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
Reader tips
A 30-day collection agency letter cuts the A/R days in Atlanta office
A four-physician surgery practice has reduced its receivables significantly with a collection approach that begins when a bill gets to be a month old. At 31 days, every account with a balance greater than $50 gets turned over to the collection agency, explains Anjelica Alston, practice manager for Piedmont Colorectal Associates in Atlanta. But there’s no actual collection … [Read more...] about A 30-day collection agency letter cuts the A/R days in Atlanta office
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
Profit-boosting ideas welcome at staff meetings
Staff often have good recommendations, particularly for customer service. So to make sure they stay on the lookout for recommendations, practice manager Jackie Arzooyan of Canton Asthma & Allergy in Canton, MI, sets aside staff meeting time for them. The process is an easy one. When she draws up the agenda for a meeting, Arzooyan includes a question for everybody to think … [Read more...] about Profit-boosting ideas welcome at staff meetings
Short newsletter keeps multiple sites and doctors up to date
Because health care is synonymous with change, and because notice of every change doesn't always get through to every person who needs to know about it, a Minnesota practice has set up a brief in-house newsletter. The pediatrics practice has six sites, and the newsletter is written for the site managers as well as for the providers. The little publication is a good way to get … [Read more...] about Short newsletter keeps multiple sites and doctors up to date
Potential hires meet with staff as part of job interview
Because a job interview produces a lot of pat answers, one medical office manager sends potential hires out to spend 15 minutes with the staff they will be working with. What takes place are "the little conversations that employees have with one another," she says. And the outcome is information no formal interview can uncover. For that reason, the time with staff has … [Read more...] about Potential hires meet with staff as part of job interview
Austin practice showers staff with appreciation
As a busy practice administrator at Capital Otolaryngology in Austin, TX, Sangita Lakhia has a difficult time keeping track of the "special days" – admin assistants week, nurses day, sleep tech day, surgical tech week, and so forth. "I also felt bad giving a gift or breakfast to just one department and not others," she tells Medical Office Manager. So Lakhia decided to drop … [Read more...] about Austin practice showers staff with appreciation
Try these no-cost ways to boost staff morale
To have good employees, an office "has to treat people right," says Sabrina Hebert, manager of Northlake Surgical Associates, a five-physician, 12-staff office in Covington, LA. And her office does that by giving benefits that are a bit out of the ordinary, are well appreciated – and cost little or nothing. The favorite is gift cards. At $0 cost. Herbert buys them with the … [Read more...] about Try these no-cost ways to boost staff morale
A half dozen plus one good ideas
A good manager = a good people-problem solver. Here are some solutions readers have told MOM about in the past. They are easy to implement, and they work. • To keep little problems from getting big, name a head staffer for the clinical area, front desk, billing department, and so on. When staff have comments or problems, they have to e-mail them to those … [Read more...] about A half dozen plus one good ideas
Get personal to get patients to pay faster
Set the expectation of payment before the patient comes in. When the office calls to confirm an appointment, whether it's a live conversation or an automated message, say, "Your co-pay is due when you check in." In other words, "bring your wallet." Some offices go so far as to refuse people who don't have the co-pay at the time of the visit. However, such a strict policy … [Read more...] about Get personal to get patients to pay faster