Since a significant percentage of most ophthalmology practice revenue is based on Medicare, this provides a reasonable method for determining financial performance of the contract.
About the author: Bruce Maller is president and CEO of BSM Consulting, an internationally recognized health care consulting firm headquartered in Incline Village, Nevada and Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information about the author, BSM Consulting, or content/resources discussed in this article, please visit the BSM Café at www.BSMCafe.com.
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Q&A: Marketing to Health Care Plans
Question: We are heavily weighted toward Medicare in terms of our collections by payer. We would like to achieve a higher percent of collections from third-party payers, especially those with higher fee allowances than Medicare. Can you suggest ways to increase our patient base in specific health plans? Can health plans assist us in reaching their enrollees, especially in light of the "federal do not call" list and other mechanisms to limit solicitations to individuals?
Answer: If the objective is to increase the number of plan members selecting or accessing your practice, it would be important to know how patients get to your practice in the first place. If, for example, patients are referred from primary care providers, I would place a greater emphasis on marketing and educating those doctors on the plan's panel. Oftentimes, ophthalmology practices do not dedicate adequate time in marketing to these professionals. This can range from simply providing them enhanced communication about the status of patients referred to your practice to providing a newsletter dedicated to referring doctors. You might also approach the health plan and identify areas of opportunity to educate their members. Joint sponsorship of eye screenings, health fairs, and support groups (for eye disease) are examples of programs that might be of interest to them and their members.
For more information about BSM Consulting or content/resources discussed in this article, please visit the BSM Café at www.BSMCafe.com.