Top 3 Reasons Physicians Predict a Positive Business Outlook Next Year

Optimism among physicians appears to be growing. The Third Annual Practice Profitability Index (PPI) shows a trend toward a positive business outlook not seen in years past.

The survey of more than 5,000 physicians in 50 states reveals how doctors feel about profitability, financial challenges, and practice performance. Among the findings, the advances U.S. doctors believe will help increase operational performance and financial success in the coming year.

What factors do doctors call “most promising” for operational performance?

Increasing Patient Engagement

22% – Patient engagement programs continue to top the list. Patient portals, disease management for high-risk patients, and related efforts all contribute to this category.

Advances in patient portal capabilities could increase this percentage even more. According to a HIMSS patient engagement and patient portal study, providers are searching for portals that fully engage patients through better e-visits or e-consultations (80% of 5,300+ doctors), interoperability across multiple providers (70%), health evaluation, and coaching (70%), and tele-visits (50%), as reported by Health IT Outcomes.

Expanding with New Partners & Services

22% — (we have a tie!) — also say new alliances with other healthcare professionals will boost operational performance. Mergers, additional of ancillary services and other changes could brighten their financial prognosis.

Urgent care services, physical therapy and dispensing medications from your office are among Medscape’s “9 Ancillary Services that Can Boost Practice Revenue.” Make sure the ancillary service you choose makes sense for your practice, advises Nina Grant, a practice management consultant in California.

Mobile Matters More

19% — Mobile technologies are on the move – jumping up 8% from the second annual PPI – as more physicians likely realize the greater flexibility and efficiencies that come with accessing their practice from anywhere via a phone, tablet, or other mobile devices.

At the same time, the mobile patient monitoring market continues to expand. According to an Ernst & Young report, home monitoring accounts for 38% of the $14.2 billion and growing global market for monitoring devices tracking blood pressure, glucose, EEG, and other vital statistics.

It’s Not More Regulation…

#4 and #5: Find out the next most promising responses, identified by 17% and 16% of physicians.

How Physicians Plan to See More Profitability

We covered ‘the what’ about promising developments. Now let’s take a look at specifically how physicians plan to realize greater profitability in the coming year. The PPI report reveals the major area’s doctors plan to target, which include:

  • Billing and Collection Processes, reported by 40% of physicians
  • Staffing, 34%
  • Technology, 33%
  • Practice performance analytics, 26%
  • Population health management, 24%

Now for a reality check: Despite a positive attitude reported by nearly 1 in 4 physicians, more physicians have a negative or flat outlook on profitability, 31%, and 35% respectively.

You can get the gist of this data-rich annual survey report by viewing the PPI Infographic. You can quickly see what percentages of physicians might sell their practice; their top challenges to profitability; and strategies doctors plan to use to remain profitable.

For three years, CareCloud has partnered with QuantiaMD, an award-winning web and mobile community for physicians, to create the Practice Profitability Index. The PPI serves as a barometer of the state of physician practices and provides insight into physician attitudes for the year ahead.

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