Independent Practitioner Today

Independent Practitioner Today’s last issue reported on the appointment of Bupa’s new medical director for UK Insurance, Dr Luke James. Here he sets out his focus for the future. People buying health insurance are looking for convenient access to high-quality, safe, affordable healthcare and expect a great customer experience when claiming and being treated. Working […]

Recent employment law changes and developments are particularly relevant to employers managing negotiations and the financial entitlements of departing employees. Fiona McLellan reports. Taxation of termination payments. Important changes to the way termination payments are taxed came into force on 6 April 2018, which are likely to have – unhelpful – implications for employers negotiating […]

With the requirement for greater fees trans­parency and recent General Data Protection Regulation, many private doctors would do well to review their terms, warns Findlay Fyfe. It is a good time to consider your fees right now – and here is why. As we know, the Private Health­care Information Network (PHIN) is due to publish […]

So what is your ideal retirement age? Dr Benjamin Holdsworth on planning the right time to leave. The latest version of the NHS Pension Scheme could keep those of us with health service appointments toiling until age 68. We often hear that 60 is the new 50 and 70 is the new 60, but how […]

Filing your tax return for 2017-18 may not be due until the 31 January 2019, but the sooner you get this done, the better, advises Susan Hutter. Follow her guidelines for filing a tax return ahead of the January deadline. Knowledge is king Filing a tax return may not be top of your to-do list, […]

‘Business Dilemmas’ Dr Ellie Mein explains the importance of anonymising cases in medical publications           Dilemma 1 How can I retain confidentiality? Q I have recently read stories in the press of a couple who withdrew consent for their medical photographs to be used in a medical publication after their story […]

This Merc’s latest and innovative offering is set to be a winner with independent practitioners, predicts Dr Tony Rimmer. Any well-established private practice with a good reputation and a history of performing well is likely to attract a steady flow of clients. In the motoring world, too, it is all about brand image. If there […]

Opinion Sharing outcome data By Dr Cliff Bucknall, Chief medical officer, HCA Healthcare UK I am delighted to have the opportunity to write about safety in the sector. Anyone who works in healthcare, private or NHS, will tell you that their number-one priority is providing the best possible care to patients. This means safe, effective, […]

This month’s financial tour of private patient units (PPUs) by Philip Housden analyses private patient revenue growth for ten NHS acute trusts across the East Midlands counties of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. Figures from the most recently published annual accounts for this group of trusts show that total private patient revenues were flat […]

There are so many facets to running a successful private medical practice. Jane Braithwaite’s second article in her practice management series focuses on the functional aspects. She looks at what IT systems you might need to run your practice efficiently and examines mapping the processes that you must streamline for a well-run practice. As with […]