Neil H. Baum

4 weeks ago | kevinmd.com | Neil H. Baum |Stephen Foley |L. Joseph Parker |Casey P. Schukow

If you have been to the circus and toured the tent where the elephants rest and are fed, you will see that large, two-to-three-ton elephants are tethered to a small wooden stake with a small chain around the ankle of one of their hind legs. This tiny wooden stake driven into the ground could be pulled up in a nanosecond, and the elephant could run away. But the large elephants never pull on the stakes, and they rock back and forth peacefully, eating hay and drinking water.

1 month ago | kevinmd.com | Neil H. Baum |Leonard Wang |Denise Reich |Michael McGuire

I was scheduled to see a prominent federal judge in my office at 9:00 a.m. The judge requested the first appointment of the day and expected to be seen promptly at 9:00 a.m. I had an emergency providing care for a patient in clot retention. As a result, I was not able to see him at the designated time. At 9:15 a.m., he approached the desk and asked when he would be seen. The judge was told that I was taking care of an emergency, and he said he couldn’t wait any longer.

1 month ago | physicianspractice.com | Neil H. Baum |Shep Hyken

My previous blogs have looked at other industries, such as airlines, hospitality, and even toy companies, as examples of outstanding customer service. We can learn from these companies and often implement what these successful industries do into our healthcare practices. I have looked at the Dollar Shave Club (DSC) for this blog. One of us, SH, is a member of the "club," which began after watching their irreverent, R-rated YouTube video with more than 28 million views.

2 months ago | kevinmd.com | Neil H. Baum |Stephen Foley |Casey P. Schukow |Jonathan Peters

In the previous article, I offered four ways (other than growth) a practice can compensate for declining reimbursements: improve efficiency, boost collection ratio, increase productivity, and consider a practice merger. As promised, here are four more. Stay focusedFocused strategies lead to better outcomes and lower costs. It is no accident that the best outcomes and lowest price for open-heart surgery are achieved where the highest volume of these is performed.

2 months ago | kevinmd.com | Neil H. Baum |Michele Luckenbaugh |Lydia Green |Stephen Foley

Have you ever marveled that a new patient will share with you their most intimate secrets just minutes after you initiate their medical history in the exam room? Patients will discuss what they might not share with friends, spouses, significant others, and even their clergyperson. This privilege should not be taken for granted. It is time to pause and think about patients’ trust in physicians.