Author: LBodnarchuk

How Dental Practices Can Achieve Workflow Optimization

Effective communication keeps dental practice workflows running smoothly, from the front desk to the operatories and waiting rooms. Communicating and sharing data across teams and devices allows practitioners to provide empathetic and optimized patient experiences.

Dental practices have various options for digitizing and optimizing equipment. Achieving dental practice workflow optimization through design thinking and emerging technology will boost productivity and enhance the overall quality of patient care. Let’s explore dental practice management and strategies for improving front and back-office workflows.

Understanding Dental Practice Workflow

A dental practice must consistently deliver excellent oral healthcare services to patients. An efficient workflow organizes and streamlines these processes, allowing for a smooth patient stream, shorter wait times and effective coordination among staff.

Dental practice workflows include tasks such as:

  • Scheduling appointments
  • Checking-in patients
  • Collecting medical history
  • Performing examinations and treatments
  • Facilitating proper follow-up care
  • Managing insurance and patient collections

A well-designed dental practice workflow addresses potential bottlenecks, reducing errors and improving communication. The three areas that often experience slowdowns are the reception areas, sterilization rooms and operatories. Paperwork, non-digital impressions and inaccessible online information throughout the dental practice are the primary culprits.

Here are other obstruction causes.

  • Schedule Utilization: Overbooking and downtime could mean your scheduling needs improving.
  • Time management: Dental practices need to account for the time it takes to discuss treatments and insurance with patients on top of the time required to diagnose, anesthetize or treat. . A lack of time management can increase patient wait times and general practice availability.
  • Practice resourcing: Dental practitioners and staff are in high demand. Many offices struggle to properly staff their practices on a regular basis, which creates challenges efficiently managing full schedules.

While bottlenecks can occur anywhere and anytime, regardless of planning, digital workflow optimization strategies can streamline and automate some processes, opening more opportunities for your practice.

The Importance of Design Thinking and Emerging Technology in Dental Practices

Workflow optimization involves improving effectiveness. The goal is to create a more efficient environment, allowing dental professionals to provide high-quality, timely care while ensuring a positive patient experience. Streamlining processes may include coordinating tasks better among dental staff, but it often involves implementing emerging technologies and digital systems with design thinking.

Create a more efficient dental practice environment

Design thinking is a creative problem-solving approach focused on understanding people’s needs and finding practical solutions, which are especially applicable to those providing patient-centered healthcare services. It involves compassion, experimentation and collaboration to develop innovative solutions to various workflow challenges. 

Technology use has increased among healthcare providers and dental practices worldwide. In 1984, only 11% of dental practices in the United States used computers. Today, teledentistry is equally as effective as in-person consultations for diagnoses and assessments.

Here are other time-saving technology examples that have improved dental practice workflow.

  • Digital radiography: Digital X-ray systems instantly produce high-quality images for diagnostic purposes, allowing dental professionals to save, send and view the images from nearly any device.
  • Electronic health records: Digital patient record management systems streamline documentation and give different healthcare providers easy access to patient information when needed.
  • Intraoral cameras: Small handheld cameras capture detailed images of patients’ oral cavities and dentition, aiding in diagnosis and treatment planning without sending dental impressions to a lab.
  • CAD/CAM technology: Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing systems allow you to create same-day dental restorations like crowns and veneers, eliminating the need for multiple appointments and temporary fixes.
  • Communication tools: Secure messaging and teleconferencing platforms allow efficient communication among dental team members, specialists and patients.
  • Management software: Dental practice management software helps with appointment scheduling, billing, inventory management, patient communication and overall organization. The ideal solution is to have one platform that can handle everything in the same place without switching between different devices or programs.
  • Automated appointment reminders: Some tools can automatically send reminders to patients via text messages or email, reducing no-shows and optimizing appointment scheduling.

How to Use Design Thinking and Emerging Technology in Your Dental Practice

Using manual processes will limit your productivity, overwhelm your team and prevent you from having a competitive edge. To achieve workflow optimization with emerging technology, you can introduce new software and processes by following these steps.

