When a Column Becomes a Body of Work- 76 Taking Care of Business Columns written by Iris Kimberg MS PT OTR for Merion Publications

Mark Bittman, a favorite NY Times food columnist once wrote that “sooner or later, a column starts to turn into a body of work”. This is a collection of 76 Taking Care of Business columns  that I wrote for the OT Advance, a Merion Publications. Without exception, all columns are equally relevant to PT and ST as well as other allied healthcare professions, since they are business, not clinically driven. The columns documents the history not only of my personal development in the business aspect of therapy, but of trends in healthcare that have  ramifications for us all.

When my column first appeared in 2004,  associating healthcare delivery by private practitioners as a business was still “taboo”. Most columnists will agree that takes time for a column to find its true identity, and mine was no different. Within a year, the column’s goal, my purpose became clearer as I began to preach what I had practiced in my own therapy entity over the course of 25 years. Let me help therapists understand the business end of therapy provision through many lenses and achieve the success that they want for the mutual benefit of themselves and their patients.

Three elements of most columns became continual.
(1) There are cyclical trends that therapists need to acknowledge, understand, and anticipate what their impact will be.
(2) Pro-active planning and problem solving is essential to capitalize on these trends and make informed and strategic business decisions.
(3) Making sure of the direction you are headed is more important than the time it takes you to get there

The style of writing is part of the message- in order to succeed, be short, concise and give actionable implantable ideas the reader can relate to. The timely topics with business advice that is specific with concrete actionable ideas include:
• Finances/ Billing
• Legal and Risk Management Considerations
• Strategic Marketing and Business Communication
• Day to Day Operational Issues
• Ethical Considerations
• Long Term Growth and Development