Developing a social media medical strategy for your holistic practice can be valuable for connecting with your patients, building trust, and promoting your services. However, knowing where to start with social media platforms can take some work. This blog post will discuss the pros and cons of various social media platforms and provide tips for developing a social media strategy for your holistic practice.
When developing a social media medical strategy for your holistic medicine practice, it is vital to consider the following:
- Identify your target audience: Whom are you trying to reach with your social media efforts? Are they current patients, potential patients, or other healthcare professionals?
- You can choose the right platform from our guide below: Based on your target audience and the type of content you want to share, you can choose the social media platform that will most effectively reach your audience.
- Create a content calendar: Plan your content for the next month, quarter, or year; this will help ensure that you have a steady stream of content to share and that you are sharing relevant and engaging content.
- Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and messages and use the platforms’ features to engage with your audience.
- Measure and adjust: Track your social media metrics to see which posts are performing well and which are not. Use this information to change your strategy and improve your results.
Social Media Guide
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms and is a great place to connect with patients and promote your practice.
- Pros of using Facebook include the ability to reach a large audience, create posts that are easy to share, and post events and appointments.
- Cons of using Facebook include creating engaging and relevant content, keeping up with the algorithm changes, and the potential for negative comments or reviews.
Twitter is a fast-paced platform that allows you to share quick updates, news, and information.
- Pros of using Twitter include the ability to reach a large audience, the ability to connect with influencers, and the ability to share real-time information.
- Cons of using Twitter include being concise and to the point, managing the character limit, and the potential for negative comments or reviews.
Instagram is a visual platform that allows you to share pictures and videos to promote your practice.
- Pros of using Instagram include the ability to reach a large audience, the ability to communicate visually appealing content, and the ability to connect with influencers.
- Cons of using Instagram are the need to produce high-quality content, keep up with algorithm changes, and the potential for negative comments or reviews.
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform for connecting with other healthcare professionals and promoting your practice.
- Pros of using LinkedIn include the ability to communicate with other healthcare professionals, the ability to share industry-related content, and the ability to promote job openings.
- Cons of using LinkedIn include creating professional and relevant content, keeping up with the algorithm changes, and the potential for negative comments or reviews.
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing platform that allows you to share videos to promote your practice.
- Pros of using YouTube include the ability to reach a large audience, share informative and educational videos, and connect with influencers.
- Cons of using YouTube need to produce high-quality video content, keep up with algorithm changes, and the potential for negative comments or reviews.
Social media can be a powerful and cost-effective tool for promoting your holistic practice and connecting with patients. By identifying your target audience, choosing the right platform, creating content, and tracking your social media results, you’ll have a strategy to connect with your patients, build trust, and promote your services.
How does this relate to a billing company focused on acupuncture, chiropractic, and medical-massage billing? While you are busy creating your social media strategy, the tedious and complicated medical coding and billing process does not need to consume your time. By letting a trusted firm like Holistic Billing Services handle your online appointments, SOAP notes, or your medical billing burden, your time, energy, and creativity are freed up to focus on what matters most: your patients.
The friendly experts at HBS have decades of experience and are eager to help you succeed! Please reach out to us today to build a custom solution that suits your acupuncture, chiropractic, or medical massage practice needs and goals.
Cash flow is the amount of cash a business generates and uses in a given period. Understanding cash flow as part of your business plan is essential to ensure that the practice has enough money to pay its bills and invest in its future growth. Projecting cash flow in a medical practice can be daunting, but it is essential for the practice’s financial success. In this blog post, we will discuss the steps involved in projecting cash flow for a medical practice and provide tips for maintaining a healthy cash flow.
Step 1: Identify your sources of cash
The first step in projecting cash flow is to identify the sources of cash for the practice. These sources include patient payments, insurance reimbursements, and investments. Understanding the timing of these payments and any trends or fluctuations in the amount of cash received is essential. For example, if the practice experiences a spike in patient volume during the summer months, it will likely receive more money during this period.
Step 2: Identify your uses of cash
Once you identify the sources of cash, it is crucial to identify the uses of cash for the practice. These uses include expenses such as rent, salaries, supplies, and equipment. It is important to understand the timing of these expenses and any trends or fluctuations in the amount of cash spent. For example, if the practice plans to purchase new equipment, it will likely spend more money during the month or quarter in which you bought the equipment.
