A look at payment changes in New Jersey from the Payment Policy Committee.
By James C. Hall, CPA
Earlier this year, my company, Rehab Management Services, picked up a consulting agreement with a New Jersey–based firm, and I found a payment nugget that is worthy of sharing with every provider in the United States. Before I relay “this nugget,” let me share some insurance basics for those of you who delegate the billing/payment side of your practice to administrative staff. Fifty sets of state and four sets of federal insurance regulations exist. Other than the 50 sets of unique state insurance laws, the federal programs are as follows:
By Lynn Steffes, PT, DPT
According to the Nielsen Report Global Trust in Advertising & Brand Messages published in 2013, consumers trust “recommendations of people they know 84 percent of the time,” which is significantly higher than any other media. Radio ads only have a 57 percent trust rating and newspaper ads 61 percent rating.1 How about spending more time and money on building a patient-to-patient referral program?
By Bill Pfister Jr, PT, MPT, CLT
Creating a positive clinic culture fosters personal and professional growth. A growing practice can have many challenges that can distract and cause a team to lose focus. One strategy I have implemented in my clinic to prevent this from happening is the “Huddle.” Every week, my clinic has two, 10-minute huddles. The huddle is a time of reflection and focuses on personal and professional growth. A leader presents the team with a specific topic during the huddle, which usually reflects our company values: integrity, communication, quality care, exceptional service are just a few. The leader chooses another team member to lead the next huddle. The huddle encourages engagement of the whole team. This action has proven to be an excellent way to engage in positive clinic culture as a team and is a great way to fulfill your team members, build strong relationships, and create leadership opportunities for your staff. This 10 to 20 minutes a week will prove to be invaluable to your team’s cohesion, while helping them focus on company values and goal execution.
Heal the body through mindfulness and relaxation.
By Deb Gulbrandson, PT, DPT
As physical therapists, we see the benefits that mindfulness brings to the rehabilitation process. Increased mental or emotional stress leads to increased physical stress, which leads to muscle tension and pain. Neuroscientists are discovering how mindfulness affects the brain, medical researchers are analyzing its health benefits, and social scientists are showing how it can change our lives and our society. Time magazine ran a cover story last February on the “Mindful Revolution.”
When going through relaxation exercises with patients, many ask if I will make a tape recording so that they can listen to it. Although I have never found the time, I have directed them to the vast array of resources available for purchase, but they usually do not follow through.
Julie Lombardo, PT, MA, OCS, WCS, is a PPS member and owner of Capitol Physical Therapy in Verona, Wisconsin. She can be reached at jlombardo@capitolphysicaltherapy.com.
Practice, Location: Madison and Verona, Wisconsin.
Practice Specifics: We specialize in orthopedics and sports physical therapy, pelvic physical therapy, aquatic therapy, injured workers, and seniors. We have 12 employees at our two locations in Madison and Verona, Wisconsin.
Years in Practice: I’ve been in practice as a physical therapist for 17 years and have been a private practice owner for 10 years.
What is the most influential book/person/event that enhanced your professional career and brief description of why? I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work for two incredible people before opening our practice. Chuck Emerick, my first professional boss, had a way of making our team work hard and laugh often. He taught me to, “Wake up each morning and decide to make it a great day!” For years, I leaned on him for many business decisions.
