Carol Stryker

Phones are a major operational issue in many medical practices.The reflexive solution is to add dedicated phone staff and/or move the function to a back room where the incessant ringing is isolated from the rest of the office. A real solution requires understanding the root of the problem.

Why are X telephone lines apparently not enough?

The volume of calls is exaggerated because patients call again before getting a response to the first call.

The average length of each call, when a person answers, is long.

The person answering the phone tries to help but does not have the information readily available.

Staff is not skilled in gathering the necessary information and ending the call.

It is the only way patients can make or change appointments.

Patients call the office for refill authorization.

Patients were distracted during their visits and are calling for clarification.

How to Better Manage Incoming Calls at Your Medical Practice

It is important to remember that phone issues are equal opportunity irritants; they are a nuisance for patients, staff, and providers. The suggested remedies deliver notably improved patient service for significantly less practice labor.

Slideshows

Seven easy ways to expedite the incoming phone call process at your medical practice.

The prospect of developing a useful operations manual for a medical practice can be daunting. It becomes much less so with a clear understanding of the objectives and some simple tools.

How to create an operations manual for your practice

An operations manual is the single most valuable tool for optimal practice profitability, productivity, and risk mitigation. It can be developed and maintained without a huge investment of practice time and energy. What is required is a clear view of its function and acceptance that it will never be perfect or completed.

Some key elements to creating an operating manual at your practice without a huge investment of time or money.

Of all the resources necessary to run a practice and care for patients, a physician's time is the only one that is irrevocably limited. While a practice can increase its capacity for patient care by adding a physician, the sole way for an individual physician to increase productive capacity is the more effective use of her time.

The bad news for maxed out physicians is that improved effectiveness requires thoughtful analysis of the status quo, as well as a willingness to make changes. The good news is that almost all of the analysis can be outsourced or delegated, and the changes improve the environment for patients and staff as well as the physician.

Here are six ideas for increasing physician capacity.

Tips to Improve Physician Productivity

Some small changes at your practice can improve physician productivity, thus improving the environment for everyone.

How can a physician improve productivity and reliability, mitigate legal and financial risks, improve patient satisfaction and quality of care, and get home at a decent hour? An essential part of the answer is effective staff management, which is a big challenge in any business.

It is even more challenging for physicians because:

A provider is generally either out of the office or in an exam room with the door shut, so she has limited opportunity to observe office/clinic operations.

There is a wide gap between physicians and staff in regards to education, training, perspective, and job function.

Physicians would much rather focus all their attention on patient care.

Here are three elements of effective staff management. Each requires time and energy. Some require financial expenditures. Well done, however, they yield high returns - like any good investment.

Effectively manage medical practice staff

You may have noticed that there is a lot of overlap in the suggestions. The overlap is a very good thing. It means that, done intentionally, everything done to enhance one capacity enhances at least one more. For instance, an operations manual supports training, operational consistency, and management by system. In terms of cost, an operations manual can be expensive. In terms of value, it is a big bargain.

The physician does not need to provide this management directly, but she must provide for it and require it. Training, tools and systems can develop organically or with the help of a consultant. A nurse or medical assistant can provide most of the direct supervision and leadership, provided she is visible, actively engaged, and respected.

Not all of this can or should be developed and implemented at once. Attack the most critical areas first and build on successes. The truth is that the support for effective management is always a work in progress.

Articles

Three elements of effective staff management that can lead to increased productivity and profitability and happier patients at your practice.