THIS MONTH’S ADVISOR IS SONSORED BY…

Grow Your Medical Practice Profitably

Let the PROFIT EXPERTS Show You How

You are busy running your practice. You have patients but also employees – and costs. Many physicians find out too late that adding more billing does not always mean more profit. Our clients have thriving medical practices because they have a profit roadmap. They know how to easily maximize their profits, so they can focus on their patients. My name is Fred Parrish, Author of “The Profit Mentality,” Former Practice Management CFO/COO, Advisor and current CEO of The Profit Experts. My company can help maximize your profitability:

CONSULT: Real world advice, customized for you. For example, determine how the Affordable Care Act will affect your business and what you must do now to safeguard your practice.

ANALYZE: Using our model, identify the profit leaks in your practice. Simply, in just a few minutes, we can

show you areas of concern – and options to fix.

PREDICT: Using historical data and our forecasting tools, run highly accurate “what if” scenarios to determine present and future profit impacts (staff, equipment, facilities, etc.) For example, what’s the financial impact of hiring a PA or adding a new piece of equipment

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Q: I already have accounting software. Great, we’ll need that information into our database. We work “hand and glove” with your current software, giving you tools that complement and enhance your current system. Q: How difficult is the process and how much does it cost? It’s easy. We load your information, conduct the initial consultation, and you see the results immediately. The cost is a fraction of what you’d spend for traditional CFO services, only a few hundred dollars monthly. Q: What’s the ongoing process afterwards? We conduct a joint monthly online consultation with you to do a comparative analysis and review Q: What benefits should I expect long term? Increased profitability and cash flow – of course. But mostly peace of mind by knowing that your decisions are strategic, not reactive. Predictive knowledge that is accurate and highly useful really can maximize your profitability. Just call us at 214-383-0500 or email info@profit-experts.com to schedule a free 15 minute consultation. Stop hoping and guessing about your financial next steps. Profit Experts can show you the way!

MD Preferred Physician Consultant Profiles

Drawing on personal experiences on all sides of health care –as a patient, a

physician, a family caregiver, a business owner and an entrepreneur – Dr.

Vicki Rackner helps health care professionals thrive in the era of ObamaCare.

This former surgeon and nationally noted authority in the doctor-patient relationship helps

clients achieve the personal, professional and financial goals that drew them to a career in

medicine. She offers a bridge between the world of medicine and the world of business.

Dr. Rackner is regular quoted in the national media including CNN, The Wall Street

Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, Reader’s Digest, Bottom Line Health, Woman’s Day, Real Simple

and many others. She has been interviewed on over 100 radio shows, including NPR, Martha Stewart Living

and Health Talk.

The most recent book from this Chicken Soup author is Get More Patients Starting Today. This joins

Caregiving without Regrets, The Personal Health Journal and The Biggest Skeleton in the Medical Closet. Her

most recent book The New Medical Mindset: How Physicians Can Reinvent Themselves and Thrive in the Era

of ObamaCare was released in the spring of 2015.

Dike Drummond MD is a Mayo trained Family Practice Physician with a

unique combination of ground level experience in medicine, coaching and

personal and business development.

Dike’s expertise in personal change was developed through a combination of 11 years as a

family practice doctor and 10 years as a business coach working with physicians and startup

entrepreneurs; he has also developed his own unique, interactive guided imagery practice.

“The burnout epidemic in physicians is a completely predictable result of their medical

training and the generally accepted definition of “success” amongst doctors. AND it is both a preventable and

treatable condition.”

“These days the physicians are often the canary in the coal mine of medicine and that has to change. The most

successful healthcare organizations in the years ahead will be those who take excellent care of their providers

and staff. These hospitals and groups will understand that physician satisfaction is the only true foundation

for consistent patient satisfaction.”

MD Preferred Services invites you to join our LinkedIn group Networking for Healthcare Professionals is all about our members and the healthcare industry coming

together. Share ideas, opinions and industry news. Establish connections with other MDP members and share

your knowledge with the healthcare field. The goal of this group is to establish business to physician relations

as well as physician to physician networking. We also hope that this will become a resource for physicians and

healthcare professionals looking for tools to help them grow in their career or career search and meet their

everyday needs.

https://www.disabilityquotes.com/mdpps.cfm

Physician Burnout Rates Top 50% in latest Mayo Study By Dike Drummond MD, CEO TheHappyMD.com

Highlights:

- Over 50% of US Physicians now suffering at least one symptom of burnout

- Depression and suicidal ideation rates even more concerning

In our work with thousands of over stressed and burned out doctors, it has been clear that burnout rates in the

USA have been rising in the last several years. There is just too much political chaos, marketplace M&A activity

and documentation overload for it to be otherwise.

