Is HealthCare Reform Dead?

It has certainly been in interesting political week! With Scott Brown's from Massachusetts election to the U.S. Senate, many a political pundit, both right and left, is guessing what comes next. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says there are not enough votes in the House to pass the Senate's bill. Cap and Trade legislation appears to be questionable. And, President Obama focused his attention to banking regulation reform, much to the displeasure of Wall Street; the markets dropped about 5% in just three days. So what does all this mean for the physician-owner?

While Washington politicians scramble for cover, physicians may be feeling a sigh of relief. I, too, feel somewhat relieved, but I do believe reform in one form or another is in our future, both as a country, a small business owner and for the practicing physician.

The best defense to the changing political and business environment is to have solid business processes in place within your practice. Ensuring your business is fiscally sound, fully trained and competent staffs, as well as a patient outreach program should be your focus for 2010. When healthcare reform occurs, and I believe we will see some type of reform, proactively managing your business always makes good sense.

While we are still in early 2010, consider taking actions to improve your profitability now. Some of these actions are:

• Schedule a financial review meeting with your office manager/administrator,
• Develop a working budget for your practice,
• Develop training events for your staff; clinical, customer service, business process,
• Create a patient communication outreach program. Review you current marketing, advertising and communication plans. Consider revamping your internet presence.

Mr. Rosser has been a featured speaker for a variety medical societies and organizations. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in life sciences from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina and has completed numerous management and industry courses offered at University of California, Irvine, and the American Management Association. He is an active member of the Medical Group Management Association and is an Advisory Board Member of the Association of Dermatology Administrators and Managers. Mr. Rosser received the Consultant of the Year, the highest recognition award, from Allergan.