Chapter 45

1. Chapter 45 The Medical Assistantas Office Manager

2. The Medical Assistant as Office Manager • Vast and diverse responsibilities • Make travel arrangements • Arrange and maintain practice insurance • Supervise office personnel • Approve financial transactions • Supervise purchase and storage of office supplies

3. The Medical Assistant as Office Manager • Vast and diverse responsibilities • Staff meeting agenda, conduct meeting, record minutes • Purchase, repair, maintenance of office equipment • Assist in improving work flow • Create and update office procedure manual • Prepare patient education materials

4. Qualities of a Manager • Get the job done • Make process enjoyable • Leader versus manager • Effective communication skills • Fair-mindedness • Objectivity

5. Qualities of a Manager • Organizational skills • People skills • Problem-solving skills • Technical expertise • Truthfulness

6. Qualities of a Manager • Office manager attitude • Be wary of your mindset, it can derail you and your job as a manager • Professionalism • Exhibit professional behavior at all times • Office manager serves as liaison between provider, patient, other professionals

7. Management Styles • Authoritarian style • Try to control work to maximum extent possible • Participatory style • Use of teams to do work tasks • Management by walking around (MBWA) • Technique for keeping manager informed

8. Risk Management • Assesses risks and takes steps to develop contingencies that minimize risks • Loss of critical employee • Failure of supplier or contractor • Accidental disclosure of confidential information • Computer failure • Injury to staff member or nonemployee • Managerial position change

9. Importance of Teamwork • Improved efficiency of the office • Builds morale • Results in team member ownership • Builds self esteem • “Work smarter”

10. Importance of Teamwork • Getting the team started • Results of clear vision, specific goals, well-planned strategy of team leader • Team members must understand and support specifics

11. Importance of Teamwork • Getting the team started • Team should create own work statement • Ownership • Outlines specific tasks and sequential order • Ensures everyone works toward team goals and objectives

12. Importance of Teamwork • Getting the team started • Pitfalls • Establish timetable for achieving results • Identify standards that must be maintained

13. Importance of Teamwork • Using a team to solve a problem • Brainstorming • Prioritization of solutions • Benchmark your facility

14. Importance of Teamwork • Planning and implementing a solution • Schedule and make assignments • Define resources of equipment and funds available • Assign problems to subteams • Continue to meet as subteams and discuss progress • Recognition • Develops team spirit • Sense of self-actualization

15. Supervising Personnel • Office manager initiates staff and team meetings and officiates

16. Supervising Personnel • Staff and team meetings • Use of basic parliamentary procedure • Announce well in advance • Provide agenda • End with nonagenda items • Fixed time to end • Minutes of the meeting

17. Supervising Personnel • Conflict resolution • Solving problems between any two parties • Often caused by poor communication or misunderstandings • Effective communication goal for any manager • List of guidelines

18. Harassment in the Workplace • Verbal or physical behavior/conduct: • Unwelcome • Based on protected class (e.g., race, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation) • Severe or pervasive • Has negative impact or creates hostile environment

19. Harassment in the Workplace • As manager, you are legally responsible for ensuring nondiscrimination and preventing harassment • Immediately contact your Human Resources Equal Opportunity Office (EOO) • Evaluate facts surrounding incident • Employer needs comprehensive policy that prohibits all types of harassment

20. Supervising Personnel • Assimilating new personnel • Goal is to make it happen as seamlessly as possible • Office manager and HR representative work together

21. Supervising Personnel • New personnel orientation • Orienting and training new employees to protocols and procedures unique to the practice • Procedure manual guide for new employees • Assign mentor to respond to questions new employees may raise

22. Supervising Personnel • Probation and evaluation • Probation period usually 60–90 days • Evaluation process

23. Supervising Personnel • Student practicums • Opportunity for student to apply theory learned in classroom to practical, hands-on experience • Externship or internship • Office manager should schedule information interview with student before practicum starts • Discuss expectations • Tour of facility

24. Supervising Personnel • Student practicums • Pretesting • Shadowing supervisor • Supervise and evaluate student’s progress • Explain each step and provide rationales • Demonstrate techniques

25. Supervising Personnel • Employees with chemical dependencies or emotional problems • Should be treated as ill • Approach constructively • Help employee to find support and counseling • Plan and create work environment that reduces stress

26. Supervising Personnel • Evaluating employees and salary review • Performance evaluation • No less than once per year • Formal or informal • One or more people • Self-evaluation

27. Supervising Personnel • Evaluating employees and salary review • Performance evaluation • Employee uses same form • Climate of evaluation • Handling negative performance • Closing

28. Supervising Personnel • Evaluating employees and salary review • Salary review • Separate from performance evaluation • May have to be raised by employee • Collect data prior to review by networking • Factors determining salary increases • Shortage of health care workers • Salary should match education, experience, training

29. Supervising Personnel • Dismissing employees • Involuntary dismissal • Poor performance • Serious violation of office policies or job descriptions • Should be brought up in review first • Verbal and written warnings • Dismissal should be made in privacy • Explain terms of dismissal

30. Supervising Personnel • Dismissing employees • Voluntary dismissal • Relocation • Seeking advancement • Personal reasons • Give proper notice

31. Procedure Manual • Provides detailed information relative to performance of tasks • Designed for a specific office • Serves as employee guide • Useful in evaluating employee performance • Accessible to all managers

32. Procedure Manual • Organization of the procedure manual • Loose-leaf binder • Separator pages denoting each procedure • Consistent format • Step-by-step procedures • Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) required

33. Procedure Manual • Updating and reviewing procedure manual • Add new procedures • Annual page-by-page review • Date revisions • Separate HIPAA manual

34. Travel Arrangements • Office manager may make travel arrangements for provider for conventions/seminars • Carefully complete registration forms • Make hotel arrangements

35. Travel Arrangements • General information regarding provider’s preferences kept on record • Contact travel agent to coordinate travel arrangements • Acquire confirmation numbers for hotel and car rental

36. Travel Arrangements • May use Internet to search for lowest fares and reservations • Itinerary • Detailed plan for proposed trip • Include all-important information, i.e., air travel, car rental, hotel/motel, meeting location

37. Time Management • Handle items once • Develop a to-do list • Guard your time • Delegate work

38. Marketing Functions • Social media site • Seminars • Workshops • Brochures • Newsletters • Press releases • Special events

39. Social Media in the Medical Office • Webinar • Social networking • Blogs • Social photo and video sharing • Wikis

40. Records and Financial Management • Daily payments • Office expenses • Employee requirements • Total Practice Management System (TPMS)

41. Records and Financial Management • Payroll processing • Various forms • W-2 and W-4 • Preparing payroll checks • Figuring employee taxes • Managing benefits and other responsibilities

42. Facility and Equipment Management • Safety factors • Ancillary services • Must not have access to confidential material • Magazine subscriptions and health-related literature for reception area

43. Facility and Equipment Management • Building repairs and decorating • Administrative and clinical inventory of supplies and equipment • Cost containment considerations • Unpacking an order procedure • Warranty processing

44. Facility and Equipment Management • Equipment calibration and maintenance • Administrative and clinical equipment cleaned, calibrated, maintained on regular basis • Office storage areas well maintained • Medication storage requires special attention

45. Liability Coverage and Bonding • Negligence • Liability • Malpractice • “Going bare”

46. Liability Coverage and Bonding • Professional liability insurance • Bonding • Legal Issues