Too many hands on deck can spoil your catch
With the forming of group practices increasingly popular among independent practitioners, Simon Brignall reflects on their billing issues which can lead to administrative chaos if not properly understood and effectively managed.
We have seen a large rise in the number of consultants who decided to form groups over the past decade.
This makes a lot of sense, as they can benefit from economies of scale by sharing costs for administration, marketing and other overheads.
There are often other benefits such as increased patient footfall driven by the group’s reputation and the ability to effectively manage holiday and sick cover.
Groups can lead to improved quality of care, by having several doctors working together within the same specialty yet with each having specific expertise within their own subspecialty.
The current drive towards the provision of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) will only support this trend.
Groups can also benefit from increased volume, as insurance companies and GPs are more likely to refer patients to them because they know they have capacity and expertise within their field.