Monitoring the pulse of patient satisfaction is crucial to the health of your practice. Indeed, patient satisfaction can mean the difference between a thriving, profitable practice and one that’s barely breaking even. And since patients have a significant effect on the work environment, their satisfaction impacts your staff’s morale. In order to accurately … [Read more...] about Are your patients happy? Here’s how to find out
Managing the office
Flu, not Ebola, poses biggest threat to workplace productivity
With the country’s attention focused on the Ebola virus, many American’s may overlook the fact that flu season is right around the corner. And, while it is impossible to predict how this flu season will compare to previous years, one thing is certain: Employers nationwide are likely to see millions of lost work days and billions of dollars in lost productivity. … [Read more...] about Flu, not Ebola, poses biggest threat to workplace productivity
Education resources for Spanish-speaking patients to display on your practice website
Spanish language patient handouts covering a wide range of medical topics, including Asthma (Asma), Atopic Dermatitis (Dermatitis Atópica), Contraception (Anticonceptivas), COPD (EPOC), Diabetes (Diabetes), Hypertension (Hipertension), Immunizations (Inmunizaciones), Obesity (Obesidad), Skin Cancer (Cáncer de Piel), and other chronic medical conditions, as well as videos and … [Read more...] about Education resources for Spanish-speaking patients to display on your practice website
PTO gives unquestioned days off plus a bank for catastrophes
The standard days-off policy has two downfalls, says the office manager of a six-physician, 16-staff office in North Carolina. One is that it isn’t fair, because some people abuse the sick leave and turn it into extra vacation days. The other is that keeping track of how long each person has been out and for what is a nightmare. So the office manager moved to a paid-time-off … [Read more...] about PTO gives unquestioned days off plus a bank for catastrophes
Whatever you call it, negative workplace behavior is expensive
By Dr. Steve M. Cohen Whether you call it harassment, bullying or something else, negative workplace behavior can be expensive for any business. Unhappy employees today are also more likely to seek legal recourse against their employers, a fact that even medical office managers should keep in mind. Although the medical field is highly professional, it's also staffed with … [Read more...] about Whatever you call it, negative workplace behavior is expensive
Survey finds digital technology is changing the physician-patient relationship
A recent survey conducted by WebMD/Medscape, a leading provider of health information services, offers noteworthy insight into physician and patient perspectives on health technology's role in aiding diagnosis and care. Dr. Eric Topol, a leading authority in the fields of genomics and digital medicine, who serves as both editor-in-chief of Medscape and chief academic officer … [Read more...] about Survey finds digital technology is changing the physician-patient relationship
A teacher planning book is enough for complete hospital visit notes
It's worked for years. It costs less than $10. And with it, practice manager Patricia Russell has never missed posting a single hospital or nursing home visit. It's a teacher's daily plan book. And for any physician who doesn't use a digital device for note taking, it's the perfect solution for documenting out-of-office visits, says Russell who manages the internal medicine … [Read more...] about A teacher planning book is enough for complete hospital visit notes
How to protect your practice against costly pregnancy discrimination claims
"I'm having a baby!" When an employee utters those words, it's time for congratulations. It's also time for caution. The danger is pregnancy discrimination, and it happens often because employees are well attuned to their rights. The protection comes from the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which is an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. It applies to offices with 15 … [Read more...] about How to protect your practice against costly pregnancy discrimination claims
How to find out what your staff really thinks of you
What do staff think of their manager? All managers have blind spots, or places where, unbeknownst to themselves, their employees view them negatively. For that reason, a staff survey is a good idea. But a manager should survey in person, not on paper. People will say a lot more than they will write. All that's needed are two questions: 1 Tell me something I'm doing well that … [Read more...] about How to find out what your staff really thinks of you
No training budget? No problem!
By Steve M. Cohen bio Whatever happened to the training budgets? Oh, I forgot—it's the economy, stupid! But even in the current climate, don't forget that employees still have the need for training. Training can be related to, and even intertwined with, good morale, professional development, and team building. In fact, team learning is team building. No one disputes … [Read more...] about No training budget? No problem!