Medical Office Manager

Managing staff

Fairness in the employment setting can be everything

By Steve M. Cohen  bio I have worked closely with two organizations: The Transgender Institute (TTI) and the Gender Policy Associates (GPA). TTI is an organization that provides therapy, consultation, and coaching to transgender people. This is a population that is much misunderstood; in schools they are subject to extensive bullying. At work, they are often subject to … [Read more...] about Fairness in the employment setting can be everything

NY manager gets more done with 15 minute one-on-one meetings

Offices with a limited number of staffers can follow the management lead of a New York medical office manager who has replaced full-staff meetings with 15-minute individual meetings in which she talks with each person privately. In a group, not everything gets brought out, says the manager of the practice, which has just seven staffers. There is no opportunity to listen to … [Read more...] about NY manager gets more done with 15 minute one-on-one meetings

90 minutes of unpaid time off ends a bookkeeping nightmare

A Kentucky medical office manager has devised a method to control time off, focusing on making the paperwork easier. Keeping track of 45-minute appointments or an hour of personal leave is a bookkeeping nightmare, says the administrator for a five-physician women's care clinic. And it's especially difficult for a large practice such as hers, which has 26 staff. So she combined … [Read more...] about 90 minutes of unpaid time off ends a bookkeeping nightmare

Your office can improve operations with a few easy changes

By Steve M. Cohen  bio I'm sure you've seen one of Hollywood's "political" movies. You know the kind: drama unfolds between a candidate and (fill in the blank), while his or her selfless team of volunteers labor furiously in the background, assuring that the candidate still wins, despite spending all of his or her time dealing with the drama. Hollywood fantasy, right? … [Read more...] about Your office can improve operations with a few easy changes

A little stress can be good, but a lot can be disastrous

By Steve M. Cohen  bio There's a big issue that I think is overlooked too often in many offices: job related stress and anxiety. Some stress is good. A certain tension, including awareness of deadlines and the feeling of meeting challenges, is a good thing in any workplace. But too much stress, or stress for too long a time, will overload people. Some handle it … [Read more...] about A little stress can be good, but a lot can be disastrous

Three more people issues, some of them legal and some not easily answered

For a manager, the people questions never stop coming. Here are three of them – the staffer who criticizes the office or the manager, the legal issues of layoffs, and how to handle a smoker’s halitosis. They are answered by attorney Shari L. Lane of Northwest Employment Law in Portland, OR. Protected vs. snippy remarks Can the office discipline a staffer for … [Read more...] about Three more people issues, some of them legal and some not easily answered

Large West Virginia office finds easier way to solve small problems

When managing two offices, eight physicians, and 35 staff became a job of "constantly trying to put out a fire," a West Virginia manager did what many managers do. She named supervisors – one for the clinical staff, one for front office and billing, one for lab, and one for the satellite office. But along with that, she set up an easy way "to put a large number of people … [Read more...] about Large West Virginia office finds easier way to solve small problems