Today more than ever women are helping to change the face of family practice. There have always been more men in family practice than there have been women. For many years, women were reluctant to enter family practice because there was gender stereotyping, sexism, and difficulties of mixing and balancing both family and work. Today, women are not only becoming doctors more and more they also fill some of the seats on the board of directors.

Women in family practice are rejecting the negative stereotypes and proving that they can not only balance both family and work, they can excel at it. There are many support groups, seminars, and literature available today that encourage women to pursue careers in family practice and how to come up with a harmonious balance between the two. These are only a small part of the changing attitudes that show that people are more accepting of women running family practices whereas years ago, it may not have been so acceptable. Further, there was no help available to women at all that assisted women and gave them a place to turn to.

Until recently women have been the minority especially in family practice but as more people have showed an interest in female doctors, the demands are being filled. Many women feel much more comfortable speaking with not only a female doctor but one who has positioned herself in a family practice because there is no greater comfort zone. However, many men want to see a female doctor too, which is another reason that women and family practice fit together and are a perfect match.

Many family practice doctors are actually offering partnerships that are geared towards women doctors because they have a tendency to attract new patients. It causes a lot of work for women when they attempt to manage a family practice, balance a family, and continue to work towards furthering their careers but are able to do it. Women are actually an asset to the world of family practice and with this constant growth; it is possible to reestablish the role of family medicine practice.

Since family practice embraces health care, mainly preventative, and treats babies to seniors, many people also like the idea of having a woman ran family practice because children are more likely to take to women than men doctors. Family practices are a place that families as a whole can go for medical treatment and see the same doctor each time and continue with an ongoing medical relationship.

Times have changed since back in the day and although women have not been able to bust the glass ceiling they surely have put a few cracks in it. If women keep going and not just in family practice in particular, the glass ceiling might just disappear altogether. There is no doubt that women are changing the way that people view family practice in general. They are an asset and are going to show that they can make changes, become leaders, and change the whole concept of what a family practice really is.

Health care is the largest rising industry in the nation. With all of the specialists and various types of doctors, one still remains untouched and that is the General Practitioner who has a Family Practice. Why? People like to go to the doctor and see the same one on each visit. They have developed a relationship with the doctor rather than just another patient where the doctor refers from a stack of records or a chart. We want our family practice physician to ask us how are kids are doing and recall off of the top of his head why we were there last.

The demand is evident for family practices and not just in rural areas; there is a high demand even in larger cities, maybe even more so. People like family practices because they are concerned with more than just your health. They try to provide care for your entire well being as a person.

Doctors who work from family practices can offer many various types of care. They specialize in everything; they can treat you for a common cold, anxiety, or high blood pressure. They can treat babies, adults and the elderly. They are there each and every time that you visit the doctor. They are so predictable that you will even notice right away if he has a new nurse or receptionist working for him.

The difference between doctors who run family practices and doctors who are part of a large practice or work from a hospital is that the family doctor may find out that you have cancer but he will give you a hug, hold your hand and tell you that everything will work out, even if it is likely that it will not. Other doctors state the facts so robotically and are on their way.

A family doctor will send flowers to the funeral home when you have lost a loved one and some may even send you a Christmas card as well. They will remember when you come to see them that you are still having difficulties coping with the loss of your dog last year. They are real people and even with today’s technology they can still bring back a Marcus Welby M.D. touch. They are not second class doctors nor are they last chance doctors that couldn’t get into a different form of practice, they are great doctors who simply want to help people on a personal level but if something happens to come up and they believe that you need more help, they will refer you to a specialist, but you can bet that it would be one that they would take their family to.

Family practices do generally require a longer waiting period than doctors with a larger practice but one good thing is that you can start a book while you are waiting and be assured that on your next visit you will be able to pick that very same book up and continue reading where you left off.

You may have had the same family practice doctor for a great number of years and just got news that he is about to retire. You are beside yourself and are in a panic mode trying to even fathom who will be able to take his place. Because of the fact that family practice doctors are considered somewhat old school, it is likely this will happen one day.

Your doctor will find someone to take over his family practice that he is confident in and believes has a good bedside manner. He will probably familiarize himself with the new doctor first and have him come to the office during business hours and watch how your doctor conducts business and possibly to see any interaction that the new doctor may have with the patients and staff.

