Neil H. Baum, MD

Neil H. Baum, MD

Tulane University School of Medicine

New Orleans, Louisiana

Neil H. Baum, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Baum also serves as the Medical Advisor to Vanguard Communications Group. His areas of expertise are practice management, ethical marketing for medical professionals, social media, telemedicine, and enhancing practice productivity.

Dr. Baum completed his pre-med education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. He earned his medical degree from Ohio State University in Columbus. 

Dr. Baum is the author of 18 books, including Marketing Your Clinical Practice – Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, now in its 4th edition, and “The Complete Business Guide to a Successful Medical Practice. Dr. Baum was a  columnist for American Medical News for more than 25 years. Dr. Baum also wrote the popular column, “The Bottom Line,” for Urology Times for more than 20 years. He is a requested speaker each year for  the Practice Management Seminar held by  the American Urological Association (AUA), where he discusses techniques to  make urology practices more efficient and more productive. He has written more than nine  books on practice management and over 250 peer-reviewed articles on various urologic topics.

Talks by Neil H. Baum, MD

Telephone Techniques to Generate New Patients

Telephone Techniques to Generate New Patients

| Dec 2020

Grand Rounds in Urology Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, offers advice on improving clinic telephone protocols, which in turn can help generate new patients for a practice. He discusses the importance of telephone etiquette, as well as specific techniques that are important to do correctly. Dr. Baum urges consistency when answering the phone, and stresses the importance of giving top priority to new patients. He covers different ways to improve the new patient telephone experience, and emphasizes the importance of avoiding gaps in phone coverage during office hours. Overall, he urges practices to get rid of phone trees and highlights the importance of talking to a human. Dr Baum also offers some advice on how to handle after hours telephone calls that will help maintain a good patient experience.

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Time Saving Tips #1: Getting a Handle on Prior Authorizations

Time Saving Tips #1: Getting a Handle on Prior Authorizations

| Nov 2020

Grand Rounds in Urology Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, discusses how getting a handle on prior authorizations can help doctors deal with loss of income. At present, many doctors are facing lost revenue due to decreasing reimbursements and rising overhead costs, and one of the best ways to deal with this problem is to increase efficiency and productivity by learning how to make the most of prior authorizations. Dr. Baum explains why prior authorization is important, as well as how the process has changed in the last five years. He then advises that it is a good idea to have one person on staff who is a prior authorization expert as this will make the process more efficient and decrease the number of denials. He emphasizes the importance of the expert having deep knowledge of various red flag features of prior authorizations, which can result in huge delays and even denials. The bottom line according to Dr. Baum is that these specialists can do a great deal to improve productivity, efficiency, and even staff morale.

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The Science Behind Burnout

The Science Behind Burnout

| Nov 2020

Grand Rounds in Urology Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, looks at the science behind burnout, which is extremely prevalent among doctors, and particularly among urology residents and fellows. He lists the telltale signs of burnout and discusses its relationship to telomeres, the caps on the ends of chromosomes which prevent them from “fraying.” Most people have long telomeres but, as Dr. Baum explains, in instances of stress or burnout they shorten, resulting in DNA breakage and cellular dysfunction. He then discusses the effect these shortened telomeres can have on emotions and immune function, and explores the relationship between various diseases and shorter telomeres. Finally, Dr. Baum offers some advice about how one can determine if they are suffering from burnout and points to where people can find more information on the subject of burnout and telomeres.

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Getting Your Practice to the Top of Google – Part 2

Getting Your Practice to the Top of Google – Part 2

| Oct 2020

In the second installment of a 2-part series, GRU Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, offers advice about how urologists can get their practice onto the first page of Google search results. To make the most of advertising dollars with Google, it is necessary to have some understanding of search engine optimization (SEO). One of the best ways for a urologist to improve their SEO is to start blogging about their practice. Dr. Baum explains what this entails and how to do it well, highlighting the importance of word choice and noting that medical terminology is not as effective as catchy or humorous titles for getting eyeballs onto a blog. One of the most important steps for improving a urology practice’s SEO is to connect the blog to the practice’s website, so that potential patients can find it easily. Dr. Baum also offers some advice on how to come up with new content, as the most effective blogs have new posts at least once a month.

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