Because staff don’t like asking patients for money, one manager set up a non-confrontational form that gets patients to pay…
READER TIPS
How one manager makes mandatory staff training fun
April 14, 2017 by
Staff need not respond with groans when you say the word “training,” even if that training is complicated…
COMPLIANCE
Easy answers to 5 tough questions managers often face
October 30, 2015 by
Here are the answers to five individual questions managers often encounter. They are outlined by attorney Shari L. Lane of Northwest Employment Law in Portland, OR.
Changing the face of the job
1. Can the office require an employee to take on a different work schedule or move to another location? What if it affects the employee’s child care or family responsibility arrangements?
In most instances, the office can make whatever requirements it…
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Paid sick leave: what medical practices need to know
September 25, 2015 by
Currently, there is no federal law that requires private sector employers, including medical practices, to provide paid or unpaid sick leave, explains a new report from XpertHR, an online service for HR professionals from Reed Business Information.
Without federal legislation in place, however, several states and local jurisdictions have taken matters into their own hands by creating their own paid sick leave laws to protect employees who may otherwise be forced to choose between going to work sick or losing pay and, in some cases, their jobs…
WORKING WITH PHYSICIANS
Best and worst states for doctors
April 24, 2015 by
Doctors are among the most highly paid, educated, and celebrated professions in the United States. The profession has also been undergoing intense change in recent years, with the Affordable Care Act, the rise of branded hospital networks, the impending retirement of baby boomers, and an increasingly litigious society all complicating the lives of doctors and providing pause to potential white-coats.
With that in mind, the personal finance website WalletHub has released a report, the Best & Worst States for Doctors I 2015. The report uses 12 key metrics, ranging from average annual wages and salary disparities to…
TECHNOLOGY
Line management systems help manage practice waiting rooms
October 10, 2014 by
Every medical office manager knows that keeping patients waiting in long, slow-moving lines is a recipe for poor service. Not only can long waits cause patients to become extremely upset and agitated, they can also result in lost opportunities in the form of walk-outs and poor patient reviews.
This is especially the case in today’s world of instant information dissemination.
Consider that websites such as HospitalStats.com broadcast wait times for the world to…
TECHNOLOGY
Reports provide detailed analysis of telemedicine by state
October 3, 2014 by
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), a leading international resource and advocate promoting the use of advanced remote medical technologies, recently released two state policy reports which identify gaps in coverage and reimbursement, and in physician practice standards and licensure.
These reports compare state policies on a report card, assigning each state grades ranging from A-to-F based on telemedicine reimbursement and physician practice standards. ATA has captured the complex policy landscape of 50 states with differing telemedicine policies and…
MANAGING STAFF
Are you violating state “time off” requirements for employees who are parents?
September 19, 2014 by
Although back-to-school season rolls around every year, it always seems to bring a level of stress for working parents. And is it any wonder?
A new schedule and new commitments require finding ways to meet all the demands of daily life. For households with two working parents, it can be extremely difficult; and for single-parent households, even more so.
It’s easy for employers and managers to dismiss the issue as “not my problem,” but, in reality, it is your problem. Like it or not, the line between personal and professional life got…
COMPLIANCE
Same-sex marriage ruling brings in new legal issues
July 1, 2013 by
Plus new emphasis on discrimination
Though it applies only to states where same-sex marriage is legal, the recent Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage warrants attention from managers in all states. For those in Washington, DC, and the 13 states where gay marriage is recognized, there are new employment law requirements. For those in all the other states, the ruling calls for increased emphasis on nondiscrimination.
A matter of two rulings
In a nutshell, the decision, which came down June 26, says that in states where same-sex marriage is recognized…
