is a physician practice management firm that provides long term management, interim management and consulting services to health systems, hospitals, academic medical centers and large, independent medical groups.
Southwind is the next generation physician practice management company. We provide hands-on, practical expertise from seasoned physician practice management executives focused on optimizing physician practice performance.
Southwind Interim Management Supports
A Broad Range of Needs for Positive Change
Southwind provides interim management services in a broad range of situations:
- To facilitate a turn around for a troubled medical group;
- To provide turn-key start-up physician practice management operations;
- To facilitate the acquisition of a medical group practice; and/or
- To fill a void during a time of change in key executive management.
Typically, Southwind provides one or more key executives as a part of its interim management team, including the CEO/Executive Director or Administrator, CFO/Finance Director or Controller and Revenue Cycle Director/Manager or Central Business Office (CBO) Director/Manager. Other executive support is available as required, including Chief Operating Officer (COO), senior financial analyst(s) and/or process improvement specialist(s).
Key Advantages of Interim Management
- During a critical transformational effort, the organization benefits from a qualified interim management executive team with broad, deep experience in managing positive change in poorly performing physician practice organizations;
- Inasmuch as the interim management team is not a permanent employee living in the local community, he/she is prepared to take more risk in decision making with less fear of making difficult decisions that may be disruptive to someone in a permanent position. This not to say that Southwind interim executives are like a “bull in a china shop,” but rather that there is value for the client in the hundreds of decisions this individual makes on a day-to-day basis that will collectively impact a successful transformation;
- The practices will benefit from a cohesive team of local practice managers directly supported by some of the most senior physician practice executives in the United States;
- Southwind’s interim management structure ensures strong accountability for performance, including the ability to provide significant financial incentives for its interim executives based on mutually agreed to results targets;
- Upon successful completion of the interim management engagement, the newly recruited permanent executive(s) will benefit from the toughest decisions having been already made and a framework for success already in place; and
- The costs of the permanent executive management, including salaries, benefits, professional development and other related expenses are saved while Southwind provides its interim management team as a part of its management fee;
End of Engagement Transition: The Graceful Exit
- Southwind has perfected the art of “the graceful exit.” Upon completion of our assignment, usually on an accelerated time table, we provide recruitment assistance to source and pre-qualify permanent executives. When permanent executives are hired, we provide timely orientation and a graceful hand-off that ensures gains are maintained and physicians and support staff experience a smooth transition.
Ongoing Support Available
- Following the interim management engagement, Southwind is available to provide continuing assistance, if required. Many clients have retained Southwind to provide continued monitoring, coaching and periodic (usually quarterly) on site visits in order to maintain the gains made during the interim management effort. In every case, the permanent management team we assisted in recruiting has remained for years and succeeded in maintaining the gain, while continuously improving both financial performance and patient satisfaction.
Southwind Corporate Operations Team
The Southwind Corporate Operations Team consists of senior level executives with deep and broad experience in all major disciplines of physician practice management, including financial operations, revenue cycle management, managed care contracting and compliance. The team oversees each interim management engagement.
Typical On-Site Presence
Our interim management team executives are typically on-site four days per week, three weeks per month, inclusive of travel time. During days when the interim management executive is not on-site, he/she will be working from home and available via telephone and email. This level of on-site presence is a minimum, and at times depending upon the circumstances the executive will be on site four weeks in a particular month or five days during a particular week.
In addition, members of the Southwind Corporate Operations Team are on-site as needed, typically at least monthly.
We have found that having our interim executives adhere to the above described on-site schedule is a benefit to both the client and the executive, since this arrangement is sustainable for the executive in terms of maintaining a reasonable work/life balance while modern communications technology never leaves the executive out of touch.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
LONG TERM MANAGEMENT
Southwind Long Term Management Services
Allow Health Systems to Focus on Their Core Business
Southwind Health Partners® offers a long term management option through a three-year Management Services Agreement or MSA. Under the MSA arrangement, Southwind will recruit, hire, orient, train and develop three key positions in the local market, including the Executive Director, Revenue Cycle Director/Manager, and CFO/Finance Director/Manager.