Finally the research has caught up with our suspicions in the latest version of Mayo's landmark 2011 physician

burnout study. Here is our smoking gun at last.

Sure, burnout rates are up an additional 20% but that is not the most concerning finding.

A link to the original article and full analysis of the results are below

[ Download a PDF of the full study here ] Mayo Clinic Proceedings this month published results of round two of their survey of burnout in physicians compared to burnout in the "normal population". The first round in 2011 was major news across the country and the first study that compared physician burnout rates to those of non-physician workers. The burnout rates are what I expected. The shocker is the number of physicians screening positive for depression and suicidal ideation that no one is reporting on. The headline trends are these

o From 2011 to 2014 physician burnout rates in US physicians increased

o AND the gap between physician burnout rates and burnout rates in the normal population widened The headline stats are these

o 54.4% of physicians admit to at least one symptom of burnout in 2014 up from 45.5% in 2011 – a 19.5%

increase. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to measure burnout in both groups. The physician

burnout symptom that was the most common is emotional exhaustion.

o Burnout in the “normal population” stayed steady over that time period at about 25%. The odds ratio

shows physicians are 1.97 times more likely to suffer from burnout than the normal population

o What failed to gain any attention is that 39% of the physicians screened positive for

depression. I think this slipped under the radar because this rate did not change between the studies.

You have to dig deeper into the report to find this statistic.

o The rate of suicidal ideation among the physicians jumped from 4.0 - 7.2%. That is an 80%

increase. The survey question was about suicidal ideation in the previous year. 7.2% of physicians had

thought about suicide. This is the shocker of the report for me.

o Work Life Balance continues to worsen. When the survey tossed out the sentence, "My work

schedule leaves me enough time for my personal and/or family life" here are the physician numbers who

responded with either “disagree” or “strongly disagree”: 2011 - 37.1% and 2014 - 44.5%. Again, a 20%

increase over 2011. Study Details: Physicians: A database of 94,032 physicians was assembled via the American Medical Association Physician Master File. Physician Burnout surveys were delivered by email in August of 2014 with three reminder emails delivered over the ensuing 6 weeks. 35,922 physicians who opened at least 1 invitation e-mail were considered to have received the invitation to participate in the study. Of those, 6880 or 19.2% filled out the survey. NOTE: This 20% response rate is average is normal for surveys of this type. There is no data on how the non-responding 80% would have filled out the survey. All we know is this population of responders is a statistically valid sample of the larger population with regards to demographics. Normal Population: They surveyed a database of 5392 employed individuals ages 35-65 maintained by the Knowledge Panel whose website is here. www.gfk.com/us/Pages/default.aspx Screening: Both populations were screened for

o Burnout

o Depression and suicidal ideation

o Satisfaction with work-life balance Take home points From my work with thousands of burned out physicians and dozens of the organizations that employ them, here is what I take from the study.

o Physician burnout is bad and getting slowly worse

o The burnout prevalence in YOUR ORGANIZATION is probably right around 50% too - no matter how

much you might wish that were not true. Unless you have a proactive, system-wide burnout prevention

program in place your burnout rate may actually be higher than this.

o It does not have to be this way. Here at TheHappyMD.com we have experience with hundreds of

physicians in all specialties showing that simple changes in awareness and new actions applied over time

can reverse and prevent burnout. There is no rocket science or black box of mystery here. We need to fill in

the holes in our medical education and be actively involved in building a less stressful workplace.

o Suicidal ideation is surprisingly common - THAT is the scary statistic here. This is why we

always recommend a 24/7 physician crisis hotline and a proactive crisis intervention program for all

organizations that employ physicians. This service must be well promoted and highly visible in order to

garner participation from the doctors.

o Despite the constant presence of burnout concerns in the healthcare industry and the exploding popularity

of the topic of physician burnout - effective prevention tools are not being disseminate widely enough to

effect the trend of increasing physician burnout rates.

o We here at TheHappyMD.com have not reached nearly enough doctors yet with our tools to prevent

physician burnout. Not by any means. Here is our Mission.

o This level of physician burnout interferes with our ability to offer quality of care, however that is not my

main concern as a change agent. My concern is this level of burnout makes it extremely

challenging for doctors to pull their heads up and play a meaningful role in the redesign of

the workplace necessary to reverse this trend.

o Continued prevalence studies are meaningless here. Please stop! It is time for action to treat and

prevent physician burnout, rather than continue to run simple studies like this to pad your bibliography.

