Office Hours - February 26, 2026: Mastering Financial Visibility in Your Practice

Clinical Business Framework Office Hours - February 26, 2026

Senior PA Productivity Analysis

Florence discussed her analysis of her senior PA's productivity, focusing on patient visits and working days. She noted a decrease in productivity due to the PA taking PTO and being less available. Florence calculated that the PA sees about 12 patients per day, which she considers acceptable given the complexity of their patients. She is working on getting more accurate numbers for expenses related to the PA's salary and benefits.

Patient No-Shows and Scheduling Solutions

Florence discussed challenges with patient no-shows and scheduling, noting that while her provider has a full panel of 21 patients per week, they often see fewer due to cancellations. She decided to allow the provider to see one new patient per day from the waitlist to better utilize empty slots. Jennie suggested exploring policies around no-shows and rescheduling fees, while Florence shared that their practice currently charges a $25 fee for two no-shows or rescheduling incidents. They also discussed the limitations of online booking platforms like ZocDoc, which Florence found problematic due to high no-show rates and costly per-patient charges.

Revenue Tracking System Integration Challenges

Vin discussed significant issues with billing and revenue tracking due to disconnected systems between their EHR and clearinghouse, which has made it difficult to generate accurate reports and reconcile financial data. Jennie and Florence shared their experiences with similar challenges, with Jennie noting that even large organizations can face reporting mismatches, while Florence described how she improved patient collections from 80% to 96% by implementing a real-time eligibility checking system. The discussion concluded with Florence explaining how she now pays a flat monthly fee for the eligibility checking service, which also helps generate accurate revenue reports.

Superscript System Implementation Review

Florence discussed implementing a new system called Superscript for patient check-in and insurance processing, which costs approximately $999 per month and has been operational for about nine months. The system automatically handles insurance eligibility checks and co-payment collections, though there were some initial glitches with Medicare collections in January that required manual review. Florence noted that while the system guarantees 96% accuracy in collections, the remaining 4% requires manual follow-up, and the system's accuracy has improved over time.

Improving Billing and Financial Processes

The group discussed billing and financial challenges, with Vinika explaining she had engaged an external bookkeeper and consultant to address issues with her EMR systems and billing processes. They discussed her plan to audit her current biller while implementing new systems to improve reporting accuracy. Florence shared her progress in analyzing profitability across different exam rooms and testing procedures, with Jennie advising her to focus first on overhead costs before diving into specific service line profitability.