This process will probably begin months or maybe even as much as a year before your doctor’s retirement. You will probably be notified first by a personal letter from your doctor announcing his retirement but it is possible that the first time you hear about it could be from rumor or gossip. You will have plenty of time to make at least one appointment with your doctor before he goes and he will value your opinion on your feelings toward the new doctor.

The nurse staff will probably give you a good heads up too as to whether or not they like him, especially if they do not, as they will get a job somewhere else. If the staff stays it is a sign that you are probably in good shape. Remember, you have been dealing with the staff for a long time so they will at least give you an eye roll if they do not think you will care for him. Trust in your doctor, he is the one who picked him.

Once more before your doctor retires, you should be able to have an opportunity to meet with your doctor while the new doctor is present and speak with both of them. This makes the transaction much smoother. After all, this is a huge transition for you and your doctor understands that.

When it is time to schedule an appointment with the new doctor, you will at least know what to expect. It is certain that the new doctor will do all he can to make your visit comfortable. He will want to go over your chart and see what your past medical history has been. He is now your new family practice doctor, of course he will want to know. Be confident and if you have any apprehension, tell him about it. It may even take a visit or two before you will get to know him and be certain of a choice between stating with the new doctor and perhaps checking out the competition of other family practices in your area.

Chances are that your new doctor has had a chance to scope out any weaknesses that your old doctor had and maybe he corrected them to make the new family practice even better than ever.

Assigning or defining the value of a Family Practice is not something that’s easily done. Nor is it something most physicians think about until forced to. Knowing the value of the Family Practice is part of practice management. It can serve as a measuring tool for evaluating practice growth in good times. Should death, divorce or other circumstance force a sale, correctly valuing the Family Practice is important.

Standard Valuation Methods: Comparison

One way to value a Family Practice is to compare the Practice to others in the local area. While this may work for realty situations involving homes or buildings, it doesn’t work in this case. The problem with this method of valuation for Family Practice is that there are too many intangibles involved. Not all Family Practices are the same size or serve the same patient base. There are too many variables to arrive at a reasonable sum.

Standard Valuation Methods: Inventory

The inventory method of valuation looks like a simple one. All assets are inventoried and a value is assigned to them. The values are added and the total liabilities are deducted, leaving a valuation sum. The problem with the inventory method of valuing the Family Practice is, again, the presence of intangibles. It’s hard to assign a definite value to an intangible.

Standard Valuation Methods: Cash Flow

Cash flow valuation of the Family Practice takes income and accounts receivable into consideration. Too large a sum in the accounts receivable column can negatively affect cash flow figures and the attitude of potential buyers.

Standard Valuation Methods: Appraisal

Professional business appraisers usually take several issues into consideration when valuing the Family Practice. Cash flow and a potential practice growth in years to come are part of the process.

Standard Valuation Issue: Goodwill

One intangible asset that may be overlooked in the family practice valuation process is goodwill. Goodwill is an asset that is often defined by charisma and an inherent talent that invites trust. Goodwill includes the ability to attract and keep clients, reputation, etc. Some professional appraisers add goodwill to the valuation, others do not.
According to some reports, the assigned value of many Family Practices is 20 to 50 percent goodwill. This is an important figure. If the physician operating the practice is a large part of the reason the practice is successful, what would the family practice be without that physician?

Professional goodwill is a conglomeration of experience, reputation, charisma, skills, abilities, etc. of a physician. Practice goodwill is based more on location and the nature of the family practice and how long it has been in business.

Valuating Goodwill

One commonly used method of calculating the value of goodwill in a family practice is comparing the family practice to that of another physician with similar background and specialty. The low number is subtracted from the higher one. The resulting sum is then divided by 20 percent. The result is the goodwill dollar value.

If the need to value the family practice should arise, a general valuation or valuation method will be available. If a professional appraiser is chosen, it should be one who does use the goodwill factor.

The creation and implementation of an effective employee manual serves several functions in the family practice. Standard procedures and clearly defined job descriptions, duties and expectations are addressed once instead of multiple times.

Employee Manual Legally Mandated Content

State and Federal employment law affects the contents of family practice employee manuals. For instance, large practices with many employees must include Family and Medical Leave Act information. Medium sized family practices are required to include COBRA information. The State Department of Labor has all of the necessary information required to make sure employee manuals are in compliance.

