Finance

Money dysmorphia: the new financial disorder affecting millions

Finance

August 18, 2024

A new, concerning trend in society has emerged online and across social media: money dysmorphia. It’s the latest version of the comparison trap and aims to describe a distorted view of one’s financial situation and how one is doing financially.

What is money dysmorphia?

Money dysmorphia is a psychological condition where individuals have distorted perceptions of their financial status, often leading to unhealthy behaviors and attitudes toward money. Similar to body dysmorphia, …

How physicians can learn to love their private medical practice

Curtis G. Graham, MD

Finance

August 15, 2024

Having an ambitious understanding that small private medical practice businesses are the “belt and suspenders” that enable your medical career to approach your elite expectations for your medical career success is only part of your drive toward an illustrious medical career.

Your medical training, knowledge, and skills are how you grow, expand, maintain, and earn income. Physicians have struggled for decades to weave these two pillars into a highly functional, well-oiled, …

How physicians can find true happiness beyond wealth

W. Ben Utley, CFP

Finance

July 29, 2024

Most physicians step into their careers already burdened with over $200,000 in student debt, no assets to speak of, and a nagging feeling that they’re way behind. If you’re the primary breadwinner in your family, this pressure can be even more intense. Interestingly, most doctors didn’t pursue medicine for the paycheck. But once that MD is proudly displayed after their name, they are thrust into a relentless sprint to catch …

2024 MGMA DataDive: Unveiling key trends in physician compensation

Contract Diagnostics

Finance

July 22, 2024

The wait is over! The highly anticipated 2024 MGMA DataDive, a federally recognized gold standard for physician compensation data, has finally arrived. This comprehensive analysis offers unparalleled insights into physician and advanced practice provider (APP) compensation, making it a crucial resource for staying informed in today’s health care landscape. While some may consider it the current “gold standard,” it is essential to remember that even the best data sets can …

A case study: How group negotiations led to better contracts for interventional radiologists

Contract Diagnostics

Finance

July 17, 2024

The group’s story: facts and dynamics

This unique group of three interventional radiologists, each making a substantial income, found themselves in a situation where their compensation was not commensurate with their contributions. Their pay structure had not been updated in eight years. According to our analysis, each was making good money, but the pay was not fair (over $700k) by market standards. They were paid on a 1099 basis, paid their …

Optimizing operations at doctors’ offices: the power of asset tracking

Rex Kurzius

Finance

July 15, 2024

In the fast-paced environment of a doctor’s office, accuracy and operational effectiveness are paramount. Often bustling with activity, meticulous office coordination is needed to guarantee that every aspect runs smoothly. From managing patient records to ensuring the availability of medical equipment, the daily operations of health care facilities hinge on the seamless integration of various components. Every piece of equipment, every supply, and every record needs to be in the …

A group of 4 successful surgeons negotiate better contracts: a case study

Contract Diagnostics

Finance

July 9, 2024

How can a group of dedicated general surgeons transform their compensation and work conditions in six months? Here’s their story.

The group’s story: facts and dynamics

Four general surgeons, one NP, and one PA for a specific physician have been practicing at a small community hospital with three ancillary facilities in the Northeast for many years. The group and staffing have been dependable, without turnover, for the past three years. Three physicians …

Why physicians should consider investing in residential assisted living homes

Alex Schloe, MD

Finance

July 3, 2024

As a physician, you are accustomed to thinking about the future and planning for the well-being of your patients. However, have you considered applying the same foresight to your financial future? Investing in residential assisted living (RAL) homes is an opportunity that offers both financial security and the chance to make a meaningful impact on the lives of seniors. Here’s why RAL homes are an excellent investment now and for …

The tiniest ray of hope for reasonable physician compensation?

Dennis Hursh, Esq

Finance

June 22, 2024

When you have been reviewing physician employment agreements for nearly four decades, you tend to get a little jaded about the possibility of ever seeing reasonable compensation for physicians. Although I am continually preaching to the choir about the need for reasonable physician compensation, I rarely see something that gives me encouragement that physicians may someday be paid appropriately for everything they do.

