During the interview process there questions you should be asking yourself and your perspective practice. I have put together a list of these questions and thoughts for your consideration. Could be food for thought!
Practice:
Who’s in the group? Specialties covered?
What will be my role?
What direction is the practice going? Growth, EMR, PACS etc
Patient Make-up?
Demographics (geriatrics, athletes, work comp)
Payer mix (% managed care, fee for service, uninsured, work comp, medicaid)
How will I get my patients? What is the referral base (Drs, size)
Is anything currently being sent elsewhere?
Average patient wait for appointment?
Medical Practice:
Number of pts/year, cases/ year?
Daily schedule, OR, office, # of patients seen?
Types of procedures?
Peer review? Grand Rounds? Lectures? Affiliations?
PT, medical consults, EMG, chronic pain, braces, MRI, Surgery center, sports coverage, implants?
Practice Finance:
Expenses shared between the group? Overhead %? Call coverage reimbursement?
Net income (after expenses) shared? % per productivity or shared equally? What is production? (Fees, xrays, etc)
How is your contribution configured in over first few years? Is it pro-rated for certain patients (managed care, medicare/caid)
Business Management:
Ownership of group? Wholly or partly owned subsidy of?
Assets of the group: Lease, rent, debt, buy in?
Business manager background: Member of practice management assoc.?
Quality assurance measures? Who’s responsible?
Staff (barren vs. lean vs cushy)
Billing and coding? Outsourced? Accounts receivable @ 90 or 120?
Who makes decisions for the group? Unity within the group?
Timing of Partnership:
Criteria? Voting vs financial; interim evaluations?
Buy in? Fixed assets, good will, accounts receivable? How long do I pay?
Option of partial partnership in additional holdings of the practice:
Production bonuses? What is included in production? (Xrays etc)
Salary/ Benefits:
Salary, number of years, Production, incentives
Malpractice insurance? How much, claims made (occurance) vs tail, (who pays if I leave/ fired)
Medical/ Dental, Disability, RX plan
Student loan repayment
Perks: car, phone, signing bonus, CME etc
Profit sharing, Pension plan
Relocation expenses – moving, licensing, househunting trips etc
Call:
Who takes call and how is it divided?
Shared with other groups?
Are labs/ xrays accessible from home?
Vacation:
How much? Does it increase with time?
Do I have to ask permission?
CME time and reimbursement
Hospitals:
Size, draw, any recent changes
Administration, facilities
How is OR time allotted? Instruments, equipment, staff, implants?
Ancillary services:
Cast tech, PA, Nurses
Ortho community:
Saturated? How much competition? Retiring? What specialties covered?
References of Group:
How is the group perceived/ respected?
Any Malpractice cases against?
Has anyone left the group? Why?
Get references for: hospital admin, nursing, OR, local MD’s, former partners.
Community:
Local cities, how expensive, homes, schools,
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