  1. Identify workflow challenges: Start by analyzing your existing workflows and finding areas for improvement. This step may involve studying your patients’ experience, appointment booking system, treatment planning and revenue cycle management.
  2. Involve your dental team: Gather your team’s input and insights regarding their workflow challenges. Their firsthand experience and expertise can provide valuable insights into areas that require optimization and improvement.
  3. Map your current workflow: Create a visual representation of the existing workflow to understand the sequence of steps, handoffs between team members and the potential bottlenecks.
  4. Identify opportunities for improvement: Analyze your mapped workflow to identify where you can enhance your efficiency, eliminate redundancies and automate manual tasks. Look for opportunities to standardize processes, reduce paperwork and leverage technology solutions to streamline your operations.
  5. Find solutions to implement: Effect technology that can automate tasks, improve communication and centralize all your information.
  6. Redesign your workflow: Remodel the workflow based on the areas of improvement and technology solutions you found. Determine the best task sequence and handoffs between team members and incorporate tech that will enhance these tasks’ efficiency.
  7. Implement and test: Apply the redesigned workflow in phases, starting with specific processes or a pilot group. Train your team to ensure they are comfortable with the changes. 
  8. Continuous evaluation and improvement: Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the new workflow and gather feedback from the team. Identify any issues or areas that require further refinement and make necessary adjustments. 

Optimize Your Dental Practice with ProspHire

Workflow optimization is a continuous process. Thus, you should always seek ways to improve and adapt to meet changing needs. It requires a strategic approach that combines design thinking principles with emerging technology. When you partner with ProspHire, we work with you and your dental team to identify challenges and opportunities to create a more efficient, patient-centered and productive environment.

To learn more about our dental practice management services, contact us by filling out our online form or giving us a call.

Optimize Your Dental Practice with ProspHire

Strategic Framework for Success in Stars Program Health Equity Index

In the ever-evolving landscape of the Medicare Stars program, the introduction of the Health Equity Index (HEI) in the CMS Final Rule of 2023 marks a pivotal moment in shaping the future of Medicare Advantage plans. Set to become a key determinant in Star Ratings from 2027 onward, the HEI presents a groundbreaking shift in focus—prioritizing health equity, recognizing social risk factors (SRFs) and urging plans to better serve underserved populations. 

HEI Objectives, Considerations, Timeline

As the industry prepares for this transformative change, ProspHire is at the forefront, introducing a comprehensive strategic framework for success. Comprising four essential pillars—Data and Analytics, Benefit Design, Member and Provider Engagement and Community Partnership—our approach is designed to empower health plans in navigating the nuances of the HEI landscape. We dive into the intricacies of the Health Equity Index, unraveling its objectives to enhance health equity, incentivize improved care for underserved communities and foster growth for plans aiming to extend their reach. Health plans must put focus on these four pillars to establish a strong foundation.

To access the key activities in ProspHire’s health equity strategic pillars please provide the information below and click on download now. 

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Digital devices, IoT, ICT

The Importance of System Integration in Healthcare

Have you ever felt like navigating the intricate web of healthcare systems is becoming more challenging by the day? You’re not alone. In the ever-evolving landscape of integrated health systems, system integration is a game-changer. It holds the key to streamlining operations, improving patient safety and unleashing the power of data-driven decision making.

What Is System Integration in Healthcare?

When we talk about system integration in healthcare, we’re referring to connecting and harmonizing the different software applications, platforms and systems you rely on.

Picture this — you have one system for patient records, another for lab results and another for billing. They all do their jobs independently, but what if they could work in harmony? That’s where system integration comes into play.

Why Is System Integration in Healthcare Important?

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of system integration in healthcare. In today’s complex, high-tech landscape, integrated health systems have become a necessity rather than a luxury. Why? It all boils down to efficiency and effectiveness. When different software applications and systems operate in isolation, healthcare organizations face multiple challenges. Fragmented systems mean segregated data, workflows and decision-making. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces.

System integration fills those gaps and creates a seamless information flow. By connecting various systems and enabling them to communicate and collaborate, healthcare organizations can achieve streamlined processes, improved operational efficiency and enhanced patient care and satisfaction.

Imagine a world where data flows effortlessly across departments, healthcare providers have access to complete and accurate patient information at their fingertips and team members make timely decisions based on comprehensive insights. That’s the power of system integration in action.

Additionally, system integration paves the way for innovation with the increasing emphasis on interoperability and data-driven healthcare. It sets the foundation for advanced analytics, personalized medicine and improved patient outcomes.

In a nutshell, healthcare system integration can break down barriers, create synergies and unlock the full potential of integrated health systems.

How System Integration Benefits Providers

Let’s dive into how system integration in healthcare can make healthcare delivery easier and healthcare organizations more efficient.

