Excerpted from a presentation by Michael E. Harris, MS, EFPM, Harris Healthcare Consulting

As practice administrators, we are constantly looking at ways to increase revenue and market our medical practices.  When developing a marketing plan, it is important to revisit alignment strategies with key partners, including hospitals, payers, ACOs, ASCs and others.

Some key marketing elements to consider when developing a plan include 1) Customer Service and Patient Satisfaction; 2) Access to Care; 3) Clinical excellence; 4) Geographic location; and 5) Connectivity.  It is also important to conduct both an external assessment (including a demographic profile of your service area, competitor analysis, payer analysis, etc)., and an internal assessment (including service area definition, patient origin data, capacity analysis, financial performance and other factors).

In order to grow your medical practice, you need to have the following in place:  1) Effective contracting; 2) Key partnerships and referrals with physicians, hospitals and payers; 3) Well developed office systems and procedures; and 4) a trained office staff.   Key elements of practice growth will include picking a partner, solidifying the core business and objectives of the practice, efficient operation, innovation and determining how to distinguish your practice from competitors. 

To learn more about how to develop a marketing plan for your physician practice as well as product, pricing and promotion strategies, plan to attend an upcoming Practice Management Intensive Training.

For additional information on how to complete an impact assessment and prepare for ICD-10 compliance, plan to attend an upcoming Practice Management Intensive Training or Practice Management Boot Camp.

AAMM: Practice Management Intensive Training