However, recently I have reviewed several agreements titled …

Integrating clinical expertise with business acumen for private practice success

Grace Torres-Hodges, DPM, MBA

Finance

June 17, 2024

I often find that many doctors come to me with doubts and are grappling with the idea that they don’t know how to manage the business aspects of their private practice. However, in working with them, most come to the realization that the truth is that the skills required to run a successful medical practice are not as foreign as they may think. In fact, they are deeply rooted in …

How doctors can use the Augusta Rule to save on taxes

Alexis E. Gallati, MBA

Finance

June 3, 2024

Do you own a home? If so, you have an opportunity to generate tax-free income using the “Augusta Rule.” Named after its original scenario where residents of Augusta, Georgia, rent out their homes during the annual Masters golf tournament, this rule offers a valuable opportunity to earn tax-free income and deductions you don’t have to pay for by renting out your personal residence or vacation home.

Let’s dive into the Augusta …

How physician groups can beat private equity

Nathaniel Arana

Finance

May 22, 2024

As a society, we should all be concerned about the increasing rate at which private equity firms are acquiring physician groups. Over the last decade, private equity firms have invested nearly $1 trillion in approximately 8,000 health care deals, encompassing a wide spectrum of medical services, from fertility clinics to neonatal care, primary care to cardiology, hospices, and everything in between.

The consequence? Health care has shifted towards a profit-driven model …

How rookie doctors crush their first contract

Ethan A. Nkana, JD, MBA

Finance

May 7, 2024

There are few things in a doctor’s life more exciting and overwhelming at the same time than finding your first job out of training and *gulp* negotiating your first employment contract. For many people, not just doctors, talking about how much money you’ll make can feel incredibly uncomfortable. You might feel overwhelmed or anxious about the process, making you want to sign the first contract that’s put in front of …

Should we teach business literacy to medical trainees?

Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD

Finance

May 3, 2024

Today is the day I live for as a hematology/oncology fellowship program director. There are balloons filled on stage, dinner buffet stations brewing in the back of the conference room, and fellows entering with their proud families in tow for the graduation ceremony. On average, our graduating fellows have completed 14 years of education and training since high school and are finally about to enter the workforce as full-fledged oncologists. …

The Change Healthcare hack: a wake-up call for the health care industry

Christopher Habig, MBA

Finance

April 19, 2024

In a recent cybersecurity breach, Change Healthcare, one of the largest health care technology companies in the United States, fell victim to a sophisticated cyber-attack. This incident has sent shockwaves through the health care industry, significantly impacting revenue cycles for numerous health care providers who rely on Change Healthcare’s services for billing, claims processing, and health care operations. The breach has exposed vulnerabilities in traditional health are payment systems and …

The truth about health care startups: financial sacrifices and emotional toll

Varun Verma, MD

Finance

March 23, 2024

The allure of joining a startup as a health care professional is undeniable. With over 70 percent of physicians now employed by health systems and other corporate entities – we often feel like invisible cogs in a machine and feel excluded from any opportunities to contribute to real change. Social media is seemingly filled with success stories of physicians founding or joining startups and being involved in innovation, impact, and …

Reaching the cutting edge of medical practice, and losing it

Curtis G. Graham, MD

Finance

March 18, 2024

Where I stand today regarding my forty years in clinical medical practice forces me to say things that every physician can personally relate to. After all, we old guys frequently languish in dispensing medical advice to our peers. Most of it comes from the heart.

We all adhere to the presumption that the “best doctors” are derived from an inner desire to help people with health care problems while relying on …

Physician employment 2.0: Unveiling the secret world of employment lite

Tod Stillson, MD

Finance

March 8, 2024

Chance meeting

In the fast-paced world of medicine, characterized by long hours, administrative burdens, and burnout, I’d like to share a story about an OB/GYN physician who discovered a path to professional freedom that revolutionized his career. Dr. B.A. had spent almost a decade working as a W-2 employee after finishing his residency. However, just before committing to a new contract with a substantial $500,000 annual salary, he came across an …

Are hospital CEOs overpaid? One lawyer’s skeptical take on executive compensation.

Dennis Hursh, Esq

Finance

February 20, 2024

As somebody who has reviewed physician employment agreements for 40 years or so, I have to admit I am more than a little jaundiced when it comes to the subject of hospital executive compensation. I’m not altogether convinced that one health system CEO really “earned” the $35.5 million he was reported to have been paid in 2021. I’m sure the pandemic was hard on him. Seeing all those physicians exposing …

The medical profession’s silent struggle: Business knowledge matters

Curtis G. Graham, MD

Finance

February 18, 2024

Isn’t it incredible that generations of physicians today still do not know how to make money in a professional business way that is easy to learn, implement, and use?

Aside from the fact that every medical school in our nation over the last century has refused to even tell medical students that they would benefit from business education, you’d think that they had somehow been blinded to the fact that all …

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