Blog | FON Consulting

Preventive Medicine as a Viable Financial Model

Prevention remains the only magic bullet ‘cure’ for most malignancies and chronic disease. It’s where we’re headed. The conundrum for providers lies in delivering the most effective services with sufficient profit margin. I consider the new healthcare law ‘ACA 1.0’ and, thankfully, version 2.0 is just around the (cost curve) bend. Hopefully we are getting closer with current incentives in place rewarding health outcomes via patient-centered medical homes, accountable care

Fee-Splitting 101 for MDs and other Integrative Health Practitioners

By Michael H. Cohen, JD Is it fee-splitting to hire another medical doctor, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or other health care practitioner in your office and give them a “cut” of patient revenues? Fee-splitting, “Stark,” self-referral, and anti-kickback issues concern many health care practitioners who seek legal counsel from our law firm. Here’s one typical scenario: You’re an acupuncturist and you want to hire a second acupuncturist as an independent contractor. The patient pays

Legal Viewpoint: MDs Operating Web-Based Health and Wellness Businesses

By Michael H. Cohen, JD telemedicine laws: who operates the sites and provides content? are the visits to the site considered clinical encounters, or merely visits to receive general information and education? is personalized healthcare advice being given? will the physician be obligated to have medical licensure in the state of the patient, as well as the home state or originating site? is a restricted telemedicine license available? antikickback and

Grab Your Audience! — 12 Foolproof Ways to Open a Speech

In my previous blog in this space, I discussed the concept of mindfulness, and how incorporating mindful speaking can benefit your integrative medicine practice or research. Speaking with that level of focus is important, I said, because your material alone—no matter how strong—can’t create the responses you’re looking for in stakeholders. Let’s say you’re explaining your group or organization’s philosophy of integrative health. You’ve put together an excellent presentation or

An Open Letter to My Friend, John Weeks: By NCCAM’s Josephine Briggs

[Excerpted from FON Presents: In Living Tribute to John Weeks. Download the 64-page eBook.] An open letter to my friend, John Weeks: You will remember six years ago blogging about my appointment as Director of NCCAM to your readers: “Oops, they did it again.” Your post made it clear that you did not hold out much hope for me—or indeed for the overall NIH investment in complementary and alternative medicine.

New Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine Broadens Leadership Team

By John Weeks New Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM) broadens its leadership team: Wisneski, Snider and Weeks join board. In the fall of 2013, the American Board of Integrative Health and Medicine (ABIHM) announced that it was re-forming itself as the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM). In a speech announcing the new entity, the founding president Mimi Guarneri, MD mentioned three new areas of involvement beyond ABIHM’s historic education and certification

Bravo! How to End a Speech Vividly and Memorably

In my first article in this three-part series about speaking on integrative medicine, I discussed incorporating mindfulness in your talks, presentations, videos and podcasts. The second piece in the series offered some foolproof ways to grab an audience’s attention in your Introduction. Today, I’d like to talk about the other end of your remarks: your Conclusion, and why you need a clincher to keep your listeners and viewers thinking about

Physician Specialists and Emerging Practice Business Models: Choosing Forward

If you serve within a specialty practice—as a physician, advanced practitioner, or administrator—you may now have more options for how patient care is delivered, and how the practice is paid. When we think of concierge models of care, we think of internal medicine and primary care—you know, the large concierge care ‘branded’ franchisors that bundle in practice conversions as part of their franchisee services agreement (like MDVIP, SignatureMD, and Castle

How to Effectively Use LinkedIn to Sell Integrative Health Products and Services

This article focuses on utilizing LinkedIn for sales, business development, and partnerships via organic methods through meaningful engagement, by building long-term rapport, and not being, well, annoying. This piece is not about paid advertising or LinkedIn marketing automation lead tools. I love LinkedIn and use it daily. It’s my favorite go-to social platform. Incredibly effective, it has consistently driven business for FON and my personal brand over the last decade.

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