Enhances Convenience

First, system integration brings a world of convenience to the table. Instead of toggling among multiple systems and applications and struggling with different interfaces and logins, you have one cohesive platform consolidating all the necessary information.

It’s time to stop wasting time and mental energy trying to navigate a maze of disjointed systems. With system integration, you have a streamlined workflow that allows you to focus on what matters most — providing quality care to your patients.

Improves Accuracy and Accessibility

Access patient records to enable you to make more informed and astute decisions

Another critical benefit of system integration is the improved accuracy and accessibility of patient information. Integrated systems consolidate patient data into a single, comprehensive record so there’s no more hunting down information scattered across various platforms.

You can easily access complete and up-to-date patient records, enabling healthcare professionals to make more informed and astute decisions. Whether it’s reviewing medical history, tracking test results or coordinating care, having all the necessary information at your fingertips is a game-changer for quality care and patient satisfaction.

Fosters Collaboration

Don’t forget about the power of collaboration. Integrated health systems enable seamless communication and information exchange among healthcare providers and health plans. With system integration, you can easily share data, consult with specialists and coordinate care plans. This collaboration improves the efficiency of healthcare delivery and treatment plans and enhances the quality of patient outcomes.

Creates Data-Driven Decision-Making

Moreover, system integration opens doors to data-driven decision-making. Integrated systems let users collect and analyze vast amounts of data, giving you valuable insights into trends, patterns and outcomes.

You can leverage this information to identify best practices, optimize treatment plans and predict potential health risks. Harnessing the power of data allows you to deliver more personalized and targeted care to your patients, ultimately improving overall patient health and well-being.

In a nutshell, system integration empowers healthcare providers to deliver high-quality primary care more efficiently and effectively.

How System Integration Benefits Patients

System integration isn’t only about simplifying processes for providers or payers — it also benefits patients. Let’s explore how integrated health systems positively impact patient care and outcomes.

Enhances Patient Experience

Firstly, system integration enhances the overall patient experience. Imagine having to repeat your medical history, tests and medications every time you visit a different provider or facility. It can be frustrating, time-consuming and potentially risky if critical information falls through the cracks.

However, with system integration, patients can enjoy a seamless journey across the healthcare continuum. Integrated health systems consolidate patient records, ensuring all relevant information is readily available. They eliminate the need for repetitive paperwork and enable health professionals to provide personalized and efficient patient care.

Improves Safety

One significant advantage of system integration for patients is improved safety. Integrated health systems minimize the risk of errors, such as incorrect medication prescriptions or missed interactions. When all healthcare providers have access to a patient’s comprehensive medical history, including allergies, existing conditions and previous treatments, it enables them to make well-informed decisions and avoid potential pitfalls.

Integrated systems act as a safety net, providing patients with optimal treatments and interventions, reducing adverse events and enhancing overall safety while emphasizing on keeping patient information safe.

Promotes Continuity of Care

With system integration, healthcare providers can easily share information, coordinate treatment plans and follow up on patient progress. This seamless information prevents gaps in care and reduces the chances of missing crucial details.

Patients can enjoy a smooth transition among healthcare settings, knowing that their providers are well-informed and working together toward their well-being.

Facilitates Data-Driven Healthcare

Integrated health systems facilitate large-scale patient data analysis. By leveraging this wealth of information, healthcare providers can identify trends, predict potential health risks and personalize treatment plans.

This data-driven approach ensures patients receive tailored care that aligns with their specific needs and preferences, improving health outcomes and overall patient satisfaction. To sum it all up, system integration in healthcare places the patient at the center, fostering a seamless, safe and personalized care experience. It empowers healthcare providers to deliver coordinated, efficient and effective care that makes a difference in patients’ lives.

Embracing the Power of System Integration in Healthcare with ProspHire

Embracing the Power of System Integration in Healthcare With ProspHire

Unlocking the potential of system integration in healthcare is no longer a luxury but a necessity. It streamlines operations, improves patient safety and satisfaction and unleashes the power of data-driven decision making. As we navigate the ever-growing complexity of healthcare systems, integrated health systems are critical to the success of healthcare organizations.

