Like many health care providers, after years of schooling and continuing education, I have a fairly extensive reference library. So much so that I have been running out of space.

My question to all of you is this…what do you do with your outdated reference books? I’m almost embarrassed to say how far back some of this goes (though not as far as the Tabers I posted about earlier).

Do you just put the books in the recycle bin? Do you donate them (and to whom)? Do you past them off to your children who are following in your footsteps (though I venture to guess they need NEW reference material)? Maybe you turned your 1993 drug reference book into vintage art?

Share with all of us…what are you doing with your old reference books?

Interested in a Win-Win Practice?

Many Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants around the country are in practices, either self owned, or owned by others, where the focus is getting your patients dry. Others are looking at adding these services to their existing practice. Even mainstream TV has gotten the word that this is a major problem and patients want a cure, not product to wear. They want their dignity…and you can give it to them!

If you are new to this field, or if you have attended any of Helen Carcio’s courses where she teaches you how to develop this type of practice, you realize what a win-win situation this is. The need is massive, reimbursements are high and patient satisfaction is high.

But…you need equipment!

Your next step to this practice model is the equipment. New equipment can cost you in excess of $20,000…not to mention the cost of the consumables! But what if you could get the equipment at a fraction of the cost…and the consumables? Would you be interested?

Here’s the deal.

I’ve changed my practice model and am even changing my location. Why? Because I need to free up time to help clinicians get started in their own business. And thus, I’m selling the equipment I purchased after taking Helen’s course. I promise you, you will not find top of the line equipment, in excellent condition at this price anywhere.

Here’s What you Get

Easy Pro3 Advanced Urodynamics
(Value $14,200,00)
It includes: Easy Pro3 System Kit, Console, Scale, Uroflow Scale Pan, Cables, UroFlo Beaker, Pump, Remove Control, Power Supple, Shelf Pad, Trolley, Power Cord, LPD Adapter Cable, Printer and more.

Consumables (Valued at over $1500.00)
This includes T-Doc sensor catheters, abdominal catheters, electrodes and water pump tubing kits.

Along with the diagnostic equipment, you’ll want a way to treat your patients. That’s why the Orion Platinum Pelvic Floor Rehab System is so important. It comes with consumable sensors as well. This system and it’s consumables is valued at over $6,500.

That’s over $22,200 if you were to purchase it new. Actually, it would be morhan that if you consider that prices have increased since I made the purchase.

But wait….there’s more (Always wanted to say that!)

All of this comes with a variety of manuals and books, including:

• A Practical Guide to Performing Urodynamics – SUNA
• Urodynamic Primer: An Introduction to the Principles and Performance of General Urodynamic Studies
• Beyond Kegals – Janet Hulme (plus Ball and Band)
• Managing and Treating Urinary Incontinence, Second Edition:  Newman and Wein, 2009
• The Little Black Book of Urology, 2nd Edition, 2007
• Urology, 4th Edition, 2001

And as a bonus for the person who purchases all of this, I will transfer the following domains names to you:

• www.UroHealthCenter.com
• www.UroHealthCenters.com
• www.UroHealthClinic.com
• www.UroHealthForWomen.com
• www.UroWellness.com

And…we are including FREE Shipping. Where can you get a better deal?

This is priced to sell and surely won’t last long. If you are interested, fill out the contact us form for more information.
(link to more pictures)

At a time when finances limit opportunities, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Foundation is proud to announce $92,000 in offerings available for nurse practitioner (NP) educational scholarships and project/research grants through the AANP Foundation Scholarship & Grant Program 2010 Funding Cycle.

The AANP Foundation works year-round with leaders in the NP community, members of the Corporate Partner Council (CPC) and other corporate supporters in the healthcare industry to evaluate funding needs and define the allocation of financial support. This year, the wide-range of topics supported through grant offerings for practicing NPs include, childhood obesity, diabetes and nutrition. The 2010 Funding Cycle also offers NP student scholarships at the master’s and doctoral levels.

Complete details related to the AANP Foundation Scholarship & Grant Program 2010 Funding Cycle, including a full list of offerings, eligibility requirements, application information and deadlines, are available on the AANP Foundation website at http://www.aanpfoundation.org.

This week, Nurse Practitioner Interviews (www.NPInterviews.com), will be talking with Jyll K. Green, ANP from Anchorage, Alaska.  She completed her MSN in 2004 and opened her immediate care and family practice office in 2007, adding a second NP in 2009.

Join us on Sunday May 16, 2010 @5pm Pacific (www.time.gov for your time zone). If you are already on our notification list, you’ll have the special link to the webcast in your email. If you’d like to be on our notification list, visit www.NPInterviews.com and sign up today.

Savvy Nurse Practitioners will do well to pay attention to marketing.

But what is it? Marketing is a term that is thrown about rather easily, yet not well understood.  Many of us think of marketing as advertising.  In truth, advertising is only one vehicle of the marketing pie.  Some people use the term marketing to mean the message that you are trying to convey.

The broader definition however, is that marketing is a system that includes various things that you would do to market your business.  In other words marketing is a way for you to get the message out about your product or service to those who are your potential and/or current clients. It is EVERYTHING you do to bring potential patients and clients into your business.

A marketing system needs to have several components to it.

You need to first and foremost identify who is your ideal client or patient.  Who is it that you want to see in your practice more than anybody else?  For example, a women’s healthcare NP will likely say that women are her ideal clients.  It’s a good start, but it’s not specific enough.  So when you think of your ideal client you need to get a picture of them in your head. You need to know where they hang out and most of all, what is their most pressing concern.