Step 3: Create a cash flow projection
With an understanding of the sources and uses of cash, the next step is to create a cash flow projection. This projection should include an estimate of the amount of cash received and spent in a given period. It is vital to have both expected and unexpected events in the projection and any trends or fluctuations in the amount of cash received or spent.
Step 4: Monitor and adjust your projection
Once you create the cash flow projection, it is essential to monitor it regularly and make adjustments as necessary; this may include adjusting the prediction based on actual results or making changes to the practice’s operations to improve cash flow. For example, if the practice is experiencing a cash flow shortage, it may need to increase its billing and collections efforts, recruit patients or reduce its expenses.
Tips for maintaining a healthy cash flow
- Review your billing and collections process: A poor billing and collections process is one of the most significant contributors to cash flow problems. Regularly reviewing and improving this process can help ensure that the practice receives payment for services promptly.
- Control expenses: Keeping expenses under control is essential for maintaining a healthy cash flow. Reviewing expenses regularly and finding ways to reduce them can help to improve cash flow.
- Communicate with patients: Clear communication regarding their financial responsibilities can help ensure that payments are received promptly.
- Maintain a good relationship with insurance companies: Building a good relationship with insurance companies can help ensure that reimbursements are received promptly.
- Keep an eye on future trends: Monitoring future trends in the healthcare industry can help to anticipate any changes that may impact cash flow.
In conclusion, projecting cash flow in a medical practice is a vital task that requires a thorough understanding of the sources and uses of cash. By following the steps outlined in this blog post and implementing the tips for maintaining a healthy cash flow, medical practices can ensure they have the resources they need to grow and succeed in today’s competitive healthcare landscape.
How does this relate to a billing company focused on acupuncture, chiropractic, and medical-massage billing? While you are busy projecting your cash flow, let us handle your EMR technology needs and the tedious and complicated medical coding, and billing process. By allowing a trusted firm like Holistic Billing Services, to capture your online appointments and SOAP notes, or offloading your medical billing burden, your time, energy, and creativity are freed up to focus on what matters most: your patients. The friendly experts at HBS have decades of experience and are eager to help you succeed! Contact us today to get started building a custom solution that suits your acupuncture practice needs and goals.
Opening a holistic healthcare practice is an exciting and challenging endeavor that requires careful planning and preparation. A business plan is a critical tool that can help you to organize your thoughts, set goals, and create a roadmap for your practice’s success. In this blog post, we will discuss the steps on how to establish a business plan for your holistic practice and provide some tips for creating a successful strategy.
Step 1: Research the market
The first step may seem obvious, but all too often is overlooked. When developing a business plan, you must first do your market research; this includes identifying the ideal patients for your practice, researching other holistic practices in your area, and understanding the trends and opportunities in the holistic healthcare industry. This research will help you know your target patient’s needs and concerns, allowing you to develop strategies that align with your strengths and interests.
Step 2: Define your business model
Once you understand your market, the next step is to define your practice’s business model; this includes identifying your services, setting prices, and determining how you will generate revenue. It is also essential to consider the costs associated with opening and operating your practice, such as rent, salaries, furniture, and equipment.
Step 3: Create a marketing plan
A marketing plan is a critical component of any business plan and is essential for promoting your practice and reaching your target audience. This plan should include strategies for getting your brand and message in front of potential patients, such as advertising, networking, and social media. In today’s world, it is critical to establish early how you will use social media and other digital marketing tools to promote your practice.
Step 4: Develop a financial plan
A financial plan is a crucial part of any business plan and is essential for understanding the costs associated with opening and operating your practice. This plan should include an estimate of your startup costs, operating expenses, and projected revenue. It should also have a projected cash flow statement, which will help you to understand your practice’s financial health over time.
Step 5: Review and refine your plan
Once your business plan is complete, regularly reviewing and refining, it is essential; this includes monitoring your progress, adjusting your plan as necessary, and seeking feedback from industry experts. It is also crucial to stay updated on industry trends and regulations and adjust your plan as needed.
Tips for creating a successful business plan
- Be realistic: Setting realistic goals and conservative projections for your practice is important; this will help you to avoid disappointment and make adjustments as needed.
- Please keep it simple: A business plan should be easy for someone else to understand and follow. Avoid using jargon or overly complex language.
- Seek feedback: Get input from industry experts, friends, and family to get an outside perspective on your business plan.
- Be specific about your goals and plans. Your goals should be measurable; this will help you stay focused and on track.