Authoring the Family Practice Employee Manual

There are several ways to produce the family practice employee manual. One is to outsource the project to professionals. Another is to produce the manual in-house. Some office managers are experienced in creating employee manuals. There are software programs available as well as templates.

Some Chamber of Commerce organizations have employee manual templates available for member’s use. The contents of the manual may include brief job descriptions and any mandated legal information or be all-inclusive documents detailing not only job descriptions but how-to perform those actions as well. Consider requesting staff input regarding the manual.

Employee Manual as Family Practice Review

Request that staff members detail their own job descriptions and information. Reviewing the result will immediately point out any areas where expectation on the part of management isn’t made clear. If the required activities blur between departments, details may need to be included in both business and medical staff sections.

Once the family practice employee manual draft has been reviewed, any problem issues that have been revealed will need to be discussed and dealt with. It may be necessary to not only re-write the manual but also to reconsider the division of labor among staff members. Pay scale information should be included for each area of labor. Review of this information may reveal inconsistencies that need to be corrected.

Legal Issues and Family Practice Employee Manuals

No matter who authors the family practice employee manual, it is wise to have a legal professional review the final draft. All practices, payment detail and other information should be reviewed in accordance with local, state and federal law requirements. Provided information should be clearly stated in a way that any employee can easily understand policies and prerequisites.

Family Practice Employee Manual Final

Once the family practice employee manual has been reviewed for errors in typing, duty descriptions, details, pay scale and legal information, the manuals should be printed and assembled. Assembly options include putting printed pages inside three ring binders (easy to make changes and update) or going so far as to have the manuals printed and bound in paperback or hardcover form. The latter makes re-printing necessary should involved updates be required at any time.

Once the completed family practice employee manual is ready for use, all staff members should receive a copy. It is suggested that each be required to sign a form indicating not only the fact that a copy has been received but also the fact that the manual has been read and is understood by the staff member.

A well-written family practice employee manual can be a vital tool in the smooth running of the practice. Taking time up front to make sure the manual contains all of the necessary descriptive and legal information saves time, money and explanations later.

All businesses face challenges and struggles but with today’s health care system and its complexity the challenges that family practices face are great and even numerous. It is often difficult to maintain viability. Just attempting to generate the understanding of a family practice can be a struggle in itself.

There are many flaws in the health care systems that we have today. These flaws work in favor of family practice doctors if they are able to improve the results for patients. Family practices and family medicine in general are in need of a major overhaul. Family practice doctors will raise to the final victory as they display their deep concern for the patients overall well being.

Family practices are unique and a specialty all of their own. However, family practice doctors have wanted to remain unnamed and unlabeled along with a class of other specialists and physicians. Another big challenge and probably the biggest is the fact that family practice doctors have yet to gain the respect that they deserve. They are sometimes looked at as second rate doctors especially within their academic circle. Although it truly is a specialized field, it is generally not supported nor endorsed. Family practices and family practice doctors need to gain recognition and support because they have truly been the medical backbone for centuries.

Today, many people believe that family practice doctors are old fashioned and not equipped to handle newer medicine. That actually holds no weight within the medical profession itself.

Family practice physicians are experts in their own field. They handle common complaints, diagnose acute and chronic conditions, they promote health and prevent disease. Prior to the skyrocketing insurance premiums that doctor’s had to pay because of so many lawsuits; doctors performed some surgical procedures such as tonsillectomies, appendectomies, child birth, and other simple surgeries. No longer do many family practice doctors provide these types of surgeries and have to refer them out to specialists but can often provide the follow up care.

Another challenge that today’s family practice doctors face is the aging population and the “baby boomers”. These people make up a large majority of patients that are dependent on family practice doctors. Issues with Medicare arise as well with these challenges. Further, work is being done to make family practices more attractive as options available rather than focusing on what family practice medicine or doctors used to be able to provide they need to look into the future and see what family practice physicians will be able to better provide in the future.

Although family practice physicians have some difficult challenges to face with the health care system of today there are also many rewards as well. The relationships that doctors are able to establish with their patients and their families, the ability to offer the best in preventative care, flexibility and security, and being able to observe and assist in all facets of life are just some of the rewards that family practice offers to some doctors who are just not willing to compromise the true meaning of quality.

