Growing a Practice in the Digital Era!

We are pleased to announce that Doctible, a practice marketing & automation platform, has joined the Physician Resource Center.

As a Physician Partners member, Doctible will offer you an exclusive 35% discount off standard pricing!

Attract New Patients

Regulations are burdensome enough. How do you find time to attract patients?

Leverage Doctible’s powerful, easy-to-use, automated marketing and patient communication system to help your practice grow. Doctible’s solution suite automates routine patient communications and manages patient relationships to help drive favorable online reviews to boost revenue and save time.

• Online Scheduling – Give patients the ability to book 24/7
• Appointment Reminders – Reduce your no-shows
• Digital Waitlist – Automatically fill cancellations (no phone calls needed)

Send Secure Text Messages

Are you still using phone calls? Time to adopt text messaging to cater to your patients.

Nearly 70% of patients value receiving text messages from their healthcare practice for non-clinical communications. Doctible’s Patient Communicator allows you to streamline much of your day-to-day correspondence. Save staff time while increasing patient satisfaction!

Easily Manage Your Online Reputation

Do you care about your online reputation? Don’t ignore it. Patients are reading it!

Over 73% of patients begin their healthcare search online, making it critical for a physician to manage their digital footprint and understand patient sentiment. Doctible’s automated online reputation management suite increases your positive reviews and helps intercept potentially revenue robbing negative reviews.

For more details about billing and coding services provided by Doctible, please contact –

Beth Reed, Business Development Director
(619) 359-6600
[email protected]

Save 20% – 40% on your medical malpractice rates, plus add an extra 5% savings as a Physician Partners member

Scripps Mercy Physician Partners is proud to continue our seven-year Malpractice Savings Program with the Cooperative of American Physicians (CAP)

• You don’t have to wait until your policy renews. Most medical malpractice carriers will pro-rate and refund your premiums at any time.
• Most applications are approved in 48 hours or less.

In addition to exceptional rates, CAP members have access to a long list of risk management and practice management programs and services – all included with membership:

For more details & information about CAP’s affinity discount for members of Scripps Mercy Physician Partners, please contact –

Tram Nguyen | Senior Account Executive
Cooperative of American Physicians
(858) 200-8450
[email protected]

In-Between Visit Care & Resources for Patients, while Increasing Practice Revenue!

We are excited to announce that Scripps Mercy Physician Partners has partnered with Chronic Care Management, LLC, to offer exclusive Chronic Care Management services to our members.

Effective immediately, you will be able to work with Chronic Care Management, LLC, to further assist you in managing your patients with two or more chronic conditions. In addition, this program is designed to help drive your quality metrics, stay connected with patients’ in-between visits, and increase patient satisfaction; all while generating additional revenue!

The Chronic Care Management, LLC, services program includes:

• No Up Front, Out of Pocket Implementation Costs
• Improved Patient Wellness & Overall Experience
• Enhanced Practice Efficiency
• New Practice Revenue —Immediately

*Does not include uncollected patient co-pays, or billing fees.

For more details & information about the Chronic Care Management, LLC, Program, please contact –

Beth Reed
Community Director
Scripps Mercy Physician Partners
(619) 359-6600

Welcoming Business Complete Solutions (BCS) as our newest affiliate partner!

Business Complete Solutions (BCS) is offering exclusive benefits for Physician Partners members – including a free workflow analysis, and great savings on office equipment and software.

FREE Work-Flow Analysis

Reduce unnecessary costs (average of 30%), increase office productivity, & ensure compliance with government regulations.

The audit will only take 30 minutes to an hour (depending on the size and complexity of the environment).

Each analysis will measure:

• Office equipment usage
• Office equipment life expectancy
• Digital needs for document management
• Scan integrations into existing EMR systems
• HIPPA & security assessment
• Workflow automation
• Process optimization

Office Equipment & Software Solutions

Business Complete Solutions can help your office run more fluidly & function at its best.

CURRENT PROMO – Lease a Multi-Function Printer (call about special pricing for Physician Partners members)

• 100,000 service impressions (toner, parts, labor, & onsite repair – all included!)
• Prints 35 pages per minute
• Color network scanning
• Black and white network printing and copying (up to 35ppm)
• 80 sheet automatic high speed doc feeder
• Fax

**If this package isn’t right for you, BCS is ready to put together individual custom packages for all members.

For more details & information about BCS and their solutions for healthcare practices, please contact –

Beth Reed | Business Development Director
Scripps Mercy Physician Partners & Physician Resource Center
(619) 359-6600
[email protected]

Physician Resource Center Welcomes New Billing & Coding Partner!

We are pleased to announce that PhySource Solutions, a local Billing and Coding firm serving San Diego physicians for 15 years, has joined the Physician Resource Center.

