job descriptions Archives - Capko & Morgan

The power of managing details

I'm working on an ebook right now about medical practice staffing. More specifically, it's about how the instinct to cut staff, to be as leanly staffed as possible, can backfire*. There are dozens of little details that any practice can explore to improve profitability. These small changes can be made with much less risk than eliminating a job or cutting staff hours. And because they improve the profitability of your processes, they are a gift that keeps on giving, making your bottom line a little bit bigger every day. Here are just a few of the possibilities I explore in the ebook. Are you taking full advantage of these opportunities to improve your bottom line? Reduce no-shows: Take a quantitative look at your no-show rate. Are you tracking both true no-shows and last minute cancelled slots that can't be refilled? Audit your reminder process and results. Is your timing right? Experiment with reminding further ahead or closer to the appointment. Remind people using the technology they prefer. Capture email and cell info: Being able to reach people electronically opens the door to multiple efficiency improvements, including more effective reminders and better collections. And your patients that want to be emailed or texted, not called, will appreciate the option. Win-win! Train patients on portals: Too many practices make portal adoption a low priority, or abandon the effort altogether, because they find it hard to get patients engaged. It is hard! But it's still very worthwhile. As more patients use your portals, you have more ways to reach them for marketing. Portals make other key tasks more profitable, too. Notice I said "portals," plural? If you don't have the ability to collect payments through your EHR portal, investigate the option to set up a payment portal with your PMS vendor. Patients want to help themselves -- and they want to pay without having to write a check or find a stamp. They'll reward you by paying faster and more reliably. If you cut staff before checking out all the possibilities to improve your operations, you may not have the people you need

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:51:56-08:00May 8th, 2016|

It’s everyone’s responsibility, yet no one’s doing the job

Are some jobs at your medical practice just too urgent or important to assign to specific people? That's the argument some practice managers and physicians make, e.g: "Phones need to be answered by the first available person, whatever their job" "Everyone should keep an eye on the fax machine, and deliver faxes they see piling up" "Let's all keep an eye on the reception area, to make sure no one's waiting too long" "It's the entire team's job to make sure the patient bathrooms are clean and stocked" When the entire team is engaged on these important, urgent tasks, the theory usually goes, there will always be someone available to do them, right when the need arises. Everyone will have an equal stake in making sure they'll get done -- right? Alas, no. Have you ever heard the amusing little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody? It goes like this: There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.* There is a lot of organizational insight packed into that little verse. When something is everybody's job, it's effectively nobody's job. Nobody is actually accountable to do the work, and everybody can rationalize that they thought someone else would do it. When everyone has other work to do that they believe is important, they'll be more likely to assume someone else will take care of the group responsibility. We have worked with several practices that have applied this "everyone's job" idea and been very unhappy with the results. Laurie, they say, why aren't the staff answering the phones? We tell them over and over that everyone has to answer the phones! Instead, our messages are piling up, patients and other doctors are complaining, and nobody's getting the help they need when they call.

By Morgan|2022-01-01T22:51:58-08:00November 29th, 2015|

Prepare for employee salary negotiations

Practice managers and physicians often feel like they're fumbling in the dark when negotiating salaries with prospective employees, and feel unsure about whether their compensation structure is adequate to retain their best people. But, this is at least partly because they're not utilizing all of the tools available to stay on top of market compensation rates -- some of which have only really taken hold in the last five-ten years. For example, sites like Salary.com provide market data on job content and salaries -- all matched to your local market. (This type of data used to be available only in pricey salary surveys! On Salary.com, the base data is good -- but, more detail can be had for a fee.) Even scanning online ads, such as on Craigslist, can give you a quick read on what others are offering. We often work with physicians and practice managers who are very concerned about over-paying staff. If you're among them, take heart: as this story from Freakonomics observes, sometimes getting the 'best deal' on labor is no deal at all. I'm usually much more alarmed when practices are under-paying than over-paying by a bit. Freakonomics (via Marketplace): A Cheap Employee Is ... A Cheap Employee