Sheesh. I wish the academics would do the hard work of measuring effectiveness of

prevention efforts with the same vigor as they complete these simple survey studies. ============ Dike Drummond MD is a family physician and CEO of TheHappyMD.com providing coaching, training and consulting to prevent physician burnout. Find over 117 ways to decrease physician stress and build life balance at www.TheHappyMD.com

Tax Tips for Medical Practitioneres By Sandy Suchoff, CPA Lefstein-Suchoff CPA & Associates, LLC

Well it is that time of year again- tax time! Our firm has a niche in strategic tax planning and preparation, and we cater to the medical practitioner community. Accordingly, we have outlined some of the more important tax strategies we thought would be timely and of interest below. The Section 179 Deduction Limit for 2015 is $500,000. This deduction is good on new and used equipment, as well as off-the-shelf software. This limit is only good for 2015, and the equipment must be financed or purchased and put into service by the end of the day, 12/31/2015. The 2015 Spending Cap on equipment purchases is $2,000,000. This is the maximum amount that can be spent on equipment before the Section 179 Deduction available to your practice begins to be reduced on a dollar for dollar basis. Bonus Depreciation for 2015 is generally taken after the Section 179 Spending Cap is reached. Note however, that the Bonus Depreciation is available for new equipment only. There is also the Disabilities Access Tax Credit. Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act enacted in 1990, employers have been required to make their workplaces accessible to employees and customers with disabilities. You can receive the tax credit for improvements to your business which remove barriers, like making a rest room door wider, and for new or modified equipment or devices to help disabled individuals. You may also be eligible for credit for: interpreters such as the case for a hearing-impaired employee; or means of helping a visually-impaired employee see better; or you may even purchase a special x-ray machine, for example, that meets the criteria for individuals with disabilities. You can take a tax credit for 50 percent of eligible expenditures over $250 up to $10,500 a year. So your tax bill can be reduced by up to $5,000. The tax credit is available only for businesses with gross receipts of $1 million or less, or fewer than 30 employees.

Personal Finance – Tips & Tools Buying vs. Leasing You have completed your medical training and have moved into the world of medicine. You are justifiably proud of your new six figure salary and guaranteed contract. The future is bright and the mountain of medical education debt though imposing is manageable with a little bit of planning. And as a young physician starting

out you are one of the wise ones who has partnered with an experienced financial planner…no rookie mistakes for you. So, it’s time to drive the beater that has served as the family car off the nearest cliff and put yourself and perhaps your spouse behind the wheels of two suitably luxurious vehicles in keeping with your new status. To buy or to lease…that is the question. Well, perhaps not the only question. The case for buying a car is all about equity. At the end of your finance contract or when you are ready to trade for a newer model you have something to show for the monthly car payments. On the other hand the leased vehicle generally comes with little or no down payment, a lower monthly tab and a new vehicle every three years. And maintenance costs are sometimes included. There are a number of economic factors that drive the purchase/lease decision and in today’s economy the odds are stacked very heavily on the lease side. These factors revolve around the used car market and the real verses projected depreciation of a leased vehicle. Because space is limited for this column I’ll keep it simple. Since 2008 the auto industry has been up and down. Sales of new cars have been making a comeback but there is still a shortage of late model used vehicles. And this shortage is expected to extend well into the future. So, come end of lease in three years there is a chance that you will “beat the lease.” You might even have some equity in the vehicle! And as a physician looking at a luxury vehicle the numbers are even more in favor of the lease route. A luxury vehicle’s value is going to dramatically depreciate in the first two years. If you look to trade in three years after a purchase you may actually be underwater. So much for the pride of ownership! And of course there is always the consideration of business use of your vehicle and the resulting write off. But the rules are not as generous as they once were and unless you are a country doctor making house calls in your “company car” you may find it hard to dip in the tax man’s pocket. For the time being, the numbers favor a leased vehicle for both the doctor’s vehicle and the family car. But the economic differential continues to narrow.

