Practice Management

Let’s face it—by the time patients visit a neurologist, their lives have been disrupted in some way. The daily routines they have come to depend on have been replaced by pain and other symptoms, medication schedules, doctor visits and questions about the future. There is no doubt that coping with neurological illness can cause a…

Remember the last time you went to the beach or the lake? Did you run and throw yourself into the water, or did you slowly wade in? Perhaps you are of the first type, and after hearing that 2017 is the year to start preparing for MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015),…

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking there is a single model for practicing neurology—try to see as many patients as you can fit into a day without sacrificing quality of care. And make sure you document everything correctly so you don’t miss out on any reimbursements. So when a new way of…

If you are like many Americans, you’ve already binged the first season of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix and started decluttering your house. You might want to hold off, though, and skip straight to another, arguably greater, source of stress in your life: your office. This month on Instagram, Marie Kondo released a…

A doctor’s office is not always the healthiest place to spend your day—and I am not talking about contagious patients and hazardous waste—I’m talking about the break room. If your office is like most, your kitchen area is filled with sweet treats from grateful patients, remnants from some birthday or holiday, and rotting leftovers. Combine…

It was a short 21 years ago, in 1996, that stroke care was transformed. That was the year the FDA approved tPA. The new medicine revolutionized the approach to treating acute ischemic stroke. But as Eric Anderson, MD, PhD, explained at the 2017 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting, it was also the tipping point…

When was the last time you called your own front desk? What if you called right now and the person who picked up said, “Yo! What can I do for you?” This is a response that neurologist Brad Klein, MD, MBA, says he actually heard once while reaching out to another practice. The way your…

“It’s important to remember that the alternative to telehealth for many is not in-person care, it is no care because of barriers.” —Marla Kaufman, MD At the 2019 annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPMR), the session on telemedicine was packed with physiatrists curious about how telemedicine can help them…

By Amy Rogers, MD There is nothing worse than a day at the office that starts out promising but races out of control before you even realize what happened. It frustrates patients, crushes staff morale, and keeps you from providing care the way you want. Unexpected disruptions often happen as a matter of course in…

It’s no secret that making a living as a neurologist has become a growing challenge in recent years. And even neurologists who are happy with their income enjoy a little variety in the form of intellectual challenge mixed into their work. If this describes you, legal consulting can be a lucrative addition to your medical…

Just weeks ago at the 2018 meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) a new group officially emerged onto the neurology landscape: Advanced Practice Providers (APP). Largely due to the country-wide shortages of neurologists, APPs have been joining neurology practices in increasing numbers. At this year’s AAN meeting, the new thousand-member strong Consortium of…

“It’s important to remember that the alternative to telehealth for many is not in-person care, it is no care because of barriers.” —Marla Kaufman, MD Dr. Marla Kaufman, Medical Director & Clinical Associate Professor, Puget Sound VA Hub Site, Telerehabilitation Enterprise Wide Initiative (TREWI), picked up the AAPMR session on teleRehab where Dr. Tapia left…

By Amy Rogers, MD A medical office is a living, breathing animal. Lassoing it into a productive machine that efficiently cares for patients, while keeping a tight rein on administration, can feel like you are actually trying to tame a wild horse. But there are steps you can take that will help squeeze every bit…

Constantine Moschonas loves being a neurologist. ”Sometimes I feel guilty, though,” he recently told his colleagues at the 2017 meeting of the American Association of Neurology. “Because I feel like I’m getting more from my patients than they are getting from me.” No, Moschonas is not some doe-eyed new grad; he’s the director of Four…

“I was resistant at first,” says New York neurologist Heidi Schwarz, M.D., when her clinic introduced a patient portal to the practice workflow. “I have my phone and my emails, and I didn’t want another system to have to interact with. But I have found that the patient portal is a lifeline. I can continue…