Editor's note: This is the second story in a two-part series about maximizing a healthy revenue cycle. In May, we looked at ways to improve phone management, charge-captures, and poor physician documentation. This month we discuss ways to improve patients' and insurance companies' payment habits. It takes staff teamwork to effectively improve office collections. But that's only half the battle. The other half is getting patients to pay for services, and insurance companies to process claims, in a timely manner.

Editor's note: This article is the second in a two-part series about improving patient perception of your medical practice. In the first part, we focused on how to implement a caller-friendly voicemail system and streamline appointment scheduling. This month, we focus on patient paperwork, visit preparation, and office appearance. When it comes to the appearance and overall productivity habits of your medical practice, a patient's first impression could be his or her last. Sloppy paperwork and an unkempt office can make it appear as though you don't care about the professional appearance of your practice.

Coaching physicians to improve coding documentation is a particularly daunting challenge for many small physician practices-and one that you can easily overcome with a formal billing compliance and internal auditing program. However, physicians often don't believe they have the time, money, or need for a compliance plan, says consultant Curt Udell, CPC. "These physicians don't think that they game the system and believe that it's just one more expense and one more thing to worry about," he says. In reality, the financial risk of not having a compliance program in place far outweighs the cost, which can rear its ugly head in the form of reimbursed overpayments, fines and penalties, or missed revenue.

Hyperactivity. Inattentiveness. Poor time management skills. These are a few of the challenges a typical adult with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) faces in the workplace on a daily basis. With nine million adults in the United States affected by the disorder, odds are that you will likely have to deal with an employee who has ADHD. However, unlike most disabilities, ADHD is particularly difficult to understand because it's not always obvious and often goes undiagnosed, says Wilma Fellman, a professional career counselor who specializes in working with people with disabilities.

With so many patients to see, prescriptions to write, and e-mails to answer, it can be difficult to find time to catch up with your colleagues over lunch or even for a quick chat in the hallway. As a result, many questions go unanswered and,perhaps more important, individual observations go unshared. So where do busy physicians go when they need a sounding board? Now that social networking Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook have become household words, startup companies have formed online communities that allow physicians to make contacts that they would not have ordinarily made on their own.