- Be flexible: Be prepared to adjust your business plan as necessary. The healthcare industry is constantly changing, and it is vital to adapt to changes.
Finally, developing a business plan for opening a holistic healthcare practice is a critical step in ensuring the success of your medical practice. By following the steps outlined in this blog post and implementing the tips for creating a successful plan, you can create a roadmap for your practice’s success and ensure you have the resources you need to grow and thrive in today’s competitive healthcare landscape.
Resources when establishing your business plan
- Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA provides a wide range of resources and support for small businesses, including loans, grants, counseling services, and training.
- SCORE: SCORE is a national organization that provides free mentoring and resources to small business owners.
- National Small Business Association (NSBA): The NSBA is a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy, networking, and resources for small business owners.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH): The NCCIH provides information and resources on complementary and integrative health practices and therapies.
- American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA): The AHMA provides education, resources, and networking opportunities for holistic healthcare practitioners.
How does this relate to a billing company focused on acupuncture, chiropractic, and medical massage billing? While you are busy creating your business plan, your time does not need to be consumed by the tedious and complicated medical coding and billing process. By letting a trusted firm, like Holistic Billing Services, handle your online appointments, SOAP notes, or your medical billing burden, your time, energy, and creativity are freed up to focus on what matters most: your patients.
The friendly experts at HBS have decades of experience and are eager to help you succeed! Contact us today to get started building a custom solution that suits your acupuncture practice needs and goals.
Opening a holistic medicine practice can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, but it is also a significant financial investment. As a healthcare consultant, I want to share some critical business advice and tips for opening your first practice.
First and foremost, it is essential to have a clear and comprehensive business plan in place before you start. This plan should include a detailed budget outlining the costs associated with opening and running your practice and projected income and cash flow, including a marketing plan and a strategy for acquiring and retaining patients. A solid business plan will help you secure funding from a bank or investors and serve as a roadmap to guide your business decisions and practice growth.
Another essential piece of advice is to keep detailed financial records. This is especially important when it comes to taxes and compliance. As a holistic medicine practitioner, you must stay up-to-date on the latest laws and regulations, and having accurate financial records will make this process much more manageable. Additionally, keeping detailed records will help you identify areas where you can improve your financial performance and make adjustments as needed.
One of the most significant financial decisions you will make before opening your doors is how to structure your business. There are several options: sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, so it is essential to consult an attorney and accountant to determine the best fit for your practice.
Another important consideration is how you will finance your business. Depending on the size and scope of your practice, you may need to secure funding from a lender or investor. I think having a solid financial plan in place, including a detailed budget and projected cash flow, is essential to show potential lenders and investors that you have thought through the financial aspects of your new practice. Also, you will need to clearly understand your creditworthiness and be prepared to provide the necessary documentation to secure funding.
Additionally, stay on top of your cash flow. This is especially important when starting your practice, as you will likely have a lot of upfront costs and may still need a steady income while you fill your schedule. A clear understanding of your cash flow projections and having a plan in place for dips in cash frequently is the difference in making it to the second year of your practice.
Finally, it is essential to have a good handle on your pricing strategy. As a holistic medicine practitioner, you will provide a unique and valuable service, but you will also need to be competitive with other practitioners in your area. It is essential to research the prices of similar modalities in your area and to have a pricing strategy that is both competitive and profitable. Additionally, you will need to consider logistics like: billing insurance for your services, how you bill your clients, and what payment methods you will accept.
In conclusion, opening a holistic medicine practice can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience, but it is also a significant financial investment. By following these tips, you can ensure that your practice is financially sound and successful. Remember to have a clear and comprehensive business plan, stay organized and keep detailed financial records, understand the laws and regulations associated with your profession, and have a solid pricing strategy. Good luck with your new practice!
Medical documentation is a core component of treating clients at your holistic practice; better documentation leads to better patient outcomes and reduces overall patient risk.
But when it comes to certain types of medical documentation, like SOAP notes, there are some common mistakes that you should be wary of making. These mistakes will take up precious time and result in ineffective notes–that’s a lose-lose situation!
In this article, we’ll cover SOAP notes, the importance of medical documentation at your holistic practice, and some common mistakes we want to help you avoid.
Keep reading to learn more!
What Are SOAP Notes?
SOAP notes are a kind of medical documentation; initially, SOAP notes were developed for use in traditional medicine settings, like hospitals, but now SOAP notes are effectively leveraged in nearly every facet of the healthcare industry!
