Neil H. Baum, MD

Neil H. Baum, MD

Tulane University School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Medical School, Vanguard Communications Group

New Orleans, Louisiana

Neil H. Baum, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also a retired urologic surgeon. Additionally, Dr. Baum serves as the Medical Advisor to Vanguard Communications Group. Dr. Baum is the author of Marketing Your Clinical Practice - Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, which is in its 4th edition, has sold over 175,000 copies, and has been translated into Spanish. He also wrote The Complete Business Guide to a Successful Medical Practice, which was published in 2015. Dr. Baum was the 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 to the Practice Management Seminar for the American Urological Association (AUA), where he discusses techniques for making urology practices more efficient and more productive. He has written more than 9 books on practice management and over 250 peer-reviewed articles on various urologic topics. Dr. Baum is also the medical advisor to Vanguard Communications Group.

Disclosures:

Talks by Neil H. Baum, MD

Getting Your Practice to the Top of Google – Part 2

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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Getting Your Practice to the Top of Google

GRU Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, discusses the all-important Google search in part one of a 2-part series. First, he talks about why Google is the most important search engine. The first page of results captures more than 90% of all clicks, so it is imperative to figure out how to get your clinic onto that first page. Dr. Baum gives an example from his own practice about how he got onto the first page of search results by writing medical blog posts and recording videos about common issues that his patients come to him with.

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Staff Motivation for Urology Practices

GRU Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, discusses the importance of providing non-monetary motivation for staff in a urology practice, and provides specific examples of non-monetary incentives that can lead to improved patient care and a better work environment. One of the best non-financial ways to do this is to have periodic performance reviews. Another way is to empower employees to make their own decisions; Dr. Baum suggests having a dollar cap on problems that employees can solve themselves without checking in with their supervisor. He also emphasizes the importance of modeling a positive mental attitude for staff. Finally, he encourages physicians not to underestimate the power of a handwritten note offering congratulations for a job well done, or of just checking in to see how they are doing.

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Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Practice

GRU Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, discusses the importance of cybersecurity for protecting your urology practice. He explains that it is necessary to protect your patients’ data from hacking and phishing so that you do not need to spend large sums of money to buy it back. Most practices, small and large alike, do not have cybersecurity plans in place, and smaller practices in particular are easy targets. The first step in implementing an effective cybersecurity plan is to educate your employees. Dr. Baum also notes how important it is to build a firewall so that you can protect against phishing, and offers some other suggestions on how you can be proactive against it. Finally, he discusses both why your practice needs to have a response plan in place in case the worst does happen and how to go about creating one.

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My Experience with a Jehovah’s Witness Patient

GRU Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, shares his experience treating a Jehovah’s Witness patient, and how he managed to balance the patient’s health with his and his family’s faith. The patient was undergoing a radical nephrectomy and, due to proscriptions of his religion, his son did not want him to receive any blood transfusions during the operation. However, when his family was not around, the patient said he was not as religious as his son and would like a blood transfusion if it were medically necessary. During the surgery, the patient lost a significant amount of blood and did need a blood transfusion, which he received, and Dr. Baum describes how he navigated the delicate situation of saving his patient without directly informing his family how he did so. Was it better to tell the truth or lie to protect his patient? He discusses the ethics behind the decision that he made and the lessons that he learned from it.

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