The above three positions will be managed and supported by the Southwind Corporate Operations Management Team, senior executives with over 20 years experience in physician practice management. The Executive Director will report directly to the health system or hospital CEO, and have a matrix reporting relationship to the Southwind President and Chief Operating Officer.
Key Advantages of Long Term Management
- The practices will benefit from a cohesive team of local practice managers directly supported by some of the most senior physician practice executives in the United States;
- Southwind’s MSA structure ensures strong accountability for performance, including the ability to provide significant financial incentives for local practice management staff based on mutually agreed to results targets;
- Southwind is responsible for recruitment costs, salaries and benefits, professional development expenses and payroll administration; and
- Talented practice management executives are attracted to a model that provides industry knowledgeable oversight and support in making and implementing challenging initiatives, career opportunities at larger practice sites at higher compensation levels and participation in the Southwind profit sharing plan. Our profit sharing plan provides a financial stake in the Company’s overall success as well as base compensation, annual bonuses and benefits. Simply put, we believe we can attract superior talent in service to your institution.
Flexible Transition Terms
At the outset, Southwind will provide appropriate interim management executive support (including an Interim Executive Director) until such time as permanent Southwind placements can become effective. The cost of interim services, with the exception of travel expenses, is included in the first year’s monthly management fee.
- The long term management agreement provides for renegotiation at the end of year two, at which time options would be available to the health system to either:
- Terminate the agreement at the end of year three;
- Terminate the agreement at the end of year three and retain Southwind employees upon payment of a one-time Recruiting Fee; or
- Terminate the agreement with 120 days notice at the end of year two and pay an Early Termination Fee (equal to two month’s retainer) and/or Recruiting Fee if Southwind employees are retained.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
CONSULTING SERVICES
Southwind’s Experienced Physician Practice Management Consulting Team Ably Addresses Your Focused Consulting Needs
In addition to hands-on physician practice management services, Southwind provides a broad range of consulting services designed to meet the needs of health system sponsored physician practices and large, independent medical groups.
TURN AROUND PLANNING
Put Southwind’s Turn Around Experience to Work in Developing Your Restructuring and Process Improvement Plans
Leading a turn around and need a little help? Southwind physician practice management consultants can be of assistance. After all, our team of seasoned executives have led many challenging turn around engagements for other clients. We can provide technical assistance, guidance and planning to support your existing management team engaged in a turn around effort.
The following are examples of specific consulting assistance we have provided:
- Physician compensation model design;
- Site consolidation/closure analysis;
- Fair market value buy-out of long term physician employment agreements;
- Professional fee revenue cycle assessment and performance improvement planning;
- Ancillary services development and planning;
- Medical group governance design and training;
- Management organization structure planning;
- Organizational development and training, including conflict management and resolutions; and
- Physician practice management executive recruitment assistance.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
PHYSICIAN PRACTICE START-UP
Starting a New Physician Practice Organization?
Southwind Provides Turn Key Consulting & Management Services
Increasingly, hospitals and health systems are finding that they need to employ physicians in order to meet physician capacity requirements and other needs. Southwind management consultants have the knowledge and expertise to design and implement new medical practices for long term sustainability.
Key services provided to support start-up physician practices include:
- Corporate, organizational, governance and management structure design;
- Physician practice management information system selection, design, installation and implementation;
- Physician compensation model design, development and implementation;
- Professional fee revenue cycle management development;
- Financial reporting development, including custom designed dashboard of key indicators of physician practice performance;
- Managed care strategy development, contract negotiation and management;
- Policy and procedure development;
- Executive recruitment, selection, hiring and training; and
- Interim management.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
PHYSICIAN PRACTICE ACQUISITION
Southwind Provides Physician Practice Acquisition
Due Diligence and Integration Assistance
More than anytime since the first wave of physician practice acquisition during the mid-1990’s, hospitals and health systems are acquiring physician practices. There are several reasons for this trend:
- Federal laws, rules and regulations provide for physician employment as a “safe harbor” for supporting new physician practice development;
- Acquiring an existing medical group can be an effective way to create the physician practice management infrastructure needed to support physician employment;
- Medical group acquisition can be an effective defense against physician sponsored outpatient ancillary services development; and
- Independent physician practices are finding it increasingly challenging to go it alone. They are seeking assistance with capital and management as well as the additional negotiating clout with managed health care plans and suppliers that comes with being part of a larger, integrated health system.