At ProspHire, we understand the challenges you face and the transformative impact of system integration. Our expertise in technology, infrastructure, enterprise architecture and vendor selection enable us to maximize your investment and achieve desired business outcomes. Let us partner with you in this exciting journey of creating cohesive and efficient healthcare systems. Are you ready to take the next step? Fill out our contact form to learn more about ProspHire’s system integration and selection services or read our clients’ results. Together, we can shape the future of healthcare delivery and drive positive change for patients and providers alike.

Doctors looking at laptop

The Benefits of Staff Augmentation for Healthcare Organizations

Staff Augmentation is among the vital project delivery service solutions for healthcare companies and organizations as it offers a strategic, flexible and beneficial means of sourcing expert talent in the most effective way possible. When the need arises, in-house team members can benefit from the required expertise and assistance of experienced and appropriate industry professionals who specialize in this form of healthcare industry service.

There are several reasons to use staff augmentation in healthcare, including the swift onboarding process and the relief that the human resource department experiences due to circumventing conventional staffing solution requirements.

Learn more about staff augmentation, its potential benefits and how it can bolster your resources and transform your organization.

What Is Staff Augmentation?

If you require short-term talent acquisition solutions to either fill a skills gap, bolster current resource shortages or support increased workloads, then healthcare organization staff augmentation might be the right solution for you.

Although often used to fulfill specific skill and experience needs, staff augmentation can address several staffing and human resource challenges in the healthcare sector. Staff augmentation supplements an organization’s existing staff with prescreened external professionals temporarily to meet fluctuating demands or address critical projects or operating areas.

This allows a healthcare organization to scale its workforce quickly to precise needs without hiring additional full-time employees.

How Does Staff Augmentation Work?

The process typically begins with a healthcare organization identifying the specific staffing needs and skills requirements for a particular project or to improve current systems and operational efficiencies. The organization then collaborates with an external staffing agent or management consulting company to source the appropriate and qualified personnel.

The company will have screened professionals with the qualifications, licenses, experience and credentials of an appropriate team member. The healthcare organization and staffing company agree on clearly defined terms of engagement, including the contract duration, compensation, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and other relevant details that will also see that the augmented staff comply with all regulatory and compliance standards, such as HIPAA privacy and security rules, governing healthcare organization employees.

Once they’ve selected the appropriate staff, the healthcare organization does a brief orientation and integration to help the augmented staff understand the work and relevant company policies and procedures.

Who Makes up Augmented Staff?

The professionals, sourced by the management consulting company or other type of firm, are often referred to as augmented staff or might be called contractors. These individuals seamlessly integrate into the existing healthcare organization teams, working side by side and bringing the sought-after expertise to fulfill a specific role and required tasks.

A critical point is that these individuals are highly skilled, qualified and experienced professionals with vast knowledge in their specific field of expertise and have extensive knowledge of the healthcare industry. The sole difference between them and permanent employees is that they have made their careers in augmentation rather than finding fixed employment with a single organization.

4 Key Benefits of Staff Augmentation

In addition to the apparent benefits of staff augmentation, such as enlisting short-term talent to fill skills gaps and supplement existing teams, there are several other notable advantages. The benefits of staff augmentation for healthcare organizations include flexibility, scalability, acquiring specialized skills and improved efficiency.

This list of benefits is not exhaustive, and speaking with your provider about your specific needs will reveal how you can fully benefit from this service.

1. Enhanced Flexibility and Scalability

Staff augmentation empowers your healthcare organization with unparalleled flexibility and scalability, both in the ability to change how you hire specialized professionals and adapt to changing workloads and company demands. This means you can meet optimal staffing levels during peak business periods and make cost-effective adjustments once the company and client needs have been met. Overall, you can access many scalable workforce solutions and tailor them to current and foreseeable needs. Moreover, staff augmentation often offers a seamless process that fills the needs without impacting your core business. This means your operations continue uninterrupted while benefiting from the additional human resources and invaluable expertise.

Staff augmentation offers you access to a diverse talent pool

2. Access to Specialized Knowledge and Skills

One key aspect of staff augmentation is that it offers you access to a diverse talent pool of highly qualified healthcare-related professionals. As a healthcare organization, you gain specialized expertise that helps to address skills gaps and enhances the overall quality of your operations and performance. For instance, short-term needs for specialists in billing, case management or coding are perfect examples for tapping into and leveraging the knowledge of external professionals.

Moreover, as these professionals work closely with your in-house teams, you can tap into their skills and knowledge and learn from them. The transfer of knowledge is a long-term benefit where your team can discover new techniques and industry practices.

