Primoro, Inc. Supports Fayette Care Clinic

Primoro, Inc. is proud to be a supporter of this year's Fayette Care Clinic's "Dancing With The Stars" event. This is Fayette Care Clinic's annual spring fund-raising event that benefits the medically uninsured of Fayette County, Georgia. An open invitation is posted on their website.

There are many physicians and dentists in our area that donate their time and expertise to aide and support medically uninsured citizens of Fayette County. In addition Fayette Care Clinic is supported by companies in our area with services and supplies. This year, Primoro, Inc. is providing a CONNECT system to the highest bidder during the live auction. Of course, the proceeds go to further support the Fayette Care Clinic mission.

You too can get involved by simply making a cash donation, or better yet, attending this year's gala! For $100 per person you receive sumptuous edibles, incomparable entertainment and all the dancing your legs can stand!

"Dancing With The Stars" is on March 13, 2010 at the Glendalough Manor in Tyrone, Georgia. The reception starts at 7:00pm with dinner and dancing starting at 8:00. I hope you will consider attending! I can think of no better way to spend $100 and have so much fun, AND support such a worthy cause.

You can see more details and an invitation on the Fayette Care Clinic's website, just follow this link.

This was reported by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) on Monday, Feb. 22, 201o.

Weekly Health Care Reform Update

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21.2 percent cut to take effect March 1

Barring last-minute action by Congress, the 21.2 percent cut to Medicare physician payments will take effect next Monday, March 1. Despite previous indications that the Senate was considering an amendment to an anticipated job-creation bill to avert the cut, no clear legislative pathway for relief has yet been defined. Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has reiterated to the Senate leadership the importance of permanently repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula at this time. All MGMA members and their practices' staff are urged to join physician organizations in repeatedly expressing the importance of addressing this issue to their senators. You can contact your senators via the MGMA Advocacy Center or by calling the American Medical Association Grassroots Hotline, 800.833.6354.

On Thursday morning, the president will convene a bipartisan summit with congressional leadership to discuss efforts to achieve consensus on broad healthcare reform legislation. The White House has released proposed legislation in anticipation of this meeting. These discussions will be streamed online.

Social Networking Enables Patient Referrals

Recently a physician told me that the best advertising was "word of mouth" referrals. I cannot argue with that. Now, imagine if you could harness and accelerate the power of word of mouth. Web 2.0 technologies allow just that.

Your patients are using social network site like Twitter and Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family. They comment on nearly every aspect of their lives, including their health. If you are part of that conversation, you harness the most targeted marketing and messaging opportunity today.

Should you continue to have doubts, Google "social networking" some time. The internet is filled with information and companies that help businesses, like yours, establish and create a social network presence on the internet. It is really not a matter of should be participate, but when will you participate. Patients are using social networks every day. Every day you are not involved is an opportunity wasted.

Why Wouldn't You?

I cannot help but wonder why more medical practices aren't using social networks as part of their marketing and advertising campaigns. New Web 2.0 technologies, e.g., blogs, social network sites, video, etc. afford medical practices unprecedented opportunities to expand the reach into their respective communities without on-going expense.

Many companies, including Primoro, Inc., offer options for getting connected to the popular social network sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. And yes, it is true that you can actually connect to these sites for free. But, instead of writing to each of these sites, what if there was a way to write you message once, then have it sent throughout all of your network sites with the click of a single button? Primoro, Inc.'s product CONNECT does just that. You compose your message once and with the click of one button, your message is distributed through your network automatically!

Combine this time saver with customized backgrounds to complement your existing website, and on board analytics, you now have a robust marketing tool. And for any of you doubters as to the value of getting your practice connected to the social networks, take a look at this article from the MGMA.

Primoro, Inc.

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Heathcare Reform In Another Form

Recent activity out of Washington may lead some of us to believe that Healthcare Reform and its impact on physicians, if passed, is in the distant future. Today, I learned the new Jobs Bill the President is pushing has tons of pork in it. One item is the impact on physicians accepting Medicare patients. Off as it may seem, one of the methods proposed to help pay for the Jobs Bill is a 20% reimbursement cut in Medicare payments to physicians. It seems that Congress and the President is hell-bent on cutting fees to physicians. And, if this Jobs Bill is passed this year, and it looks like it will, the reimbursement cuts will also happen this year. If I know Washington, somehow, they will make the cuts retroactive if they can.

So, what is your action? Physicians costs to provide care continue to rise, thus the only way to make up for the proposed cuts is to either:

• Cut you overhead, if possible, and that might mean people,
• Increase your patient capacity, thus stretching your fixed costs,
• Or dropping Medicare patients altogether.

In short, physicians are in a real dilemma. Depending on your specialty, you may choose any of the above. But have you done your due diligence in information gathering to make the best decision? Consider these actions:

• What plans make up the majority of your patient appointment slots?
• Which plans offer higher reimbursement, relative to Medicare?
• Which plans are quick to reimburse after you submit the claim?
• When are your current plans up for renegotiation or renewal?
• Does your patient demography allow you to no longer see patients in one plan while seeing more patients in another?

Answers to these questions can help you decide how to move forward with the business of you practice.

For more information or help, please feel free to contact Primoro, Inc.

What A Difference A Few Days Make

Just after the Massachusetts election of Scott Brown to the Senate, Speaker of House, Nancy Pelosi, commented that she did not have the votes in Congress to pass a Healthcare Reform bill. Fast forward 2 days, and the Speaker commented that she and the Congress were moving forward with Healthcare Reform. Well which is it? I suspect that the Democrat controlled Congress will pass some form of Healthcare Reform. So what does that mean for us?

Well, sadly most practices opened on January 2, 2010 with business as usual. While any reform is probably several years off, this reminds me of the good old RVRBS days. For those of you who are too young to have been affected, RVRBS represented Medicare's strategy to get control, that is to say reduce, reimbursement physicians received from Medicare patients. This occurred in my early days as a consultant. Our team introduced to physicians strategies to prepare for the scheduled annual reimbursement cuts. As such, physicians were prepared with information and could make strategic changes in their practices to manage the reimbursement reductions.

So the question remains. What do we do now? Without the benefit of passed legislation we can study, it seems prudent that physicians take a hard look at their business processes to ensure they maximize their budgets and get as much efficiency out of their employees as possible. Taking stock in own time budget is crucial. The old says, "Time is Money," is no more true than it is today. Improving your efficiency is just good business.

• Have you created a strategic plan for your office?
• If you have a strategic plan, when was the last time it was updated?
• Are your employees committed to your Vision and Mission Statements?
• Are your Vision and Mission Statements still relevant?

Now is the time, while the healthcare business environments remains intact, is the time to make adjustments. Consider making the changes necessary to take advantage of the current environment and prepare for the next.