This template for comprehensively logging a client’s wellness journey includes for sections, each letter in SOAP stands for:
Subjective
In this section, you’d include information regarding how the patient subjectively feels and phrases they use to describe their internal experience. For example, does your client feel achy and sore when they get out of bed? Noting their subject experience is helpful for establishing their point of view and addressing their concerns.
Objective
The second section is where you’d document objective pieces of evidence pertaining to the patient’s condition. For example, if they have limited range of motion or if they’re sensitive to the touch on their lower back. These pieces of information must be able to be supported by objective statements and evidence.
Assessment
For the next section of your SOAP notes template, you’d elaborate on what type(s) of condition your patient might have, your reasons why, and provide updates on how the treatment plan is progressing over the course of your subsequent sessions. For example, you might note that the patient expresses a significant decrease in their pain level.
Plan
Finally, your SOAP notes conclude with a section discussing the plan of action you have for your patient. What are their immediate next steps? When will they return to your holistic practice for another session of treatment? These details are important to include in this medical documentation.
SOAP Notes and the Importance of Medical Documentation
Now that we’ve reviewed the general format of SOAP notes, let’s talk about the importance of them and medical documentation as a whole at your holistic practice.
These forms and notes capture important information in the moment and help establish a comprehensive analysis of your patient’s condition. Over time, these snapshots provide deeper insight into the patterns and waves that a client’s condition might demonstrate.
Thus, SOAP notes and other types of medical documentation help reduce patient risk by requiring you to evaluate multiple perspectives and put various details together to paint a bigger picture. Such improved outcomes are obviously a win-win for you and your patient!
Furthermore, having detailed records and a paper trail is beneficial to your holistic practice from a medical billing perspective–when you have detailed notes to back up your medical coding and billing claims, you have a better chance of getting reimbursed than if you were simply “winging” your medical coding.
Avoid These Common SOAP Notes Mistakes
There aren’t any shortcuts to good quality SOAP notes, but there are some pitfalls you can watch out for, like these common mistakes:
Mistake: Including statements without evidence to support them
Your SOAP notes should have sources and evidence to support them. This means that your notes should be unbiased and be an accurate reflection of what occurred during your session with the patient. For example, if a patient seems happy, then it would be smart to note what evidence you have for that statement, e.g., the patient was smiling and laughing.
Mistake: Saying the same thing in each of the SOAP note sections
Another common mistake people make is regurgitating the same information in each section of SOAP notes. This ultimately defeats the purpose of SOAP notes, which is to comprehensively interpret and analyze a patient’s condition.
Don’t include how the patient is feeling in your Assessment notes but do include how they describe their pain in the Subjective section! Keep a list of what each section is meant to cover handy until you know how to fill in each spot appropriately.
Mistake: Using general or vague language
While you shouldn’t spend hours writing your SOAP notes, it is important to include details and specifics in your report. A common mistake is making general statements or being too brief in your writing, which isn’t properly leveraging the SOAP notes format.
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Partner with the friendly experts at Holistic Billing Services to optimize your healthcare revenue cycle, minimize your rejected claims, and stay current on the ever-changing healthcare regulations and laws. We’ll empower you to focus on what matters most: your patients.
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They’re called first impressions for a reason: you seldom get a second chance to make a positive, lasting impression.
In the age of healthcare consumerism where patients can shop around for the best value and patient experience, it’s more important than ever that your holistic practice delivers a great first impression. One of the foundational steps for this is managing your front desk.
From the greeting used when answering the phone to how well your receptionist is able to answer questions a client might have, there are a handful of qualities about the front desk’s role that impact overall patient satisfaction and the patient experience.
We’ll cover these qualities, how to manage the patient experience, and why all of this matters to your reputation in this article. Keep reading to learn more!
What Is the Patient Experience?
The patient experience is a general umbrella term for everything that your patient might interact with over the course of receiving care from your practice.
This includes:
- Your marketing efforts and overall brand awareness (your name, slogan, etc.)
- Website, social media accounts
- Online reviews
- The location of your practice
- Front desk experience
- Your practice’s mission
- Types of awareness accepted
- Appearance of your practice
- And more!
Understanding that the patient experience is more than just interacting face-to-face with your patients is the first step to improving and elevating their experience.
Another important step is recognizing that the patient experience doesn’t end when the patient leaves your practice after their appointment; it’s a continuous cycle with a multitude of touchpoints that can impact their satisfaction with your practice and thus your overall reputation.