As augmented staff work with various companies, they constantly experience ongoing learning and have significant industry insights. They work to stay abreast of technological advancements, best practices and regulatory requirements and can help further learning among your staff.

3. Improved Operational Efficiency

Adding the right additional skilled staff through staff augmentation can improve organizational and operational efficiency, which assists in reaching peak performance. The external professionals are responsible for specific tasks within a project or your organization and use their expertise to help streamline operations, optimize workflow and enhance general performance.

If you require assistance to speed up single projects to meet tight deadlines or need to focus on executing larger tasks with the help of specialized skills and creative solution implementation, augmented staff can certainly help you. This service aims to provide a flexible and responsive element to your workforce that integrates seamlessly.

You can onboard augmented staff far more quickly than traditional staff employment procedures. This means you can easily add professionals to offer focused and result-driven work to meet your organization’s needs as soon as possible. With additional resources and expertise, your existing team benefits from workload distribution. They are less likely to suffer from overwhelm and burnout, which could slow operations even more.

4. Cost and Time Saving on Quality Expertise

Although healthcare organizations should avoid using staff augmentation purely as a cost avoidance strategy, it is a cost-effective means to acquire quality expertise in the short term and for precise needs.

Instead of protracted hiring processes, including announcing job vacancies and sifting through resumes, you have the convenience of selecting from external healthcare professionals who are fully equipped to help with your precise requirements. This means you can avoid recruitment overheads and eliminate the need for long-term employment commitments and associated benefits costs afforded to permanent staff. Staff augmentation provides a cost-effective solution with tailored resources for immediate and short-term needs. The time saved on onboarding these professionals also means accelerated project timelines, which adds to your operational agility.

Benefits of Staff Augmentation With ProspHire

Benefit From Staff Augmentation with ProspHire

ProspHire specializes in providing healthcare consulting services and solutions, including project delivery. We offer a comprehensive array of valuable and focused packages to assist you and your organization in maintaining progression and realizing ongoing improvements.

For further insight into how ProspHire can assist you in your healthcare staff augmentation, process improvement, project completion, compliance needs and other related healthcare field requirements, please contact us.

Soaring to New Health: Season 1 Recap

View our Season 1 Infographic above

If you’re a healthcare leader seeking insights to enhance cost efficiency, quality and patient experience, look no further than “Soaring to New Health,” ProspHire’s podcast that informs, entertains and inspires.  

Co-hosted by Chris Miladinovich and Dan Crogan, this podcast delves into the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, exploring topics with industry experts and thought leaders. As Season 1 wraps up, let’s take a moment to revisit some highlights and anticipate what’s in store for Season 2.

Click on the infographic to view some more in-depth information about the first season of Soaring to New Health.

Creating Competitive ACA Plans: Balancing Costs & Coverage Quality

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) — also known as “Obamacare” — is an inclusive healthcare law that aims to make healthcare insurance available to more people. It does this by lowering healthcare costs and mandating several requirements to ensure the plans are inclusive and accessible.

More Americans have enrolled for healthcare through the ACA than ever before — even the White House addressed the record ACA enrollment numbers. An ACA plan is a roadmap for your company to create and offer an affordable insurance plan with adequate coverage. ACA plans are crucial for the individuals who enroll, the healthcare insurance providers and the industry. Creating ACA plans diversifies your organization and lets you enjoy business growth and expansion.

Most importantly, understanding the complex and evolving regulations under the ACA is critical to ensure your plan is compliant.  The ACA requires all health plans in the marketplace to offer ACA-compliant programs that meet specific requirements. Of course, creating comprehensive plans that suit your business model is a top priority and balancing affordability and coverage is imperative. This guide outlines the requirements for an ACA-compliant program and how to launch your plan to cover costs and coverage.

What Impact Does ACA Have on Healthcare?

The ACA has had a positive impact on the health sector. The two main benefits of ACA are that it is inclusive and accessible. More Americans have healthcare today than ever before due to the affordability of these Plans for many individuals.

Additional benefits include:

  • Comprehensive Provider Networks that must meet federal and state adequacy standards.
  • Under the ACA, health insurance providers can’t deny coverage due to a preexisting health problem.
  • The ACA prohibits health insurance providers from charging higher premiums based on gender, pre-existing conditions and other factors.
  • All ACA plans must cover preventative services.
  • Affordable access to prescription drugs.

