Practice Management Assessment Guidance Tool

1. Does your practice have current copies of all its participating health insurer contracts and contracted fee schedules?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. Contracts and contracted fee schedules are critical to the efficiency of your claims revenue cycle. AMA members can access the AMA’s National Managed Care Contract database where you can: (1) negotiate more favorable contract terms by using alternative contract language based on existing state laws; (2) look up managed care laws in your state and make sure that contracts comply with them before you sign; (3) find existing state laws to help support your claim appeal letters, or file complaints against non-compliant health insurers; and (4) read guidance on often problematic managed care contracting issues and find related AMA policy.

No or Unsure
We strongly encourage your practice to retain current copies of all your participating health insurer contracts and contracted fee schedules. Contracts and contracted fee schedules are critical to the efficiency of your claims revenue cycle as the provisions affect areas such as claim submission instructions, retrospective audits, prompt payment, dispute resolution and product participation.

The AMA has created three educational resources to help physicians evaluate managed care contracts. “Protect your payment: Key questions to resolve prior to signing a contract purporting to base payment on the Medicare Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) or the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MFS) ”explains the various elements of the RBRVS and MFS to help physicians understand which questions they may need to ask managed care organizations about their payment rates and policies before signing or renewing contracts. Because a clear understanding of the physician’s payment under each managed care contract is crucial to the initial decision of whether to contract with a specific managed care organization and the physician practice’s ability to reconcile claims payment moving forward, the AMA has also created a one-page checklist of these questions for physicians to use when evaluating a specific contract. A longer companion piece, “Fee schedules based on Medicare’s Resource-Based Relative Value Scale or the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule”, details the rationale underlying these questions for physicians who are interested in more specifics. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/psa to access these and other contracting resources.

2. Are your contracts and contracted fee schedules maintained electronically?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. Contracts that are maintained electronically are easier to retrieve and to share with other members of your team. Additionally, some systems actually maintain the contracts in an online database that makes it easy to determine when a contract is up for renewal or to quickly determine fee schedules or key payment terms.

No or Unsure
Does this present an opportunity to begin maintaining your contracts and fee schedules electronically? Perhaps scanning them to a file is all that you can do; however, it lessens the worry and hassles regarding paper storage. Just be sure that if you choose to simply store scanned copies that you keep backup copies somewhere in addition to your computer’s hard drive. Take advantage of CD-ROMs and USB  drives. Scan and store them where they are safe from any disasters.

3. How does your practice enter your contracted fee schedules in your practice management system?

Automatically download the contracted fee schedule from payer
Congratulations! The AMA is working on initiatives to increase the use of a single standard format for contracted fee schedules to allow physician practices to automatically upload contracted fee schedules into their practice management systems.

Manually enter the contracted fee schedule in the practice management system
Congratulations! Entering the contracted fee schedule into your practice management system is a great start toward an automated claims management revenue cycle. Some payers offer their contracted fee schedules in a format that you can automatically upload into your practice management system. If your practice management system doesn’t allow the upload of contracted fee schedules, you may wish to consider this feature when upgrading or selecting a new practice management system. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/pmsoftware to access the Selecting a Practice Management System toolkit.

Do not enter contracted fee schedule in the practice management system

Entering the contracted fee schedule directly into your practice management system is a great start to move your practice toward an automated claims management revenue cycle. A Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) study revealed 4 percent of a practice’s revenue could not be realized if a practice did not monitor the contracted fee schedule and the payment on the fee schedule. If your practice management system doesn’t allow the upload of contracted fee schedules, you may wish to consider this feature when upgrading or selecting a new practice management system. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/pmsoftware to access the Selecting a Practice Management System toolkit.

4. Does your practice accept Medicare patients?

All Medicare patients - yes
Established patients only - yes
Fee-for-Service only - yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher.

