It’s time for your office’s annual exam!
Give your practice a checkup using the Academy management tools.
Answers in Practice
By Olivia Barry, Manager, Practice Management, December 1, 2022
Each month, DermWorld tackles issues “in practice” for dermatologists.
There’s a lot to juggle to maintain a successful practice, including ensuring compliance, staying relevant with technologies, navigating finances, and attaining patient satisfaction. Nearly two-thirds of dermatologists dedicate over 10 hours per week to administrative tasks which are often considered burdensome. Not to mention, the strain of these tasks is a leading contributor of physician and staff burnout. While administrative tasks can’t be put on the backburner, there are strategies and tools to minimize disruption and help prevent burnout. The AADA Practice Management Center (PMC) offers numerous practical tips and resources to simplify administrative tasks for dermatologists and practice staff.
About the practice management checkup tools
Are you wondering if your office productivity is functioning at its highest? Or if your practice is up to date with respect to compliance and regulatory requirements? Complete our quick, interactive practice checkup tools to help determine any gaps in your practice and learn how to address them!
The PMC offers many helpful tools including five practice checkup tools that will help you determine if you are maximizing efficiency, staying compliant, and have sound financial and staffing practices. These short, 10-question interactive quizzes were designed to quickly evaluate your practice in some of the top areas considered burdensome for dermatologists. The tools identify gaps and provide practical guidance on how to make improvements to your policies and practices. Learn more about each tool below.
Office optimization tool
An efficient dermatology office increases productivity, reduces wastefulness, maintains staff satisfaction, and improves patient experience. Use this tool to assess if your practice is functioning at its best based on office design, workflows, use of technology, and patient and staff engagement. If, at the end of completing the quiz, you find that there are areas for improvement, review the helpful tips outlined in the Office Optimization section of the PMC at to take corrective actions.
Prevent burnout tool
It’s estimated that 60% of physicians are experiencing burnout or some form of depression which negatively affects the practice. Burnout is not limited just to dermatologists; it can also impact your staff which may have a damaging impact on your overall practice culture. Are you maintaining a work-life balance and delegating tasks to staff to optimize office efficiency? This tool can help you recognize stress that can potentially lead to burnout. After completing the quiz, be sure to check out more steps to address, recharge, and prevent personal and employee burnout.
Staffing tool
Having an organized recruitment, hiring, and onboarding strategy increases the likelihood of attracting and retaining top-tier staff. Is your practice optimized to draw in high-quality, skilled candidates and minimize turnover? Are you taking the right steps to maintain employee satisfaction? The staffing tool helps evaluate if you are employing best practices around staff retention, reduced turnover, and enhanced job fulfillment. The PMC also offers resources for the fundamentals of recruiting, hiring, and retaining high-quality staff to further enhance your practice’s staff operations or determine if outsourcing may be the right approach in your unique situation. Check it out.
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) tool
Each year, the MIPS requirements, categories weights, and quality measures can change; learning these annual requirements to comply with MIPS can occupy more than 75% of a practice manager’s time. Those who are required to participate may receive a positive, neutral, or negative payment adjustment based on their reported performance data. The MIPS tool can help you close the gaps to make informed MIPS decisions regarding participation and help you outline a plan for success. For additional guidance on the MIPS program, visit the MIPS 4-Step Reporting Guide.
Utilizing an EHR system? Use DataDerm™ to report MIPS. Check to see if your EHR system integrates with DataDerm.
Financial tool
Payment and claims audits are another potential pressure weighing on your practice. Ensure you know the ins and outs of the finances that make up your practice’s revenue and expenses. Being well-versed in your practice’s assets will allow you to identify, manage, and prevent financial risks. Do you have a strong understanding of your finances and have plans in place to mitigate potential threats? Use this tool to ensure your practice is staying financially sound and strong.
Check out the Academy’s preferred vendors and discounts to save money on practice expenses.
Learn more about coding tips and resources.
Regardless of your best intentions, with so much to manage to run an optimal and successful practice, things can fall short. Let the AADA’s practice checkup tools help you make sure you have checked all the boxes for successfully addressing administrative, staffing, and financial responsibilities, while also reducing the risk of burnout. Take the quizzes today to close any wasteful and inefficient gaps in your dermatology practice!
Don’t forget to check out our compliance tools that can help ensure you are not vulnerable to violations or breaches related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), and workplace safety.
Armed with knowledge and the support of the Academy's PMC resources, you can give your practice a clean bill of health!
More Academy practice management resources:
Want more Answers in Practice?
Learn how to optimize your practice, deal with difficult patients, prepare for MIPS, and more. Visit the archives.
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