As the ACA marketplace continues to evolve, there are still opportunity areas:

  • Not everyone qualifies for ACA subsidies, so many Americans still find healthcare unaffordable.
  • In areas with several issuers and product offerings, individuals can struggle to compare plans and navigate enrollment windows.

While these pros and cons affect individuals more than they do your business, it’s essential to be aware of them, as you can consider these points when creating a competitive ACA plan that meets consumer needs.

What You Require to Set Up an ACA-Compliant Health Plan

Creating a compliant health plan that follows the rules established by the ACA is essential:

  • Cover essential health benefits: Cover the essential health benefits for your state to be ACA-compliant. These benefits include hospital stays, outpatient care, emergency care, maternity and newborn care, pediatric care, mental health coverage, prescription drugs, rehab services, lab resources and accessible options for preventive care.
  • Rate review requirements: Comply with all state and federal regulations when developing and adjusting rates during annual review.
  • Cap out-of-pocket expenses: To have an ACA-compliant plan, you must limit out-of-pocket costs for covered services. The out-of-pocket limit doesn’t include monthly premiums, out-of-network care and services, spending on services not covered in the plan and costs that exceed the amount for a service that you, as the provider, charge. This limit is set by the state in which you operate.
  • Reporting requirements: Comply with reporting requirements by always submitting the required data of your plans, including enrollment numbers, coverage costs and the number of denied claims.
  • Network adequacy requirements: The provider networks you contract with must be able to meet your customers’ needs adequately. Look into your state requirements for adequacy, including qualitative and quantitative standards.
How to Launch ACA Plans that Balance Affordability and Coverage

How to Launch ACA Plans That Balance Affordability and Coverage

The ACA plan you design will meet certain benchmark standards but will also have elements unique to your organization and the portfolio you are building for target and expected populations. These general steps serve as an excellent springboard for launching your plans to make ACA more affordable:

Create an Outline and Goals

Develop a plan that outlines your goals and the strategies you can implement to achieve your objectives. ACA plans can be standardized, so finding various ways to stand out in the market while remaining compliant is vital. You can accomplish this by considering your current and intended market, branding, pricing, provider networks and the plan’s overall design. You want to use your strengths to position yourself in the competitive health insurance market.

The planning stage may take several months of researching the market but it does pay off when you offer a plan customers will gravitate toward.

Get Your Licensure

You must get licensure for the state(s) you operate in. Dive straight into obtaining your licensure as soon as you start the planning phase, as obtaining licensure is a lengthy application process that can take months to finalize and can vary greatly depending on your state. Consider the fees involved so you may add that to your budget. Plan so that you have all the required documents to get your credentials and licensure without a hitch, including but not limited to:

  • Your National Provider Identifier (NPI)
  • Certificate of Authority
  • Financial Documentation
  • Organizational Structure
  • Attestations

Establish Provider Networks

Establish contracts with reliable provider networks that meet state requirements and who you trust to meet your customers’ needs. Develop an established provider network over a few months as you recruit and negotiate the terms of each affiliation.

Design Products and Strategize Pricing

The most crucial step is creating products, services and pricing options that comply with ACA’s regulations. Collaboration is the key to ensuring you make the best outline for products and pricing. Bring your financial team on board, your customer services team, your design team and marketing as you brainstorm on implementing new products, tweaking existing services, determining enrollment strategies and developing premiums.

Explore strategies regarding health costs to develop a realistic plan for balancing affordability and coverage that benefits you and your customers.

Submit a Qualified Health Plan Application

This is a yearly process that all health plans must complete to offer plans in any state or federal ACA marketplace. The application process opens in April and is concluded in September each year. Applications include templates and documents that outline your plan’s product offerings, rates, benefits, network and other vital information.

Development Systems

Strategize your options as you design and implement the practical components of your ACA plans. Practical elements include promotions or hiring new staff, choosing the best technology systems to fit your plans, how you will execute claims processing and implementing compliance procedures.

Develop and Grow Your ACA Plans with ProspHire

Develop and Grow Your ACA Plans with ProspHire

Having an ACA-compliant plan in your portfolio is crucial and developing the best plan for your business is undoubtedly a top priority. At ProspHire, you have a professional and reliable consulting firm supporting healthcare organizations as you develop and expand your portfolio. Our professional team works alongside you to tailor your ACA plans to your organization while offering expert advice and meaningful strategies to execute successful plans. We also assist you with marketplace accreditation, vendor implementation and business growth. Contact us today to achieve your ACA plan goals and learn more about our ACA plan development and expansion services.