Real Estate – Tips & Tools So, you are a physician looking to buy your first house. But like many young physicians you are still recovering from your medical education debt and enforced poverty during that education process. Your free cash flow has allowed you to accumulate only about $18,000 for a down payment. On the plus side let’s say you have a guaranteed employment contract with a base of $225,000 and are on a fast track to partner. To buy or not to buy…and if the decision is “to buy” how much house can you afford and what price range should you be considering. Those are all good questions and this column has limited space. But here are some things to consider.

1. If you have not yet forged a relationship with a trusted financial advisor with whom you have crafted a

detailed financial plan, you should hold off on your decision until you can incorporate any home

purchase with your short and long term financial goals.

2. If you want to know what you can afford, the best person to talk with is a mortgage broker. He or she

will often have an online calculator that can do the math. Look for someone that works with other

doctors and has a lending product crafted specifically for medical professionals.

3. Determining what you can afford is not the same thing as determining what you need. The tendency in

today’s depressed market is to grab for as much house as you can afford. You may well qualify for a

mortgage with a small down payment that will leave you with a $6500 monthly payment. But that is

probably not the best route for a young physician to go.

4. Determine how long you plan to stay in your first house. In all likelihood your compensation and net

worth are going to grow dramatically as your career advances. If you plan to stay in your first home for

less than five years (about average) you can kill two birds with one stone by looking at this first

purchase as an investment. Buy smaller with a 20% minimum down payment and plan on paying off

the mortgage in five years.

5. Turn your first home into an investment property and keep moving upscale every five years until you

arrive at that dream home. Until you are certain that this home is “the one” that you and your family

have dreamed of, view each purchase as an investment.

6. Keep in mind that residential investment property can work for you in more than one way. You don’t

have to become a landlord by renting out a property. You can keep moving up the housing ladder by

selling your current property with owner financing and get a very nice return on your capital.

Final thought: Many young physicians are anxious to reward their spouse with a beautiful home in recognition of the sacrifices they have made to your medical education. But in the absence of a solid financial plan, that move often comes too soon. Before anything else, make sure you have built your six month emergency fund. In your case that should be in the neighborhood of $50,000…and that is the first neighborhood you should be considering come home buying season.

The Recruiter’s Corner Tips and Tools for Today’s Physician Is your resume optimized? – We live in an age that is ruled by the Internet. New applications and software are introduced almost daily. And the field of recruiting is not immune from the march of technology. Medical recruiters are increasingly turning to social media as a candidate source. When they do, they invariably use key words to identify qualified physicians that meet their primary job criteria. With advances in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software, medical recruiters can scan hard copy resumes into their computers so that they can electronically mine multiple documents for key words or skill sets. So prevalent is this technology that many savvy physicians are seeking help from IT experts when designing their CV’s. And the key to optimizing for OCR programs is effective use of key words. As a general rule of thumb, a physician should identify and use approximately 9 key words. These key words should be adapted to the physician’s medical specialty. Think about what your prospective employers are likely looking for in the ideal candidate. These criteria will guide you to the most effective key words. When a computer literate practice manager or in-house medical recruiter sets up their search, they will input key words into their OCR software and use it to evaluate data from multiple sources including the internet, electronically submitted resumes and hard copy CV’s received by snail mail. Today’s physician is well versed in the use of electronic imaging for clinical diagnostic work. Their medical records are now or soon will be electronic. They can write scripts using hand held computers. They conduct consults via encrypted video conferencing. Why should seeking a carrier opportunity be any less sophisticated? Welcome to the brave new world. If your credentials don’t capture the attention of techno-widgets your candidacy may never reach the eyes of a real live medical recruiter.

Healthcare Opportunities

Provided by MedicalMatch.org

Emergency Medicine - Atlanta, GA - EmergiNet You may know Atlanta as the unofficial capital of the South, but there’s more to this city than its southern location. If you make your home in the Peach City, you’ll find an undeniable mix of Southern charm, sophistication and traditions. Atlanta continues its reputation as a transportation hub with the world’s largest airport and easy access to I-75 & I-85. When it comes to Atlanta’s reputation for growth and innovation, health care tops the list as the city’s facilities expand and improve services across the metro area. Serving some of the fastest growing hospitals is EmergiNet. EmergiNet has positions available for BC/BP, EM residency trained physicians for work in hospitals surrounding the Atlanta metropolitan area. We work as a team emphasizing quality emergency care, dedicated

