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I am working on a “What makes a GREAT Practice Manager” whitepaper. This will be a collaborative effort of many practice manager contacts to be used for several purposes, including but not limited to: Practice Manager’s teaching a class, Doctors trying to find the perfect fit for a position and a Managers guide to live by. If any of you have any ideas you would like to contribute to this paper please reply these ideas via this blog. All ideas used will be credited to you in the white paper when published. Please also let us know if it is acceptable to have our writer contact you for more information if necessary (interview, or clarification of your idea, etc).
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The Role of the Office Manager in Branding and Marketing |
“Branding” is a great way to improve any medical practice. Yet, physicians may not be that skilled in the areas of marketing and public relations. That is where a savvy Practice Manager or Office Manager comes into play. As the main point of contact between the medial practice and the public, the PM can be crucial in establishing and maintaining the brand identity for the office and the physician within.
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The Implanted Bandit - Why The "Red Flags" Rule Matters |
The Implanted Bandit – Why The “Red Flags” Rule Matters
A recent incident in Orange County, CA highlights why the FTC’s “Red Flags” rule instituted in August of 2009 is so important. Last month, a young woman was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 3 years probation for ID theft. She opened a $12,000 credit line in another woman’s name and used it to pay for replacement breast implants and liposuction.
The staff at the Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery became suspicious after Ms. Pampellonne failed to show for her follow up appointments. Detectives ended up tracking her down using the serial number on her old implants. It is unclear how the outstanding debt will be resolved. Will the loan company seek restitution from the surgeon?
If the credit application was filled out at the doctor’s office, that is a possibility. For example, what if staff members failed to check Pampellonne’s drivers license or other photo ID against the information on the loan application before sending it in for processing? An argument might be made that they didn’t take appropriate steps to prevent fraud. Of course, if the thief set up the credit account herself via an online application the surgeon’s office would not be to blame.
Protect Yourself and Your Patients
Every medical office that extends credit or facilitates patient access to credit lines must be diligent in detecting suspicious activity. If you haven’t created written procedures for your ID Theft Prevention Program, get on that right away! Medical ID theft has serious consequences for patients above and beyond a wrecked credit history. Here’s a great educational article from the FTC that outlines some of the red flags healthcare providers should watch out for.
Do you have a “red flag” story to tell? Let us know how your savvy employees caught an ID thief in the act.
Free Red Flags Rule White paper Here
As a busy medical office manager, keeping up with the latest gadgets designed to help you “save time” can actually eat up your spare time. With your work computer, home computer, laptop, phone, PDA, or blackberry, trying to keep up with all your data is a challenge. This is especially true when you need to be able to access the latest versions of your files and all your software applications from multiple locations.
Having a successful career as an office manager requires a specific skill set. However, knowledge and ability is only half the picture. To really enjoy this job, you need a particular type of personality. Let’s explore some of the traits that will help you thrive in this demanding position. The DiSC assessment talks about 4 types of behavioral/personality based attributes that are helpful in this type of discussion:
Having a successful career as an office manager requires a specific skill set. However, knowledge and ability is only half the picture. To really enjoy this job, you need a particular type of personality. Let’s explore some of the traits that will help you thrive in this demanding position. The DiSC assessment talks about 4 types of behavioral/personality based attributes that are helpful in this type of discussion:
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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.
Working overtime is a normal practice in today’s job market. But who determines when burning the midnight oil begins to tip the scale to the “unhealthy” side of living?
“Every now and then, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer…the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci
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.