There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to running a successful medical practice. The problems that you need to tackle are important, but day-to-day patient care and daily operations take away from the time you have to dedicate to things such as billing, credentialing, management, marketing, and eligibility. This is where we come in! We take care of the important intricacies that are essential to the successful operation of your practice which in turn will allow you to focus on what is really important to you: your patients!
Billing:
With our transparent billing system, we are radically changing the way your medical billing happens. We work with you and your Front Office staff to create efficient systems that will improve data processing and billing. With our billing system, you will see where exactly your payments go and we will help to manage and optimize your cash flow- freeing you up to focus on your patient care. We offer you fast, easy and transparent billing as well as the support your team needs to ensure your practice’s continued efficacy.
Credentialing:
It can be incredibly time-consuming to follow up and ensure that your staff is in-network with the largest payers every few months. In a world where time equals money, the time it takes to verify that your doctors or therapists are up-to-date with their credentialing is time-consuming and painstaking. The fact of the matter is, if your employee’s credentials lapse, you are not making any money. So, let us do it for you. We can keep your team’s credentials up to date as well as get your new members credentialed too. Typically, it can take up to six months to get your employees in-network with Medicare- we are able to do it in a fraction of the time. Just try us and see!
Eligibility:
Your Front Desk team is the face of the practice and often the first and last point of contact for your patients. It is hard for your front desk team to effectively and engagingly interact with your patients if they are tied up on the phone trying to determine patient eligibility. We want your front desk crew to be free to do what matters for your patients, so we offer the resources to determine patient eligibility and obtain specific verification codes, thereby freeing up the time for your front desk staff, allowing them to have the largest positive impact on patient experience as possible. Without a doubt, we can do this at a fraction of the costs of adding a new employee.
We want to help you build your perfect practice! We offer solutions to a wide range of medical entities – eligibility, credentialing, billing practices, and marketing, just to name a few. With the basic fundamentals in place, we can help you to optimize your day-to-day operations and improve your practice’s performance. Visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PerformPracticeSolutions or give us a call at (833) 764-0178 to see how we can help to elevate your physical therapy practice!
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Our fresh perspectives, experience, and specialized skill sets will get your practice where you want it, and with far less stress.
To keep your patient roster full, you’re going to have to get creative. There are no two ways around it.
Even in states under a lockdown or with restrictions, PT is still considered essential – but that doesn’t mean that your population will want to readily come to your (super clean) practice. You’ll need a hybrid of solutions to offer your services to your patients – and we liked the overview of options in this article. You’ll also need to make sure your marketing is top-notch. Do contact us for help there with a free consultation, and you might need to now off-load billing, eligibility, or credentialing to free up your time (and save money) to take your patient care to the next level. We can help there also. Call us and we can, at no cost, share an overview to keep your practice thriving. (833) 764-0178
Back in March, Anne van Hemmen—who had become partially paralyzed from a stroke the previous fall—was making considerable progress toward recovery. Every week, a physical therapist visited her at home in Fair Haven, N.J., and took her through exercises to help her regain mobility on her left side.
Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit. After skipping two weeks of therapy, van Hemmen, who is 60, started video sessions in April. Her daughter Abby held the camera, and her husband Rik helped her complete the exercises. Now, van Hemmen is getting in-person physical therapy at home again—but her therapist stays at least six feet away.
The spread of COVID-19 has complicated treatment for all sorts of patients, but the close contact necessary for physical therapy presents special challenges. Even as some states begin to reopen, many physical therapy offices are continuing to limit risk for providers and patients by offering sessions over video and retrofitting clinics to abide by social distancing and infection control best practices.
Even in states still on lockdown, physical therapy is generally considered “essential,” says Karen Litzy, DPT, a physical therapist in New York City and a spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). But “we want to reduce the risk as much as possible for everyone involved,” she says
What Physical Therapy Looks Like Now
Litzy used to see patients in their homes. Since stay-at-home orders went into place in New York in March, she’s transitioned most of her patients to telehealth.
In between visits, many patients are used to completing their physical therapy exercises at a gym. But with most gyms closed, Litzy has come up with creative ways for her patients to continue their exercises at home.
For example, if a patient doesn’t have weights at home, she might suggest using a frying pan instead. Standing beside a dresser or an ottoman can be used for balance exercises. “It’s sort of like MacGyvering things out,” she says.
Physical therapy clinics that continue to see patients in-person need to be extra vigilant about sanitizing equipment and surfaces.
“A lot of it is good practice, even before COVID,” says Ann Marie Pettis, R.N., president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
Pettis advises physical therapy clinics to follow guidelines from APTA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That includes advice to work one-on-one with patients, require patients and staff to wear masks, take patients’ temperatures upon arrival, space out patients at least six feet apart, stagger appointment times, and limit the number of people in waiting rooms.
In Georgia, for example, which has begun reopening, doctors’ offices are now doing select orthopedic surgeries, so referrals to physical therapy will likely increase, says Ryan Balmes, DPT, an outpatient orthopedic and sports physical therapist based in Atlanta and a spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association. “We are starting to see an uptick, nowhere close to our previous volume,” Balmes says.
Other states may not be far behind, says Pettis, of APIC. She’s been consulting on best practices for all sorts of medical facilities in Western New York State as they prepare to re-open for non-urgent cases with proper precautions in place.
Some physical therapy offices have even begun to prepare for an influx of patients recovering from COVID-19-related complications.
If You Need Physical Therapy
Talk with your physical therapist, who can help you figure out the best course of treatment and whether it’s possible to do some or all of it remotely, says Litzy. Here are some guidelines from experts to help ensure that you are getting the care you need while minimizing the risk of exposure.
If You Are Going in Person
• Confirm appropriate precautions are being taken. Before you go to your physical therapy appointment, call ahead to ask about the protocols the clinic has in place for social distancing and disinfection, suggests Pettis.