Southwind executives have been involved in hundreds of physician practice acquisitions over the past twenty years. Often called upon to manage the turn around of acquired physician practices that have performed poorly, they know what it takes to structure physician practice acquisitions for long term success.
Key services provided include physician practice assessment and due diligence that encompasses the following elements:
- Historical financial performance assessment;
- Benchmarking physician compensation, productivity and operating expenses;
- Professional fee revenue cycle assessment;
- Managed care contracting assessment;
- Pro forma financial planning;
- Practice valuation;
- Integration planning, including:
- Governance;
- Management structure and human resources integration analysis and planning;
- Physician compensation plan design;
- Physician employment agreement design;
- Real estate planning;
- Ancillary services impact analysis; and
- Communications planning.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
REVENUE CYCLE MANAGEMENT
Southwind’s Revenue Cycle Solutions Team Are National Leaders in Professional Fee Collections Performance Improvement
The professional fee revenue cycle is a blocking and tackling enterprise. Details are important. Strategy has its place, but results depend on following through on the details.
The Southwind Revenue Cycle Solutions team provides hands-on operations management and consulting to address every key component required to optimize billing, collections and accounts receivable performance.
Under the leadership of Margaret Hoban, Southwind’s Executive Vice President for Revenue Cycle Solutions and a national leader in the physician practice management industry, Southwind provides a broad range of professional fee revenue cycle assessment and consulting services.
Southwind revenue cycle engagements consistently provide a strong return on investment. We produce dramatic ongoing improvements in professional fee cash collections as well as the one-time increase in cash collections associated with the accounts receivable management clean-up effort.
Looking at the Entire Revenue Cycle
Comprehensive in focus, Southwind consulting assessments address every element of the revenue cycle beginning with the establishment of an appropriate fee schedule, the patient appointment and pre-registration process, insurance verification, arrival and registration process, through the clinical visit, We also look at charge capture, coding, billing, collections, accounts receivable management and reporting.
Every assessment concludes with an estimation of the one-time and ongoing annual professional fee cash collections opportunity as well as a recommended detailed action plan. Southwind stands behind its findings, recommendations and action plan by offering to lead implementation and put a portion of its fees at risk for actual results.
Practice Management Information Systems
Southwind is focused on optimizing the performance of the physician practice management information system and, where appropriate, leading system changes required to optimize results. Southwind leads client stakeholders in the selection of new practice management information systems as well as the design, development, installation and implementation of new systems.
The next decade of physician practice management will be the decade of the electronic medical record or EMR. Southwind works with physician practices to determine readiness for EMR as well as facilitate selection of the most appropriate EMR solution tailored to the needs of the practice.
Hiring & Training
Southwind consultants assist clients in hiring key staff and lead focused training for all levels of staff to ensure they benefit from the full value of their human resource investment. In multi-site practice environments, Southwind helps to identify and train “super users” who become experts in the use of the physician practice management information system and revenue cycle related policies and procedures. In turn, super users are leveraged at the local practice site to train front-end staff and serve as an on-site resource for troubleshooting.
Dashboard of Key Indicators
Southwind’s proprietary Dashboard of Key Indicators provides timely reporting so that management can be proactive in responding to indicators of deteriorating performance.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
PHYSICIAN MANPOWER PLANNING
Southwind’s Physician Manpower Planning Experts Align Healthcare Organizations’ Physician Strategy with its Mission and Goals
Physician Needs Assessments (also known as a “Physician Manpower Plan” or “Medical Staff Plan”) primarily quantify current and projected physician manpower surplus / deficit calculations for physicians by specialty within a defined service area. These plans are critical in providing the basis to assess and document overall “community need” for the area served by a hospital or health system.
