MGMA Week in Review: PTO Policies, Behavioral Health Integration, and Patient Care Enhancement

In this episode of the MGMA Week in Review podcast, host Daniel Williams shares timely updates on key issues facing medical practices. The episode begins with a look at how organizations are managing paid time off (PTO) and why effective PTO policies are vital to workplace culture and employee retention. It then explores the growing integration of behavioral health into primary care, with a focus on collaborative care models. The episode wraps with a spotlight on the phrase “We’ll take care of that,” and how those five words can significantly enhance the patient experience.

00:00 Introduction and Technical Difficulties
00:43 Welcome to MGMA Week in Review
01:07 Handling Medical Practice Staff's PTO (MGMA Stat)
03:38 Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care (Axios)
05:59 The Power of 'We'll Take Care of That' (Physicians Practice)
07:11 Conclusion and Next Week's Preview

Additional Resources:

• MGMA Playbooks
• MGMA Events
• MGMA Consulting
• MGMA DataDive
• MGMA Stat
• MGMA Podcasts

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Episode Transcript

Daniel Williams (00:51):
Hi. This is Daniel Williams, senior editor
at MGMA and host of the MGMAPodcast Network. We had a little
technical difficulties with ourweekend review episode. It was
due to drop 05/30, 2025. So05/30/2025.

(01:11):
I went and checked, and therejust been something happened to
it. So we've got that recorded,and we're gonna share it with
you. So just consider it a bonusepisode on this Monday morning,
June 2. Happy June, everyone. Solet's go to that episode now.

(01:34):
Well, hi, everyone, and welcometo the MGMA weekend review
podcast. I'm Daniel Williams,senior editor, and today, I'll
be flying solo. Co host ColleenLuckett is working on another
project that she needed to beworking on. So let's just grab a
cup of coffee or whatever keepsyou going, and let's dig into
some insights that matter toyour practice. Now we'll kick

(01:58):
things off today with a freshMGMA story.
This is our stat for this week.It's called how do you handle
your medical practice staff'spaid time off and leave or PTOs?
You can find this over atMGMA.com/stat. You can read the
entire article, and I'll provideyou with the direct link to

(02:19):
that. So here's the deal withthis story about paid time off.
It sounds simple, but ask 10practice managers how they
handle it, and you'll probablyget 10 different answers. So in
this week's MGMA stat, it breaksit down in what we see as a wide
range of approaches from theexperts. So they're pretty

(02:41):
progressive. Some practices aresticking with the classic
accrual model. You work, youearn time off, but others are
experimenting with flexible PTOor even, hang on to this,
unlimited leave policies.
Wow. Sign me up for that. Sowith unlimited, there's

(03:02):
something that we use to onlyhear about in the start up
world, but it's slowly makingits way into health care,
especially in roles that aredirectly patient facing. Now,
obviously, the big challenge iscoverage. Giving your staff more
freedom is great, but it doesn'tmake patients magically

(03:22):
disappear.
We want patients there, and wewanna provide them with the
service they need. So how isthis being done? Practices are
getting creative, cross trainingstaff, tightening up schedules,
putting more emphasis ontechnology, anything to keep
operations smooth withoutburning folks out. And here's

(03:43):
something I thought wasinteresting. Some leaders are
actually seeing better retentionwhen they offer more generous
PTO.
People feel seen. They feel liketheir personal lives matter, and
that can go a long way towardsreducing turnover and keeping
your team engaged. The bottomline, and this comes straight

(04:04):
from the article, your PTOpolicy isn't just a checkbox.
It's part of your culture. Ittells your staff what kind of
place this is to work.
So as mentioned, we will providea direct link, to this article
in the episode show notes andsome best dos and don'ts in
crafting your PTO policy. Solet's move on to our next story.

(04:28):
Let's talk about somethingthat's been a long time coming,
and that's integratingbehavioral health into primary
care. Axios published a piece onMay 27 titled insurers warm to
behavioral health in primarycare, and it's shedding light on
some promising developments.Here's the gist.
Since Medicare introducedbilling codes back in 2017 for

(04:52):
what's called the collaborativecare model, there's been a
significant uptick in insurerscovering mental health services
within primary care settings.This model brings together a
primary care provider, abehavioral health manager, and a
psychiatric consultant to createand manage a patient's mental

(05:12):
health treatment plan. Accordingto new analysis from Milliman,
the number of Medicare Advantageenrollees receiving mental
health services through thismodel has grown eightfold since
those billing codes becameavailable. That's a substantial
increase indicating that morepatients are getting the

(05:32):
integrated care they need. Butit's not just Medicare Advantage
seeing growth.
Traditional Medicare andMedicaid have also experienced
significant increases, and thecommercial market isn't far
behind. For instance, inMadison, Wisconsin, about
fifteen twenty four out of every100,000 commercially insured

(05:54):
individuals receivecollaborative care services in
2023 compared to a nationalaverage of about 59 per 100,000.
Factors contributing to thisgrowth include support from
health systems, dedicatedprimary care physicians
championing the model, andphilanthropic funding to cover

(06:16):
start up cost. There's alsobipartisan legislation in
Congress aiming to increaseMedicare reimbursements for
existing behavioral healthproviders in collaborative care,
which could further boost accessto these services. So while
there's still a long road ahead,it's encouraging to see insurers

(06:37):
and health care providersembracing a more integrated
approach to mental health care.
It's a step in the rightdirection for making
comprehensive care moreaccessible to patients across
the country. Alright. And forour final story today, let's
talk about five words that canmake a world of difference in
patient care. We'll take care ofthat. In an article published on

(07:01):
May 30 by Doctor.
Neil Baum in PhysiciansPractice, he emphasizes how this
simple phrase, we'll take careof that, can significantly
enhance the patient experience.Doctor. Baum points out that
saying, we'll take care of that,conveys empathy, confidence, and
a commitment to patient centeredcare. It reassures patients that

(07:24):
their concerns are being heardand addressed, fostering trust
and satisfaction. In the hustleof daily practice, it's easy to
focus on task and forget thehuman element, but these five
words, we'll take care of that,can bridge that gap.
Reminding patients that they'renot just another appointment,

(07:45):
they're individuals whosewell-being matters. So whether
it's a billing issue, ascheduling conflict, or a
clinical concern, taking amoment to say, we'll take care
of that, can leave a lastingpositive impression. So that's
gonna do it for this week's MGMAweekend review. I'm Daniel

(08:06):
Williams, and thanks forspending a little time with me
today. Hope you found somethinguseful, maybe even something
you'll share with your team.
If you've got feedback or ideasfor what we should cover in
future episodes, please reachout and let us know. We'll
provide direct links and accessto us in our episode show notes.
And next week, we'll have mycohost, Colleen Luckett, back

(08:28):
with us, so be sure to tune in.Take care, and we'll talk soon.