All Medicare patients - no or unsure
Established patients only - no or unsure
Fee-for-Service only - no or unsure
To help physician practices navigate the new requirements of the Medicare enrollment process, the AMA and MGMA partnered to develop an online toolkit, “Medicare Provider Enrollment/Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS).” Free to members of AMA and MGMA, visit the AMA’s Web site at www.ama-assn.org/go/medicare-enrollment-kit or the MGMA’s website to access the toolkit.

Managed care (Medicare Advantage) only - yes, no or unsure
Medicare Advantage private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans are perhaps the most confusing and least understood of the various kinds of Medicare Advantage plans that are in operation. They are also the fastest growing type of Medicare Advantage plan. The AMA has created a new one-page flyer “10 things you need to know about Medicare Advantage private fee-for-service plans” as a quick reference to aid physicians and their practice staff about the basic operation of these plans.

For your patients: The AMA has created two educational resources for current and potential Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. AMA members can use these patient educational resources to help educate their patients and practice staff about the benefits and problems associated with participation in Medicare Advantage plans. The first resource, “What you need to know about Medicare Advantage,” provides basic information on the program, including what to expect in terms of benefits, enrollment and health insurer marketing of these plans. The second resource, “Which plan is right for you,” provides a brief overview of the different types of Medicare Advantage plans, including HMOs, PPOs and private-fee-for-service plans.

5. Does your practice have an active and updated Office of the Inspector General (OIG) compliance program in place?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. An “OIG compliance program” ensures that the compliance program is kept current and active through continuous employee training and monitoring of coding and billing risk. This is imperative to all practices.

No or unsure
“The creation of compliance program guidance is a major initiative of the OIG in its effort to engage the private health care community in preventing the submission of erroneous claims and in combating fraudulent conduct.” www.oig.hhs.gov

We strongly encourage your practice to put an active compliance program in place. It is likely that Health and Human Services (HHS) will require practice-based compliance plans for enrollment in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal programs. Visit the AMA Store to purchase Compliance Guide for the Medical Practice: How to Attain and Maintain a Compliant Medical Practice, or visit the OIG website to view the OIG Compliance Program for Individual and Small group Physician Practices.

6. How often does your practice maintain and review its retail fee schedule (i.e., physician billed charge) as compared with its practice expenses?

Quarterly
Congratulations! We encourage your practice to review its retail fee schedules at least quarterly to ensure the fee schedule accurately reflects business costs and the value of the medical services your practice provides.

Semi-annually
Annually
Do not maintain fee schedule according to practice expenses
Quarterly is the recommended frequency for each practice to review its retail fee schedule in order to take into account quarterly changes in the drug and DME fee schedule.

We strongly encourage all physicians and their practice staff to establish their retail fee schedule based on what it actually costs to provide a service rather than basing their fee schedule on what a third-party payer or other entity decides is fair payment. The AMA has developed the educational resource “Fee schedule analysis: Using your complete practice cost as a guide,” which includes a 12-step guide to help physician practices manually create their own unique physician practice fee schedule with an easy-to-complete spread sheet that allows physician practices to include additional markup percentages to account for profit, contributions to reserves and future capital expenditures.

7. Does your practice know its coding and billing risk by physician for a payer audit?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. Understanding your practice and individual physician coding and billing patterns is critical to the efficiency of your practice.

No or Unsure
Billing and payment audits by health insurers and federal contractors are on the rise. We strongly encourage your practice to routinely perform an internal billing audit. The AMA, with cooperation from the American Academy of Neurology, developed the educational resource “How to perform a physician practice internal billing audit” to help physician practices understand both the need for an internal billing audit and how to perform an internal billing audit to yield improved claims management processes, cash flow, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

8. Do the following staff who support the listed functions have Internet access?

Billing - yes
Front Desk - yes
Scheduling – yes
Empower your practice to save time and money with the AMA’s Practice Management Alerts. Free of charge to physicians and their practice staff, signing up for these timely e-mail alerts helps you stay up to date on unfair payer practices, ways to counter these practices, and practice management resources and tools. On the Practice Management Alerts Web site, you can take action on alerts, invite friends to join and share your practice management stories. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/pmalerts to sign up today!

