Closing a practice can be costly and shutting up shop must be a last resort. AISMA chairman Bob Senior considers the alternatives to practice closure. Visit the Pulse website to read the full article.

It’s not just the weather that’s cold. Pay freezes have been in place for some time now. Luckily, practice managers, unlike Bob Cratchit, don’t have to deal with the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. But they do have to contend with a system where tight control is essential if inefficiencies are to be stamped out. Read some tips on spreading some pre-Christmas cheer from AISMA member James Gransby writing in the November/December 2014 issue of Practice Management. Download article

Considering a break from the NHS pension? Think again. AISMA Chairman Bob Senior gives three reasons why GPs should think again before having a ‘holiday’ from the superannuation scheme. Visit the Pulse website to read the full article.

If GPs have to publish their earnings, AISMA Chairman Bob Senior asks, how will those figures be calculated? Will they be accurate? And what purpose will it serve? Visit the Pulse website to read more.

AISMA member Luke Bennett and two other experts have some advice for a practice wanting to persuade their recently qualified young GP trainee to join the practice with a view to becoming a partner. Go to the Pulse website to read the full article.

‘The doctors are not happy’  Does Jeanette Brown’s cautionary tale of a partnership on the brink ring any warning bells in your practice? Download the full article

AISMA accountants offer Pulse readers some advice on two topics relating to PMS reviews. Lizzie Lloyd, Hubbard Lloyd, Colchester gives some forward-planning advice to practices who know there’s a PMS review in the pipeline. While Keith Taylor, BW Medical Accountants, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has some tips for practices wanting to switch to a GMS contract but who haven’t been offered a transition deal yet.

The new contract gives GPs some much needed certainty on funding in tight financial times but could give unwelcome results. AISMA Chairman Bob Senior says further examination of the details is needed. Read more on the Pulse website

Next January, the Government is set to implement a new policy that will allow GPs to take on patients outside their boundaries – rolling back the deadline originally set for this month. At the same time, NHS England said practices that take on out-of-area patients will receive the same funding as for their local patients, even though they will not have to offer home visits. There will be varying fortunes for practices under the scheme. AISMA Chairman Bob Senior advises which practices are likely to profit. Visit the Pulse website to find out more.

Earnings from the flu vaccination campaign should rise in line with list size but in fact accountants know that results can vary significantly between practices of much the same size. AISMA Chairman Bob Senior explains what steps practices can take steps to ensure they see a rise in income during the flu season. Visit the Pulse website to read the article