You Can Make a Medical Practice Greener
Environmental concerns are on many people’s minds today. Individuals and businesses alike are looking for ways to be “Greener” and to stretch energy dollars. The medical office is no exception, and there are many ways that the Practice Manager can lead the effort in making a doctor’s office more environmentally friendly.
What Makes a Great Practice Manager?
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).
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
Timesaving With Cloud Computing
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.
Personality Traits of a Successful Office Manager
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:
Summer Vacation
Don’t bring your job with you!
When Memorial Day weekend began, our mind started to focus on the savored summertime season. Barbeques, swimming in pools, walks along the sea or just swinging in a back yard hammock to catch up on some well needed R&R are all part of the season’s fun, but too many of us forget to clock out at work, even if we are on a family beach vacation.
Ten Tips for Dealing With a Difficult Patient
Often, the front office is the "hot seat" for dealing with difficult patients. Some of us are better at handling these situations than others. Be aware of the members of your staff who are adept at dealing with angry, defensive, or just plain rude people. They can be an asset on a busy day! When dealing with difficult patients yourself, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
How to Propose Telecommunicating to Your Owner/Physician
If you’ve investigated the option of telecommuting your practice manager position and think it might work, you’re probably at least somewhat apprehensive about the next step – proposing the idea to the owners/physicians at your workplace. The first and most important rule is to be thoroughly prepared. This article, the second in our series on telecommuting as a practice manager, offers some tips to help you make a presentation to your owner/physician that has the best chance of being accepted.
How to Measure Success as a Telecommuting Practice Manager
As a telecommuting practice manager, you are responsible for ensuring that working virtually fits your office environment. A complete review should be conducted after 90 days of telecommuting. If problems aren’t promptly corrected, productivity will wane, morale will suffer, and most importantly, your physicians/owners will be disillusioned and upset. With that in mind, here are some ways to measure success as a telecommuting practice manager that will help you nip any problems in the bud;