To gain a complete picture, additional insights must be gained regarding the hospital’s / health system’s strategic need (regardless of the aggregate “community need”). Our experience is that it is also of tremendous value to engage the medical staff members in the development of a qualitative assessment that considers factors such as specialty accessibility and quality, outmigration, referral patterns, etc. in the identification of key priorities. The qualitative considerations ‘customize’ the overall plan’s view of the needs of the service area and hospital. The result of such a comprehensive process is a plan for recruitment by specialty that is grounded on credible quantitative factors as well as critical qualitative input.
Comprehensive Planning
A thorough Physician Needs Assessment should take into consideration most if not all of the following factors:
- An understanding of the hospital / system long-term strategies, clinical priorities, and vision.
- A consideration of the physician strategies that may be utilized by the organization to meet identified needed / desired physicians / specialties.
- The plan should ultimately begin to test the organizational “will” regarding hospital / system action when the needs of the community and medical staff for specific specialties are not being met.
Southwind’s process blends multiple approaches to determine physician needs, including expert determined methodologies, utilization-based methodologies, benchmark or supply-based methodologies. In addition, medical staff surveys and confidential physician interviews play an influential part in the overall analysis.
The result: A comprehensive analysis that outlines the physician manpower needs of the area served by the hospital / health system based on both quantitative and qualitative considerations.
Southwind physician manpower planning engagements will address a number of key questions including:
- How does the organization reconcile the difference between the needs of the community vs. the needs of the organization?
- Are there factors to be considered in recruitment / retention that are driven by strategic initiatives of the medical center?
- Are there specialties that require a look beyond the traditional methodologies?
Proactive Planning
More than ever, hospitals must address how the physician specialty needs will be addressed. The findings of our analysis will focus on some key issues regarding the level and nature of hospital involvement in recruitment and retention activities. Our experience is that hospitals / health systems must be increasingly proactive and more assertive in addressing the physician needs of their community. For many organizations, this is a new phenomenon because many have relied on their medical staff to replenish itself when needed. Our view is that is no longer occurring to the degree of the past and cannot be counted on for medical staff succession.
Consequently, hospitals / health systems must consider a wide range of strategies to ensure that the physician / specialty supply is available to meet the needs of its community.
Communication Throughout the Process
Southwind’s recommendation is a comprehensive and inclusive process, with significant physician involvement throughout. The key input of the medical staff perspectives will provide valuable assistance in the development of priorities and implementation strategies.
Physician Recruitment Policies
Southwind provides assistance to hospitals / health systems in the evaluation or development of physician recruitment policies. These policies are valuable to these organizations in a variety of areas:
- With an increase in regulatory scrutiny of physician relationships, a well developed policy document outlines the organizational guiding principles,
- Development of consistency in how hospital management addresses specific needs as they are requested,
- Facilitation of timely decision-making in areas related to recruitment strategy and incentives, and
- Definition of Committee structure, responsibility, and accountability for the organization in the physician recruitment area.
Well thought out and operational policies that address areas such as: recruitment assistance, recruitment incentives, and physician recruitment practices provide significant value to the overall organization.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Southwind Consultants Facilitate Medical Group Strategic Planning
Designed to Position Physician Organizations for the Future
Abraham Lincoln once said that if he had eight hours to cut down a tree, he would spend six hours sharpening his axe. Wayne Gretsky, the famous hockey player, said that he skates to where he thinks the puck will be.
In the fast paced world of physician practice management, it is critical to periodically retreat from daily tasks to chart the future of the organization. Southwind management consulting executives are seasoned experts at facilitating the medical group strategic planning process.
Most planning engagements begin with an on-site review of the organization, including interviews with key stakeholders to identify the important operational and strategic issues facing the organization. . Both internal and external market data are collected and analyzed in a refreshing way, to give strategic planning participants an appropriate platform from which to plan.
One or more off-site planning meetings will be held to give key stakeholders the opportunity to digest the information gathered, to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as well as current organizational capabilities to develop alternatives strategies for the future. As a part of this process, priorities are established. As important as it is to identify the organization’s goals for the future, it is critical to decide what opportunities will not be pursued, since resources are limited and focus is required for success.