The right staff can make a measurable difference in patient experience, office morale and the family practice bottom line. When preparing to set up a family practice, it is important to determine who will be needed and what tasks they will be performing.

A small family practice can often operate with no more than one nurse and one office employee. With this method of management, tasks are less defined. Everyone pitches in to do whatever is needed at any given time. The physician is as involved in clinic maintenance as the supporting staff members are.

A larger, more complex family practice may require more support staff and a greater division of duties. With this method of operation, duties are more clearly defined and there is much less blurring between who and what.

Office Staff for Family Practice

Reception. Reception duties are a must. Someone should be responsible for greeting everyone who comes in the door. This person is often the one responsible for creating patient charts, setting appointments and collecting payment for services. In a small family practice, reception duties may be shared between one office person and one nurse position.
Coding and insurance. Unless the family practice is operating on a cash only basis, coding and insurance filing and follow up are vital. Incorrect coding can cost the practice money it deserves. The filing of insurance claims, getting pre-certification for procedures and verifying receipt of payment can be time consuming. Many family practice’s employ someone whose only duty is to manage claims and billing.

Medical Transcription. Medical transcription was once a costly process involving the hiring of someone specifically to transcribe all patient visits and other related dictation. New electronc family practice software has eliminated this position in many clinics. All data is entered onto computer as the patient visit takes place. A well chosen electronic medical record software can be one of the family practice’s best investments.

Office Management. The mid to large sized family practice often benefits from the presence of an office manager. The manager may be involved with every step from reception to billing or may oversee all divisions.

Smaller family practice setups may not require a dedicated office manager. Those considering hiring an office manager should decide how much support staff is going to be necessary. Office manager duties may consist strictly of overseeing staff and practice administration or may instead consist of performing a wide variety of duties from reception to billing to payroll.
Family practice staffing may require no more hiring than one general office staff member and one medical staff member. Large, complex family practices may hire an army of staff including separate individuals to handle appointment setting, reception, billing, coding, medical records, and more.

Services provided by the family practice will be one of the determining factors of how many staff members and what type of staffing will be required. One mistake that many medical clinics tend to make is hiring more staff when patient volume is up and letting staff go when patient volume is down.

Proper staffing and a system for handling everything from the moment patients enter the family practice until they walk back out the door can make it possible for fewer staff members to handle any amount of patient volume while maintaining quality of care, patient satisfaction and a healthy bottom line.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for family practice physicians to even obtain medical liability insurance let alone afford it. More and more insurance companies are deciding not to underwrite any medical liability insurance. Literally, in most states there are only few who will offer it. The increasing rate of malpractice lawsuits is to blame for this. Juries are awarding multi million dollar settlements and it is forcing many doctors to close the doors on their family practices.

The problem is concurrent with other problems; doctor A closes his family practice so all of the patients rush to doctor B, now Dr. B is on overload and his patients are unhappy because of lengthy wait times and the vicious cycle continues. It has already been obvious as most family practices no longer deliver babies due to the ever rising costs of OB insurance. Also, most have stopped performing any surgical procedures because they simply can not afford the insurance premiums.

This does not work like auto insurance either, regardless if a doctor has had a malpractice lawsuit against him or not, the premiums remain the same as well as whether or not the carrier will even write the policy. This is certainly posing a problem for family practice doctors or doctors in general who have to limit the scope of their services. Doctors are literally becoming afraid of assisting high risk patients because of the consequences and ramifications that could follow.

If something does not change soon what will happen is people will not be able to get health care when it is most needed and it is due to two factors: availability of liability insurance and affordability. Another result from this is that most family practices who were always about to receive discount health insurance reimbursements such as Medicaid and such, no longer can because they can not simply afford to. Liability insurance companies simply claim that there is zero stability in the market of liability insurance due to the puerile lawsuits and the astronomical awards that juries are handing out.

This is causing family practices and doctors everywhere to watch every move that they make to avoid being sued. It is further raising medical costs because a doctor is running countless and sometimes unnecessary tests to ensure his medical security. All of these possible unneeded tests take money away from those who really need medical treatment. Now guess who ends up having to foot the bill for all of this? The government and the taxpayers.

Then, this process affects employers because they no longer want to provide employee insurance or cut the insurance that they do offer because rates climb so high that they can not afford it either. The only foreseeable way to get the system back on track is to begin with eliminating the numerous amounts of petty lawsuits. Beginning with this will perhaps get the system back on track and instill some validity back into America hence, achieving the ultimate goal which is to provide everyone with quality health care and instill the values of family practice.

