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.

As a practice manager, you are probably aware of media coverage of the physician shortage in the US and the fact that the roles of nurse practitioners and physicians are expanding to meet that shortage. However, some physicians and even some patients are resistant to the change. Whether or not it has influenced your medical practice at this point, how will the expanding roles of nurse practitioners and physician assistants affect physicians?

One positive aspect of this change is that physicians can be freed up to perform more complex revenue-generating procedures because they are spending less time on basic evaluations and general patient care. This is especially positive because of the large number of uninsured individuals who are entering the nation’s patient pool and who will require care for minor illnesses and accidents. The expanding role of NPs and PAs will help keep pace with a growing base of patients who require general care.

If you define your medical practice by specialty, as most practice managers do, you may think that patients see your physician(s), and thus your practice overall, as an “expert” in that specialty.  Certainly some patients, such as those who have received care at your practice for many years, do see it as an expert resource on their medical conditions.  But because patients today are generally more informed and think much more critically than in the past due to the extensive coverage relating to various medical conditions and procedures on the internet, in magazines, and on television shows, you need to actually brand your practice as an expert on the diagnoses and procedures on which you’d like to attract new patients.  Your medical practice’s expert status will drive patient traffic and revenue, so promotional branding is a necessity in today’s healthcare environment.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

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.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

“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.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Sponsored by:      

 

We have chosen and published our Practice Manager of the Month: MELISSA EDWARDS!

Melissa manages 3 offices; Heresco Chiropractic, in Corvallis, Oregon,  Advanced Chiropractic in Albany, Oregon, and Westlake Chiropractic in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Melissa was nominated by Heresco’s billing Specialist, Kimberly Palmer.  Here is her submission:

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

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;