How to Manage Your GP Practice

The business side of running a medical practice may be unappealing but it's crucial

• How to Manage Your GP Practice is written for GPs and other health professionals running their own practices.
• It tells you in simple, engaging style what the pitfalls are and how to avoid them.
• It illustrates the good and bad ways of negotiating through management issues, using case examples and lightening the messages with witty cartoons.

Written by a GP with over 10 years' experience editing a leading GP magazine, and an accountant whose firm advises over 2500 GPs, the information here is sound, relevant and up to date. It provides reliable and reassuring information for doctors starting out in their careers as well as those looking to refresh their management skills.

Preface vii

Chapter 1: The business as an organism 1

Chapter 2: The challenge that is staff 17

Chapter 3: Basic practice accounting 37

Chapter 4: Budgeting 73

Chapter 5: Choosing the right operational model for the practice 81

Chapter 6: Business growth 87

Chapter 7: Planning for the exit 99

Chapter 8: Ten questions answered 113

Chapter 9: Thou shalt . . . thou shalt not! 125

Appendix 1: Useful contacts 127

Appendix 2: Full set of practice accounts 129

Index 143

"Overall How to manage your GP practice is most useful to the established principal, but it may help to educate potential partners about some of the pitfalls of joining a partnership such as cash flow problems." (GP - General Practitioner, 25 January 2012) Farine Clarke, former GP and Editor of GP and Medeconomics magazines and for the last 15 years Managing Director and Main Board Director of leading UK magazine publishing companies, London, UK

Laurence Slavin, Chartered Accountant at Ramsay Brown and Partners and financial columnist for GP and Medeconomics magazines, London, UK

The business side of running a medical practice may be unappealing but it's crucial

Failing finances or staff walk outs could cause the death of your practice. However irksome managing the accounts, hiring staff and signing property leases may be, you can’t leave these tasks to your practice manager. As a partner in the business you have to be in control, and to take the big decisions.

How to Manage Your GP Practice is written for GPs and other health professionals running their own practices. It tells you in simple, engaging style what the pitfalls are and how to avoid them. It illustrates the good and bad ways of negotiating through management issues, using case examples and lightening the messages with witty cartoons.

Written by a GP with over 10 years' experience editing a leading GP magazine, and an accountant whose firm advises over 2500 GPs, the information here is sound, relevant and up to date. It provides reliable and reassuring information for doctors starting out in their careers as well as those looking to refresh their management skills.