Medical Money Matters with Jill Arena

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to this episode of the Medical Money Matters podcast. I’m so glad you’re here, because today we’re diving into a topic that impacts every medical practice—whether you’re a solo provider or part of a large group. Patient retention. If you’ve ever wondered why patients leave, what it costs your practice when they do, or how to build a loyal following in a competitive market,...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we're diving into a topic that’s transforming the way healthcare practices grow and thrive: the digital front door. In a world where convenience and technology reign supreme, staying ahead of the curve isn’t just about embracing change; it’s about survival. Patients today expect seamless, efficient interactions with their healthcare providers, and the costs of not keep...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re going to tackle an issue that’s been a thorn in the side of so many practice owners and administrators: hiring, and not only hiring, but hiring your dream team! Let me guess—you’ve said it before, maybe even this week: “It’s so hard to find good help these days.” It’s a sentiment we hear constantly, and one that can feel incredibly frustrating. Staffing challenges can...

Send us Fan Mail Compensation isn’t just about money—it’s about value, recognition, and culture. It’s no wonder it’s one of the most emotionally charged topics in any medical group. Today’s topic is one that often stirs strong emotions: physician compensation. Designing an effective pay model is one of the most challenging tasks for any practice leader. Why? Because pay isn’t just a number on a pa...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re exploring a topic that’s top-of-mind for many practice leaders: workforce optimization. Specifically, how can strategies like offshoring, artificial intelligence, and robotic process automation help you future-proof your workforce while driving down costs and increasing efficiency?  Did you know that workforce costs account for nearly 60% of total expenses in most med...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re diving into one of the most transformative changes in healthcare: the shift to value-based care. It’s not just a buzzword—it’s a movement that’s reshaping how medical practices operate, get reimbursed, and deliver care.   Picture this: a tale of two clinics in the SAME city. One is thriving under a value-based care model, consistently earning incentives and providing...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re talking about a discipline that every practice needs but too few truly master—budgeting. Think of your budget as the GPS of your practice’s finances. Without it, you’re driving blind, hoping to reach your destination but constantly at risk of wrong turns, delays, or running out of gas altogether.   A budget is more than numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s the roadmap for y...

Send us Fan Mail Join me for a fascinating conversation with Josie Van Scholten, Managing Partner of Valenta, a global company specializing in offshoring, AI and robotic process automation. Josie is a recovering practice administrator, and focuses on working with medical practices to future proof their workforce. She and I discuss how offshoring works, how best to partner with companies like Valen...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s topic is one I know will resonate with many of you: the paradox of needing to spend money to make money. It’s a concept that’s often discussed in the business world, but it can feel especially challenging in the context of a medical practice. Why? Because for most physicians, business training wasn’t a part of the curriculum in medical school. And yet, you’re expected to m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re tackling an issue that every medical group, big or small, has faced: managing competing priorities while staying true to your strategic plan. This topic hits home for so many of us because the very nature of healthcare—fast-paced, dynamic, and unpredictable—makes it difficult to juggle everything effectively. But what happens when you’re also trying to stay...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Medical Money Matters ! It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the end of our second season. What a journey this has been, and as we head into this season of thanks-giving, I want to take a moment to reflect on many things that have carried us through these first two years of episodes.  First and foremost, thank you to you, our listeners. Your loyalty, support, and ent...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re diving into a critical topic that’s only becoming more urgent as cyber threats grow: Is Your Cyber Incident Response Plan Up to Snuff?   Now, if you’re a physician running or managing a practice, you might think cybersecurity isn’t something you need to worry about daily. Think back to March of 2024, which saw the Change Healthcare Cyberattack. You may be thinking, “C...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we're diving into a topic that might be affecting your practice more than you realize: Is Your Office Manager Living the Peter Principle? Now, you might be wondering—what is the Peter Principle? And how could it apply to my medical practice? Let’s break it down.   The Peter Principle is a concept first described by Dr. Laurence J. Peter in his 1969 book, The Peter Prin...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s topic is one that can be hard to think about but is crucial for anyone managing a practice: embezzlement. We’re calling today’s episode “Meet the Four Embezzlers Lurking in Plain Sight: A Guide for Savvy Physicians.” Why focus on this? Well, physician practices have unique vulnerabilities that make them especially appealing targets for embezzlers, and the impact of financi...

Send us Fan Mail Today we're thrilled to bring you a very special episode. This marks our 100th episode! Yes, we’ve hit a milestone, and I just want to take a moment to thank all of you, our loyal listeners, for tuning in, sharing feedback, and helping us grow this incredible community of healthcare professionals and administrators. It’s been an amazing journey, filled with insightful convers...

Send us Fan Mail Given that this is Episode 99, which is a number that signifies growth and the ending of one era and the beginning of another, it seemed an opportune time to talk about recognizing the signs of growth in your practice and how to plan for it effectively. As healthcare providers, we often find ourselves so focused on patient care that we may overlook the subtle indicators of growth...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to episode 98.6, where we explore an idea that runs deeper than just managing patient care or handling office logistics. We’re going to talk about what it means to be “normal” in a medical practice. Now, most of us are familiar with the concept of 98.6°F as the “normal” temperature for a healthy human body. It’s become a standard—something we rely on to tell us that things...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to today’s episode, where we’re diving deep into one of the most important but often overlooked aspects of running a successful medical group: building a positive, intentional culture. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Culture eats strategy for lunch” —and if you haven’t, you’re about to understand why that idea is so critical, especially in healthcare.  Now, what do we m...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re diving into a topic that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: trusted advisors and why your practice needs them. Running a medical practice isn’t just about seeing patients—it’s also about making smart business decisions. And sometimes, those decisions require expert advice. So, whether you’re just starting your practice or you’ve been in the game for years,...

Send us Fan Mail The old adage goes, "The best time to buy real estate is any time before today," and this is what we explore in our conversation about real estate investing for physician groups in my conversation with James Winchester of CMAC Partners. James works with physician groups all over the country on financing, refinancing, structuring and governing all manner of physician owne...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re exploring a topic that every practice has to confront at some point: should you handle critical services in-house or outsource them? It’s a key decision that can make a huge difference in how your practice operates, the quality of care you provide, and, of course, your bottom line. And, a note about today’s episode - as a consultant, it would be easy for me to say, “Ou...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re going to explore a topic that’s both financially lucrative and operationally challenging for physician practices: Workers’ Compensation and Motor Vehicle Accidents, or MVA, as lines of business.  Now, if you’re a physician or an administrator managing a medical practice, you know that these two areas can represent significant revenue opportunities. But they also come...

Send us Fan Mail What is a Mastermind Group? This week, I visit with Shandy Welch, FNP, PCC to learn about the Mastermind Groups that she facilitates, and to talk about the benefits of joining one. Shandy shares generously from her many years of executive coaching and running Mastermind Groups about what to expect, and the results she's seen over the years. Physicians and healthcare executive...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s topic is something every practice owner and administrator should be familiar with: Continuous Quality Improvement, or CQI, and the "alphabet soup" of improvement methodologies that come with it, like PDSA, Six Sigma, Lean, and FMEA.  You might be thinking—great, more buzzwords. But the truth is, these concepts have the potential to make a huge impact on the way y...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m joined by Andrew Harding, national revenue expert and co-founder of Rivet Health, a software company that was created to be the healthcare revenue cycle acceleration platform. We discuss how and why physicians should look to accelerate their revenue cycle and what technology is available today to support that work. Andrew shares from his long career in revenue...