Billing - no
Front Desk - no
Scheduling – no
Access to the Internet has reduced many manual processes within the physician practice, especially relating to calls made to payers that result in hold times and endless telephone tag. Consider making available one or more Internet connections to allow your staff access to payer provider portals and other resources that can assist you in reducing your manual process that add to your administrative overhead. Refer to questions 9–11 for opportunities available to your practice enabled by access to the Internet.

9. Does your practice stay up to date on payer medical and payment policy changes?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. Staying up to date on payer medical and payment policy changes can be a daunting task. By accessing payer Web sites or portals and signing up for payer communications, you can obtain immediate information when you need it instead of making phone calls that result in telephone tag and hold time. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/payerpolicies to obtain direct access to the links to additional information provided on health insurers’ Web portals.

No or unsure
Staying up to date on payer medical and payment policy changes doesn’t have to be a daunting task. You are encouraged to sign up for your contracted payer’s provider Web sites and provider communications. Many health insurers allow contracted physicians to access a variety of information on their Web sites. This information includes, but is not limited to, contracted fee schedules and payment policies. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/payerpolicies to obtain direct access to the links to the information provided on health insurers’ Web sites. Please note that not all of the information is posted on the payers’ Web sites. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/pmalerts to sign up today!

10. Is your practice signed up for secure payer Web sites or portals?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. By accessing payer Web sites or portals, you can obtain information when you need it instead of making phone calls that result in telephone tag and hold time. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/payerpolicies to obtain direct access to the links to additional information provided on health insurers’ Web portals.

No or unsure
You are encouraged to sign up for your contracted payer’s provider Web sites and provider communications. Many health insurers allow contracted physicians to access a variety of information on their Web sites. This information includes, but is not limited to, contracted fee schedules and payment policies. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/payerpolicies to obtain direct access to the links to the information provided on health insurers’ Web sites. Please note that not all of the information is posted on the payers’ Web sites, so we encourage you to also sign up for the AMA’s free Practice Management Alerts for additional payer alerts. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/pmalerts to sign up today!

11. Does your practice receive payer communications (bulletins, newsletters) electronically?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. By receiving provider communications, you can obtain information when you need it instead of making phone calls that result in telephone tag and hold time. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/payerpolicies to obtain direct access to the links to additional information provided on health insurers’ Web portals.

No or unsure
You are encouraged to sign up for your contracted payer’s provider communications. (Some payers are only providing this information through electronic means.) Many health insurers allow contracted physicians access to a variety of information in their provider communications. This information includes, but is not limited to, change in contracted fee schedules and payment policies. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/payerpolicies to obtain direct access to the links to the information provided on health insurers’ Web sites. Please note that not all of the information is posted on the payers’ Web sites, so we encourage you to also sign up for the AMA’s free Practice Management Alerts for additional payer alerts.  Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/pmalerts to sign up today!

12. Does your practice submit/receive the following transactions electronically (e.g., through practice management system, secure payer portal)? (Check all that apply

Electronic claims - yes
Eligibility verification - yes
Electronic remittance advice - yes
Electronic funds transfer - yes
Pre-certification/prior authorization - yes ePrescribing - yes
Congratulations on your efforts to streamline health care delivery through the adoption and use of information technology solutions leading to a more efficient claims management revenue process for all involved. Show your support for the AMA’s “Heal the Claims Process”™ campaign, which is designed to increase the adoption of electronic transactions and reduce manual workflows. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/healthatclaim to learn more and pledge your commitment to the campaign.

