Managing Employees
Communication is an important part of keeping a medical practice running smoothly, and staff meetings are a great way to keep those lines of communication going, whether you hold them daily, weekly, or monthly. Make sure the conversation is two-way. Employees want to know what’s going on with the practice, and they also want their voice to be heard. The goal is to work together to build your practice.
The most effective Practice Managers should be able to view their practices from a professional point of view as well as through the eyes of a patient. How would we feel about a receptionist who didn’t make eye contact with us when we signed in? Would we feel welcome if it appeared that we interrupted social time amongst the employees with our arrival? We would be wise to utilize our experiences as patients to make us better practice managers.
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Solving Physician's Practice Problems - What's An Office Manager to Do? |
The role of the Medical Office Manager or Practice Manager is varied and complex. The OM basically runs the business side of a medical practice, clinic, or group of physicians. That means he or she is responsible for billing, scheduling of patients and staff, maintaining inventory, balancing the books, complying with Regs, and a whole host of other day-to-day tasks.
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Avoiding Staffing Mistakes for Medical Office Managers |
As a Medical Office Manager you have no doubt had to deal with your share of difficult employees. These confrontational or other negative personality types can bring the rest of the staff down, and adversely impact not only the morale, but also the overall efficiency of your workplace. HR professions agree that the best way to deal with potential adversarial employees is to try to avoid hireing these types in the first place. But how does the Practice Manager do that? One way is to modify your screening methods.
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Are most practice managers “dis-servicing” their doctors? |
Most Practice Managers do not consider themselves to be in the power seat of our healthcare system. Most claim to be overworked and underpaid. If you look at job satisfaction indexes, Practice Managers are not considered a happy lot. There is plenty to make the job difficult; misbehaving employees, excessive red tape, difficult patients, and demanding doctors. However, ask any medical sales rep and they will tell you that the Practice Managers is the one who wields all the power in our healthcare system. It is the manager who determines who talks to the doctor and what gets purchased, the technology that gets implemented into the office, and the upgrades to administrative processes. Sure, the doctor rants and raves around the office and thinks he or she is in control, but when push comes to shove, most office managers determine what gets done.
You may not have taken a Management 101 course in school, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to know and apply many of the basic principles of superior supervision.
We’ve amassed three of the most critical management tips that you can use right now to:
a) gain more control of your team;
b) feel less stressed when it comes to achieving goals; and
c) make your office a better place to work.
Is your practice legally compliant with employee practices and documentation? Do you have questions about how to handle an employee-performance issue? Do your employees know the expectations of their job and of your office? For practice managers and doctors seeking answers to employee policy and performance issues, it is essential to begin with a comprehensive human resource system. Efficiently acquiring the correct information is critical to the success of a practice.
A happy staff makes for happy patients, and happy patients means more business. You will also find that employees are more productive, and you will be more likely to retain them, which will save you the time and cost of training new workers. Putting a little more time and effort into keeping everyone happy is a win-win!
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The High Cost of Not Screening Potential Employees |
You would be naive to think that all everyone is honest when they fill out a job application, especially when it asks if the applicant has been convicted of a felony. They may think that they will not be hired if they answer truthfully. Employers should perform a criminal background check on applicants to be sure they don’t have a criminal background. If not, they could be subject to legal ramifications for negligent hiring practices.
You might think wearing uniforms at work will solve all your dress code problems. Wearing uniforms can help with employees not having to try to figure out what is appropriate attire for work and it will be cost effective for the employees who don’t have a lot of extra money to buy nice clothes for every day of the week.