Your Front Desk and the Patient Experience
One key area of the patient experience is their engagement with your holistic practice’s front desk. This is where patients will call to ask questions about your practice, schedule appointments, and more!
Your receptionist, whether it’s you or a staff member, is the liaison for your practice–that includes connecting patient to provider, practice to community, contacting payers for reimbursement, and so many other parties related to your practice.
That’s why providing a stellar front desk experience to your patients is vital to your short-term and long-term success. If patients are constantly having to call back or chase after getting answers from your receptionist, then it doesn’t bode well for your reputation. But if your front desk staffer is on the ball and offers cheerful help, then patients will feel more connected to your practice.
Our Top Tips for Managing Your Practice’s Front Desk
Now that we’ve covered all that is entailed in the patient experience and the impact of your front desk on overall patient satisfaction, let’s dive into a few top tips:
Keep an Orderly, Organized Appearance
This tip applies to just about every room in your practice that patients might go to–including the bathroom. But this is especially important for your front desk. If your front desk looks cluttered with sticky notes everywhere and empty coffee cups by the keyboard, then you won’t be making a great impression on patients.
On the other hand, if your front desk is organized and includes some patient education materials, like helpful brochures or more information about your practice, then you’ll make a winning impression! Your practice is responsible for sensitive patient and payment information, so it’s best to appear professional and organized as such.
Establish an Enthusiastic Phone Greeting
When you call a business, would you enjoy just getting a bland “Hello” or a distant “How can I help you?” when the business answers? Didn’t think so! The same goes for your patients; keep a cheerful tone, speak clearly, and consider including some of the following in your phone greeting:
- Your receptionist’s name
- Your holistic practice’s name
- Your practice’s slogan
- A quick snippet of your mission statement
- Asking for the name of the caller to personalize the conversation
These details will help distinguish you from the competition and quickly build rapport with patients, whether new or returning.
Keep FAQ Answers Handy
At some point, you’ll realize what questions are most frequently asked by patients. To save time and make the most of a phone call, keep these responses handy! This might include:
- What types of insurance you accept
- Office hours
- Directions on how to get to your practice
- Phone numbers to provide to patients who need to contact another department or medical agency
By establishing yourself as a resource for your patients, you’ll instill trust in them–that’s a huge win for delivering a great patient experience!
Partner with Holistic Billing Services to Deliver an Optimal Patient Experience!
Providing your patients, whether new or returning, with an excellent experience takes consistent time and effort. There are so many factors to consider that make or break a patient’s impression of your practice that sometimes it can feel overwhelming to handle your behind-the-scenes tasks, like medical billing.
If you’re passionate about providing an optimal patient experience and tired of excessive paperwork and confusing regulations, then partner with Holistic Billing Services to boost your revenue cycle! Our friendly experts have decades of medical billing experience and can’t wait to help your holistic practice thrive.
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Operating a successful and effective holistic practice means managing a plethora of responsibilities, tasks, and repetitive processes–all while delivering quality care to your patients and community.
Part of this, unfortunately, entails writing and maintaining several policies and other types of business writings related to your practice. Putting your actions and intentions into writing can be intimidating and you might not even know where to start!
In this article, we’ll focus primarily on a few types of policies you should implement at your practice, ranging from the obvious to the overlooked. Take notes of which ones you already have in place, which ones you might need to review or update, and which ones you need to leverage as soon as possible.
Keep reading to find out more!
Why Are Policies Essential for Your Holistic Practice’s Success?
We know that paperwork is never someone’s favorite part of their work; it’s something that is often seen as a necessary evil and results in a headache.
Writing, updating, and managing different types of policies at your holistic practice is essential for a few reasons that make the headache worth it. From educating your patients to streamlining your processes and more, establishing a centralized plan for whatever element of your practice you’re addressing is incredibly useful!
For example, implementing a patient no-show policy is something that your patients need to be aware of, so they understand the consequences of not showing up for their appointment. Thus, having this policy in effect is vital to the patient-provider relationship; it’s also important for streamlining your processes because it helps manage your calendar and other administrative workflows.
The same can be said for numerous other types of policies; not to mention that keeping policies current is also essential for reducing the potential for any legal trouble!
