You have spent years improving office efficiency until your physician’s practice hums like a fine Swiss watch. You have raised the level of patient satisfaction to the point where the doctor is now treating the children of his patient’s children -but now it is time to move on.

Whether you are one of the thousands of the wave of baby boomers about to enter retirement, or just ready for greener pastures, as a professional medical office manager it will likely be your responsibility to help pick and train your replacement. 

Finding the right person to fill your shoes is no easy task. It will likely take time. As long as your leaving is mutual, and on good terms with the practitioners involved, time will be your greatest asset.  In the Practice Manager’s world, “2-weeks notice” just won’t do in most cases. In some larger clinics or multiple-doctor practices, Office Managers make plans to leave months, sometimes even years, in advance.

Handing over the complexities of running a medical office will be difficult at best.  Many Practice Managers pride themselves on having developed office strategies that increased their value to the point of practical indispensability.  It may make you feel very good to know how much you will be missed, but the greatest service you can do your practice and patients, is if they hardly notice the change a few weeks after you are gone.  And that takes a lot of planning.

Even if you are leaving your job because you are taking a ”better position” and do not expect to be that heavily involved in finding and training your replacement – career counselors know there is a right way and a wrong way to move on. No matter what your circumstances your can make your transition as trouble-free for the new Office Manager as possible by:

Leaving a list of all important contact numbers, along with a schedules for inventory and supply orders, financial reports, and a staff calendar

Leave your desk, physical, and computer files as organized as possible.

If you will not have any direct contact with your replacement – be sure someone will be able to bring him or her up to speed on any long-term future plans you may have initiated, such as office renovations, technology or software upgrades, new hires, etc.

Leave instructions on your accounting software, billing, and EMR solution, in case your successor used a different system in his or her last job

And finally, if you are comfortable doing so, and are leaving on good terms – many HR experts suggest you offer your phone number, in case there are any questions or need for advice.

Given the pressures that the typical Office Manager faces, when you know you are leaving, the strains of a certain Johnny Paycheck song may come to mind, and that may be a nice fantasy – but burning bridges is never a good idea, even if you are retiring.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

I don’t know about you, but most of my days are just crazy! Some stressful and some I laugh until my cheeks hurt! Practice Managers tell us about the crazy doctors you work for or how about the scoop on your funniest employee!  We are looking for practice horror stories and faux pas.  This is where we can share our best stories and vent about the havoc that is our lives!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Back in 1992 OSHA enacted the Blood Borne Pathogen (BBP) and Hazard Communication Standards.  At the time Practice Managers became well familiar with the regulations, filled out the appropriate forms and did what was necessary to come into compliance. And then most practices likely forgot about them.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

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).

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

“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.