Office Management

Although most colorectal surgeons prefer to spend their working hours in the operating room, the office consumes a large part of the colorectal practice. It is important, therefore, to establish an efficient and reliable office practice. To do this, one should know how to logistically form the office and staff it and be able to identify which procedures can be conducted there effectively. To this end, the authors of this issue have provided their thoughts and experience in this arena.

Drs. Ferguson and Simon give concise examples of how to evaluate and treat common colorectal conditions in the office such as rectal bleeding, hemorrhoids, and perianal abscesses. Dr. Kanji describes in great detail what it takes to establish an office-based endoscopy center which ultimately benefits the doctor, patient, and third-party payers. Finally, Dr. Opelka and I provide suggestions on how to create your actual office space and staff it, as well as how to efficiently code and charge for your procedures to maximize your reimbursement under the new medicolegal guidelines.

We hope you find this information useful in your career, and we are grateful for the opportunity to provide it to you.