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STAFF MEETINGS

Zoom hiders: Camera shy or disengaged?

May 19, 2022 by

By Lynne Curry Question: For our mandatory manager meetings, I show up on time so my attendance is noted, and then get through the meetings by multi-tasking. It’s easy enough to hear what’s said as I get other work done. I cover this up by always making a positive comment on at least one of the manager’s proposals. I leave my video off, though, and when the manager chastised me, I compromised by turning it on at the beginning, saying “hi” to everyone, and turning it on anything important is happening, and when I’m speaking. I thought this was a reasonable compromise, so imagine my shock when my manager said my leaving the camera off was a key reason I wasn’t one of the three managers being sent to a… . . . read more.

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MANAGING STAFF

Roe v. Wade wars in the workplace

May 16, 2022 by

By Lynne Curry Question: Our office employs an interesting mix of personalities. In the past, this made for intense discussions about politics and world events, until last week when the U.S. Supreme Court’s potential overturn of Roe v. Wade leaked. The discussion became hateful and resulted in personal attacks. The manager stopped it, but not soon enough. HR then interviewed involved employees. Several said they don’t feel comfortable working alongside several other employees any longer. Now, instead of employees asking each other questions, they email work-related questions through the manager. This is wearing on her and slows productivity. We need to mend what took place and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Our management team has decided if we need to ban all political, non-work-related discussions, we will. Several of… . . . read more.

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MARKETING

Take the sting out of bad reviews from patients

May 15, 2022 by

It is important to address every online review—good or bad—publicly so that others reading the review will know you are responsive to patient communication and concerns. Here are some simple steps to addressing a bad review, potentially resolving the patient’s complaint and showing possible future patients how you deal with patient concerns. Keep your cool As much as we want to think that we do the best we can for every patient, we do make mistakes, said Mary Pat Whaley, founder and president of Manage My Practice. “I spoke with a patient recently and told her the practice had failed to send her prescription in and she was dumbfounded,” she said. The patient was surprised and pleased the practice owned up to the error. Read it again “First blush reads… . . . read more.

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YOUR CAREER

Changed jobs: What have I done?

May 12, 2022 by

By Lynne Curry You expect to feel angry when fired from a job you enjoy. You expect to feel scared when laid off from a job at which you felt secure. You don’t expect to feel rotten one week after you intentionally make a career move from a job you’ve outgrown to one that promises to be challenging and rewarding. So why are you so rattled during your first week on this new job? Sudden job change takes you from a job and practice in which you know who’s who and what’s what and throws you into situations you need to navigate without a clear road map. Before you have the chance to learn your new employer’s unwritten rules, including whom to trust and who might take things the wrong… . . . read more.

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COMPLIANCE

5 ways your medical office can violate HIPAA

May 10, 2022 by

The HIPAA Privacy Act is a federal law that was established in 1996 to set provisions and standards for the protection of personal health information. The rule puts limits and conditions on the use and disclosure of patient medical information. It also gives patients the right to obtain a copy, examine, and request corrections to their records. Though most medical practices are very careful to keep their patients’ private health information secure, violations of this act can be costly with penalties ranging from $100 to 1.5 million per incident. Regular and ongoing compliance training for all employees is one of the easiest ways to prevent the improper use of PHI and reduce the risk of a violation. Below are a few common HIPAA violations and steps that can be taken… . . . read more.

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AMA

New physician population likely to be more diverse

May 9, 2022 by

The American Medical Association has committed itself to supporting a more diverse population of physicians to replace those physicians leaving the profession. The last two years of pandemic difficulties plus an aging physician workforce will likely result in an exodus from the field and a shortage of doctors. Gerald E. Harmon, M.D., president of the American Medical Association, says, “Across the United States, physicians from all backgrounds have spent the past two years battling COVID-19, serving their communities, and leveraging technologies, new and old, from telehealth to house calls, to treat and manage patients who might be apprehensive about visiting a physician’s office. But even as we transition to what is hopefully an endemic stage of COVID-19 and our country, hopefully, returns to something close to pre-pandemic living, we must… . . . read more.

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MANAGING PATIENTS

Make your patients happier with these communication tips

May 6, 2022 by

By Mike Rigert Even though modern patients appreciate the ease and convenience of digital communication with your practice through automated text reminders and real-time communication, we can’t lose sight of the importance that personal interaction has in keeping those relationships strong. A HealthGrades study showed that patients’ communication with front office staff are primary factors in online reviews—both positive and negative. The research found that of nearly 7 million patient reviews, the most frequently used phrases in negative comments were related to front office staff interaction. In the busy and chaotic environment your front office staff operate in, it’s easy to forget that patients still expect human connections and quality customer service during a visit. This includes everything from how to greet a patient to individual personal connections that lets each and… . . . read more.

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YOUR CAREER

Healthcare job boom seen by 2030

May 6, 2022 by

The most lucrative job of 2030 will be registered nursing, with a projected job growth of 15 percent in the next decade. Writing for Allwork, Daniel Lehewych says success in the future of work will be determined by how much workers are willing to expand their skill set. Software development will be the most lucrative STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) job by 2030. He reported 62% of Americans are considering changing their job in 2022. And at least 36% are making such considerations for the sake of earning more money. The healthcare industry will see the biggest boom in lucrative jobs. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be devastating to healthcare systems. As a result, healthcare providers are tired, and many are even quitting jobs they’ve had for decades to escape the overwhelming… . . . read more.

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HIRING

It’s harder to find and keep office workers

May 5, 2022 by

Echoing reports of ongoing labor shortages, a new survey confirms that a vast majority of organizations are facing extreme difficulty finding and retaining qualified workers. But, the survey reveals, these challenges are no longer being driven solely by a lack manual services workers, as previous trends have indicated. Rather, office workers are now significantly harder to both find and retain than just one year ago. The Conference Board survey found that 84 percent of organizations hiring professional and office workers are struggling to find talent, an increase from 60 percent in April 2021. And the percent of organizations struggling to retain office workers more than doubled in the last year, from 28 percent to 64 percent. The survey of more than 175 US Human Resource executives also underscores the staying… . . . read more.

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MIPS

CMS accepts applications for hardship exceptions

May 3, 2022 by

The MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception and MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category Hardship Exception applications are now open for the 2022 performance year. Applications can be submitted until Dec. 31. MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception Application Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians, groups, and virtual groups may apply to reweight any or all MIPS performance categories if they’ve been affected by extreme and uncontrollable circumstances. Extreme and uncontrollable circumstances are defined as rare events entirely outside of your control and the control of the facility in which you practice. These circumstances must: Cause you to be unable to collect information necessary to submit for a MIPS performance category; Cause you to be unable to submit information that would be used to score a MIPS performance category for an… . . . read more.

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