• Assess your risk factors. If you are over the age of 65 or have an underlying condition that makes you more susceptible to complications from COVID-19, APTA recommends that you consider refraining from seeking in-person care to limit possible exposure to the virus.
• Come prepared. If you opt to see your physical therapist in person, wear a face-covering (make sure your therapist does, too) and bring hand sanitizer to use before and after, suggests Pettis.
If You Are Doing Remote Physical Therapy
• Keep an open mind. Since much of physical therapy is based on touch, it may be hard to imagine how that might translate to a video session. Patients who want to stay at home but are skeptical about whether remote PT will be effective should at least give it a try, says Mike Evangelist, vice president for clinical services at JAG-ONE Physical Therapy, which has 62 locations and has been offering PT via telehealth since mid-March. “Once they have their first [remote] session and see what they can get out of it, I think pretty much they’re sold,” Evangelist says. You can also complete your physical therapy using a hybrid of in-person and telehealth sessions, says Balmes, in Atlanta.
• Check your internet speed. Do everything you can to ensure a fast internet speed, whether that means unplugging other devices or using an ethernet cable instead of relying on WiFi. Connectivity issues can interrupt the flow of a session, Balmes says.
• Set up your space. Make sure you have a quiet space with enough room to lay down yoga or other mat and lie flat on your back. While it may seem like a minor consideration, proper lighting will help ensure that your physical therapist can see your movements in detail. If you have a sunny space, use it: Natural light provides better visibility than artificial, Balmes says.
• Contact your health insurance provider. While Medicare and most major insurance companies are now covering telehealth physical therapy, individual plans vary, and each state has different regulations. Before you decide to move forward with remote PT, check your plan to make sure it will be covered.
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Our fresh perspectives, experience, and specialized skill sets will get your practice where you want it, and with far less stress.
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Let’s talk about your business challenges today.
Our fresh perspectives, experience, and specialized skill sets will get your practice where you want it, and with far less stress.
Your front desk personnel plays an extremely important role in the representation of your practice. After all, they’re typically the first people your patients interact with — and first impressions matter. They’re the ones answering the phone, greeting your patients, collecting copays, and everything in between.
How much time educating and training them are you spending to ensure your patients have the best experience?
Watch the webinar – and circle back with your questions. We are here!
Let’s talk about your business challenges today.
Our fresh perspectives, experience, and specialized skill sets will get your practice where you want it, and with far less stress.
Perform Practice Solutions is here for you during this unprecedented time and knows physical therapists may be wondering: What’s next? That is where exercising comes in. In general, exercise helps your physical and mental health during times of crisis. Minimizing person-to-person interactions is key to controlling the spread of coronavirus, according to federal officials, but self-quarantining doesn’t mean you have to be stuck on the couch all day watching TV and munching on potato chips! Here are a few tips on how you can keep the body moving during your shelter at home – for you, and also perhaps to share with your populations. Keep them motivated – we all need a reminder.
“Social distancing” has emerged as a defining term of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages Americans to keep a safe distance from others, generally 6 feet, to protect against COVID-19. Federal guidelines also call on Americans to refrain from any gatherings, meetings, and social events attended by more than 10 people.
While those under the care of a physical therapist may wonder if they should cancel upcoming appointments, the truth is that consistent, prescribed therapy is an important step in the healing process. Your pain won’t resolve itself while staying at home; in fact, it may get worse. Physical therapy offices follow the same protocol for cleaning and sanitation as medical facilities, so the patient environment remains sterile. We encourage those undergoing physical therapy to connect with their therapy center to ensure they can continue receiving treatment as outlined in their individual plan of care.
In general, exercise helps your physical and mental health during times of crisis. Minimizing person-to-person interactions is key to controlling the spread of coronavirus, according to federal officials, but self-quarantining doesn’t mean you have to be stuck on the couch all day watching TV and munching on potato chips.
Your home may lack a NordicTrack, StairMaster, or Nautilus, but there are ways to maintain an exercise regimen as the coronavirus continues to impact our lives:
Stretching: Full-body stretching targets all major muscle groups and can improve flexibility, increase circulation, and offer stress relief. It might not seem like exercise, but a solid stretching routine works up a light sweat.
Stairs: If your home has multiple floors, head up and down the stairs a few times throughout the day. Just a few minutes here and there gets the heart pumping, the muscles moving and blood flowing throughout the body, which carries cells that kill harmful bacteria and viruses.
Yoga: If you’ve previously attended a yoga class, incorporate your favorite exercises, and poses into a workout routine that focuses on your core while also conditioning your arms, legs, and back. Use a towel, blanket or throw rug for a yoga mat.
YouTube: While Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda provided the bulk of workout videos back in the day, the internet is full of fitness personalities leading viewers through exercise routines. Just Google exercises for people your age and gender, and a variety of suggestions and videos will appear.
Walk around the neighborhood: Coronavirus spreads from human interaction. Venturing outside for a brisk walk around your community, or a bike ride provides exercise along with some much-needed fresh air and sunshine that supplies immune-boosting vitamin D.
This is a trying time for all of us. The coronavirus’s impacts on our health, well-being, work environment, finances, social life, and society, in general, are enormous – and stressful. One of the best ways to relieve stress is through physical activity, so our physical therapy centers remain open to help patients achieve optimal health even during this time of crisis.
As always, consult with a trained medical professional prior to making any substantial exercise, dietary or lifestyle changes.
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Perform Practice Solutions helps clinic owners nationwide adjust to the changing and challenging reality of practice ownership. With its innovative coaching platform, transparent billing platforms, and marketing services, Perform Practice Solutions provides frustrated and hard-working owners with an alternative way forward. It's not easy, but it is possible.