Linked sources:

  1. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/25/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-record-aca-enrollment-numbers/
  2. https://www.ncsl.org/health/health-insurance-network-adequacy-requirements
  3. https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-021-00645-w
  4. https://www.prosphire.com/blog/soaring-to-new-health-blog/
  5. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13234/essential-health-benefits-balancing-coverage-and-cost

Soaring to New Health Blog – Episode Six, The Stars are Aligned

Welcome to Season 1, Episode 6 of the Soaring to New Health Podcast.

This episode is The Stars are Aligned. We’re diving deep into the world of healthcare and performance improvement. Medicare Stars and its far-reaching implications – what it is, why it’s important for health plans and members, common challenges and successful strategies. Dan Weaver, Senior VP of Stars and Quality at Zing Health and Andrew Bell, Stars Performance Leader at ProspHire.

Medicare Star Ratings are a way to measure and compare the quality and performance of Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans. The ratings are based on a scale of one to five stars, with five being the best, and they reflect various aspects of the plans such as customer service, patient outcomes, preventive care and benefits. Medicare beneficiaries can use the ratings as a guide when choosing a plan that suits their needs.

In Medicare Stars Plans, there are three categories based on the quality ratings on the plans: plans that have lost their rating, plans that have maintained their rating and well-positioned plans. For those that have lost their rating, recommended strategies include both foundational elements if identifying and addressing the deficiencies and implementing robust processes for advanced analytical components.

Dan Weaver says preparedness is the key. Gather your resources to collaborate and review and compare interpretations, seek outside expertise to help you align on steps that focus on sustainable improvements in quality and continuously monitoring and improving performance. The challenges to successful Star ratings are going to be different for every plan – from resource constraints to provider network challenges to data accuracy and documentation. Addressing these requires a comprehensive and targeted approach, including strategic planning, investment in resources, collaboration with stakeholders and a commitment to continuous quality improvement.

It’s crucial to understand that, at any given moment, your plan is influenced by activities spanning three distinct Star years. Approximately a year before the service dates, HOS surveys are conducted. These service dates take place within a calendar year. The subsequent year involves operational impacts, encompassing CAHPS survey, TTY foreign language testing and other pertinent assessments.

The Medicare Stars Program is highly regulated by CMS and it is common to see modifications to the program, be it measures added or removed, calculation adjustments or weighting changes. Looking ahead, CMS proposed to reduce the weight of patient experience/complaints and access measures from 4x to 2x for the 2026 Star Ratings.

For the more in-depth discussion on Stars Performance Improvement download the Soaring to New Health podcast, The Stars are Aligned, where you find your podcasts.

What is Dental Practice Management?

Dental Practice Management enables Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) and dental providers to reach their full potential. With Dental Practice Management, you can streamline administrative processes to benefit employees and patients through innovative technologies and strategies. It also makes your business resilient, competitive and scalable, even in an uncertain market.

Building an effective Dental Practice Management system requires a good understanding of the industry and what it takes to optimize operations. Below, we discuss the basics of Dental Practice Management, including its benefits and some best practices for developing a functional system.

Dental Practice Management Explained

Dental Practice Management is a system that identifies lapses in operations and implements strategies to close those gaps. It’s a tailored process that helps dental practitioners and administrators streamline operations. At ProspHire, our Dental Practice Management experts help create scalable businesses by closely examining the operations and providing solutions to make them more efficient in the provision of quality patient care.

Effective Dental Practice Management programs are simple yet comprehensive. They streamline workflow with organized systems and technology and provide growth opportunities to create a well-managed and effective dental practice that can succeed.

What Are the Benefits of Dental Practice Management?

Dental Practice Management offers many benefits. Here are some examples:

Streamlines Operations

Dental Practice Management allows you to implement efficient and standardized processes for your practice. Good organizational planning and technological solutions optimize workflow. As a result, you can improve collaboration and communication, reduce costs and better comply with industry standards and regulations.

Streamlined operations improve the ability of a DSO to work effectively with its affiliated offices via alignment on systems, protocols and centralized and localized resources. Structure amplifies the ability of the DSO to provide comprehensive support to practices ultimately improving opportunity for positive financial and treatment outcomes.   

