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Regardless of the type of business you are in – you need clients/patients. The biggest challenge of opening a new practice can be getting those new patients. In other words, you may be the best at what you do, but no one will find out if they don’t know you are there. Continue Reading »

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There are a multitude of Electronic Medical Records/Electronic Health Records software available on the market today. Some are free and others can cost literally tens of thousands of dollars. I cannot give comment on many of them, however, I can tell you about the one I use. (If you have a different one and want to write a post for us, sent it to us with your contact info and we’ll add it to a post of its own).

When I opened my office August 2006, I thought it would be a great time to open “paperless”. Let me start by saying…I am NOT paperless and I’m beginning to doubt that such a think is possible…but this is for another post.

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One of the biggest challenges to any business is cash flow. In a healthcare practice that boils down to just plain old coding and billing.  Unfortunately this is something any of us learned in school.

For me, this is but one of the largest challenges that I’ve faced since opening their doors nine months ago.  Initially, we had outsourced billing to a company that promised to submit her bills, follow-up on any denials, do the secondary billing and mail out statements to patients.  We were also promised real-time access to data via their website.  Unfortunately and Continue Reading »

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When you are starting a practice, there are several books that are required reading. One needs to learn about business, coding, billing, documentation, etc. There is no shortage of the material you are reading before and during startup. I know that I went to bed nightly with something…and often still do - usually something about coding. So, to start you off reading, here are a few suggestions:

Nurse Practitioner’s Business Practice and Legal Guide, Second Edition

Carolyn Buppert’s book is considered by many to be the gold standard for Nurse Practitioners needing and wanting to learn more about the business of being an NP. It will give you a working foundation of the business and legal issues that NP’s need to be aware of. There is information in to calculate your worth, negotiate a contract and what you need as far as insurance goes. There is also lots of good information on getting yourself set up for business and what you need to pay attention to.

How to Start an Independent Practice: The Nurse Practitioner’s Guide to Success

While I’ve not personally read this book, several NP’s have and highly recommend it! Carla Anderson, NP in Portland, OR is opening her own practice, and has this to say about it:

I would highly recommend the book by Carolyn Zaumeyer “How to Start an Independent Practice”. It has 54 pages of marketing ideas, and some anecdotes about her own practice “Women’s Health Watch which she established in Florida in 1994. One of the things she mentioned is that she wished she had a website sooner, as it is a great marketing and informational tool to tell about your practice and your mission.

Let us know what you recommend.

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NursePractitioner Business (NPBusiness.ORG) is an idea that was born out the need and frustration for Nurse Practitioners in private practice to be able to connect, share resources, offer support, and learn from one another. It goes beyond that day to day support we give and receive from one another around our professional practice…this goes into the business of being a NP.

Similar to the practice of Nursing, Nurse Practitioners work in nearly all areas of health care and beyond. Do you own a business within the health care arena? Outside of health care? Online or offline? Then we invite you to share your experience and expertise.

Let the sharing begin.

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