Revenue

I haven't posted much lately. It isn't that there is nothing to post (time spent with friends and family doing enjoyable things like eating delicious food), but largely because I have been feeling a lot of fatigue and generally kind of down. It is the winter after all and the recent time change has made it all the more abrupt. Frankly I already miss the sun..........and I know I have a LONG way to go before it returns to us for any length of time.

So, rather than dwell in my general malaise here on this board, I will just say I am working on it. Vitamin D supplementation started. Digging out the SAD lamp. Exercising when I can get the time/motivation to coincide. Plus plenty of beer and wine (not sure if that is a long term solution, but it helps short term :)

Other than that, work continues to confuse me. I am getting help when I need it now, which is a pleasant change of pace. Even managed a blood transfusion that went pretty well (I have done many previously, but none since the install of the new computer system which does not make easy work of charting/ordering blood products). Overall I think it will help the bottom line as well as my sanity. Of course, I also learned that the amount of revenue I am supposed to generate and the amount of revenue I do generate are not equivalent. I am, evidently, running at about 75-80% of what counts as break even. Hence the new found focus on generating more revenue...........er, or so I thought.

You see today I was informed that I ought to reschedule my Friday patient because they need me at the Park to help out due to under-staffing and over booking. Additionally, I am going to be away for a few days in Bend, so we are going to close those days as well. In summation, we are going to close Thursday to Wednesday and generate $0 in revenue. The 'cost' to operate the clinic remains static however (even if you deduct the cost of staffing it..........which isn't factored in). In order to break even, we need to see about 3 patients a day (obviously dependent on type of infusion, but it works as an approximation). Seeing no patients not only hurts that day, but generally causes a level of consternation amongst both my patients and the providers who refer to me.

As usual, there isn't much I can do about it. I still figure it is just a matter of time until it ceases to be worth operating and, at that point, I guess I will have to consider what my options might be. For now, I am just trying to make it to the weekend.