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(Download PDF) Fundamentals of Medical Practice Management Second Edition Wagner Online Ebook All Chapter PDF
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SECOND
FUNDAMENTALS OF EDITION
MEDICAL PRACTICE
MANAGEMENT
STEPHEN L. WAGNER
Nimisha Goel
UC San Diego
Liliya Roberts
University of Maryland Global Campus
Shaunna Taylor
Kaiser Permanente
Karen Valaitis
University of West Florida
This publication is intended to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter
covered. It is sold, or otherwise provided, with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering
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The statements and opinions contained in this book are strictly those of the author and do not represent the
official positions of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Foundation of the American College of
Healthcare Executives, or the Association of University Programs in Health Administration.
Copyright © 2024 by the Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Printed in the United
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written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN: 978-1-64055-422-1
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Preface ......................................................................................................................xv
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................xix
Chapter 4 Regulatory Issues, the Law, and Practice Management ........................ 107
Chapter 6 Third-Party Payers, the Revenue Cycle, and the Medical Practice ....... 165
vii
Preface.......................................................................................................................xv
Acknowledgments.................................................................................................xix
Chapter 6 Third-Party Payers, the Revenue Cycle, and the Medical Practice........ 165
Learning Objectives............................................................................. 165
Introduction........................................................................................ 165
Role and Scope of Financing Healthcare............................................. 166
Management Decisions....................................................................... 167
Insurance Concepts............................................................................. 168
Types of Health Coverage.................................................................... 170
An Illness System, Not a Health System.............................................. 175
Managed Care..................................................................................... 176
Government Health Insurance Programs............................................. 183
The Revenue Cycle.............................................................................. 186
The Reimbursement System for Physicians Is Continuing
to Undergo Significant Changes.................................................. 192
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule ........................................................ 192
Resource-Based Relative Value Scale.................................................... 193
T
he practice of medicine is one of the oldest and most honorable of professions,
but it is facing a revolution that is unprecedented. Navigating this revolution will
require skilled and well-prepared practice managers and leaders.
The world is much different than it was when the first edition of Fundamentals of
Medical Practice Management was published in 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic and climate
change are two of the most notable forces that have had a significant and direct bearing
on the medical practice during this time. Both the pandemic and climate change have
accelerated the pace of the revolution in healthcare, presenting extraordinary challenges to
healthcare organizations and practice leaders. As Charles Darwin said, “It is not the stron-
gest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to
change” (Kim et al. 2020; Stephenson 2022). Some organizations are surviving and even
thriving as the pandemic abates, but others are faced with the urgent need to make major
changes and lay off employees to stabilize their finances (Faulx 2023; Gamble 2023). We
should hope that the trials of the last several years will make us more aware of and prepared
for the next inevitable crisis (Cutler 2021).
In many ways, the quote that opens this section of the book exemplifies the inten-
tion of this text and the current state of medical practice management as a field. Deming,
widely considered the father of the quality revolution, often said that understanding the
xv
“why,” not simply the “what,” of our work is essential to provide superior services and
performance. I had the good fortune to learn from Deming and experience firsthand the
foundations of quality management. Through this experience, I gleaned many important
insights about the operation of successful practices. Many years have passed since I realized
the profound impact of this experience, but Deming’s teachings are more relevant today
than ever before. Much of his approach has been repackaged for today’s industries, but the
basis of its truths lies in the tenets Deming demonstrated decades ago.
The true meaning and philosophy of quality and performance excellence get
lost in the details of targets, processes, and tools. The details do not replace wisdom or
developing an appreciation for what it means to demonstrate excellence and be guided
by quality principles. Simply documenting the “right” targets and adopting the right
tools is not enough to succeed; process without purpose is pointless. We need to focus
less on the completion of discrete functions and more on understanding that function’s
purpose so that we can know how to improve it. To that end, education for practice
managers must incorporate development of deep knowledge of healthcare delivery by
the medical practice and its processes. Additionally, today’s practice manager must rec-
ognize and embrace the need for change in the healthcare industry to provide the care
patients need and deserve.
Practice management encompasses a broad range of activities. In large practice orga-
nizations, the manager may have responsibility for a narrow range of functions, but many
practices are small organizations, in which the management must assume multiple roles.
These may include all aspects of operating the enterprise, much like the responsibilities of a
small-business owner. So, although practice managers indeed have a lot of “how-to” to learn,
this book is more than a how-to text; it is intended to encourage the reader to think about
why medical practice managers do what they do and how the roles of other stakeholders
interplay with the manager’s. How-to textbooks in healthcare become obsolete almost before
they are published because the facts are constantly changing. To maintain their relevance,
healthcare management texts must also teach when to carry out the tasks and process and
why they should be done. Above all else, healthcare education books should emphasize,
“First, do the right thing, and then, do it correctly,” not unlike the often-repeated words
of the Hippocratic Oath, “First, do no harm.”
This text focuses on fundamental concepts and knowledge essential to manage,
lead, and develop the wisdom to make the changes needed in medical practices to ensure
a prosperous and sustainable future. Using strategies that are good for all stakeholders is
necessary because healthcare must pose a value proposition for patients and society. This
book is ambitious in its coverage of the field and does not assume the reader has prior
knowledge of practice management; however, it may not cover particular topics to the depth
that some may wish. A book covering every topic applicable to the healthcare administrator
would span many volumes.
of healthcare and practice management are encouraged to develop lifelong learning skills.
The field is changing so rapidly that the need for continuous updating of knowledge and
skills is essential.
For example, practice managers need to build a virtual library of accurate and reli-
able sources. The following list comprises the foundation of that library, which should be
referred to frequently (see the appendix to this text for each resource’s website):
T h e D i m e n s io n s of M edica l P ractice
Governance Medical practices can take many forms, ranging from small sole proprietorships to large
A system of policies multispecialty medical practices. Recent years have seen more medical practices embedded
and procedures that is in large healthcare organizations, which also may be solo practices or large multispecialty
designed to facilitate
entities (see exhibit 1.3).
oversight of the man-
agement of the enter-
A group practice is defined as a medical practice consisting of two or more practi-
prise and serves as the tioners working in a common management and administrative structure. Single-specialty
foundation of how the groups are those that focus on one aspect of medicine, such as general surgery, family prac-
practice will behave, tice, orthopedics, cardiology, or internal medicine. Multispecialty medical groups contain
compete, and docu- more than one medical specialty in the organization. Multispecialty practices are highly
ment its actions. integrated, with a common governance leadership and common management structure,
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