So many practices find themselves constantly under or overstaffed. In most cases, this problem can be alleviated if the employees have a clear understanding of their job descriptions and are willing to embrace the teamwork attitude.
One way to accomplish the team mentality is to institute a standard training program for each new clerical employee. Proper training is vital to overall accomplishment of any new employee. Don't wait until your practice is overwhelmed before you take on new hires. Staff your office in advance of critical situations and you will have time to promote a better understanding of required responsibilities.
The most successful training program is one in which the new hire spends their first week on arbitrary tasks that may not even be a part of their future job description. Tasks, such as verifying patient insurance, preparing charts, filing and copying will expose the employee to the daily routine of the practice and give them time to find a comfort level in their new home. A senior staff member should be assigned to shadow the new hire and to assure that tasks are accomplished according to practice guidelines and provide them with a sense of security and familiarity in the new environment.
The senior staff member would also be responsible for introducing the new hire to all staff members and physicians. They would conduct a review of the practice handbook, outline job descriptions, and provide the employee with all practice materials needed to make a smooth transition to their assigned role. In a specialty practice, the employee would also be provided with materials that would give them a basic understanding of the testing and procedures done in the office. In cardiology, I recommended that every new hire spend some time in the nuclear and echo labs for the express purpose of readying them to answer patient questions and to promote the feeling of professionalism for the office in general.
Assigning a staff member gives the sense of belonging to the new hire and helps them feel part of the team from day one. It avoids any uncomfortable and often solitary lunch and break times and allows the senior staffer to immediately identify possible future problems or the need for more intensive training.
The second week of training will move the new hire to their department to observe and participate on a basic level. For example, a prospective new front office employee will be seated with a more senior worker to observe and learn the procedures for check in and check out and listen to appointment calls. They will perform simple tasks such as pulling charts for future visits and/or scanning-copying insurance cards.
A new billing hire will work directly with the billing manger. They can be given a small accounts receivable and asked to make phone calls to check on claim status or assist in mailing the monthly patient statements. This busy work will help the new hire feel as if they are part of the team and take care of those early butterflies that can plague all of us whenever we find ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings. It also helps us to make an immediate assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the new employee and to gauge their people skills. The office manger can then sit down with her senior staffer and make arrangements for an extended training period or a faster transition into their future roles. In some cases, the training period might show that this employee is not a good fit for their hired position and they will need to be transitioned into another role or let go.
A standard training program will assure that each of your departmental employees can perform all the tasks required by the entire department. This means that you will never be lacking for team members in case of illness or vacations and it also allows employees to feel they have a good grasp of each others roles. Encourage employee questions and be prepared to repeat the same information over and over to make sure that each of your staff members are a confident well prepared member.
The concept of teamwork should be well defined in your interview process and employees should understand that they may be requested to perform tasks deemed necessary for the success of the practice and that these tasks may not necessarily be specifically listed in their job descriptions. This does not mean that you multi-task your employees to death, but rather that each member of the team understands that patient satisfaction is priority number one and that the practice is committed to achieving this goal. Job number one is making this goal a reality.
Recognize the difference between discipline and rigidity and don't trap yourself into a set of rules that leave you no room for adaptation. The ebb and flow of a medical practice can easily be affected by emergencies or add-on patients, so leave yourself a bit of wiggle room when organizing your daily schedule. If you establish strict lunch or break times and suddenly ten patients are checking in without anyone to greet them, your rules are ineffective and harmful to the practice. If you never pay overtime, and three patients are still in the waiting room at the end of hours, the practice is not working. Adapt and move forward. Give yourself the opportunity to make changes and create an atmosphere of trust rather than suspicion.
Keep in mind that life goes on outside of the office. Children or parents of employees become ill. Personal problems arise and mental health days are critical every once in a while. As long as these issues are not habitual to an employees routine, be cautious in your response to them. Constant disciplinary actions towards your employees will guarantee that you are spending a large part of your tenure interviewing and training. If you manage with a steady hand, and set a good example, you employees will consider the office their second home, and invest their time and energy to make the workday as productive as possible.
Tomorrow : How Many Employees
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