Simplifies Staff Management

One of the first steps to creating an efficient practice is having a well-organized and functioning staff. Practice Management enables you to assess your current staff’s strengths and provide the tools to help them grow.

For example, it creates a platform where you can monitor each person’s input, letting you know how to tailor your training initiatives. It also considers strategies to encourage your employees to accept new changes, considering factors like age differences and exposure to modern technology.

Dental Practice Management can also help you set employment standards, assign roles, improve communication, collaboration and teamwork and implement proper hiring systems.

Improves Talent Acquisition

Onboarding new talent is as important as managing your existing team. Talent acquisition should go beyond getting academically and professionally qualified recruits, as you also want to find employees who fit into your practice’s culture and mission.

Dental Practical Management leverages modern tools to identify the best candidates for your practice. It also helps you establish recruiting systems capable of examining behavioral traits and assessing how they match your demands.

Reduces Errors

Eliminating errors is fundamental for any healthcare practitioner and can save you time and money. Traditional dental practices often involve tedious administrative processes that can cause employees to lose focus and make errors, but you can fix that.

You can employ automated solutions to handle processes like billing and scheduling. Digital tools are highly accurate and can process large amounts of data, removing inconsistencies and creating reliable outcomes. As a result, you can free up your staff to focus on more in-depth, engaging tasks.

Optimizes Client Access

Your website and front office are the gateways to your dental practice and are where you first interact with patients. An effective Dental Practice Management system allows you to accommodate patients and make them feel at home, so you leave them with a positive initial experience every time.

An effective dental practice management system allows you to accommodate patients

A Practice Management system makes it simple for you to connect with patients. It focuses on aspects such as:

  • Accessing preliminary information like contact information and areas of specialization
  • Scheduling appointments
  • Keeping records
  • Communicating with clients regularly

Improves Overall Patient Experience

Dental Practice Management helps you create lasting client relationships. Simple things like knowing clients by name or face and streamlining their appointments can make a difference. With a streamlined workflow through Dental Practice Management, you can build a better experience in the office and during virtual consultations.

Drives Revenue and Growth

One of the main goals of a management system is to drive growth, which is usually a natural consequence of proper staff and financial management, process automation and client satisfaction. Dental Practice Management lets you build a scalable enterprise capable of withstanding uncertainties. You can leverage data to make financial decisions and plan.

What Are Dental Practice Management Best Practices?

Building a resilient dental practice requires high operational efficiency. Here are six best practices to consider:

  • Define your needs: Define what you need to grow your practice and build the system around that. Having a clear path helps you determine the most practical strategies.
  • Leverage technology: Digital transformation is integral to all business operations today. Automate your processes, starting with the most basic functions. Use technology to streamline operations for both employees and patients.
  • Listen to your staff: Your management strategies are most effective when every employee is onboard. Consider their concerns and develop solutions to help them perform optimally. Also, engage them in continuous training programs and set clear goals and expectations.
  • Consider patient communication: Focus on making communication simple yet effective for patients. For example, if you notice many patients submit appointment requests through your website, consider implementing a chatbot to make that experience even better.
  • Create flexible payment options: Never underestimate the convenience of having flexible financial options. Allow patients to select from various payment options like cash, credit cards and checks. Payment plans and financing are also effective solutions.
  • Hire a consultant: Dental Practice Management consultants have the experience to examine your operations and execute solutions to help you grow your business. Choose a company that understands your industry and your business’s needs to make your investment worthwhile.

3 Tips to Consider When Choosing a Dental Practice Management Company

Here are some tips for choosing the best Dental Practice Management company for your establishment:

  • Do your research: Ask colleagues for referrals and interview different companies before deciding. Also, establish criteria for the kind of professional you want to engage.
  • Prioritize industry knowledge and experience: The best consultants have a wealth of experience that lets them evaluate different options. They can help you make effective decisions and provide personalized solutions.
  • Consider customer relationships: It’s best to work with consultants interested in seeing your business thrive. Listen carefully and take notes of their responses when you ask questions. This way, you can gauge whether they seem to truly care about your success.

Choose ProspHire for Your Dental Practice Management

ProspHire assists DSOs and dental providers in developing innovative solutions to streamline operations and drive growth. Our expertise and quality services have won us several awards across the United States and we continue to serve clients with a supportive culture.

Contact us today to learn more. We’re ready to build a long-lasting relationship with you.

Choose ProspHire for Your Dental Practice Management