February 2010

Earth Day (April 24) is coming soon. No matter how you feel about Al Gore, melting ice caps, and baby polar bears, going green can be good for your practice. Being green does not require you to hug a tree or eat tofu; it simply means that you are being efficient, saving money, and reducing your business's carbon footprint.

Now that CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology have released meaningful use criteria, physicians have a checklist for selecting the right EHR.

Should your practice have a policy for responding to negative comments about the quality of care and service delivered by you and your staff left anonymously on an online physician-grading website?

My daughter's school has a cool e-communication system, which they love; they post everything on it, from the monthly calendar to grades. The problem is that the school didn't bother to clue in the freshman (or their parents) about this fancy system; early in the year, many important events and announcements were missed, such as back-to-school night, H1N1 clinics, and due dates of forms. There was an orientation and a huge packet sent home, and the kids all have a homeroom, so one would think that somewhere in one of these venues, this system would have been highlighted. They even could have gone old school and sent home a newsletter.