Practice Management

The purpose of a budget is to help a practice spend less than what it earns. Benchmarking indicates whether a practice is underachieving or overachieving compared to similar businesses. Learn more.

Inbound calls to your dermatology practice are still a crucial access point for patients. Fail here, and your practice may lose a patient before they’ve even walked through your door. Here are two primary goals for inbound phone management.

A practice with disengaged employees risks bleeding cash, says Amy Koon of the medical practice management firm Keystone Medical. In this article, Ms. Koon highlights key steps necessary for creating employee engagement.

Annual employee performance reviews rank near the top of least favorite tasks for most physicians and their staff. Here are 6 questions to ask your employees to get the most out of the review process.

The holidays offer some time to unwind and recalibrate before the calendar flips to the new year. If you enjoy reading, here are five recommendations we hope will resonate with you, inspire you, and maybe move you into the New Year with just a little more insight and enthusiasm.

Dr. Norman Levine offers bits of advice for those considering this type of change in your practice for those considering selling their practices to venture capital-backed enterprises based on his experience with one such company.

Structure and frequency in the performance review process can create effective two-way discussions. Point out plenty of positives to keep the employee at ease during the review.

Three tactics to set your employees at ease and to facilitate effective two-way discussions.

Patricia Farris, M.D., shares her experience rebuilding her business after a hurricane. Here’s what she learned.

If we do not evolve ... we will soon be an extinct species of medical practitioner, Dermatology Times Editorial Advisor says in his column this month. He shares his experience and considerations with negotiating the sale of his practice to a venture capital backed firm.

80% of practices will experience embezzlement every five years. To protect yourself, one expert advises: Avoid blind trust; rely on written checks for refunds; separate employee duties; routinely audit financial systems; and consider going cashless.

While laws vary from state to state as to who in a practice can legally operate a laser or light source or energy-based device, the responsibility often lies with the practice physician, according to Mathew M. Avram, M.D., J.D.

In this slideshow, we feature Dr. Eliot Battle who offers recommendations for laser treatment in non-white patients. Lasers are as diverse as the patients and conditions they are designed to treat, he says.

In this slideshow, Patti Owens, R.N., M.H.A., C.M.L.S.O. describes six steps practices can take to improve laser and energy device safety for patients and staff.

Wrong-site surgeries are preventable. In this article, Dr. Goldberg outlines a few measures.

Collaboration with specialists in other fields can improve outcomes for patients with skin cancer, and it can be personally and professionally rewarding for the dermatologist, according to one expert.

“Business literacy is an emerging competency that’s necessary for physicians,” says one dermatologist.

It’s important that cosmetic dermatologists market to promote their practices. But, today, it’s vital they market to promote the common good - of the cosmetic medicine industry, that is.

Cosmetic practices have all the bells and whistles -from new technologies to skilled practitioners. So, why are so many competing on price?

The problem in the aesthetic marketplace is everyone offers the same thing, in the same way and says the same things, says one expert.

In our last article “Building a Patient Education Program” (May, page 82) we explored how a solid patient education program can keep patients, resources and revenue from falling through the cracks and what your practice needs to build a strong patient education program.

Dermatologists trying to boost practice revenue might add a device in hopes of making a profit on a cosmetic option or a skincare product line sold through the practice.

Exsursco Medical, Inc. has launched a new wound debridement and skin grafting medical device, the Amalgatome SD, for use in burn and trauma centers.

Procell Therapies has released the DermaPaddle, a device that combines micro-dermabrasion with micro-needling.

Merz Aesthetics has announced the U.S. launch of Mederma Quick Dry Oil, a product that helps reduce the appearance of scars, stretch marks, uneven skin tone and dry skin.

Ducray has introduced two products to help promote hair growth.

Glytone has released the Glytone Sunscreen Lotion Broad Specturm SPF 40 as a daily sunscreen to be used in combination with aesthetic procedures and treatments.

Qosmedix has launched a beauty blog, QOSMEtips on its e-commerce website.

An increase in investigations primarily impacts surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists who serve as medical directors to medical spas outside of their own practices. This is what to know.

Zoe Diana Draelos, MD, discusses how a changing political and economic climate has transformed dermatology practices into attractive entities for venture capitalists and whether it's a good thing for the specialty.