The profit margin is so small that no medical office can afford to have people doing bits of work, says the manager of a digestive health medical practice in Ohio. For efficiency, everybody has to have a concept of what everybody else is doing. To achieve just that, she requires her staff to spend one day a month in each of the other jobs. Sometimes one person sits with … [Read more...] about Ohio staff spend one day a month in each of the other positions
Managing staff
How to handle patient abuse of workers’ compensation or disability claims
Most likely you've already learned to manage the administrative issues and challenges related to workers' compensation and disability claims. Far more difficult to manage, however, are issues related to patients who are trying to abuse the system — particularly patients who expect you to cooperate, or even participate, in their schemes to bilk the system. As one medical … [Read more...] about How to handle patient abuse of workers’ compensation or disability claims
Is your career headed nowhere?
In your role as medical office manager, you no doubt set goals for the practice and your staff. But have you taken the time to think about your career goals? As baseball great Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there." Understanding the process Although a performance appraisal or a new year may seem like an ideal time to set goals, … [Read more...] about Is your career headed nowhere?
Use straight talk to solve 4 common people problems in your office
The key to success as a manager is being up-front with employees. Yet that is what managers are most reluctant to do. They don't want to sit down with a staff member and say, "You are messing up on this, and I cannot allow it to continue." That reluctance is a normal human trait. People don't like confrontation. In fact, one human resources consultant says most of her clients … [Read more...] about Use straight talk to solve 4 common people problems in your office
Part-time clerical jobs have hours to suit a working parent’s schedule
In a New Jersey neurological office, the manager relies on two part-timers to keep the office current on the busy work. And the two part-timers rely on the office for job flexibility, because they are mothers who want to work but also want time to be home with their children. When the manager came to the practice decades ago, she herself had young children at home. She knows … [Read more...] about Part-time clerical jobs have hours to suit a working parent’s schedule
Eight rules for managing an office, especially a small one
The smaller the office, the more the manager works under a microscope. Everybody sees everything that's going on and everything the manager does. For a new manager in that setting, the microscope gets even stronger because staff are watching to see who their new boss is. And if that new manager has been promoted from within, the scrutiny is unforgiving because it's coming … [Read more...] about Eight rules for managing an office, especially a small one
How to end 3 costly kinds of office conflict
One of the most unpleasant – if not dreaded – facets of management is dealing with conflicts. In a medical office, they come in one of three forms. They are conflicts between staffers, between staffer and manager, and between doctor and manager. And each gets handled in a different way. 1 Staffer versus staffer Staffer and staffer conflict becomes apparent a number of ways. … [Read more...] about How to end 3 costly kinds of office conflict
Are employees embezzling funds from your medical practice?
Embezzlement is easy in a medical office because little amounts come through every day, many of them in cash, and $5 here or $10 there doesn't get missed. The scheme can be as simple as a staffer walking off with a bit of cash now and then. But it can also be elaborate. Somebody sets up a fictitious vendor and writes checks to the bogus company. Or somebody sets up a bank … [Read more...] about Are employees embezzling funds from your medical practice?
A six-question oral survey can help the manager and improve morale
The people closest to the work are the ones who have the best suggestions for improving it. You can take advantage of staff ideas by getting their recommendations in an informal survey. Not only will it generate usable ideas for the manager, but it may help morale because when people are asked for their opinions, they become committed to the organization. There's a sense … [Read more...] about A six-question oral survey can help the manager and improve morale
4 tricks to surviving and thriving in a highly political office
A medical office is filled with many different personalities and many different dynamics. And with those differences come office politics. And with the politics the manager can become a casualty. Here are the solutions to five situations where politics and personalities come into play. They are outlined by Margaret Hintz, SPHR, manager of HR services for Insperity, an … [Read more...] about 4 tricks to surviving and thriving in a highly political office