Manager Beth C. Pharr of North East Orthopaedics in Tupelo, MS, relies on a basic management practice when she presents any new policy. "I make it a win-win situation," she says. "I tell staff 'this why it's necessary, and this is how it benefits you.'" Such was the case when Pharr set a policy to solve a problem common to almost every office – personal internet use. To … [Read more...] about Try this “win-win” solution to stop personal internet use by staff
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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
Three electronic conveniences also help with EHR requirements
A Columbus, MS, pediatrics practice has added three electronic items that not only provide convenience for patients but give the office EHR meaningful use credit. First is online bill paying. That's provided through the office's billing service, says Sabrina McDow, CEO of Children's Health Center of Columbus. The invoices give a website for the online payments, but because the … [Read more...] about Three electronic conveniences also help with EHR requirements
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
How to get paid for filling out patient forms
To charge or not to charge? Medical offices don't value their time as much as they ought, according to the office manager for a family practice in Pennsylvania. And one area that's woefully undervalued is the time spent filling out patient forms for things such as disability verification and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). That's time consuming for both doctors and … [Read more...] about How to get paid for filling out patient forms
How one practice addressed the issue of delinquent patient payments
A medical practice in Fayetteville, GA, had an ongoing situation with 20 or so longtime patients who believed because they knew the doctor personally and even socialized with him that they could pay for medical services when it was convenient for them. Yet, Rick E. Blondeau, practice manager, believed the doctor shouldn't wait to be paid for his service that he performed in … [Read more...] about How one practice addressed the issue of delinquent patient payments
How to manage personal cell phone use in the workplace
"Like many offices, we have had problems with employees using cell phones for personal calls, texts, etc. during business hours," says Beverly Bragg, administrator at San Antonio Preventive & Diagnostic Medicine. It hasn't been an easy problem to resolve. "Although we've talked about this issue on a routine basis at our monthly staff meetings, employees continued to use … [Read more...] about How to manage personal cell phone use in the workplace
Cardiology practice makes staff safety a priority
A Davenport, IA, cardiology practice with 40 providers faced a major challenge, one that had the potential to affect the safety of practice staff. "Like most medical offices, we ask our patients to bring all their medications with them to the office and our rooming staff reconciles their medications at each office visit," says Marcia Brunsvold, supervisor of patient … [Read more...] about Cardiology practice makes staff safety a priority
Recognition and rewards increase productivity at Maryland practice
"As an office manager for over 12 years, I started to see some burnout in our long-term employees, who I did not want to lose," says Denise Genuit, practice administrator at University of Maryland Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Associates. She tells Medical Office Manager she needed to find a significant way to improve productivity and get staff to exert more effort. At the same … [Read more...] about Recognition and rewards increase productivity at Maryland practice