As the manager of a medical office, you understand how crucial it is to provide quality patient care while also maintaining efficient operations. One way to achieve this is by hiring a medical scribe. In this article, we will explore what a medical scribe does, why your office might want to hire one, and how to find the right candidate. What is a Medical Scribe? A medical … [Read more...] about 5 reasons to hire a medical scribe
Compliance
Model Policy: Progressive Discipline and Employee Termination
You must establish a written policy or procedure giving you the right to use progressive discipline. This Model Policy is a fairly generic version, which allows for warnings, followed by suspension and ultimately termination. But you’ll need to modify the Model Policy to reflect your own progressive discipline procedures and the terms of discipline provisions contained in any … [Read more...] about Model Policy: Progressive Discipline and Employee Termination
Physician and medical office to pay over $2.6M for false claims and kickback allegations
Allegations of improper billing and kickbacks have led to a penalty of more than $2.6 million for a Connecticut medical practice and physician. United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced that Feel Well Health Center of Southington, PC, (formerly doing business as “Feel Well Health Center”) and Kevin P. Greene, M.D. … [Read more...] about Physician and medical office to pay over $2.6M for false claims and kickback allegations
What to do when an employee uses FMLA to cover drinking
By Lynne Curry Question: We suspect one of our employees of using intermittent FMLA leave to cover her abuse of alcohol. We see a clear pattern. She takes leave two to three Mondays a month. Prior to her requesting FMLA leave, she claimed occasional sick days on Mondays. Other employees have noticed her leaving early on Fridays as well. With this fact pattern and given the … [Read more...] about What to do when an employee uses FMLA to cover drinking
4-step plan to return overpayments
Do you have to return plan overpayments? The short answer is, yes. Of course, you must return money that isn’t yours. In fact, to be compliant with Medicare and most commercial payers, once you discover an overpayment, you’ve got to refund it within 60 days. That's the word from Michael J. Sacopulos, JD, founder and CEO of the Medical Risk Institute. "Sadly, I still speak … [Read more...] about 4-step plan to return overpayments
Telehealth policy to change after the COVID-19 public health emergency
The COVID-19 public health emergency has been extended to Oct. 13. Of particular interest to medical practices is the continuation of telehealth flexibilities, which will expire at the end of the public health emergency. US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra officially renewed the declaration in mid-August. The emergency declaration has been in … [Read more...] about Telehealth policy to change after the COVID-19 public health emergency
How to handle office romance in 2023
By Lynne Curry Three potential hot messes. In company Z, a senior manager considered his workplace a dating pool in which he fished. When he put the moves on a new female employee, the workplace grapevine ignited. In company Y, the head of marketing had serial crushes on one after another of the male management trainees. Because she was attractive and personable, several of … [Read more...] about How to handle office romance in 2023
Love contracts: Help for hot messes
They arrive at work separately. They never touch each other in your presence. Then, as you chair a meeting, you see his gray eyes seek hers out across the conference table. She returns his gaze; her eyes linger. Suddenly you know. The senior manager, despite all the sexual harassment seminars he’s attended, appears romantically intertwined with an accounting clerk. If you’re … [Read more...] about Love contracts: Help for hot messes
Learn about changes and updates to telehealth
There's a lot you need to know about telehealth. That's why Medical Office Manager is offering a webinar, Telehealth—What Managers Need to Know, on April 6. It's free to Medical Office Manager members. Presenter Jen Bell of Karen Zupko and Associates will give you the tools and knowledge you need to comply with new telehealth regulations. Meanwhile here is Jen's update on … [Read more...] about Learn about changes and updates to telehealth
Russian-American workplace discrimination: It’s a thing now
By Lynne Curry Question: Like many other employees that need highly skilled employees and want to diversify their labor pool, ours has hired several Russian emigrants. Other than coworkers complaining that these employees’ accents make understanding them difficult, we had no problems—until Russia invaded Ukraine. At first, nothing occurred that created worry. Many of our … [Read more...] about Russian-American workplace discrimination: It’s a thing now