4 Types of Policies to Write for Your Holistic Practice
Check out these types of policies to include in your holistic practice’s arsenal of business writings:
Patient Care Policies
Of course, the whole point of your practice is to deliver quality care to patients–that’s why you need a patient care policy! Care policies can take on a wide variety of subjects depending on the specialty of your holistic practice; be sure to do your research and establish a patient care policy that best reflects your practice.
HR Policies
Your practice wouldn’t operate smoothly without the support and power of your staff; as such, you need to help them succeed with policies that are related to the workplace, customer relationship success, and more.
Consider implementing policies related to:
- Dress code, both for staff and patients
- Legal and ethical standards
- Annual leave and sick time
Workplace Safety Policies
Does your holistic practice utilize personal protective equipment (PPE)? What’s the protocol to follow in the event that a hazardous material is spilled? How would you respond in the event of a medical emergency?
Writing a clear set of guidelines will empower you and your staff to know how to handle a potentially dangerous situation safely.
Cybersecurity and Information Management Policies
HIPAA is basically synonymous with the healthcare field; you can’t have one without the other. However, it’s not the only kind of cybersecurity or information management policy to implement at your practice.
Check out these other forms of cybersecurity policies:
- Threat escalation steps
- Password-related guidelines
- When access is given or restricted
The healthcare field is under relentless attack by cyber criminals; don’t let your holistic practice be the next victim!
Partner with Holistic Billing Services to Optimize Your Practice!
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Paperwork is often credited with causing headaches, not reducing harm or actually helping anyone.
So, while it might seem counterintuitive to connect medical documentation to increased patient outcomes, SOAP notes are a standalone example of how that connection is real. This type of medical documentation–short for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan–is an essential component of any healthcare practice, whether traditional or holistic.
In this article, we’ll dive into what exactly are SOAP notes, how they help reduce patient risk and result in better patient outcomes, plus why they’re important for medical billing. Keep reading to learn more!
What are SOAP Notes?
This form of healthcare documentation is the standard formula for compiling a comprehensive report of your patient’s experience and charting a course forward with a treatment plan that can help their ailments.
Let’s dive into each letter of this fun acronym:
S = Subjective
This first component of SOAP notes involves noting the subjective experience of your patient from an array of perspectives, including their feelings, perceptions, and personal opinions in relation to their condition.
The Subjective section of SOAP notes captures how the patient is feeling, thinking, and experiencing their ailments in their own words. This is a great start to the dialogue between patient and provider because the healthcare practitioner can gain an understanding of how the patient is doing.
Outlining this section of SOAP notes might vary from practice to practice, specialty to specialty. For example, if you were performing an initial consultation for someone seeking acupuncture services, you might ask the following:
- Rate the severity of pain on a scale of 1 to 10
- Describe the feeling of the pain (is it shooting, throbbing, dull, aching, etc.)
- Note the places of pain on the body
- Describe when the pain started and how it might change during the day
- Ask how the patient feels about needles
O = Objective
Once you’ve established the subjective views of the patient, it’s time to acquire the objective aspects of their condition. This might include:
- Allergies
- Body posture
- Range of motion
- Imaging results
- Medical diagnoses
- And more!
Each notation in this section should be factual and able to be proven; in other words, be sure to filter out assumptions or subjective language in this section.
A = Assessment
When you combine the information of the subjective and objective experience of the patient, you can conduct an assessment to determine what might be ailing your patient. If there might be a handful of causes, then be sure to list what you hypothesize your patient is dealing with ranging from most to least severe or important.
This section is vital for outlining your thought process and explaining how you arrived at your conclusions. Not only is this important for leaving a paper trail for your own knowledge, but it’s also incredibly helpful for other providers to refer to when treating your patient from other perspectives, such as conventional medicine providers.
P = Plan
Now that you’ve gathered the subjective, objective, and assessment components of your medical documentation, you’ve reached the final step: creating a plan. This might include noting:
- Which follow-up appointments are necessary and with whom
- Referrals to other providers or specialists
- Referrals for further testing or diagnostic services
- Therapy
Be sure to include all relevant information that the patient will need to follow through with your treatment plan and maintain an open line of communication with them after you provide your services.
How Do SOAP Notes Reduce Patient Risk?
The purpose of SOAP notes is multifold–they are essential for leaving a paper trail for medical billing reasons, they help you and other providers document a patient’s condition, and they reduce patient risk. How does paperwork lead to better patient outcomes?