The result: a definitive, consensus driven and documented plan for the future, with identified goals, strategies and tactics, persons responsible for implementation and target dates for completion.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
PHYSICIAN COMPENSATION PLANNING
Southwind Physician Compensation Planning Consultants
Align Financial Incentives
The holy grail of health care management is the alignment of physician incentives. Physician compensation plans can make a pivotal difference in an organization’s ability to achieve its goals, whether they are to improve productivity and practice expense management, patient and/or physician satisfaction and/or more definitive measures of health care quality.
Southwind management consultants have worked with literally hundreds of physician organizations over the past 20 years. Through successful experiences and through the scars of learning from unintended consequences, they are equipped to guide the design, development and implementation of the most appropriate physician compensation plan.
The process begins with a practice assessment to identify the organization’s capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This is accomplished through a detailed review of financials, benchmarking practice performance (physician productivity and compensation as well as practice expenses) and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders including the management team, physician leadership and representative rank-and-file physicians.
A Physician Compensation Steering Committee is established to review Southwind’s assessment findings and recommendations and to begin the process of identifying priorities and goals for the compensation plan as well as alternative models of physician alignment.
Once a preferred model(s) is selected, Southwind analysts prepare detailed financial models illustrating the impact of the new compensation plan design based on recent actual performance. The Steering Committee reviews the pro forma compensation model to determine whether the plan is meeting pre-established goals and if there are unintended consequences. Through an iterative process of making adjustments based on pro forma results achieved, the model is perfected.
Physician organizations are well served by outside, objective, consultative assistance with physician compensation plan design. Southwind has a proven process and the expertise to facilitate a physician compensation plan tailored to your medical group’s needs.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
RECRUITMENT ASSISTANCE
Southwind Recruitment Assistance Identifies and Prequalifies The Best Physician Practice Management Talent
As a value added benefit to its clients, Southwind provides the following limited recruitment assistance in support of client efforts to identify, qualify, recruit and hire key physician practice management executive roles.
Circulating the Employment Opportunity within the Southwind Network
Southwind will circulate an approved position specification or an abbreviated version thereof to its network of contacts. We will typically not identify the client in our wider circulation of this opportunity. All inquires will be directed to our recruitment office through a specially designated email address such as “operationsVP@SouthwindHP.com.”
Screening Qualifications via Resume Review & Selected Telephone Contact
We will screen submitted resumes and make an initial determination as to whether the candidates meet qualifications. We will contact qualified applicants via telephone (typically five to seven are deemed qualified) and conduct a telephone interview to further explore and validate the candidate’s qualifications, willingness to consider the location, acceptability of the compensation range, etc.
ProfileXT™: Internet-based Survey Instrument
From the telephone interviews we will identify two to four candidates that we believe are best suited to the position. We will ask these candidates to complete a proprietary, internet based survey instrument that will score their responses on a scale of one to ten for fourteen areas of qualification and six interest level areas.
Telephone Contact with Primary & Secondary References
In addition, we will contact references provided by the candidate via telephone to validate qualifications and document the reference’s subjective judgment regarding the candidates’ strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for development. We will also contact one or two secondary references, those identified through the primary references or other sources as opposed to being identified by the candidate.
Finalist Candidate Profiles Delivered within 45 days
Within 30-45 days of initiating this effort, you will receive via email the following documents related to our efforts for each of the finalist candidates:
- Resume
- Internet Profile Results
- Documented References
- Any other relevant information gleaned from our telephone contact with the candidate
Southwind recruitment assistance is designed to supplement internal search efforts to identify and pre-qualify physician practice management executives. Our assistance is not designed to replace an aggressive search effort such as is the case in a traditional “retained search” agreement. While there are no guarantees that you will hire Southwind identified candidates, the Southwind network of key contacts nationally will be exploited to surface and pre-qualify appropriate candidates for this position that are worthy of your time to pursue.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
Payor Contracting
Physician practices face unique challenges and opportunities in the way in which they relate to third party payors. A critical component of any physician practice management capability is managed care contracting.
Southwind experts are able to assess both existing and potential managed care contract opportunities. Often this includes the following key elements:
- Managed Care Marketplace Assessment - what are the health plan
contracting opportunities in the marketplace and how can they be exploited?
