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
Managing staff
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
Matching your management style to your employee’s personality
Much like one bad apple, one bad employee can spoil the whole bunch in your office, says Dr. Steve Cohen, Principal, Lead HR Consultant at HR Solutions On-Call. Cohen, who is often described as a "mess management" expert for his ability to solve people problems for vulnerable organizations, says the typical job is always built on the issue of technical skills, but … [Read more...] about Matching your management style to your employee’s personality
How to be a strong manager even when dealing with over-controlling physicians
The sad truth about working in a medical office is that a manager often has no real job description and not much authority either. Here are examples of situations that come as a result. They are outlined by Ana McGary of PeopleFirst Enterprises, a human resource management consulting firm in Powder Springs, GA. The doctors never seem to agree on my role as manager. Many times … [Read more...] about How to be a strong manager even when dealing with over-controlling physicians
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
For a better new year, ask staff what’s going wrong and right with the office
To be a leader, a manager has to know the satisfaction level and where staff need and want to change – and also where personal changes are in order. And now is the time to find out exactly that, says Andrew Sobel, a New York City management and business development consultant. Addressing issues in January and February “gets people charged up for the year,” he says. It also … [Read more...] about For a better new year, ask staff what’s going wrong and right with the office
Life of the ‘office’ party: Managers’ most embarrassing holiday party gaffes revealed
Falling into a pool, sleeping under a table, fighting with the boss and screaming like a werewolf – scenes from a rough weekend or a corporate event? Unfortunately, for those involved, it's the latter. A recent Robert Half survey of executives found these were just a few of managers' worst moments at holiday parties. Participants were asked about the most embarrassing thing … [Read more...] about Life of the ‘office’ party: Managers’ most embarrassing holiday party gaffes revealed
Holiday season dos and don’ts for the medical office
The holiday season is an ideal time of year to show goodwill toward all, including your staff. Here are some dos and don’ts to help make your workplace holiday friendly. Do Try to be flexible when it comes to time off during the holiday season. Yes, employees should have saved their vacation time. And yes, maybe seniority should prevail when it comes to the days off … [Read more...] about Holiday season dos and don’ts for the medical office
Office hours change draws more working patients
A change from traditional office hours has proved popular with patients, staff, and physicians at a family practice in Tifton, GA. It can be difficult for people to get time off work to visit the doctor, and too many such absences can even endanger their jobs. So practice administrator Christy Blanchett of Family Practice Associates came up with a schedule to accommodate … [Read more...] about Office hours change draws more working patients
HIPAA extends to gossip as well as to searching out dirt on an ex-spouse
Getting staff to maintain patient confidentiality goes much further than getting them to protect electronic data. A significant risk for offices is just plain talk. A staffer tells a friend about a patient's condition. Or there could be actual malice where a staffer looks up information on an ex-spouse. Or there could be innocent talk where a staffer in one office tells a … [Read more...] about HIPAA extends to gossip as well as to searching out dirt on an ex-spouse