Doctors want to deliver better care. That’s why they went to medical school and became physicians. Yet, to actually deliver better care day in and day out, physicians must also run a successful clinic or work for someone who does. The two go hand-in-hand. Did you know that medical professionals spend more than any other industry to bill and collect for services they’ve already rendered to patients? It’s astounding. Clinics have certified experts, highly trained coders and powerful practice management software on their side, yet it remains an expensive and frustrating proposition just to get paid for the care provided to patients. Let’s explore why this is so.

Given that most subspecialists went into medicine to perform surgery, their focus is (and should be) performing procedures and not necessarily on office design and flow. This raises a conundrum: how to build the most functional office space for the physician who is frequently elsewhere? Several design elements should be considered prior to going to the expense of building out current space or occupying a new office. Here are the important questions to ask yourself when you are ready to make the leap.

The practice of medicine today holds many challenges for physicians, not the least of which are financial. Throughout the work that our consulting group conducts, we see challenges in three main areas. Challenge 1: The overall revenue cycle for clinics, including how services provided to patients are billed and collected. Challenge 2: A general trend of flat or declining reimbursement in the insurance market. Challenge 3: The continued increase in the use—and the cost–of technology.