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
Hiring
Who’s the real person you plan to hire? Can social media help you decide?
By Lynne Curry, Ph.D., SPHR bio The applicant knocked it out of the park with both his resume and his answers to your interview questions. The references he provided gave positive reports. Do you make the offer? Not so fast. Have you fully checked out the real person behind the resume and interview answers? If you search him out on social media, will you find posts … [Read more...] about Who’s the real person you plan to hire? Can social media help you decide?
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
Employment Law Update: The New Year’s Resolutions Edition
By Mike O'Brien bio A lawyer and doctor were talking together at a New Year's party when the doctor complained about how people always asked her for free medical advice. She said to the lawyer, "People probably always ask you for free legal advice…as a fellow professional, how do you deal with it?" The lawyer thought about it, and then said, "I always answer their … [Read more...] about Employment Law Update: The New Year’s Resolutions Edition
Employee handbook compliance 101
An employee handbook is a living, active guide that your medical practice looks to and points to when your employees have questions about their employment. It is also a vital document that backs you up when you are making your management decisions. And most importantly, on the legal side, a properly crafted employee handbook is a litigation-avoidance tool, according to Paul … [Read more...] about Employee handbook compliance 101
Looking to hire a millennial doctor? Don’t advertise on LinkedIn
With the physician shortage being a top concern for healthcare providers, CompHealth, a healthcare staffing company, conducted a survey to better understand the processes by which young physicians search for jobs, and gain insights into their plans for post-training life. The company recently revealed the results of their survey, which was administered to nearly 600 young … [Read more...] about Looking to hire a millennial doctor? Don’t advertise on LinkedIn
The four aces of hiring: work attitude, willingness, know-how, and personality
To choose the right job candidate, look beyond the hard skills of education and experience and place heaviest emphasis on four soft skills. They are: the performance mindset willingness know-how personality Miss any of those four, and the hire is going to be a disaster, says business consultant, trainer, and coach Patrick Valtin, author of the book,"No-Fail Hiring." It's … [Read more...] about The four aces of hiring: work attitude, willingness, know-how, and personality
10 interview questions that reveal the true personality of every job applicant
Interviewing job candidates is perhaps the most serious responsibility of management. A bad hire is a full-time disaster, because the doctors, the staff, and the manager spend more time with that person than they do with their own families. Interviewing is an artificial situation and managers get tricked by it. Everybody can have a pat answer to the standard questions of "what … [Read more...] about 10 interview questions that reveal the true personality of every job applicant
An HR ghost story
By Lynne Curry bio My client asked me to find him the one "right" applicant for a critical management position in his company. Out of more than 50 resumes, I chose my favorite. "Jacob" did a great job on his phone interview, so I called him in for an interview. Ten minutes before the interview, he called saying an uninsured motorist had rear-ended him and the police … [Read more...] about An HR ghost story
How to handle the 4 most common types of “disconnected” staffers
Why don't those staffers perform the way the manager wants them to perform? To a great extent it's because there's no connection between the staffer and the job. For an employee to do well, there have to be three connectors. They are: fit (or intellectual connection) passion (or emotional connection); and ownership (a sense of having enough importance to think and act like an … [Read more...] about How to handle the 4 most common types of “disconnected” staffers