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You are here: Home / Archives for Managing the office
EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE

Disability discrimination and lookism in the workplace

July 1, 2021 by

By Mike O’Brien EEOC sues a work placement agency on behalf of disabled workers for disability discrimination The EEOC announced this week that it has filed suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against a Hawaii work placement agency for disabled workers. The suit alleges that the agency refused to provide sign language interpreters for deaf employees, despite repeated requests by several deaf individuals. The workers had asked for interpreters to be present at staff meetings where matters such as work safety, protocols, and assignments were discussed. Despite these requests for accommodation, the agency declined to provide interpreters and instead gave the deaf workers written notes and handouts, or asked a deaf employee to interpret for other deaf employees. The EEOC asserts that these accommodations were ineffective and that as a… . . . read more.

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MANAGING THE OFFICE

Manual tasks office managers can do away with

June 27, 2021 by

By Tolu Ajiboye As an office manager, your task list is endless. You have to manage appointment scheduling, patient intake, billing, and so much more. On top of this, you have to ensure that these specific processes—and the practice operations as a whole— are continuously optimized to cut costs and grow the practice.  Accordingly, you’re likely on the lookout for ways you can replace manual processes with more efficient, technology-driven ones. Here’s a list of manual tasks you don’t have to handle anymore: Paper-based patient intake Manual, paper-based patient intake processes are energy and time inefficient. They require manual (and sometimes double) entry of patient information. They also increase the likelihood of errors making it onto your system. Instead, you can get online intake forms automatically sent to patients ahead… . . . read more.

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MANAGING PATIENTS

5 steps for managing a clinic efficiently

May 19, 2021 by

By Tom Greenhalgh Improving medical office efficiency requires evaluation and planning. If you’re constantly running behind schedule and chaos is standard operating procedure, these 5 steps can help you get and keep your practice running smoothly. Track and observe First things first: spend a few weeks tracking the flow of patients through your practice. You’ll want to know how many patients you see each day, how much time you spend with each patient, how many patients are there for the first time, and which days are most popular for first-time visits. This information can help you identify when your patient load is at or over capacity and allot an appropriate amount of time for each visit. Offer online scheduling The majority of medical practices that offer online scheduling see a… . . . read more.

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MANAGING STAFF

1 in 3 remote workers may quit if required to return to the office full time

May 14, 2021 by

More employers are calling workers back to the office, but will they readily return? A new study by a global staffing firm shows that about one in three professionals (33 per cent) currently working from home due to the pandemic would look for a new job if required to be in the office full time. What workers want More than half of all employees surveyed (51 per cent) said they prefer a hybrid work arrangement, where they can divide time between the office and another location. Professionals also expressed the following hesitations about working from home full time, underscoring the need for organizations to offer flexibility: Relationships with co-workers could suffer: 39 per cent Fewer career advancement opportunities due to a lack of visibility: 21 per cent Decreased productivity while… . . . read more.

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TECHNOLOGY

Healthcare providers will see these 4 trends in 2021

March 19, 2021 by

By Dave Klumpe bio The ongoing pandemic continues to influence technology trends in the healthcare landscape, accelerating changes and, in some cases, exacerbating challenges the industry has wrestled with for years. In the best of times, managing the many thousands of clinical devices in a health system’s portfolio could be an uphill battle. During the pandemic, the importance of medical device availability and reliability has increased exponentially. Some systems were better prepared than others to handle the tremendous pressures of the past 12 months, and all have had to endure difficult circumstances, whether they had sufficient technology support for clinical asset management or not. As I look at what’s coming for the rest of 2021 (and beyond), here are a few healthcare technology trends providers will need to be mindful… . . . read more.

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MANAGING STAFF

Post-pandemic period a chance to try flexible staffing strategies

February 16, 2021 by

By Lynne Curry bio Question: COVID-19 hit our northern U.S. practice hard. We cut employees, then salaries, and then we cut again. Our revenue is down 70%. Some administrative staffers left our state when their spouses’ high-paying jobs evaporated. Others in billing took off when COVID-19 combined with our cold, dark winter proved too much. Because these employees had talents we needed, we kept them as “snowbirds”. At first, it didn’t cause trouble. Everyone was working from home, so it didn’t matter where “home” was. Now that we’ve moved administrative staff back into the medical office building, our local employees complain about the snowbirds. They feel the fair weather staff get an unfairly sweet deal, as they don’t have to show up at 8 a.m. or handle the sanitizing tasks our… . . . read more.

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MANAGING THE OFFICE

Professionals and employees reveal relocation plans amid pandemic

February 6, 2021 by

Relocation is a big consideration for both professionals and their employers right now. A recent study by a global staffing firm shows 44 per cent of workers surveyed said they would consider moving to a different city if their company offered long-term remote arrangements, and another three per cent have already made a move. 44 per cent of professionals would consider relocating, but only 16 per cent would be willing to take a pay cut to do so Nearly three in 10 companies are allowing workers to make a permanent move A separate poll of human resources (HR) managers suggests many companies are open to the idea of an anywhere workforce: 49 per cent of respondents reported their organization has allowed current staff to relocate temporarily, and another 27 per… . . . read more.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

5 people problems and how to solve them

January 10, 2021 by

By Lynne Curry bio We can’t guess all the challenges facing us as office managers in this new year, but we can assume that we will be dealing with an old one: people and their personalities. Whether working together virtually or in-person, chances are good you will be dealing with people problems. Here are five common problems and strategies for dealing with them. Stopping a bully senior manager without losing your job Question: I face a situation that has no easy answer and no easy solution. As the office manager and human resources director, I supposedly enforce our corporation’s code of conduct and oversee the human resource issues. I report to the report to the chief operating officer, a bully who runs roughshod over any employee unlucky enough to cross… . . . read more.

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Tool

Model waiver of COVID-19 infection liability sign to post at your medical office

January 10, 2021 by

As long as COVID-19 remains a threat, you run the risk of being sued by clients, vendors, guests and other visitors (“visitors”) who claim they contracted the virus at your office facility as a result of your inadequate safety measures. One way to limit liability is by conspicuously posting a sign at the entry of your facility indicating visitors’ agreement to waive their rights to sue you for COVID-19 infections by entering the office. Although there’s no guarantee that a court would enforce such a waiver, the Model Sign below uses fairly conservative language that has been found to be enforceable in other situations. Caveat: The inclusion of the phrase purporting to insulate you against your own negligence in Sections 3 and 4 is fairly risky and you may want… . . . read more.

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PRODUCTIVITY

Technical issues and too many participants are biggest virtual meeting pet peeves

November 27, 2020 by

If you’re tired of video meetings, you’re not alone. A new study by global staffing firm Robert Half shows video calls may be wearing on workers. Almost three-quarters of professionals surveyed (72 per cent) said they participate in virtual meetings. Those respondents reported spending about a quarter of their workday (24 per cent) on camera with business contacts or colleagues. In addition: 44 per cent said they’ve experienced video call fatigue since the start of the pandemic. 59 per cent said video calls can be helpful but are not always necessary. 22 per cent noted that the practicality and novelty of video conferencing has worn off over the past eight months. 15 per cent confirmed they find virtual meetings inefficient and exhausting and prefer to communicate via other channels, like email… . . . read more.

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