customer service, professional and personal growth. Highlights include: Fee-for-service model having most MD’s starting at around $350k with no ceiling; Profit sharing plan after first year including tax-deferred compensation to supplement 401k(100% vested immediately); Physician-centric practice owned and run by physicians; All facilities located within 30 minute drive from downtown Atlanta. EmergiNet provides a full range of clinical and administrative professional services to the facilities we serve. Our mission is to maximize patient care and facility resources, as well as educate, facilitate and integrate the delivery of health care within the community. We continually seek ways to enhance the level of excellence and quality in the services we provide to our clients. To review this and other opportunities E-mail CV to Neil Trabel, ntrabel@emerginet.com; fax 770-994-4747; or call 770-994-9326, ext. 319. Please visit www.emerginet.com for more information. Diagnostic or Interventional Radiologist – Providence, RI A great opportunity for Diagnostic or Interventional Radiologists to join a well-established Imaging Network in Providence, Rhode Island. The group is open to a Diagnostic; Interventional or any other subspecialty you possess. Excellent compensation offered along with generous benefits. In addition, there would be an opportunity to teach and or do research, if desired. One year to partnership for an experienced Radiologist and Two years for a new grad. There is no buy-in…! 1:6 call. Providence has a lot to offer and is just under 45 minutes to Boston. OBGYN – Indiana Exceptional opportunity to join a busy, vibrant team Call 1:6. State of the art Medical Center. Very competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits including Educational Loan Assistance, Signing Bonus, Paid Malpractice, Paid CME, Relocation, and much more. This city offers excellent public and private schools, University/Colleges and airport. Enjoy an abundance of cultural and recreational activities including water sports, low tax base, safe neighborhoods, low cost of living, and more. Enjoy an exceptional quality of life. Indiana is among the top 3 places in the nation in which to practice medicine due to its favorable malpractice climate. (Medical Economics)

Family Practice – Greenville, IL Greenville Regional Hospital, a 42-bed full-service hospital located in Greenville, Illinois, is seeking a BC/BE Family Medicine Physician to join their team. The ideal candidate will be interested in performing the full range of Family Medicine, have the ability and desire to build long-lasting relationships with patients and be a part of the community. Greenville Regional Hospital is hospital employed, outpatient only; competitive salary with productivity bonuses; relocation reimbursement and sign-on bonus offered; student loan repayment options; full benefits package including malpractice and tail coverage; rural background or preference for rural medicine is a plus. Greenville, Illinois is located approximately 45 minutes east of St. Louis, Missouri. The home of Greenville College, Greenville is a modern small town that offers solid, Midwestern values and an intellectual feel. The community is close to a major metropolitan area and access to cultural events, shopping, sports and other amenities, yet its residents are able to embrace the advantages of a rural setting with a lack of congestion, pollution and crime. Family Practice – Illinois Excellent opportunity to join a very busy practice adding to their team due to continued growth. State of the art, award winning health system. Very competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits including flexible insurance plan, generous vacation, flexible retirement plan, relocation, Academic appointment available, and much more. Located in a vibrant city with excellent public and private schools and numerous cultural and recreational activities. Easy access to Chicago. Primary Care – Cincinnati, OH Primary Care Cincinnati, Ohio One of the top integrated health systems in Greater Cincinnati is seeking physicians trained in Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics or Occupational Medicine to practice in one or more of their facilities. These physicians will staff a Priority Care facility for internal primary care patients, as well as community urgent care illnesses. Employed opportunities located in Cincinnati, Ohio Full-time and part-time positions are available No inpatient or call responsibilities Flexible 2015 start dates New state of the art facilities with fully equipped lab and x-ray services Complete benefit package with malpractice, long term disability, medical/dental coverage, relocation, retirement plan

with matching employer funding. Competitive guaranteed base with bonus incentives Weekend and holiday pay differential. To learn more, contact Arleen Richardson arleen.richardson@rmmedicalsearch.com Job #21463 Dermatology – Quincy, Illinois Blessing Hospital is seeking a Dermatologist for a full-time employed position with Blessing Physician Services in Quincy, IL. Must be Board Certified or Board Eligible in Dermatology. The candidate must have a solid work ethic and dedication to providing comprehensive healthcare to patients and their families. The ideal candidate will strive to become an active member of the community, as well as uphold the core values of the hospital.