Medical Office Manager

Managing patients

Employee incentive program increases number of patient well exams—and practice revenue

Pediatric Medical Group of Santa Maria, located in Santa Maria, CA, has found a way to quadruple the amount of well child and well baby exams at its office. "In the past, we always ran a recall report and had our staff call patients that were due for well exams," Camille Gamble, practice manager, tells Medical Office Manager. Although the process seemed to work okay, … [Read more...] about Employee incentive program increases number of patient well exams—and practice revenue

Putting the patient first

By Nick Hernandez  bio Medical practices should take a measured approach to the future of their practice, keeping in mind that patients define value as appointment access and availability. With the changes and incentives (often misaligned incentives) in play as a result of healthcare reform, many hospitals and provider groups are hedging their bets that bigger is … [Read more...] about Putting the patient first

Is your medical office prepared to accommodate an aging population?

Talk of an aging population isn't idle chatter. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2030 will mark a significant turning point in the nation's history. By then, all baby boomers will be older than 65. This means that one in every five residents will be retirement age. An aging population presents increasing challenges from the standpoint of health care and related patient … [Read more...] about Is your medical office prepared to accommodate an aging population?

How one medical center created their dream schedule

At Barnard Medical Center in Washington, DC, the staff and physicians worked together to create a schedule that meets of the patients, as well as the practice's working parents. Melissa Gohacki, the practice manager, explains how the schedule was designed. I work at a small primary care office- two physicians and two NPs. One of the physicians is married to one of the NPs, and … [Read more...] about How one medical center created their dream schedule

Do you have the ‘right stuff’ to be a successful medical office manager?

As the office manager of a medical practice, you have an opportunity to learn, grow, and make a valuable contribution. "You really get the chance to be a part of a small business and to wear a lot of different hats," says Mary Pat Whaley, co-founder and president of Manage My Practice, a medical practice consulting firm. What's more, because most physicians are not business … [Read more...] about Do you have the ‘right stuff’ to be a successful medical office manager?

Use weekly meetings with doctors to keep office running smoothly

Meeting every week with the doctors makes a tremendous difference in how smoothly – and also how successfully – an office operates, says the manager of a pediatrics practice in Colorado. For her office, it's an 8 a.m. meeting every Monday, a good time, because it sets the tone for the week. It also keeps everybody on the same page. And it ensures that the doctors know all the … [Read more...] about Use weekly meetings with doctors to keep office running smoothly

What happened when a doctor cried on social media

By Ron Harman King, MS  bio There's a lot of debate in the healthcare profession these days about social media. On one hand, I've heard some good arguments against doctors taking precious time from successful practices for social media and also against using social media to communicate directly with patients, which obviously creates big privacy problems. On the other … [Read more...] about What happened when a doctor cried on social media

7 best practices for optimizing your collections

By Ranadene (Randi) K. Tapio, MBA, CMRS, CMC, Guest Contributor  bio Collections isn't the most glamorous part of running a practice. Perhaps the only thing worse than making collections calls is receiving them! Unfortunately, collections is necessary and if done correctly, it will allow you to collect on accounts that have sat stagnant for months, sometimes years. In … [Read more...] about 7 best practices for optimizing your collections

What is the ‘patient experience’ like at your medical practice?

You may have come across the term, "patient experience" lately and assumed it is equivalent to "customer experience" in other industries. Although there are similarities between the two terms, there are also major differences. Everything that happens in a customer experience is applicable to the patient experience, says Jason Wolf, president of The Beryl Institute, a global … [Read more...] about What is the ‘patient experience’ like at your medical practice?