The whole system of health care is becoming more and more complex with the exception of family practice doctors. There are doctors or specialists that are committed to treating just cancer or just the heart but family practice doctors are committed to treating the whole person and nothing can be more unique than that.

Because of the grim image that has been given to family practice doctors many medical students are turning their back on the possibility of entering the family practice field. In order to keep up with the times and for upcoming generations to invest their trust into family practices, the entire basis of family practice may have to be remarketed to them. Although many family practice doctors believe that it is unethical to allow themselves a marketing budget and solicit themselves they are going to have to enter a new facet in order to draw the new generations into the belief that family practice is not second rate health care. Baby boomers have visited the same family practice for decades but many of the following generations refuse to consider it.

Many family practices rely on word of mouth to build up their patient population but in order to capture the new generations and allow family practice to refuel in an attempt to advance into the future; some strategic moves will have to take place. Start off with seeing what is going on with your competition, the community as a whole, and their expectations. Review patient records and have patients fill out short surveys while they are waiting and allow them to remain anonymous. Family practice doctors are going to have to recapture their patients and potential patients in order to ensure future growth and stability.

It helps if your family practice has been longstanding in your community and has a good reputation. Where are your strengths and weaknesses? Review your cancellation rates, staff turnover, and scheduling procedures. See where there may be room for correction or if it is fine the way that it is. Look at the demographics of your family practice and see where your patients are from, are they mainly male or female, children or adults? All of these are things to consider when deciding which avenue you will pursue when marketing your family practice.

Find out how your patients perceive you and your family practice. Why do they come to see you and are these needs changing at all? These are the questions that need to be answered so that you can move your family practice and reposition it for greater strength. People will then come to understand that only family practices offer health care for the entire body. You have a major advantage so go ahead and use it. Compare a family practice to that of a Walmart or Meijer or any one stop shopping. They offer everything. In rare cases, you may have to go to a specialty store for something rare. A specialist is comparable to going to a meat market, a place that has quality meats but if you are looking for anything else you will have to make another stop. Analyzing it that way will make it easier for your patients to see that running to a bunch of different doctors doesn’t make sense.

It has been a long time coming but family practice physicians are finally making the way to the front of the line. It has been a long struggle attempting to gain status quo. That was never really what they wanted, what they wanted was to make a difference and for it to be known that they care.

Family practice doctors are unique in a manner that they can take care of boys and girls, men and women. They are very convenient and offer quality care without having to visit many different doctors. It can not be argued that family practice doctors specialize in the long term and quality care of their patients. They can recognize and treat your physical problems as well as your emotional problems and maybe better than someone else who does not have the special bond with you as your family practice doctor does.

Advertisements have been everywhere, on billboards, in magazine, and in articles that chant about being smart and making sure that you see a specialist in regards to your physician. These are the types of statements that cause people to question the quality and performance of family practice physicians. The entire medical circle needs to recognize that family practice doctors went into this type of practice well aware of what they wee getting themselves into. They knew that they would never get rich, never be admired, or ever get the respect that they so deserve. They have the education and are by no means second rate doctors. Family practice doctors are some of the finest that medical school has ever put out but it was their passion and caring that brought them to where they are.

Family practice doctors get to know the real you and everything about you. Imagine calling the doctors office to ask a question, odds are that the nurse will tell you that the doctor will call you back after hours. But when he does call he actually remembers who he is talking to, he can put a face with the name and maybe even ask you some questions that a specialist would never ask. Why? Because to them, you are another patient, another file. Do not think about going to see them without your deductible or your checkbook. Family practice doctors are more likely to tell you not to let money or
the lack of it stop you from coming in if you need him. There is a difference and it is so very huge.

Family practice physicians need to be accepted as well as recognized as a specialist for that is truly special when you can deliver a baby, take out someone’s tonsils, medicate a patient for depression, update a woman’s diabetic medication, remove a wart, and stitch up a kid who fell off of his bike all in one day. This is the true meaning of specialty and the very reason that we count on our doctors. Family practice doctors fell off of the band wagon some time ago as the modern and savvy specialists came to the forefront but since, something very important has happened and that is that they have now resurfaced back into the front of the line again.