Medical Office Manager

Managing staff

10 tested ways to make your staff meetings more interesting and productive

Say the word “meeting” and people tend to groan. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Salary.com, which looks at where and how employees waste time, nearly half of those surveyed cite attending meetings as the biggest time-waster. But a meeting can be a positive experience. Really. As a medical office manager, a meeting offers you a leadership opportunity. It serves as … [Read more...] about 10 tested ways to make your staff meetings more interesting and productive

Double standards never work at work

By Steve M. Cohen  bio An overly hard and arbitrary management style is rarely a good idea, but when it's directed at one employee or even one group of employees it's almost guaranteed to be a problem. I dealt with one manager who frequently resorted to a style that was harsh, arbitrary, and capricious behavior when dealing with one employee. The worker was … [Read more...] about Double standards never work at work

American workers struggling to make ends meet

Three-quarters of Americans (75 percent) are living paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet, according to a survey from CareerBuilder, a global leader in human capital solutions. Thirty-eight percent of employees say they sometimes live paycheck to paycheck, 15 percent say they usually do, and 23 percent say they always do. While making ends meet is a struggle for many … [Read more...] about American workers struggling to make ends meet

Homework for parents: your child’s back-to-school health checklist

As more than 50 million students head back to school, the nation's emergency physicians say now is the time to get everyone's health in check. "For many, the focus is on back to school clothes and supplies, which is important," says Jay Kaplan, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). "But it's equally, if not more important to also take … [Read more...] about Homework for parents: your child’s back-to-school health checklist

Staff work as a financial team and increase the up-front payments

With all its staff – front desk, billing, and clinical – working as a financial team, a North Little Rock, AR, surgery practice has increased its pre-surgery payments by 25 percent. “It’s not rocket science,” says Linda Atkins, manager of Neurological Surgery Associates. “It’s just common-sense things.” Every staffer “looks at the money picture” and has a role in it, she says, … [Read more...] about Staff work as a financial team and increase the up-front payments

Dealing with the cell phone abusers, the smokers, and the too-jolly staffer

Here are three people questions. They cover the cell phone and Internet users, the smokers, and the staffer who wastes time entertaining everybody. They are answered by Jonna Contacos-Sawyer, SPHR, CCP, CMC, president and consulting principal of HR Consultants, a management and human resources firm in Johnstown, PA. • What’s the most effective way to limit personal use of … [Read more...] about Dealing with the cell phone abusers, the smokers, and the too-jolly staffer

Want to keep valued employees? Conduct a stay interview

By Lynne Curry  bio If you've ever been blindsided by a valuable employee's resignation and conducted an exit interview, you may have asked the right questions six months too late. Exit interviews detail why employees leave your organization. In contrast, stay interviews—rarely done—provide a valuable tool for retaining valued employees. What's a stay … [Read more...] about Want to keep valued employees? Conduct a stay interview