Comprehensively analyzing your patient’s pain points, whether literal, metaphorical, or perceived, means that you’re taking the time to be thorough. Looking at something from multiple angles or considering a wide range of factors means that something is less likely to slip through the cracks or be ignored.
This means that you’re being vigilant in your interaction with the patient and valuing their input as much as the objective facts or other providers’ interpretations. Recognizing the role that your patient plays in their own treatment plan is essential for keeping them engaged, continuing an open dialogue in the patient-provider relationship, and overall reducing their risk.
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Do you find yourself swamped with rejected medical billing claims, puzzled by the differing processes for billing private insurance or government programs like Medicare, and bewildered by the latest legislative initiatives that will impact your holistic practice? Keeping your practice running smoothly takes a lot of time and energy–-just managing your revenue cycle alone is a ton of work!
Wish you had more time to spend with patients and detailing your SOAP notes? Partner with Holistic Billing Services to handle the medical billing burden so you can do what matters most: deliver quality care to your patients. Our friendly experts have decades of experience in your specialty and are eager to help your holistic practice succeed.
Did you know that the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), responsible for enforcing HIPAA compliance, received more than 306,000 complaints regarding HIPAA violations between 2003 and 2022? Such violations were found in healthcare entities ranging from major medical facilities to small, independent practices–anyone dealing with personal health information could be found out of compliance.
When the OCR receives a complaint, that often results in a HIPAA audit on that healthcare practice. But what exactly is involved in a HIPAA audit? And how can your holistic practice ensure you maintain HIPAA compliance?
In this article, we’ll cover all of that and provide helpful tips for you to conduct your own internal audit. Keep reading to learn more!
What Is a HIPAA Audit?
To answer this question, let’s first recap what exactly HIPAA is: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was signed into law on August 21, 1996.
It’s the cornerstone legislation that created national standards to protect sensitive information regarding patient health from being discussed or handled without the patient’s knowledge or consent. Essentially, HIPAA provides and affirms a patient’s right to privacy.
The latest legislative update pertaining to HIPAA was the Final Omnibus Rule, which was approved in 2013 and refined important definitions and included requirements for new technology, such as cell phones.
Since there are so many elements in this legislation, it’s imperative that your holistic practice stay vigilantly compliant or else you risk having a HIPAA complaint and audit levied against your practice.
A HIPAA audit conducted by the OCR will investigate a number of areas within your practice and operations, including:
- Privacy Rule standards
- Security Rule standards
- Security IT risk assessment
- Physical site
- Asset and device
- HITECH compliance
Having an external audit performed by the OCR on your holistic practice is no small bump in the road; this process can take months from start to finish.
How Can a HIPAA Audit Impact Your Holistic Practice?
HIPAA audits can be costly and time-consuming for your holistic practice, both in terms of financial and reputational. If your practice is found out of compliance, then that can be damaging to your standing in the field and can result in lost business or further legal action. Don’t underestimate how important HIPAA compliance is in your practice!
5 Tips for Preparing for a HIPAA Audit
Now that we’ve reviewed what is involved in a HIPAA audit and how it can impact your holistic practice, let’s look at some of our top tips for preventing an external audit:
Make HIPAA Training Mandatory for Your Employees
No matter how many employees your holistic practice has–even if it’s just you–it’s vital that HIPAA training is part of your onboarding curriculum. After all, knowledge is power. If you or your staff aren’t well-versed in HIPAA’s standards, then it’ll be nearly impossible to ensure that your practice is in compliance.
Create a Risk Assessment Plan
If you want to avoid an external audit, then it’s a great idea to regularly perform internal audits of your own practice! Part of this entails creating a risk assessment plan, which analyzes every aspect of your practice to see where there might be room for improvement and map out an action plan in the event of a breach.
Know Where Your Documents Are at All Times
Carefully track where all your paper-based or electronic personal health information is stored, handled, and transferred. Whether it’s in old-school filing cabinets, desktops, mobile devices, shelves, or somewhere else, it’s important to know where your documents are.
Do Your Research
The OCR provides some general instructions for entities undergoing a HIPAA audit, including definitions of important terms. For example, “information systems” includes hardware, software, communications, people, information data, applications, and more. Check out their guidelines at this link here.
Partner with a Medical Billing Firm
The friendly experts here at Holistic Billing Services are HIPAA certified to handle your patients’ PHI while boosting your overall revenue cycle! Your success is our success, and we offer a range of services to help put more time and energy back into your day.
