Keep scheduling simple.

If a patient has a problem with an insurer or benefits package, you can sometimes help – but it can be more efficient to refer the patient to a consumer advocacy group, worker’s union, or governmental agency. Keep the numbers of these organizations handy to help patients solve problems – and to ensure your office gets paid.(Courtesy of Physicians Practice)

Here’s a way to build a better relationship with workers’ compensation caseworkers-and get more workers’ comp cases. Fax caseworkers essential information as soon as the patient leaves the practice. Send them what they need to get their jobs done. They’ll reward you with more business.(Courtesy of Physicians Practice)

To enhance the efficiency of a subsequent office visit with a patient, make a list of action points for that next encounter at the end of your notes. Checking this list just before the subsequent visit helps focus the interaction and ensures continuity of care-even if the patient is seen by another clinician.

Here's a convenient, time- and money-saving tip.

Our clinic uses 4 x 6-in reminder cards on which we write the patient’s next appointment. I have found it helpful to turn the card over and write instructions to the patient on the back. I write such things as “walk for 30 min each day” or “take an extra 20 mg of furosemide each day this week.” Patients can put these cards up on their refrigerator or on their nightstand to remind them of the “doctor’s orders.”

I recommend having a “diabetes stamp” made up that includes in its imprint fasting blood glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, urine microalbumin, ECG, eye examination, podiatric examination, flu shot, and pneumococcal vaccine-along with lines on which to write dates and results.

Patients appreciate-and often expect-notification of lab results. I have developed form letters to notify patients of cholesterol, bone density, and diabetes test results.

You may be careful to prescribe an appropriate number of medication refills to last until your patient's next visit.

I have found that the best agent for removing blood from clothing is hydrogen peroxide. Apply it to the stain as soon as possible.

I find it helpful to set a gestation wheel to a pregnant patient's due date and then make a copy of the wheel for her. This enables the patient to easily see where she is in her pregnancy, when different laboratory tests must be done, and how the baby is growing.

With patients who say that they usually faint when blood is drawn or when given an injection, have them lie down and tell them that they "cannot faint when lying down." Whether for physiological or psychological reasons, patients usually do not faint when this is done.

When a prescription medication is not needed, patients often appreciate advice on nonprescription treatments. A field trip to the local pharmacy can help keep you up-to-date on available over-the-counter medications.

Our office has devised a system to reduce the number of expired drug samples that must be discarded. We store all drug samples according to their expiry dates, with 1 shelf for each of the upcoming 12 months and a 13th shelf for samples that expire after 1 year.

Apologies and appreciation can work wonders for both patient and physician. One afternoon at our noon-to-5 clinic, a flood of patients arrived all at once at 4:00. Most had to wait more than an hour to be seen, and they appeared tired. When I entered the examining room, I apologized for the long wait and thanked them for their patience. Their faces were immediately transformed.

Each time I see a patient, I note on the chart personal events in his or her life--such as "going on a cruise" or "attending grandson's graduation"--in addition to the clinical findings.