Physiatry Practice Management Resources

More patients. That’s why you join a managed care plan.

Even though you may get paid less money per service, joining HMOs and PPOs is a practical necessity in many markets. With managed care penetration growing, you may be unable to capture or maintain enough patient volume to stay in business unless you sign up.

But signing a contract is rarely enough to flood your practice with new patients. It’s merely the first step in what should be an overall strategy to use managed care to market and build your practice, says Ruth Aaron, a managed care consultant with the Scheur Management Group in Boston.

“All a managed care contract gives you is the opportunity to go after patients you otherwise couldn’t see. You’ve got to follow through to get those patients in the front door, and, just as importantly, keep them once you get them,” she says.

Capturing and retaining patients in managed care plans require basically the same approach as in straight, fee-for-service practices. If you let people know you provide excellent care, service and convenience, they will come. If they like the way they are treated, they will stay — and maybe send their friends as well.

If anything, keeping up on practice basics — scheduling appointments quickly, returning phone calls, and keeping waits in the reception area and examining room to a minimum — is even more important to building a managed care practice than in a fee-for-service practice.

“A lot of people start out assuming they will be treated as second-class patients under managed care. Excellent care and service go a long way toward changing that attitude,” Aaron explains.

Likewise, word of mouth is just as important in promoting your practice in managed care as in the fee-for-service world.

However, managed care does add significant wrinkles in both marketing and patient service. Capitalizing on those differences is the key to moving managed care beyond a necessary evil to a real practice asset.

On the marketing side, managed care opens new channels for reaching patients. This is done mostly through provider directories, but occasionally through open enrollment fairs held by employers. “You’ve got to be ready to put your best foot forward in these venues, emphasizing unique services, qualifications or conveniences you offer,” Aaron says.

On the service side, helping patients understand the managed care system by processing referrals efficiently, providing information on what’s covered by plans and coordinating non-physician services such as social workers and physical therapists adds real value, especially for older patients. “You’ll become their hero,” Aaron says.

With proper training and preparation — and a positive attitude from physician leaders — managed care can help build and strengthen your practice.