We’ll build a custom solution for your practice and empower you to get back to what matters most: delivering quality care to your patients. Our operations are grounded in professional, technical, and global billing for holistic care practices, no matter your specialty.
To learn more about how outsourced medical billing with Holistic Billing Services can streamline your practice, contact us today.
Ever heard of a patient care policy? If not, you might be wondering if your holistic practice needs one or how to write one for your practice and with so many different kinds of business writing for your practice, it can be easy to overlook one.
First, let’s define patient care–this term broadly includes the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of physical and mental well-being through healthcare services. Sounds like that aligns with the goals of your holistic practice? It certainly does.
In this article, we’ll dive into what exactly is a patient care policy, explain the importance of one for your holistic practice, and outline how to write one yourself. Keep reading to learn more!
What Is a Patient Care Policy?
A patient care policy can take shape in a number of different ways and might differ from one practice or specialty to the next; there is no one-size-fits-all, which means you have the flexibility to put a policy together that best suits your practice.
Essentially, a patient care policy is an umbrella term for the policies that relate to caring for your patients; this might include:
Administrative Policies
This piece of writing would pertain to how your practice’s administrative workflows handle the patient from a paperwork perspective and other aspects relating to your practice’s operations overall. Examples include no show patient policies, patient-payer policies, and more!
Care Policies
These might get more in-depth as they should cover how you deliver care to your patients, what to do in the event of different patient emergencies should they arise, methods for evaluation and treatment, etc.
Communication Policies
How do you communicate with your patients? Via email, automated voicemail, social media, texting, or some other form? This is what you’d outline in this policy–how the patient can anticipate contact from you, how frequently, and more, plus their rights to opt out if they so choose.
Privacy Policies
Standards and laws, such as HIPAA, that deal with patient privacy are essential to include in this component of your practice’s patient care policy. Outline how you protect patient privacy and when your practice will be sharing patient information–such as in the event of working with insurance companies or other trusted providers.
Does Your Holistic Practice Need a Patient Care Policy?
The short answer? Yes.
The long answer? Yes, and here’s why: your patient care policy, like any kind of healthcare or holistic practice policy, is vital to ensuring consistency. Having protocols and expectations in place helps minimize any kind of miscommunications or errors across your practice.
Furthermore, writing and implementing a patient care policy at your practice strengthens compliance with important standards and laws, such as HIPAA, and can be leveraged as a foundational piece of writing when onboarding new staff members.
Since there are so many different layers to the robust patient care policy, it’s nice to have a comprehensive body of writing that addresses so many different elements of your holistic practice and the patients you treat.
How to Write a Patient Care Policy: Do’s and Don’ts
With so many different facets to one patient care policy, it might seem intimidating to start putting one together for your holistic practice.
Start here with these foundational tips:
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
The good news is that you’re not the first holistic practice to write a patient care policy–you’re not starting from scratch! Hence there’s no need to stress about spending weeks writing this policy.
Do Your Research
Following up with the above point, do some research to see how other practices–whether holistic or traditional medical–have approached their patient care policies. This will help you get an idea of the industry’s best practices and chart a course to writing your own.
Don’t Be Too Generic
While it’s good to gain an idea of how other practices write their patient care policy, don’t be too generic or general in your own writing. Leaving out the details or particularities of how your practice cares for patients doesn’t help guide new staff members or codify processes that are important to your practice.
Do Tailor It to Your Practice and Specialty
What makes your practice stand out? Do you strive to serve the veterans in your community? Do you offer pediatric acupuncture? Multiple specialties under one roof? Factors like this will help you tailor your patient care policy to your practice and ensure that you consider the multitudes of your practice.
Don’t Let the Stress of Medical Billing Overwhelm You
Writing important documents and policies for your holistic practice isn’t exactly a piece of cake, but when you feel buried by a mountain of medical coding and billing paperwork then the pressure really settles in. Rejected claims, trying to read up on new regulations, and the overall hassle of dealing with insurance companies or Medicare programs can take a toll on your stress levels and make any additional paperwork feel burdensome.
Do Partner with Holistic Billing Services!
That’s where Holistic Billing Services is the ace up your sleeve–let our friendly experts handle the medical billing burden so you can focus on what matters most: delivering quality care to your patients.
We’ve got decades of experience and specialty-specific experts to help immediately boost your healthcare revenue cycle and put more time back in your day. Your success is our success, and we’re eager to alleviate your workload.