New TMA grant to help doctors’ practices
Your practice can receive a business checkup, thanks to a new grant awarded to TMA. Although nearly three-quarters of
Texas’ medical practices are small busi- nesses, physicians do not receive formal business training. Two-thirds of Texas physicians have
trouble covering payroll and other ex- penses because of difficulties in collect- ing timely or adequate payment from insurers and government payers. About one-third of Texas physicians are solo practitioners, while 38 percent are in small groups of two to six physicians. Navigating the financial challenges in this era of change in health care regula- tion can tax even the most knowledge- able business mind, let alone someone who spent nights and weekends in medi- cal school learning how to diagnose and treat illness instead of a business’ bottom line.
“If a physician’s practice is not healthy,
he or she cannot effectively help pa- tients,” said Carl O. Trusler, MD, chair of TMA’s Council on Practice Management Services.
So TMA created a solution. TMA Practice Consulting (
www.texmed.org/ PracticeHelp/) offers a new program to better manage your medical practice, to help patients, and to measure how well they are doing. The program’s four- pronged approach will:
• Create a continuing medical educa- tion-accredited primer on financial management for physician offices of all sizes and types;
• Provide a medical practice dashboard tool, featuring easy-to-read snapshots of performance measures and bench- marks most important to a practice’s success;
• Develop webinars and seminars to teach doctors how to make practice improvements based on practice per- formance measures; and
• Consult with medical practices requir- ing more extensive assistance, includ- ing on-site training for those who need extra help.
Deaths
Honorio G. Aquino, MD, 90; Houston; University of El Salvador, 1955; died Aug. 23, 2012.
George R. Branch, MD, 94; Dallas; The University of Texas Medi- cal Branch, Galveston, 1941; died Sept. 8, 2012.
John W. Foster, MD, 84; Midland; Baylor College of Medicine, 1954; died Oct. 19, 2012.
Jesse G. Garcia, MD, 41; Corpus Christi; The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 2002; died Oct. 17, 2012.
Ferd E. “Buddy” Garrison Jr., MD, 78; Fort Worth; Baylor Col- lege of Medicine, 1949; died Nov. 5, 2012.
Valentin Gracia, MD, 83; Fort Worth; University of Mexico School of Medicine, Mexico City, 1952; died Sept. 9, 2012.
Lauro G. Guerra, MD, 86; McAllen; The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, 1954; died Oct. 3, 2012.
Martin Heitzman, MD, 75; El Paso; National University of Ireland, 1964; died Oct. 28, 2012.
Marion J. Henry, MD, 80; Corpus Christi; University of Arkansas College of Medicine, 1957; died Nov. 14, 2012.
Gottfried R. Kaestner, MD, 79; Houston; Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, 1959; died Sept. 9, 2012.
Frank J. Lee, MD, 92; Wichita Falls; The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, 1950; died Oct. 21, 2012.
Gregory H. Szeyko, MD, 70; El Paso; West Virginia University School of Medicine, 1971; died Sept. 11, 2012.
Mitchell L. Willens, MD, 61; Tyler; Chicago Medical School, 1976; died Sept. 17, 2012.
January 2013 TEXAS MEDICINE 15
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