Electronic claims - no
Eligibility verification - no
Electronic remittance advice - no
Electronic funds transfer - no
Pre-certification/prior authorization - no
We encourage you to consider the movement by physicians, payers and vendors to streamline health care delivery through the adoption and use of information technology solutions striving to create a more efficient claims management revenue process for all involved. By eliminating significant parts of the manual processes in an office’s routine, physicians can free their practice staff to perform other revenue-enhancing functions. Access the educational resource “Information technology solutions: Consider the potential savings.” Physician practices can save significant administrative time and expense by electronically performing routine functions, such as verifying patient eligibility and the status of a claim. The AMA has developed the educational resource “Understanding the HIPAA standard transactions: The HIPAA Transactions and Code Set rule” to help physicians and their practice staff more fully understand the HIPAA electronic standard transactions, the HIPAA Transactions and Code Set rule and how this rule impacts the physician practice. This resource explains how physician practices can prepare themselves for using the electronic standard transactions and how physicians can ensure that health insurers with which they are contracted comply with the HIPAA electronic standard transactions. Available to AMA members, this resource also provides a surveythat physicians can use to determine the extent to which their practice management software and billing vendors comply with the HIPAA Transaction Code Set rule.

To learn more about accepting electronic funds transfer (EFT) payments from health insurers and automating your payment process, access the AMA's EFT Toolkit. The toolkit outlines the steps to getting started, specific considerations for physician practices, and checklists of questions to ask your bank, health insurers, and your billing service or clearinghouse before signing an EFT agreement. The toolkit also provides an archived webinar with industry experts. With EFT, you can save thousands of dollars per physician annually, speed up payment, save time spent on manual processes (such as depositing paper checks and making phone calls to health insurers), reduce the risk of lost or stolen checks, and free time for revenue-enhancing functions.

If your practice management system doesn’t allow the sending and receiving of electronic transactions,  you may wish to consider this feature when upgrading or selecting a new practice management system. Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/pmsoftware to access the Selecting a Practice Management System toolkit.

ePrescribing - no
Visit AMA’s ePrescribing Learning Center to get answers to all your questions about implementing ePrescribing.

13. How does your practice submit claims to payers? (Check all that apply)

Electronically direct from practice management system to payer
Electronically through billing service
Electronically through clearinghouse
Congratulations! We encourage you to continue to automate your practice by accepting additional electronic transactions, such as the electronic remittance advice. The movement by physicians, payers and vendors to streamline health care delivery through the adoption and use of information technology solutions strives to create a more efficient claims management revenue process for all involved. By eliminating significant parts of the manual processes in an office’s routine, physicians can free their practice staff to perform other revenue-enhancing functions. View “Information technology solutions: Consider the potential savings” to access this educational resource.

CAQH CORE saves your practice time and money
View a five-minute video that outlines the significant cost and time savings physician practices can experience when the health insurers and vendors they work with are CORE certified and submit and receive electronic standard transactions.

Paper claim direct to payer
Paper claim through billing service
Paper claim through clearinghouse
You can improve your practice efficiencies with electronic claims submissions. The AMA, in collaboration with the Connecticut State Medical Society, developed the educational resource “The benefits of electronic claims submission—improve practice efficiencies”  to help physicians and their practice staff understand the electronic claim submission process and the many benefits that may be realized by submitting claims electronically to third-party payers. This resource discusses the reduction of claim submission costs and errors, and offers tips on getting started with electronic submission.

14. Does your practice have a patient collection policy?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. Managing your patient expectations in regards to collection as well as ensuring your practice’s patient collection policy is applied by all practice staff is important to maintaining up-to-date patient accounts.

No or unsure
An important part of managing the physician practice is addressing outstanding patient balances and taking the necessary steps to receive that balance before sending the patient account to an outside collection agency. The AMA and the Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA) developed the educational resource “Internal collections in the physician practice.”  This resource discusses the importance of collecting from the patient at the time of service and provides useful tips and recommended steps for implementing a collections policy. This resource also includes sample template letters and practice policies to assist in developing physician practice policies.

15. Does your practice have a written financial policy?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher.
A written financial policy for your practice and ensuring the financial policy is shared with patients and consistently applied by all practice staff is important to maintaining up-to-date patient accounts.

