Table of Contents

Preface -

I. Setting Up Your Medical Practice

Chapter 1: Finding the Right Location -
Locating Your Practice
Office Space
Negotiating the Lease

Chapter 2: Creating Your Practice -
Writing a Business Plan
New Options in Medicine
Structuring Your Practice
Sole Practitioners
Partnerships
Limited Liability Partnerships
Corporations
LLC or Subchapter S Corporations
Firm Agreements

Chapter 3: Business Formation Fundamentals -
Important Preliminaries

Chapter 4: Office Design, Layout, and Furnishings -
Work Space Planning
Doctor's Office Checklist
The Waiting Room
Basic Waiting Area Checklist
Support Staff Area
Common Spaces
Employee Lounge Checklist
Filing Systems
Décor
Maintaining the Office

Chapter 5: Equipment -
To Buy, Lease, or Rent
Basic Office Equipment Checklist
Examination Room and Lab Supplies Checklist
Office Supplies Checklist
Supply Inventory Form
Telephones
Communications Checklist
Telephone Intake Form
Telephone Log Sheet
Gearing Up: Computer Hardware and Software
Day-to-Day Operations
Electronic Health Records
Computer Discussion and Planning Checklist

Chapter 6: Personnel -
Civil Rights
Work Safety and Fairness
Medical Office Personnel
Who to Hire
The Interview
Policies and Procedures
Policy Manual Checklist
Procedures Manual Checklist

Chapter 7: Outside Support Services -
Finding Trustworthy Consultants
Business Managers
Accountants
Banks
Insurance
Insurance Checklist

Chapter 8: Your Medical Library -
Getting Books
The Electronic Medical Library
Essential Medical Library Starters
Medical Library Checklist

Chapter 9: Financing -
Raising Capital
Debt Management
Budget
Cash Flow

II. Managing Your Medical Practice

Chapter 10: The Organized Office -
Indexing
Setting Up the Charts and Files
Office Management Forms
Sample Symptom Diary
Patient Transfer Form
Missed Appointment Notice
Referral Acknowledgment
Administration

Chapter 11: Fees, Billing, and Collections -
Establishing a Fee Structure
In-House Billing
Outsource Billing
Overdue Payments
Delinquent Accounts
Unpaid Bill Letter
Skippers
Collection Agencies

Chapter 12: Ethics -
Ethical Rules
Ethics and Personnel
Unauthorized Practice of Medicine
Doctor Relations with the Public
Sex in the Workplace
Doctor/Patient Fee Disputes
Conflicts of Interest
Terminating a Patient
Patient Termination Letter

Chapter 13: Marketing Your Practice -
Building a Base
Advertising
Keeping Patients

III. Personal Considerations

Chapter 14: Medical-Legal Issues -
The Physician/Patient Relationship
Physician/Patient Communications and Privileges
The Patient's Privacy Rights
HIPAA
Informed Consent
Advance Directives
The Physician as Witness
Professional Liability
Anatomy of a Professional Liability Trial Chart
Anatomy of a Professional Liability Trial
Mediation
Arbitration
ADR Training for Physicians

Chapter 15: Preventing Malpractice Suits -
Confronting the Unexpected Outcome
The Healing Value of "I'm Sorry"
Clear Communications for Healthy Outcomes
Managing Risk and Reducing Liability
Checklist for Developing a Risk Management Policy
Additional Suggestions for Risk Management
Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire
Checklist for Conducting Meetings
Medical Board Comments for Physicians
Avoiding Common Medical Practice Mistakes

Chapter 16: Prescription for the Doctor -
Diagnosing the Doctor
The Stressed Physician
Burnout Assessment and Reduction
Spirituality
Healing...and Staying Healthy

Chapter 17: A Perspective from Experience -
Closing Comments

Appendix: Resources -
Index -
About the Authors

About the Author

Judge William Huss is a full-time mediator and arbitrator, overseeing individual, institutional, and corporate cases. Verdict Magazine named him a Master Mediator. Judge Huss was on the Los Angeles Superior Court, presiding over both civil and criminal trials. He also served on the Los Angeles Superior Court Executive Committee and was the Chair of the Education Subcommittee.

He is cofounder of an alternative dispute resolution company and served as its president from 1996 to 2001. He has successfully conducted over 2,800 mediations on the subjects of construction, business, employment, insurance, bad faith, personal injury, eminent domain, malpractice, real estate, homeowners association, and many others.

Judge Huss received his JD degree from the University of Southern California School of Law. As a captain in the United States Naval Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps, he specialized in the law of war. He founded a law firm in downtown Los Angeles, and he is now of counsel to the firm. Having been an associate and partner in small, medium, and large firms, as well as founding one himself, Judge Huss is well qualified to share insights and experiences that will benefit professionals who want to start a firm themselves.

Judge Huss is a coauthor with Marlene Coleman, M.D. of Homeowners Association and You; The Ultimate Guide to Harmonious Community Living and the author of Start Your Own Law Practice, and the audiotape, "Winning Ways in Court."

Dr. Marlene Coleman is a board-certified Pediatrician practicing in Newport Beach, California for over twenty-five years. Her subspecialty is in travel and adolescent medicine. She was honored as one of the Top Pediatricians in American for 2004–2005.

Dr. Coleman received her MD degree from the University of California at Irvis School of Medicine and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), where for over fifteen years she taught freshman medical students "Introduction to Clinical Medicine" and produced the audio tape, "Enjoying Your Practice of Medicine." She is also an attending physician at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), employing her skills toward keeping students healthy as they study, lecture, and travel all over the world.

She serves on the Board of Trustees and Quality Review Board for the Cooperative of American Physicians/Mutual Protection Trust, a medical malpractice cooperative. As a Captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve Medical Corps, Dr. Coleman served in Washington, D.C., at the Navy Annex to the Pentagon.

She is the author of many articles and two books, Safe and Sound, Healthy Travel with Children, and a coauthor with Judge William Huss of Homeowners Associations and You; The Ultimate Guide to Harmonious Community Living.

Dr. Coleman's broad experience in medicine and medical liability management enables her to give a great deal of insight to those starting their practice.