The manager of a Maryland family medicine practice had trouble getting the physicians to make decisions about important matters. It was bad enough with the three originating physicians from when the practice was set up five years earlier. With the addition of a fourth physician, the chain of authority became even more confusing. With too many leaders and not enough … [Read more...] about Office runs better when manager clarifies authority
Reader tips
Three ways to handle staff complaints
This Reader Tips idea is a triple one. It comes from a consultant and also from a manager, and it is three approaches to solving a single problem – dealing with one staffer's complaint about another. The consultant is Cindy Fondren-Muise, a practice management consultant in Peyton, CO, who has also served as practice administrator of a pain management clinic. And the … [Read more...] about Three ways to handle staff complaints
Involving staff in marketing generates good ideas and sense of teamwork
An office manager looking for ways to encourage a team atmosphere decided to ask staff to help market the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) practice where they all work. The goal was to help staff see that everyone plays a key role in the four-physician, 22-staff practice. The office manager began by holding a meeting focused on the important role everyone plays in marketing the … [Read more...] about Involving staff in marketing generates good ideas and sense of teamwork
A clean office is a healthy and profitable office
Patients lose faith in an office when they see clutter and dusty plastic plants and dirt in the corners. The likely reaction is, "This office is okay for a common cold, but I don't want to have a biopsy here." So it is important to place continued emphasis on keeping the office not only clean but orderly. "People are judged by their appearance," says the manager of a Florida … [Read more...] about A clean office is a healthy and profitable office
Kentucky pediatrics office finds these simple communication tactics can dramatically improve your patient satisfaction
When a Kentucky pediatrics office surveyed its customers, it found great dissatisfaction with the nursing staff. Parents said the nurses were too busy, didn't communicate well, and didn't take personal interest in their children, says the manager of the five-physician office. Yet the office has what she describes as "the sweetest, nicest, kindest nurses imaginable," and they as … [Read more...] about Kentucky pediatrics office finds these simple communication tactics can dramatically improve your patient satisfaction
In Florida, a wheel of fortune ends the not-my-job syndrome
A Florida manager has turned around the "that's-not-my-job" syndrome with a wheel of fortune that gets spun once a month and carries a dozen good items – gift certificates to car washes, movies, and grocery stores. The best is $100 cash. To spin the wheel, staff have to get nominated. And what they get nominated for is outstanding _____. The administrator of a pain management … [Read more...] about In Florida, a wheel of fortune ends the not-my-job syndrome
How one manager makes mandatory staff training fun
Staff need not respond with groans when you say the word "training," even if that training is complicated. Leigh Payne, RN, manager of Good Shepherd Medical Group Pediatrics in Hermiston, OR, has found a way to actually get staff enthusiastic about mandatory training. Good Shepherd Medical Group operates a family practice and specialties clinic in a growing rural town in … [Read more...] about How one manager makes mandatory staff training fun
A four-day week improves quality of life as well as revenues for Florida office
Four days on with Fridays "sort of " off is terrific, says the practice manager of a five-physician, 28-staff medical office in Florida. Quality of life is improved with that extra day every week, she says. And the added advantage is that revenues are above and beyond what they were previously. The practice manager proposed the four-day schedule several years ago when gas was … [Read more...] about A four-day week improves quality of life as well as revenues for Florida office
Spreadsheets track everything from payers to subscriptions
The manager of a surgical medical office in Maine tracks both the big and the not-so-big elements of office management on spreadsheets. The spreadsheets show past numbers, current numbers, credentialing deadlines, and even when subscription renewals are coming up. And the result is that all the files are in one place and all the information is always readily available. The … [Read more...] about Spreadsheets track everything from payers to subscriptions
For a Colorado clinic, telecommuting fills the gap in long-term absences
A large Colorado clinic has started allowing staff to work from home. But unlike most employers, it doesn't view telecommuting as a way to reduce overhead. Instead, the clinic uses it to accommodate staffers who would otherwise have to take extended time off. And it's picky about who can take advantage of it. The clinic introduced telecommuting after one staffer's child became … [Read more...] about For a Colorado clinic, telecommuting fills the gap in long-term absences