In today’s health care environment, it can be tempting to accept an offer to become part of a vertically integrated organization, primarily due to the financial support that comes with such a move.  However, there are some important considerations to take into account before doing so in order to ensure that your practice doesn’t get lost in the parent company.

One factor to consider is the size of your medical practice relative to the size of the potential parent organization.  The larger in proportion the company you’re considering joining is relative to the size of your existing practice, the greater the chance of your small office becoming lost.  Since smaller practices typically provide less income for the overarching organization compared to larger integrated groups, your practice’s negotiating power may be severely restricted if you join a much larger company.  Research the other practices in the corporation as well as its overall size before proceeding with negotiations so you’ll know how your practice will fit into the existing structure if a sale takes place.

Summertime can be a hot and slow time of year for many people around the United States.  A lot of businesses slow down in the summer and the heat can make people feel tired and uncomfortable which can lead to short tempers and very little motivation in a lot of us. Being the practice manager, it is your responsibility to try to keep your practice in a light and happy state so your patients will feel relaxed and confident while visiting their doctor.  Many times in a physicians practice we do not realize  the staff’s attitude and how they interact with the patient has the biggest impact on their overall perspective of their visit.

Paying attention to patients’ body language is not typically part of medical school curricula, so as a Practice Manager, you probably can’t look to your practice physician(s) for tips.  However, patient body language is important – some studies indicate that as much as 93% of communication is nonverbal.  With that in mind, here are some tips on body language awareness as it pertains to patient care. 

Question: On occasion, our medical office has a patient in the lobby that is “disruptive.”  The patient constantly complains about the wait time to see the physician and his ongoing medical costs.  He also approaches other patients in the lobby and not only shares his medical history, but inquiries into the reasons why the other patients are seeing the physician.  What should we do?

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.

What is your dress code policy?  Do you have one?  Having a dress code policy is important but for some employees, it becomes a constant problem and this can affect the overall image of your practice.

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