With marketing, you need to be aware of your goal.  Is it just to bring in more patients?  Are you looking for a particular patient?  Are you running a particular campaign, for example, back-to-school vaccinations? Knowing your goal will allow you to tailor your campaign to match.

Your marketing needs to include several vehicles in order to get your word out.  For so long many of us have relied merely on the phone book.  Indeed, marketing vehicles will include things such as:

• Advertising: websites, phone book ads, newspapers, brochures, and more
• Public-relations: this will include things that you do to help patients understand your practice.  This can include articles and columns that you may write for the local paper, magazine, or even TV. You can also include in this particular category, listings of nurse practitioners on say insurance websites.  They are letting their clients know who the providers are that are available to them.
• Publicity:  this can be good or bad and including mentions in the press and even word of mouth comments and testimonials.

Marketing  is something that we cannot do you just once a week when we get around to it or when we don’t have enough people coming through our door.  Marketing is something that needs to be engaged in on a daily basis. This is how you keep your funnel full and patients walking through your doors.

Of course, marketing is so much more involved than can be explained in this one tip. Future tips will explore information on how do you pick an ideal client or patient, have a right an ad for the phone book, and what information you should include on your website.

NPBO™ Action Step:

• Write down how you are currently marketing your business?
• Where are the holes in your plan?
• Which of the vehicles stimulated an idea for you?
• How and when will you implement it?

(c) 2009-10 Barbara C. Phillips, NP

Why am I sharing a non-business related item here on this Nurse Practitioner business blog?

It’s simple. Breast cancer affects both men and women. Breast cancer affects health care professionals, business owners, families, friends and our patients. And I know Rochelle and I know just how much heart and soul she is pouring into this. I know how much she wants to be of service to women. I encourage you to check out her website and share the information widely.

Social Media is something that health care providers are talking about. So are the medical-legal folks!  We @ NPBO ™  are working on information about how Nurse Practitioners and other clinicans can best use this media for communication and marketing – and do so in a safe and ethical manner for ourselves as well as the health care consumer.

As such, we have created a survey for health care providers to give us feedback about their current use, their concerns and their questions. We invite you to participate. You can find the survey at this link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/29P7SPP.  Thanks for participating!

What do you do when you are suddenly without a job, and have no prospects of any acceptable employment? And you need to make it happen within weeks? Oh yes, and you are trying to do this post hurricane?

You do as Nike® says…”Just Do It”! And that is exactly what our next guest on NP Interviews did. Learn how this Nurse Practitioner, who was not thinking about being an entrepreneur, just picked up the pieces and ran with it, developing a very successful practice.

Join us Jan 10, 2010 for the first NP Interview of the year when we talk with KC Arnold, ANP . You’ll be inspired and will be sure to come away wth some ideas for your own practice.

All Nurse Practitioner Interview begin at 5pm Pacific/8PM Eastern. If you have not already signed up to get your special link to this call, you can do so at www.NPInterviews.com.

Many Nurse Practitioners dream of owning their own practice. However, not everyone is cut out to be a practice owner.

Here are some questions for you to think about before you make the leap. Doing so now may save you tons of headaches, or it may fan those entrepreneurial fires even brighter!

1. Why do you want to be in practice? Really look at your reasons why. Your reasons must be strong enough to sustain you through the challenges.

2. What needs can you meet that you cannot meet as an employee? (These can be your needs or the needs of your patients.)

3. Do you want to work alone, or have partners?

4. What are your startup cost, and where will you get the funding? What are your alternatives?

5. Are you okay with having less time off? Few benefits? Especially in the beginning?

6. How much do you want to make? How many patients will you need to see per day in order to meet that goal – minus all the overhead?

7. Can you reasonably go without a pay check in the beginning if you don’t have adequate funding? Do you have another source of income or support?

8. Does the idea of being completely responsible (th buck stops with you) thrill you or fill you with dread?

9. Most importantly, what is your exit strategy? Do you want to run the business/practice until you retire and just close the doors? Do you want to sell it? Are you turning it over to a child who is currently in NP school? Your exit strategy will determine how you set up the business in the first place.

Take the time to think this through. Write down your answers. Discuss it with other business owners and friends and family. Only you can answer these questions and clarify your desires. Doing this now will help you focus and create the path that is right for you.

(c) 2009, Barbara C. Phillips, NP is the founder of NP Business™ and Nurse Practitioner Business Owner™ and works with NPs to get started and grow their own business. To get your copy of these tips in your in box, as well a gift just for reading, visit http://www.NPBusinessTips.com.

I spoke with a Nurse Practitioner the other day who was able to get credentialed (after months of following up) – the first in her state. What surprised both of us, is that the insurance company told her no one had asked for independent credentialing before.

What have you not asked for?

I see this a lot in my family, friends and colleagues. We often assume we know the answer we’ll receive, therefore we don’t ask the questions. Stop and think about this!

• What opportunities are you missing out on?
• How much money have you left on the table?
• What experiences have you had to forgo?
• Who have you not been able to meet?
• What goals have you not met?

All of this can be directly attributable to what we don’t ask.

The next time you find yourself saying, “oh they’ll say no anyway” or “I don’t want to bother them”…I’d like you to stop and think about this. Are you denying them the opportunity to say yes to you?

Be respectful and ask. You just never really know what the answer will be.