No or unsure
An important part of managing the physician practice is addressing outstanding patient balances and taking the necessary steps to receive that balance before sending the patient account to an outside collection agency. The AMA and OSMA developed the educational resource “Internal collections in the physician practice.”

This resource discusses the importance of collecting from the patient at the time of service and provides useful tips and recommended steps for implementing a collections policy. This resource also includes sample template letters and practice policies to assist in developing physician practice policies.

16. When do you communicate your collection and financial policies with your patients? (Check all that apply)

Front desk – check-in - yes
Post in office - yes
Practice Web site - yes
Check out - yes
E-visits - yes
Follow-up calls after visit - yes Reminder calls to schedule well or follow-up visits – yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. Clear consistent communication of your practice’s collection and financial policies assists you in managing your patient’s expectations, which translates into making collections a routine part of the office visit experience.

No
All of the above listed opportunities should be considered to convey your collection and financial policies. We encourage physicians and practice staff to involve and educate patients about medical treatment decisions, as well as payer payment policies and procedures. Industry trends indicate that both payers and employers are shifting more of the responsibility and cost of health care treatment and payment to the patient. In response to this shift, physicians and practice staff need to consider proactively establishing or revising their practice’s payment and collection policies accordingly. Access the resources, “Helping your patients understand their billing and payment responsibilities”  and “Understanding your health insurance policy and payment practices” for more information. These resources were developed by the AMA and the Kentucky Medical Association.

17. How likely is it that the patient's copayment is collected at the time of the patient visit?

Very Likely
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher.

Somewhat Likely
Not Sure
Somewhat Unlikely
Very Unlikely
Physicians and practice staff can address and combat outstanding patient balances by instituting a practice policy to collect any co-payments, co-insurance, deductibles and outstanding balances that are due at the time of service. Every physician practice should aim to collect 100 percent of co-payments at the time of service while keeping in mind the collection of the copayment becomes harder and more costly after the patient has left the office. 

18. What method of payment does your practice accept? (Check all that apply)

Cash - yes
Check - yes
Credit card - yes
Payment plan or other - yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher.

Cash and check
Are you seeking ways to simplify your practice and reduce administrative overhead? The AMA Practice Management Center has created the educational resource “Cash practice alternatives: Considerations for physicians”  to assist you in evaluating whether limiting your practice’s financial dependence upon health insurer contracts might be a viable option for your practice. This resource walks through the various cash practice alternatives and helps you assess which business model suits your practice’s particular situation best, including collection of cash payment.

Credit card
One of the best ways to ensure receipt of your patients’ payment responsibility is to offer the option of credit and debit card transactions. Learn how to maximize the benefits of accepting credit and debit card payments by contracting with a payment processor that suits your practice’s specific needs and by recognizing how you can save on fees with your current processor. The AMA Practice Management Center has developed the educational resource, “Shopping for a credit or debit card merchant agreement; Guidelines for physicians,” to help you improve your practice’s bottom line.

Payment plan or other
While physician practices do not need to comply with the Red Flags Rule, it makes sense to incorporate many of the policies and procedures to protect your practice and your patients. 

Red Flags Rule Guidance Document
This informative resource addresses the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the Red Flags Rule?
• How do the rules differ from HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules?
• Who has to comply with the Red Flags Rule?
• What is a “red flag?”
• How can physician practices comply with the Red Flags Rules?

Sample Policy
This resource includes simple, customizable policies and procedures to incorporate into your practice in order to comply with the requirements of the Red Flags Rule that entities have reasonable policies and procedures in place to identify, detect, and respond to red flags. AMA members can access the Word version of the sample policy and adapt it to their individual practice.

Also see the Federal Trade Commission’s frequently asked questions about the Red Flags Rule: ”Fight Fraud with the Red Flags Rule: A How-To Guide for Businesses.”

19. Does your practice have a policy for appealing denied or underpaid claims?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. Many physician practices lose revenue through inappropriate health insurer adjustments. A policy for appealing denied or underpaid claims that is actively applied can help practices retain earned revenue.

