The Bureau of Primary Care and Rural Health (BPRCH) provides practice management services to communities in order to fulfill its mission to improve the health status of Louisiana residents in rural and underserved areas by working proactively to build the capacity of community health systems to provide integrated, efficient and effective health care services. 

Practice management services provide necessary management consulting that is often unavailable or unaffordable to physicians, clinics, and hospitals in rural and medically underserved areas. The Bureau’s practice management consultants work with primary health care providers to assess clinical and financial operations and make recommendations for improvement in these operations. This resource is provided to increase the financial viability of local health care practices and sustain quality health care services in communities.

Eligible entities include:

• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
• Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
• Rural physician practices
• Small Rural Hospitals (SRHs)

Practice management assessment areas will include the following:

FINANCIAL

• Billing
• Charge capture and coding
• Collections and accounts receivable
• Fee schedule development
• Financial reporting and accounting  
• Managed care contracts
• Profitability

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

• Automation opportunities
• Electronic transactions
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) compliance
• Information systems needs analysis
• Privacy
• Security

STAFF MANAGEMENT

• Optimal staffing
• Personnel policies
• Skill requirements
• Training and development
• PLANNING AND MARKETING
• Business planning 
• Customer relations and patient satisfaction
• Public relations and community outreach
• Strategic planning

BUSINESS AND CLINICAL OPERATIONS

• Governance
• Licensure, credentialing, and certification
• Medical record compliance and review
• Patient care systems
• Patient communications
• Patient education
• Quality assessment and process improvement
• Risk management
• Scheduling and patient flow

WE CAN HELP YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

• Should our clinic add a nurse practitioner to the medical staff?
• How can we see more patients without extending clinic hours?
• How can we collect more on the claims we file?
• Should we consider converting to a Rural Health Clinic or a Federally Qualified Health Center?
• Which diagnostic and treatment services would increase our clinic’s income?
• What computer system would best meet our needs?
• Could staffing changes improve our clinic’s efficiency?
• Would opening a second clinic location be beneficial?

Contact:
Susie Hutchinson, CAPPM
Practice Management Consulting Unit Manager
(225) 342-1584
susie.hutchinson@la.gov

Lynn Kinchen
Practice Management Consultant
(225) 342- 0057
lynn.kinchen@la.gov