- Review of Existing Managed Care Contractual Arrangements - How well does
the organization address managed care contracting challenges and
opportunities today?
- Reimbursement Analysis - Who are the best payors and what volume of
patients to they bring?
- Capitated Risk Assessment - Are there managed care capitated risk
opportunities?
- Managed Care Contracting Policy Development - What are the principles
that underlie its managed care contracting?
- On-going Managed Care Contracting Support - What are the practice's needs
for ongoing expertise and/or support in the managed care contracting arena?
Southwind will work with your physician practice organization to optimize
the financial and operating performance of its managed care contracting
arrangements.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
Mitigate Compliance Risk Through Southwind’s Medical Group Compliance Assessment
Southwind Health Partners® recognizes the need for practices to achieve and manage voluntary compliance efficiently on a daily basis. Efficient compliance management means developing a culture that values compliant processes and processes based upon easily understood and implemented good business practices that translate the broad body of compliance legislation into understandable, trainable, daily responsibilities.
Southwind’s approach mitigates the risks associated with non-compliant activities and delivers additional value through:
- Staff understanding of often complex regulations translated into easy to understand policies and procedures;
- Quality improvement;
- Elimination of duplicative training and other compliance resources and activities;
- Appropriate coding and documentation resulting in appropriate payment, high percentages of clean claims and shorter payment cycles;
- Centralized record keeping and reporting;
- Enhanced communication amongst functional areas that drive compliance;
- Staff education on how to effectively provide patient education and responses to questions regarding their rights and compliance related issues;
- A simple ability to monitor compliance activities and outcomes daily; and
- Minimizing the economic and resource burden associated with comprehensive compliance programs.
Southwind now offers the following services:
- Compliance Gap Analysis: An organizational assessment of compliance with fraud and abuse, HIPAA and other compliance areas. The analysis includes a review of your practice’s organizational infrastructure and resource allocation supporting your practice’s compliance obligations. Southwind’s deliverable is a clearly defined roadmap of where your practice currently stands versus recommended changes to closing any observed gaps necessary to achieve and maintain compliance.
- Design and Implementation: Development of turn-key compliance programs and compliance plans that serve as the living blueprint for those programs. All Southwind programs are developed in accordance with OIG guidance and regulatory requirements and documented in a compliance plan that serves as a blue print to program implementation and management.
- Compliance Management: Many practices don’t have the need for a full time compliance officer but require the expertise and experience of one. Southwind solves that dilemma by serving as your outsourced compliance manager providing the resources, expertise and experience your practice needs on a limited but ongoing dependable basis.
- Compliance Program Components: Often practices find they need assistance with a specific portion of their compliance program. Southwind fills that void by providing coding and documentation review, training and education, policy and procedure development, notice of privacy practice development, selection of and implementation assistance with compliance technology tools, assistance in developing monitoring methodologies and the like.
- Third Party Payer and Regulatory Agency Investigation and Litigation Support: Often legal or in-house counsel require assistance in understanding the nuances of billing, coding, privacy safeguards and other practice processes that underlie compliance allegations of wrongdoing. Southwind’s practice management and its principal’s prior legal experience allow them to help facilitate your defense and support your legal counsel.
- Corporate Integrity Agreements: Settlements resulting from allegations of noncompliance often result in Corporate Integrity Agreements (“CIA”). Southwind provides programs uniquely tailored to your practice’s CIA compliance and periodic reporting needs.
- JCAHO and NCQA Business Associate Certifications: As HIPAA enforcement continues to mature, covered entities will want continued assurance that business associates are truly safeguarding their protected heath information. Southwind can assist business associates in developing, implementing and managing: privacy protections for oral, written and electronic health information processes; practices respecting the use, disclosure, and secure storage of personal health information; employee training in protecting personal health information; patient access to their own health information; and contracting between covered entities and their business associates. These criteria form the basis for JCAHO and NCQA Business Associate Certifications and are increasingly being scrutinized by Covered Entities.
For more information, email us or call 1-888-624-9684.
