The first lesson any physician in private practice learns is that a medical practice is not only a health care center, but also a business. As such, in order for your business to be successful, (1) your patients must be pleased with the service they receive, and (2) your operation must turn a profit.
The key to achieving both is a strong support staff. After all, patients don’t just interact with the doctor, but also with the practice’s front-office team and with staff members behind the scenes.
Also, it is your support staff that is responsible for obtaining a patient’s insurance information and corresponding co-pay. An error in either of these tasks could cause a serious impact on your practice’s bottom line.
How to Maximize Your Medical Staff
The quality of overall care your medical practice provides is only as good as the performance of its entire staff. With that in mind, here are several ways in which your health care practice should facilitate and maximize its support staff:
Develop a Comprehensive Employee Manual
The manual should detail the roles and responsibilities of each position within the practice. This allows each staff member to know what is expected of them. It can also help in evaluating their performance and in avoiding duplicate work and duties.
Determine Staff Size and Define Roles and Responsibilities
Include all team members in this process, as it may lead to ideas on how to separate functions and better utilize staff.
For example, having the same person gathering insurance information, collecting co-pays, scheduling follow-up visits, and answering the phone is not an efficient system – and could lead to unnecessary errors or even HIPAA violations. Whereas, separating the reception and registration functions makes for a more smoothly running operation.
Invest in Employee Training Programs
Besides standard training for new employees, your practice should provide ongoing training to enable your staff to stay current with industry changes, new technology, and new HIPAA rules. Also, cross-training is important in order to provide coverage during unanticipated absences.
Fill Positions Wisely
Do not settle for marginally qualified candidates just to fill a staff vacancy. Take the time to find a person who meets all of your requirements, is the most qualified for the position, and can work well with other staff members – even if it means employing a temporary worker until you find the right permanent hire.
Don’t Skimp on Technology
To achieve peak productivity, your practice must furnish its employees with the right tools to do their jobs. The most current IT hardware and software, along with properly functioning and easily accessible printers, fax machines, and copy machines, can help boost the efficiency of your support staff and your entire practice.
Medical Practice Management Company
These are just a few of the steps your practice can take to boost efficiency of your staff. To uncover others, consider having an outside agency conduct a medical practice audit and assessment.
Designed to identify areas that need improvement, a comprehensive practice assessment focuses on all aspects of your operations – including human resources review, technology evaluation, and staffing analysis.
ProMD Practice Management provides wide-ranging medical practice assessments that analyze health care support staffing and all it entails. We can help your practice boost its staff productivity and, in the process, achieve a considerable increase in revenue within a matter of months.
To learn more about how ProMD can help make your practice run at maximum performance, call (844) 236-5488 or fill out our consultation request form online. Let us help you make your medical firm run with amazing results.
