Want to get on your managing partner's good side? Don't let the details slide. In a survey by staffing firm Accountemps, more than one-third (35 percent) of CFOs cited lacking attention to detail or sloppy work as the most annoying behavior by coworkers. For 28 percent of respondents, gossiping or engaging in office politics was their biggest pet peeve. CFOs were asked, … [Read more...] about 5 ways to sweat the small stuff and impress your CFO
Working with physicians
3 dozen ways to handle difficult discussions
Clear communication is vital in any office, particularly in a medical practice, where there is a climate of power differential and hierarchy. However, many employees aren't particularly good at communicating, according to Dr. Susan Strauss, a nationally-recognized expert, author and international speaker on discrimination, harassment and bullying in the … [Read more...] about 3 dozen ways to handle difficult discussions
How to write a policy
By Cheryl Toth, MBA bio Written policies have a reputation for being tedious to develop and boring to read. Creating them is often last on a manager's to-do list. But written policies can do a lot for your practice. They establish ground rules, set expectations, and reduce confusion among your team. Here's a straightforward framework for writing them. Before you … [Read more...] about How to write a policy
Keep things moving: reduce wait times while still giving patients the attention they deserve
It's the Catch-22 of a medical practice: How do you keep the patients flowing without compromising patient care? There are solutions to the problem, and they aren't all high tech, but they do take a little planning. Preventive care "When patients wait a long time," says Laurie Morgan, partner and senior consultant in San Francisco, California, medical consulting firm Capko … [Read more...] about Keep things moving: reduce wait times while still giving patients the attention they deserve
10 essential tips for new managers
New managers face a number of challenges, but which challenge is the most daunting? According to a recent survey, the most difficult part of becoming a manager is balancing individual responsibilities with time spent overseeing staff. Supervising friends or former peers ranked as the second greatest concern. The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and … [Read more...] about 10 essential tips for new managers
Six security tips for Cybersecurity Awareness Month
To help raise awareness in support of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Ivanti recently shared the following top cybersecurity tips and best practices. "October is Cybersecurity Awareness month, and while following security best practices are important every month of the year, it's a good time to remember that we should all take a collective role in organizational security and … [Read more...] about Six security tips for Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Not enough time in the day? Here are four good ways to find new minutes
When responding to Medical Office Manager's readers' survey, many managers said the most difficult part of their job is finding time to get all the work done. So here are four good time management recommendations from workflow advisor Jason Womack of Ojai, CA, author of "Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More." These recommendations cover … [Read more...] about Not enough time in the day? Here are four good ways to find new minutes
An 8-step process to improve your medical practice
By Nick Hernandez bio Physician owners know that there are four key objectives at the core of process improvement: To remove waste and inefficiencies To increase productivity and asset availability To improve response time and agility To sustain safe and reliable operations The question is, how do we do all this? I would suggest a proven technique known as the OODA … [Read more...] about An 8-step process to improve your medical practice
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: Are you and your staff getting the most out of each paycheck?
Sixty-eight percent of employees are not sure how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will impact their finances, according to the 2018 "Getting Paid In America" survey conducted by the American Payroll Association. "With recent changes to tax laws, it's more important than ever that employees review their current tax withholding," said Dan Maddux, executive director of the APA. … [Read more...] about The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: Are you and your staff getting the most out of each paycheck?
How to become a patient-centered practice and improve your profitability
What do old-school electric typewriter manufacturers and medical practices have in common? More than you might think. Ron Howrigon, president and CEO of Fulcrum Strategies, a healthcare consulting firm, tells the story of two of highly competitive typewriter manufacturers, one of which adapted to change and thrived and another which kept manufacturing typewriters right up to … [Read more...] about How to become a patient-centered practice and improve your profitability