Medical Office Manager

Working with physicians

How to assess the overall health of your medical practice

By Nick Hernandez  bio How do you know that your overall business is healthy? How do you know that the business processes you perform are working properly? Now, how would others in your practice know? Metrics are important for a number of reasons. For starters, if you don't know how well you are doing, how do you know what to keep doing and what to change? Words without … [Read more...] about How to assess the overall health of your medical practice

How to handle the ‘bully doctor’ without losing your temper or your job

A growing concern in all types of professional offices is the bully boss. "Bullying is the issue for this decade that sexual harassment was in the 1980s," says Rachel Schaming, a business and leadership coach based in Tucson, AZ. In a physician practice, the issue is especially difficult, because the bully is often a senior doctor. As a result, staff don't want to mention the … [Read more...] about How to handle the ‘bully doctor’ without losing your temper or your job

The plain and practical side of medical office managing

Equally as important as regulations, revenue, coding, and Medicare are the day-to-day issues of running the office and managing people. Here are solutions to many of the ongoing and aggravating issues managers face every day. They don't come from management school. They are the wisdom of consultants and of managers in medical offices. And they are all simple, workable … [Read more...] about The plain and practical side of medical office managing

Why you need an office policy on collecting fees

Most medical practices take time once a year to create new office goals or a business plan and, hopefully, to upgrade their policy manuals. And consideration of collecting on co-pays and deductibles needs to be an integral part of that business plan, according to Michael Glass, a medical consultant with Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI). Why bother with an office policy? The … [Read more...] about Why you need an office policy on collecting fees

5 essential steps to ensure an effective HIPAA program

By Danika Brinda  bio HIPAA Compliance is a term that is often thrown around the healthcare industry; however, I commonly ask myself: Is the meaning of HIPAA Compliance the same throughout the industry? The answer is NO! Walking into a healthcare organization in the last month, the HIPAA Privacy Officer was excited to tell me that they are fully HIPAA compliant and … [Read more...] about 5 essential steps to ensure an effective HIPAA program

Physician burnout, depression, and suicide: Medscape 2019 National Report finds little progress despite greater awareness

Burnout and depression rates among U.S. physicians failed to improve in 2019, despite growing efforts by healthcare organizations, hospitals, and academic centers to address the issue through wellness programs and other interventions. Nearly 44% of U.S. physicians reported feeling burned out, with female physicians 28% more likely to experience burnout than male physicians, … [Read more...] about Physician burnout, depression, and suicide: Medscape 2019 National Report finds little progress despite greater awareness

7 reasons to consider a physician partnership

By Nick Hernandez  bio Physician partnerships are often a great idea providing you give thought to how you will structure one and why you wish to create a partnership. Sometimes physician partnerships aren't so successful—so it is crucial to choose your partner well. This is somebody who you're going to spend a lot of time with and who, like your spouse and your family, will … [Read more...] about 7 reasons to consider a physician partnership

Are you “aggressive” or “assertive”? Take this quick self-evaluation and find out

To manage people, a manager has to be assertive. But be aware that there's a strong difference between being assertive and being aggressive, says Judy Belmont, MMF, LPC, a psychotherapist and workplace wellness trainer in Philadelphia. The assertive manager sets limits and enforces standards. Every manager has to do that. If the rules aren't enforced, or if there are no … [Read more...] about Are you “aggressive” or “assertive”? Take this quick self-evaluation and find out