Exclusive Rates for Billing Services

• Full Revenue Cycle Management Services
• Practice Management / Scheduling Software at no additional cost (no more subscription fees!)
• E-Eligibility
• Full staff training and implementation

Special Coding Rates

Special coding rates are offered to Physician Partners members. Whether you need assistance with coding and billing for in-office or hospital procedures, PhySource can meet your requirements and exceed your expectations. E&M coding services are also available upon request.

Our Providers Spoke, We Listened!

• You’re working harder
• You’re getting paid less

PhySource has uniquely tailored its business model to address each of the pain points plaguing private practice today. Physicians are finding it harder to cover their overhead expenses while running a profitable business with a healthy bottom line. Whether you need assistance with coding knowledge/services or workflow review and overhaul, we have the expertise and resources necessary to ensure prosperity for you and your practice.

We understand change may scare some, but oftentimes change is necessary to get your practice on the right path toward financial stability. Give us a call today to see how partnering with PhySource can finally put an end to the pitfalls preventing you from getting paid!

– Patti Rosbrook, President and CEO

For more details about billing and coding services provided by PhySource Solutions, please contact –

Matthew Perry, Director of Marketing and Sales
PhySource Solutions
(888) 423-8904, ext 310
[email protected]

Company Records: How Long Should You Keep Them?

by Paragon Accountants

Any business’s company records are a crucial part of managing and maintaining a successful company. Not only do they provide detailed hiring practices and compliance with regulations, they ultimately show the amount of taxes a business owes.

So, how long should these records be kept? Well, it depends.

Take a look at the following types of business records to know just how long you should keep them:

Employment records, including resumes, job applications, personnel files, human resources records, etc. should be kept for at least 3 years, depending on the amount of employees. An employee’s record should be kept for the entirety of the time they’re hired, and at least 7 years after they leave. In the event of a workplace injury, keep the record for 10 years.

Financial and operational records– This includes bank and credit card statements, invoices, and sales records, which all be kept for at least 7 years. While the records are not directly related to filing tax returns each year, these types of records are ideal to have on hand in the event of an IRS audit.

Ownership records should be kept forever. Examples include any documentation of ownership of business assets, as well as title deeds and sales contracts.

Payroll tax records -including timesheets and employee info- should be kept for at least 4 years after the return was filed or the day in which the taxes were paid.

It always a good rule of thumb to keep your records organized and easily accessible for tax purposes, but you definitely don’t want to bog yourself down with unnecessary paperwork past its lifespan.

Still have questions about record keeping for your business? Get in touch with Paragon, we’ll help you stay on the right track!

Contact:

Paragon Accountants
[email protected]
(619) 658-9799

Employee law expert weighs in on new OT laws, potential minimum wage increase

Important Laws that Would Increase the Local Minimum Wage, and Raise the Minimum Base Salary for Exempt Employees

By: Robert Rose | The Rose Group, APLC

California employers are subject to both the federal and California wage and hour laws.   Also, local entities (cities and counties) are allowed to enact minimum wage rates which establish a higher minimum wage rate for employees working within their local jurisdiction. The effect of this multiple coverage by different levels of government is that, California employers must follow the strictest wage laws; that is, California employers must comply with the federal, State, and local wage laws that give the most protection to employees.

If the following pending proposed changes to the wage and hour laws go into effect, San Diego employers, including medical practices, will have to make some adjustments, to the extent their current pay practices would no longer be totally complaint with applicable laws.

MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE

Currently, the California hourly minimum wage rate is $10.00, which took effect on January 1, 2016.  On June 7, 2016, City of San Diego voters will vote on the City Council’s proposed minimum wage increase ordinance.  If the voters approve, the minimum wage for workers in San Diego will immediately increase to $10.50 per hour, and  further increase to $11.50 per hour in January 2017.  Please take note of this pending development if you employ any workers  at minimum wage.

INCREASE IN MINIMUM SALARY FOR EXEMPT EMPLOYEES

Currently, to be salaried exempt in California, an employee must fit the statutory definition for executive, professional and administrative employees, AND earn a minimum salary of two times the California minimum wage (based on a 40 hour workweek) –which amounts to $41,600 a year.  Salaried workers properly classified by their employers as exempt are not entitled to weekly or daily overtime compensation regardless of the number of hours they work each week.   On December 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor will increase to $47,476 the minimum salary to qualify a position as exempt under federal wage laws.    Employers who want to maintain the exempt status of any employees earning below the new federal minimum salary for exempt employee will need to raise the minimum salary paid to those workers or convert them to hourly workers eligible for overtime pay.  Please take note of this development if you employ any workers on a salaried exempt basis who are paid a salary below $47,476.

Contact Ken Rose ([email protected]) and Robert Rose ([email protected]) at The Rose Group (619.822.1088) should you need  expert guidance for complying with these important legal developments.

The Rose Group is a San Diego based Law Firm specializing in Labor and Employment Law. We regularly consult with medical practices and other businesses on compliance with the myriad of federal and California employment laws, including the wage and hour laws.