No or unsure
The AMA developed the interactive resource “Appeal that claim” to simplify the claim audit and appeals processes for physicians and their practice staff. This interactive resource can help reduce the administrative burden by delivering a step-by-step course of action to appeal an underpaid, delayed or inappropriately denied claim.

Your practice may be losing revenue through inappropriate health insurer adjustments. The AMA developed the educational resource “Is your practice losing revenue through inappropriate health insurer adjustments? ” to alert physician practices to the need to carefully review health insurer explanations of benefits in order to pinpoint and address underpayments based on inappropriate adjustments by the health insurer.

20. Does your practice routinely work past-due accounts?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher. Many physician practices lose revenue by not routinely working past due accounts. A procedure that is actively applied by practice staff is to routinely review and appeal denied or underpaid claims so your can practice retain earned revenue.

No or unsure
Don’t write off claim denials—fight for accurate payment. If your practice submits claims electronically, there is a free tool to help you secure accurate payment from health insurers for inappropriately denied claims. With the Claims Workflow Assistant, a free online tool from the AMA Practice Management Center, you can look up the reasons health insurers reported for denying claims on the electronic remittance advices (ERAs) you receive. Then, you can determine the best steps for your practice to reverse the denial. The Claims Workflow Assistant even helps you get started with recommended workflows for the top 80 percent of denials from the 2008 and 2009 National Health Insurer Report Card and provides numerous template appeal letters that AMA members can easily modify to use in their practices. Access the Claims Workflow Assistant.

21. Does your practice have a third-party collections service?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher.
Many physician practices leave revenue on the table by not actively addressing hard to collect delinquent accounts. 

No or unsure
Collection services can play an integral role in helping physician practices improve cash flow by securing payment from hard-to-collect delinquent accounts. To offer physicians guidance in selecting a service, the AMA Practice Management Center has developed the resource “How to select a collection service.”

22. Do you offer a patient satisfaction survey to your patients?

Yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher.

No or unsure
Web-based tools can measure patient satisfaction to enhance care and lower practice costs. A physician practice can utilize phone or written surveys, focus groups or personal interviews to gain insight into how they are performing from the patient perspective. These surveys can serve to flesh out problems that may be influencing that perspective. In addition, some professional liability carriers encourage physician practices to perform patient satisfaction surveys as it leads to better communication and fewer misunderstandings between the patient and the physician practice. Sharing your positive patient satisfaction scores when negotiating with a payer can be helpful to the process.

The AMA and Press Ganey Associates, Inc. now offer a Web-based tool called RealTime, which collects and evaluates patient feedback and provides information to help you improve your practices and better meet the needs of your patients.

By providing patients with a proactive outlet for feedback on their office experiences in an electronic survey format, RealTime delivers instant information that your practice can use to reduce wait times, improve patient communication, enhance the appearance of your practice, and manage the courtesy and friendliness of staff. RealTime generates survey reports and helps participating physicians identify drivers of satisfaction, analyze profiles of their most satisfied patients and create blinded comparisons to other physician practices.

Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/patientexperience to learn more or purchase RealTime for your practice. AMA members receive discounts and get a special introductory rate!

23. Do you offer any of the following services for your patients? (Check all that apply)

Extended weekday hours - yes
Saturday hours - yes
E-mail communication - yes
E-visits - yes Patient hotline – yes
Congratulations! You have succeeded or exceeded and are right on track. Keep reading for a refresher.

Extended weekday hours - no
Saturday hours - no
E-mail communication - no
E-visits - no
Patient hotline – no
In the current health care market, patients are seeking enhanced access to care and top-quality customer service. Offering patients the access and convenience they look for will help keep your practice competitive. Learn more about how you can improve your practice’s offerings by reading the educational resource “10 steps to enhance patient satisfaction in your practice,” created by the AMA Practice Management Center in collaboration with the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association.