of care draw relatively healthy (and well-paying) patients, leaving those with chronic (and costly) health conditions to be cared for exclusively by small physician practices? In a value-based-care payment model, this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for brick-and-mortar, traditional practices.
What technology should be embraced by small practices that have limited budgets? Small practices should embrace tech that allows patients to take care of some rote administrative tasks online. Consumers welcome and expect things like self-scheduling appointments, more convenient online payment options, and digital forms that are easier to fill out and sign. Adding these functions to portals expands the “digital front door” in ways that satisfy patients and are more efficient for practices with limited budgets.
Travis Schneider, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Tebra
If independent practices use the resources that are available, they can persevere. Right now, the consumerization of healthcare is the biggest challenge that providers are facing. By adopting digital tools and software, practices can easily respond, putting the focus back on patient care. To do so, practices must be willing to embrace a new model, one with technology that delivers the type of digital experience that patients encounter every day across every other industry.
Dr. Mark Stephan, Chief Medical Officer at Equality Health
Independent physician’s practices are a foundation of our nation’s healthcare ecosystem and should be viewed as an engine of change in the shift from volume to Value-Based Care. They are so important because they are are often the trusted entry point for patients on their care journey. A concern today is that practices must focus on caring for individuals and communities, while carrying a heavy unfunded administrative burden, which can lead to burnout.
To thrive, they must embrace advanced payment models (APMs), technology and collaborate to proactively manage their attributed patient panels, earn financial rewards for high-quality, cost-effective care, and most importantly — remain independent.
Jay Anders, Chief Medical Officer at Medicomp Systems
Physician offices will survive because there will always be a need for primary care offices. Especially in rural areas that may only have one physician for 30+ miles, it’s not practical for a provider to be the home of patients so far away from a centrally accessible office. While home care is rising, it’s staffed by mid-level providers who lack the expertise to look at uncommon diseases or complications, meaning they need access to the next level of training. In terms of faxes, it’s old technology that should not have a place in the new EHR world.
So many great ideas and insights! Comment down below and let us know what you think about how physician practices can survive.
