Ideally, you want medical office staff members to work only for the practice. This ensures that the job—the job they are doing for you—is their primary focus. Unfortunately, this expectation might not be realistic. Following the moon There are a number of reasons employees moonlight. The most common reason is money. Working a second job may be a necessity, especially for … [Read more...] about Should your medical office have a moonlighting policy?
Managing staff
Do you make this costly interviewing mistake?
Don't focus a job interview on whether the candidate can do the job. The purpose of an interview is not to evaluate hard skills or job experience or training. Anybody who makes it to the interview already meets the requirements. Look instead for the behaviors of the person. The interview is the time to find out the motivators, the personality, and the soft skills of self … [Read more...] about Do you make this costly interviewing mistake?
Are online coding discussions putting your practice at risk?
By Cheryl Toth, MBA bio Here's an email we recently saw while monitoring a specialty coding listserv: From: Smith, Debra (debra.smith@famousacademicinstitution.edu) Sent: Monday, June 04, 2018 2:08 PM Subject: Acromioplasty and hardware removal with total shoulder arthroplasty Hello All, We have a surgeon that says I am not an aggressive coder because I communicate to him … [Read more...] about Are online coding discussions putting your practice at risk?
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?
The importance of recognizing your employees’ hard work
Happy Administrative Professionals Week! What have you got planned to acknowledge your hard-working support staff? If you've decided to do nothing this year, you may want to rethink that. According to a survey conducted by staffing firm OfficeTeam, two-thirds (66 percent) of workers surveyed said they'd likely leave their job if they didn't feel appreciated. In contrast, just … [Read more...] about The importance of recognizing your employees’ hard work
3 steps a manager must take to end harmful gossip in the workplace
By Lynne Curry bio The conversation stops when you walk into the break room. Two employees look at each other, mouth "later," and head back to their desks. An hour later, you see another employee dart into the restroom and come out five minutes later with reddened eyes. You ask her "what's up?" and when she looks like she might burst into tears, you usher her … [Read more...] about 3 steps a manager must take to end harmful gossip in the workplace
How to end the jealousy when a sharp newcomer threatens longtimers
A tenet of management is "people require care." And nowhere is that more evident than in the situation where a bright-eyed, eager, and well-qualified new staffer comes in and threatens the long-term staffers. The cure is recognition, says Venus Opal Reese, PhD, of Creation Consulting Practice, a firm specializing in professional and business development. And it has to come … [Read more...] about How to end the jealousy when a sharp newcomer threatens longtimers
6 key ingredients of a profitable medical practice
Medical office managers are often so focused on the day-to-day that it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture. That big picture is profitability—because, without it, the practice will not remain in business. Although profitability isn't rocket science—after all, only rocket science is rocket science—it does require attention to detail, or what Medical Office Manager … [Read more...] about 6 key ingredients of a profitable medical practice
8 steps to quickly and (almost) painlessly creating an employee handbook tailored to your medical office
Writing an employee handbook from scratch can be a daunting task. Where do you start? What do you include? And how are you going to find time to write the thing? It's tempting to set the job aside and wait until work slows down a bit. Of course if you wait for the perfect time to write, it's unlikely that you will actually do it at all. So we're here to help you get the project … [Read more...] about 8 steps to quickly and (almost) painlessly creating an employee handbook tailored to your medical office
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