Medical Office Manager

Managing staff

The plain and practical side of medical office managing

Equally as important as regulations, revenue, coding, and Medicare are the day-to-day issues of running the office and managing people. Here are solutions to many of the ongoing and aggravating issues managers face every day. They don't come from management school. They are the wisdom of consultants and of managers in medical offices. And they are all simple, workable … [Read more...] about The plain and practical side of medical office managing

Immigration, salary threshold, LGBTQ discrimination, emojis and more

By Mike O'Brien  bio Immigration alert—more Social Security "no-match" letters to issue this fall: The Social Security Administration (SSA) just announced its plan to mail a second set of "no-match letters" to employers this fall. These notices request employers to reconcile wage reports and credit employees' earnings to their Social Security records, stating there is … [Read more...] about Immigration, salary threshold, LGBTQ discrimination, emojis and more

Why you need an office policy on collecting fees

Most medical practices take time once a year to create new office goals or a business plan and, hopefully, to upgrade their policy manuals. And consideration of collecting on co-pays and deductibles needs to be an integral part of that business plan, according to Michael Glass, a medical consultant with Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI). Why bother with an office policy? The … [Read more...] about Why you need an office policy on collecting fees

Massachusetts practice busted for taking free POCT cups from Millennium

Case: A northern Massachusetts medical practice and Detroit pain clinic became the latest downstream providers to pay the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) a five-figure fine to settle kickback claims in the form of accepting free point of care test cups from now defunct Millennium Laboratories. The settlement amounts: $87,650 and $44,900, respectively, are consistent with … [Read more...] about Massachusetts practice busted for taking free POCT cups from Millennium

Easy ways to make your medical office healthier

A medical practice focuses on patient health and well-being. Yet, too often, the workplace doesn't promote staff health and well-being – and, in fact, detracts from it. Why does it matter? A healthy workplace encourages staff engagement and productivity, which has a direct impact on the profitability of the practice. To evaluate your workplace, and make necessary … [Read more...] about Easy ways to make your medical office healthier

5 essential steps to ensure an effective HIPAA program

By Danika Brinda  bio HIPAA Compliance is a term that is often thrown around the healthcare industry; however, I commonly ask myself: Is the meaning of HIPAA Compliance the same throughout the industry? The answer is NO! Walking into a healthcare organization in the last month, the HIPAA Privacy Officer was excited to tell me that they are fully HIPAA compliant and … [Read more...] about 5 essential steps to ensure an effective HIPAA program

Missouri staff train each other on solving the day-to-day issues

The best staff training, says a Missouri medical office manager, is the training staff give one another. At the OB/GYN office, staff do just that. They hold training sessions for one another on a "when-needed, what's-needed, and who-needs-it" basis. The office has four physicians and 25 staff. There's no set routine. The manager simply schedules an in-service whenever she sees … [Read more...] about Missouri staff train each other on solving the day-to-day issues

The ABCs of Provider Compliance: A necessity in today’s healthcare climate

The word "compliance" constitutes one of the most under-estimated forces of change in healthcare today. Kathleen Hessler, RN, JD, CHC, CHPC, Director of Compliance & Risk, Simione Healthcare Consultants, says, "It may be a buzz word in many organizations, but compliance typically means different things to the board of directors or executive team than it does to the managers … [Read more...] about The ABCs of Provider Compliance: A necessity in today’s healthcare climate

Separate room for schedulers calms front office chaos

A few years ago, a North Carolina pediatric practice realized that the front desk is not the best place to check people in, make return appointments, and schedule new appointments – all at the same time. With staff constantly having to answer phones, the area was too busy and too noisy to give waiting patients the attention they deserved. People were waiting in line only to … [Read more...] about Separate room for schedulers calms front office chaos