This week we take a closer look at the legal, clinical, technological and practical aspects of performing Good Faith Exams in a growing practice. In light of the recent tragedy in our home state of Texas, it was important for us to use For The Record to bring you a group who can provide guidance, solutions and watchouts for Practices who are wrangling the GFE beast.
In Episode 72: Ask The Experts: Good Faith Exams, we head back to Aesthetic Next 5.0 for a panel focused specifically on how to take your GFE processes and protocols from good to great.
FTR Host and CGO of Aesthetic Record, Tiphany Hall, moderated the panel and provided her perspective from a software partner operating inside the practice: How can we leverage technology and what we know about scale to make sure we perform an appropriate GFE but that we keep it efficient and repeatable with every patient?
She was joined by panelist, Justin Marti, Esq., of Marti Law Group, a hyper-focused, boutique law firm that specializes in healthcare law, specifically dental and aesthetics. His firm helps clients from startup to scale all the way through an exit, and as an attorney working across the US, he’s familiar with the ever-changing landscape of our industry.
Also joining us was Noah Bohbot. He is the mastermind behind Qualiphy, an innovative, virtual GFE provider that keeps the practice in control while delegating the execution of the GFE to Nurse Practitioners and Physicians who are available on demand. Patients are able join a Qualiphy provider for a telehealth GFE exam within seconds of receiving a link. The fee is low to the Practice, and most importantly, the GFE is performed by an appropriately licensed medical professional who is familiar with the service and can assess before treatment.
We rounded out our panel with Jennifer Hartley, ACNP, Founder & Medical Director at Skin Synthesis in Seattle. Prior to Aesthetics, Jenny worked in Critical Care for nearly a decade, and she approaches the GFE process with the same intensity you’d expect from a former ICU NP! Jenny has done extensive research and spent a lot of time, money and energy building her arsenal of legal documents, SOPs, and safeguards to protect her Patients and her Practice. As she looks to scale Skin Synthesis, she has to strike a balance between Patient care, business efficiency and financial viability.
Throughout the course of this AN 5.0 panel, the group talks about the multitude of factors to consider for GFEs:
What are the questions you need to ask for each procedure to meet the medical and legal standards?
Are you comfortable sending out your GFEs to a 3rd party to complete? How can you be sure it’s legal in your state?
If you use a company like Qualiphy, what are the processes you need in place to request the GFE, get the results, and store them in the chart? Hint: Aesthetic Record is now fully integrated with Qualiphy!
What are the legal pitfalls and watchouts you need to consider when it comes to the actual exam- What if your patient isn’t truthful?
How does a growing practice decide whether to invest in additional NPs or PAs to complete exams or bring in a third-party?
Do we approach the GFE with the same rigor that we would an intake for critical care or more invasive medical treatments?
We covered a lot of ground in this panel, including several audience questions and perspectives that have been simplified and restated for our listeners. When we consider the real possibility of tragic events like the one that unfolded in Texas and the inherent risk of any medical procedure, there’s one thing the panelist all agreed was imperative for Patient safety- conducting a thorough GFE.
Follow our panelist as they share more about GFEs, legal, compliance and Practice management topics through their own companies:
Marti Law Group: https://www.martilawgroup.com/
Qualiphy https://www.qualiphy.me
Skin Synthesis: https://skinsynthesis.com/
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