Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare

As Wisconsin’s second-largest private employer, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare has over 12,000 associates in Southeastern Wisconsin, as well as partnerships with over 1,300 physicians throughout the region. To help maintain this high-quality staff, they count on Concorde. In fact, WFHs physician recruiter has praised Concorde for their very qualified physicians and their ability to match both in position and location. Facilities: Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare of Southeastern Wisconsin has outpatient centers and physician clinics, six major acute-care hospitals, three transitional and extended-care facilities, a full-service medical laboratory and home health and hospice agency. Placements: Concorde Staffing Source has most recently placed a (...)

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Client Spotlight

Billing Basics for Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants

By Kathryne Plato, CPC | Director of Coding at ebix In a previous newsletter, we looked at billing rules for locum tenens physicians. Now let’s look at the billing basics for Nurse Practitioners (NP), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) and Physician’s Assistants (PA). NPs, CNSs and PAs may apply for individual provider numbers for direct billing purposes.  All covered services rendered may be billed using the advanced practitioner’s direct provider number. The categories of third-party payers who may reimburse for NP/PA services are: Medicare Medicaid Commercial indemnity insurers Commercial managed care organizations Each of these categories of payers and each of (...)

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Client Resources

10 Reasons Physicians Choose One Position over Another

As the physician shortage intensifies, you need every competitive edge in attracting high-quality candidates. Understanding their mindset is essential. Based on our many years of experience connecting healthcare facilities with the candidates who fit best, here are the top 10 reasons physicians choose one position over another. Being employed vs. joining a practice.With so many practices being absorbed by hospitals, candidates are now more open to an “employed” position with a hospital. They want to avoid the uncertainty and upheaval of a takeover in a private practice. Loan repayment assistance.  With individual medical debts as high as $200,000, any help (...)

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Client Resources, Letter from the President

4 Areas to Improve Retention

With all the competition for high-quality physicians right now, retention programs are increasingly important. It pays to be creative and committed in encouraging the hard work of your best physicians. Here are four areas where you can be more effective in your physician retention program. Networking opportunities Social events targeted at connecting physicians with their colleagues, patients or community. Physician-friendly scheduling Aim for consistency and stability. Ensure appropriate amount of time off. Offer flexibility to participate in conferences, teach or work on special projects. Professional development support Cover memberships, conference attendance, certification programs, etc. Pay for performance Closely connect salary (...)

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Client Resources

Inside Supplemental Staffing, a Unique LT Alternative

Two major healthcare facilities in Northern Wisconsin were having difficulty locating high-quality radiologists. As a stopgap while they searched for permanent staff, they contracted with several locum tenens firms. In the process, Concorde created a whole new approach to the problem. We call it Supplemental Staffing. While the other firms were simply filling positions with whoever was available, we began to develop Supplemental Staffing, a more custom staffing method involving a consistent pool of talented physicians proven to be a good fit with the client’s culture. The new approach delivers a staff that’s more fully integrated into an organization. The (...)

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Client Resources

The Truth behind Physician Turnover

Can your organization afford to lose more physicians? With the physician shortage intensifying, it’s never been more important to address turnover challenges. And as the liaison between physicians and healthcare organizations, Concorde knows the secrets behind this critical issue. To improve retention, first you need a better handle on why turnover happens. Here are the top six reasons we hear for physicians moving on: Lack of the right physician mix.Large metro areas sometimes have too many physicians in certain specialties, making it difficult to make a living. Smaller areas tend to have too few physicians, leading to burnout and on-call (...)

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Client Resources, Letter from the President

Know Your Medicare Billing Rules for Locum Tenens

Authored by: Jean Kaiser, Regional Sales Executive, ebix Inc. Thinking of taking some time off? If you’re a physician who wants to continue billing Medicare Part B for services rendered by a locum tenens substitute, there are certain rules you need to know. Two Medicare Paperwork Musts Here are the two items you must keep in mind when billing Medicare for services performed by a locum tenens physician. List in item 24d modifier – Q6 (services finished by a locum tenens physician) after the procedure code. In item 33a, enter the National Provider Identifier (NPI) for whom the substitute physician (...)

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Client Resources

The Importance of Proper Charting and Dictation

With so many hospitals running on tight margins, the need to capture revenue wherever possible has never been greater. Few practices have the potential to drive greater revenue than timely, rigorous and consistent physician charting and dictation. These skills should never be overlooked in your recruiting and training efforts. Many organizations rank their physicians by their attention to detail in recommending and tracking healthcare services for patients. They look for careful notation of every conversation, prescription and piece of advice given, because such vigilant recordkeeping helps ensure they’re seizing every opportunity to both drive revenue and provide better care. Interested (...)

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Client Resources

Right Sized for the Right Fit

How We Bring You Better Candidates. Concorde Staff Source isn’t a giant global firm. We aren’t a mom-and-pop shop, either. And we like it that way—because our firm’s medium size plays a key role in our commitment to finding just the right candidates for your needs. The largest healthcare staffing firms typically have enormous pools of candidates, trying to be all things to all organizations, all the time. They may be able to quickly find a physician for your open position. But quickness isn’t your only concern. You need to make sure you find the right fit with a candidate, (...)

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Client Resources, Letter from the President

Reduce Costs, Losses, and Risks during the Recession with Locum Tenens

A few years ago, officials at Western Maryland Health System in Cumberland, Md. confronted what has become a common issue in this age of physician shortages. Emergency room on-call requirements were starting to wear down the full-time staff in certain specialties at the system’s two hospitals. “After we lost two urologists to relocation and retirement,” said Dotsy Malone, Western Maryland’s physician recruitment coordinator, “we began to worry that we did not have adequate emergency coverage.” The health system was concerned about turnover, increased malpractice risk, and other potential consequences associated with overburdened employees. So, they sought the help of a (...)

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Client Resources