Medical office managers across the country report having very similar, very tough challenges at their offices.
These struggles are exhausting and can feel defeating, but it can be helpful to share stories, as well as offer and receive advice from your peers.
Keep reading for more information on the four major challenges of managing a medical office today and how to cope with these issues at your own practice.
Administrative constraints.
In today’s medical world, a quality administrative team is a must. While a great administrator can’t singlehandedly save a medical practice operated by lackluster physicians, a talented office manager and administrative staff’s positive effect on a medical practice is overwhelming.
Administrative requirements are constantly increasing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. So, it isn’t just about recruiting an excellent medical team; it’s also about hiring a skilled and knowledgeable administrative staff.
It’s not always easy, but when you have administrators dedicated to keeping your practice in line, you free up doctors and nurses to do what they do best – treat patients.
Employee turnover.
Outsourcing human resource tasks can lower costs and lessen workloads. However, if you choose to keep this responsibility in-house, you must be constantly active in hiring and retaining your staff.
High turnover can be costly, and it can hurt office efficiency and patient satisfaction. Offering incentives to keep your staff happy will be vital in maintaining talented employees. Some rewards you can implement include:
- An excellent benefits package.
- Increased PTO.
- Catered lunches.
- Better pay for productivity.
- Special recognitions.
By not providing incentives, you risk your employees feeling unrecognized, underappreciated. When this happens, their performance may decrease, or they will leave altogether. Implementing these ideas and a quality recruiting strategy while continually working to motivate your team are key strategies to finding and retaining a productive staff.
[Need more tips for motivating your Staff? Click here!]
Rising costs.
Increasing administrative requirements, fewer patients, and high technology costs can hurt any medical practice. The best way to handle rising operating costs is to monitor them and develop a quality budget plan.
There are small changes you can make to increase your bottom line. For example, closely examine your office supply usage. Learning to use office supplies wisely can substantially cut down costs. Going paperless and bargain shopping for the best price will make a huge difference. You can also buy medical supplies as needed rather than in bulk. Buying in bulk can save money, but if you don’t need it, don’t buy it. You can also try to identify opportunities to get free trials from vendors promoting new products.
Collecting payments.
The entire healthcare industry has become more assertive in its collection practices. With costs constantly rising, it is crucial to get the maximum reimbursement every time. And most times, this relies on patient payments.
Studies have shown that once a patient walks out the door, the likelihood that he or she will pay the balance drops considerably. To keep this from happening, there are several strategies you can employ. First, collecting patient payments can prove to be a lot less complicated when there is a clear and enforced payment policy in place. Implement an automated process to avoid human error. Also, no one likes surprises, so make sure your patients know what they are being billed and why.
To say that medical office managers face challenges every day is an understatement. Hopefully, reading about these everyday struggles will reiterate that you aren’t alone and inspire some ideas to help with these issues at your own office. For more helpful tips, follow our blog and “like us” on Facebook!
Tags: Managing a medical office, medical office management, medical offices, national organization of rheumatology managers, NORM, office management, office managers, rheumatologists, rheumatology, tips for office managers Posted by
