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Employed v self-employed
Should I or shouldn’t I? The question of whether or not consultants should be employed or self-employed is becoming increasingly ...
Private doctors ‘undercharging’
By Robin Stride Accountants are warning private consultants they could be missing out on thousands of pounds because they have not regularly reviewed their fees. They say many independent practitioners in London would be surprised to see how far they have fallen behind what others in their specialty now charge self-pay patients elsewhere. Martin Murray, […]
New data law to boost trust
Don’t get left behind on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s happening on 25 May. Jane Braithwaite presents a very practical guide for any Independent Practitioner Today readers who have so far failed to react…. I hear you groan. Not another article on the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s beginning to feel a […]
Enhance your value
Maximise the value of your premises and minimise the time required to do so. Adam Tait suggests how. Maximising ‘value’ is a common objective for most practitioners in one way or another. ‘Value’ can include the value provided to patients. Or it could be the economic value of the practice and its income stream or […]
What to look out for if banding together
Working with other colleagues can have various advantages and has become a common way of coping with the ever-changing world of healthcare. It’s a chance to share costs, income or perhaps bid for new contracts. Ian Tongue explores some of the more common ways consultants work together. Commitment level is one of the key factors […]
Collecting cash from self-payers
Latest figures show self-pay patients now account for a third of most consultants’ income. And this source of earning for independent practitioners continues to be the fastest-growing sector in the private health market. Findlay Fyfe shows how to make sure you do receive the money due to you for your work. Many consultants think of […]
Build a relationship with your architect
Expanding your practice or your home? Philip McQuillen gives some excellent advice. 1 Make sure you are appointing a chartered architect There are companies offering architectural design services who are not necessarily architects. If it is an architect you are looking to work with, then make sure they are registered with the Architects Registration Board […]
So farewell, Pardner
With so many doctor retirements around, Susan Hutter gives her guidance on how to handle the departure of a business partner. Many private medical practices these days operate as a group, trading either as a partnership or, more usually, a limited liability partnership (LLP) and, in some cases, as limited companies. Therefore, consultants who trade […]
PPUs face rivalry and opportunity
Philip Housden continues his series reviewing the NHS private patient unit (PPU) sector across all regions of England and the rest of the UK by looking at the eight NHS trusts delivering acute care services to the northern home counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Figures from the published 2016-17 annual accounts for this […]
The rise of the industrious GP
Suzie Grogan continues her series tracing the development of the medical profession. This month: the rise of the general practitioner. The Medical and Physical Journal of 1809 first refers to a ‘general practitioner of medicine’ and, in 1813, elaborated on the description, stating that a GP was a ‘general practitioner in medicine surgery and midwifery […]
When you have to snitch on patients
‘Business Dilemmas’ Issues to do with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority take centre stage this month. Dr Catherine Wills answers more readers queries Dilemma 1 What to do about his fainting fits? Q A patient came to see me reporting that he had suffered unexplained syncope earlier in the week. […]
The halo spins and slips at same time
Homing in on the range – our motoring correspondent Dr Tony Rimmer says ‘howdy’ to five Audis and assesses the best deal. One of the largest private healthcare providers has found there has been a 12% rise in ‘self-pay’ revenue from 2016 to 2017. It is therefore reasonable to assume that these figures reflect a […]