Books published by Medical Group Management Association/Center for Research in Ambulatory Health Care Administration

This book provides a review of each task associated with the Human Resource Management domain in MGMA's Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management, 4th Edition.

Payment reform efforts will be a mainstay of healthcare delivery so long as our societal spending on care is high while our outcomes are inconsistent or middling. To thrive - financially, individually, and collectively as care delivery units - we must be able to demonstrate to ourselves and for others, the value of the outcomes we produce. While it is true that you can't improve what you don't measure, it is also true that you can't act on measurements you don't understand. Every healthcare system, form a single provider office up to a national chain, has to bridge administrative and clinical workflows to create better, more meaningful, outcomes for each patient. Learn to rebuild an organization with tools you already have in your practice now to listen to your patients and create a system to empower patients and staff alike.Create an environment where outcomes are:- measured in a meaningful way- evaluated based on both the patient and the practice's needs- acted upon to strengthen both the practice's community and bottom line.Dr. Walsh utilizes extensive clinical, business, and academic experience to demonstrate a proven methodology to identify and measure what matters most to patients. Learn to:- capture the data that matters to patients- create data governance and oversight structures- employ new cost-allocation techniques- evaluate the effectiveness of varied transformation techniques- implement shared decision-making- improve the patient experience with all levels of the practiceHere is the roadmap to identifying actionable strategies and effective improvement activities to engage your patients and align your people so your organization can navigate toward value-based outcomes and thrive.

This book dives deeply into the key challenges and opportunities of value-based care. Explore how to use your core values and strengths to transform your practice. Answer critical questions like where to start, where the finish line is, and what happens along the way. You will gain the insight needed to deliver a better patient experience, while improving health and lowering the cost of care. Learn to:- Support your practice's transformation by understanding the leadership skills needed in value-based incentive programs- Evaluate what already exists in your practice and what needs to change to positively demonstrate outcomes- Assess key elements to assess when considering options for participating in programs with alternative payment models- Examine how the organization of teams can deliver better patient experience and higher staff satisfaction- Determine how to create a high-functioning team based on each person's strengths- Maximize team member potential and improve retentionGather information about how to prepare for, and maximize, your participation in value-based payment models. Learn to create the foundation for alternative payment models and understand how to structure your practice to succeed in value-based care, while avoiding penalties or exclusions from networks. Gain insights about managed care and find the right solutions to implement in your practice.

We are what we think all day long. At least that's what Ralph Waldo Emerson said. If that is true, then you should really stop and ask yourself, "What am I thinking about right now?" And if you take a moment to really do that, then the title of this book will make sense to you. So often, we simply react to what is going on around us, and while we do "think" when we react, we often do not "critically think," because if we did, we would respond and not react. When I was in the Navy, I was taught to "work the problem," which meant to stop, look around, use whatever tools were available and figure out a solution. In fact, that's pretty much what I do today; I am a problem solver. I find solutions to problems that are oftentimes complex and illusive, and I often do it by just standing there -- taking a breath, looking at the information that is available to me and then making the best decision possible. Does it always work out the way I would like? Nope. But the outcome is positive a whole lot more often than it is negative, and that's because I have reduced the uncertainty around the problem.The purpose of this book is to show you how to reduce the uncertainty around the decisions you make, thereby increasing the likelihood of a positive outcome. The way to do this is to understand the process of critical thinking and evidence-based practice. Being an evidence-based thinker means being able to wade through the masses of information and data and bring to the table something that we can use to make better decisions. And evidence-based decisions will more often than not result in positive management outcomes. So, welcome to my world. And remember, don't do something, just stand there.

Forget everything you've learned in any "statistics" courses you've ever attended. This groundbreaking book will introduce a "mind set," not a "tool set" to effectively utilize data to improve your practice.