Sep 17, 2020
David Mullens is a Podiatric Surgeon and Californian
health care attorney. On this episode, we cover some simple tactics
every podiatrist should be using to protect themselves from
insurance companies, and also how to avoid getting taken to the
cleaners legally.
All podiatrists, regardless of country, face similar legal
issues, and it's essential to understand how to validate your
treatment.
Four Questions When Charting
- What was wrong with the patient
- What did you do?
- Why did you do it?
- What are you going to do?
Take Photos
When patients problems are visual, you should be
taking before and after photos and storing them in the cloud for
future use, if needed.
File each photo using the patients' initials, the
date and insurance number if you have it.
Overservicing
Most podiatrists are cheating themselves by
under-utilising item numbers/codes because they have a fear of
insurance company audits.
Did you know many insurance companies have a room
full of lawyers and health professionals on their payroll to try
and intimidate you?
If you can justify your treatment, don't be concerned
if you're using an item number/code more than your peers, it may be
a reflection of the type of services and treatment you
offer.
Final Tip
Don't do things that you know are over your head. No
one has ever got in trouble for referring a patient to someone more
skilled in a particular area.
If you have any questions about this podcast,
please email me at tf@tysonfranklin.com, or you
can connect with David at ddmullens@gmail.com, and on
Linkedin at David Mullen,
DPM.
David is also the author of "How to Win Medicare
Appeals", available from the American Bar Association and
Amazon.
Podiatry Business Coaching
If you want to own and operate a Thriving Podiatry
Business, there are four vital pieces to the business
puzzle.
- Marketing - You need a well thought out
marketing strategy, not just more tactics.
- Systems - You need systems that will
support your marketing strategy and your team.
- Team - You need to develop a team culture
that makes your work-life balance easier, not harder.
- Diary - Your diary needs to be structured
in a way that maximises patient numbers and increases daily
profits.
You have two choices: There's
the slow approach, where you learn by trial and error and do
everything yourself, or you can fast-track your education and
business success with one-on-one Business
Coaching or join my next 12-Week Podiatry
Business Reboot group coaching
program.
If you want to know more, please email me
at tf@tysonfranklin.com, and we can set up
a Zoom Call and have a quick chat to see if I can be of
assistance.