By Morgan|2016-08-19T18:12:26-08:00May 31st, 2013|

Office Squabbles? Three Areas to Look for a Fix

Do you have conflicting personalities in your office? Do such differences result in petty squabbling? While inter-office conflicts are common, there are a few things an administer can do to greatly reduce conflict in the workplace. It's important to address conflicts before they affect the professionalism of your practice, the morale of your staff, and your practice's productivity. Most of what is attributed to personality conflicts in the workplace can be traced to a just a handful of sources for which you most likely are responsible! Job descriptions: It's all too easy for disputes to emerge when responsibilities are not well defined. In today's changing medical field, jobs change -- don't let those job descriptions lead to finger-pointing in the office. Clearly delineated responsibilities allow staff to both receive credit and take responsibility for tasks. Without clear definitions it's too easy for misunderstandings (of differences in performance) to escalate into personal resentments. Cross-training: The counterpart to clearly job descriptions is that your staff should be well cross-trained and able and willing to fill-in where they are needed. Cross-training has the benefit of helping everyone in the office truly appreciate what important roles the others are fulfilling. Additionally, it shows that you are interested in the well-being and career and skill advancement of your staff. There's a fine line between a groove and a rut! To the extent you are able, provide variety in the work environment so that your staff doesn't fall into an abyss of boredom. Fairness: If your staff perceives that some receive preferential treatment, morale will suffer and, with falling morale, it's only to be expected that friction will increase. An under-appreciated fact is that perceptions of fairness and openness to communication go hand-in-hand. If your staff feels they can approach you to complain because you have a sincere interest in their well-being, you are well on your way to resolving squabbles among your staff. Challenge yourself to hear that which is difficult for you to hear. No one is free from biases and your staff can serve as a mirror to your own policies -- it's important

By Joe Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:42-08:00September 30th, 2011|

Stop Wasting Energy & Money

Medical practice revenue is tighter than ever. It's time for you to take critical steps to keep costs under control and improve profits. The first step to fixing the bottom line is to look for the waste. Wasted energy results in a loss of potential revenue and lots of frustration. There is waste throughout the typical practice, but most of it is silent and doesn't get the attention it should. Here's some common threads we see in your world: A lack of clearly defined job responsibilities that result in duplication of effort. Accepting poor performance and inferior outcomes Mistakes that one person makes and another one corrects because it seems faster or easier. The good news is all these things are fixable. Make the commitment. Look at the action that needs attention. Is it the scheduling, patient visit or billing and collections, or something else? Then flow chart the processes involved and identify the cause for errors and inefficiency, discuss the possible solutions and pick the one that makes the most sense. Then [and this is important] assign someone the responsibility to see it through, set a reasonable time-line to get each change completed and schedule meetings to review progress along the way. You may need to hire a consultant to get the ball rolling and develop a process improvement plan, but it will be worth the effort. Start thinking lean and reduce the waste! Once you see improvement it's time to celebrate. Your bottom-line will improve, staff will enjoy their work more and patients will be happier. Sounds like a win-win-win. So just do it! Capko & Company, experts in practice management and markeeting - We are here to help make your practice shine. s

By Judy Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:56-08:00April 5th, 2011|

Hire a team that follows your practice dream

Here's some power tips for creating a staff that keeps your practice at the top of its game.Know who you are. If you haven't already done so, develop your mission statement. A mission statement should not be vague nor grandiose. It should describe what your practice is all about. What defines your practice? Is it serving the under served, service beyond expectations, partnering with patients on health style issues or if your a pediatrician could it be to make each patient's visit fun? Whatever it is you must define and establish methods to make it a reality. This includes getting the entire staff on board on how to live the mission.Second, create mission-driven job descriptions. Make sure each position has specific responsibilities that support the mission statement, including points of accountability.Third, make the mission statement part of your hiring process. Whenever you are recruiting for a position in your office your mission statement should be at the helm. Applicants need to understand that living the mission is a job requirement and that they will be held accountable to act in a manner that endorses and supports the mission.Finally, execute mission training. Have a formal orientation program for new employees that talks about the mission and each staff's role in achieving the mission. Have an annual "Mission Possible" employee training program each year that includes a review and discussion of the mission and a continuing education seminar on a topic that compliments what is needed to live the mission.If you do these things and your decisions and actions support the mission, you'll create a power team that serves the practice well. Contact Judy Capko, one of America's best known practice management consultants: www.capko.com

By Judy Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:59-08:00February 14th, 2009|