My Brain is My Inbox MGMA Anesthesia Administration Assembly Monday May 18, 2009 10:15-11:30

1. My Brain is My Inbox MGMA Anesthesia Administration Assembly Monday May 18, 2009 10:15-11:30 Joe Laden MGMA member since 1981 AAA Member since inception Business Manager Anesthesia Associates of Louisville, PSC 20 MD’s & 20 CRNA’s Serving Norton Hospital for 30 Years joeladen@aalouisville.com

3. Session Objective You Will be Able to: Identity ways to produce a “virtual brain” inbox from a number of relevant sources Establish control over email inbox Discover focused and efficient internet search techniques and save information for future reference.

4. My Main Premise Keep a large amount of information in your computer email inbox and Search your inbox rapidly to retrieve information stored

5. I Want You To Find That: • This technique is useful • You can do it • It will work for you if you try

6. Anesthesia Administrator’s Relationship to Knowledge and Information • I want to know everything and I want to know it now! • I want to be an expert • My time and attention are finite • I want to know before my doctors • I want to know as much or more than my peers & consultants

7. Anesthesia Administrator’s Relationship to Knowledge and Information • I want my knowledge to be acknowledged internally and externally • I want Job security and career protection • We must make our own path through this specialty because there is no generally accepted field of study • Learning through personal experience is not enough – I need help from peers and information sources

8. Where Is Your Information About Anesthesia Group Management? • Brain / Experience • Paper Files • Books / Magazines • Your computer(s) • Documents / Spreadsheets • Your inbox • Internet

9. Why inbox and brain? • Three Cognitive Brain Functions • Processing (thinking) • Remembering (storage of information that comes via senses) • Remembering (retrieving what is stored ) • Inbox • Store information (that comes to you) • Retrieve information by searching • Inbox can’t think (yet)

10. What Kind of Information is in your Brain/Inbox • (including sent) • Current Information • Information of the day • Relevant to your current projects • Hot topics: • Red Flag • PQRI • CRNA recruiting • Stipend Negotiation • Private payer contracts • “Dormant” Information

11. What Kind of Information is in your Brain/Inbox Dormant Information Not relevant when stored Relevant when multiple bits put together Articles (stipend formulas, Medicare rules/carriers) News items (malpractice cases, gastro) New Web sites Become relevant at some time Relevant when searching a topic Retrieve and give to others Help/reciprocate/network

12. What can be sent, retrieved and stored via email • Email text • Web links • Attachments • Documents/PDF’s • Spreadsheets • Scanned documents (personal scanner) • HTML with graphics/screenshots • Contact information • Conversations

13. Email Uses • Communication • Documentation of communications • Accumulating information

15. Where is you inbox? • Email client - On your computer(s) • Outlook (2007, 2003, Express) • Windows Mail • Thunderbird • The “Cloud” (internet-based) • Gmail • Yahoo Mail • MSN/Hotmail/Windows Live • Me.com (Apple)  Wikipedia: Email Client

16. What is “The Cloud” • Storage that is not on your computers • Processing that takes place on computers / servers that are not owned by you • Applications that run on cloud servers • Google, Apple, IBM, Microsoft, Amazon

17. Benefits of “The Cloud” • Access is from everywhere • Storage handled by others (backup & expansion) • Storage is “free” or very cheap • Application programs “free” • The internet is more reliable than your computer • The internet is rarely down

18. Drawbacks of “The Cloud” • Most cloud email readers are feature-poor • Privacy - Who houses your data? • Security – Can your data be compromised? • Portability – Can you change providers

19. Benefits -Email on Local Computer • Speed of Searching • More Features (at present) • Security • Attachments – local and quick access

20. Drawbacks -Email on Local Computer • Cost of necessary hardware and software • Complexity • Multi-location difficulties • Backup procedures needed

21. Email on Local Computer vs. Cloud • Both can be used • Multiple email accounts on each may be your best option List of Popular Windows Email Programs

23. Article

24. Inbox Strategies • What kind of organizational person are you? • Empty Inbox (cleared off desk) • Email Folders (desk with file racks) • Keep much (desk with document piles) Video for Merlin's "Inbox Zero" talk | 43 Folders Unclutter your mailbox article

25. Folders Strategy • Route all possible email into folders automatically • Route remaining daily email into folders manually • Delete non-essential email • Archive everything else for future searching Outlook 2007 Archiving Video

26. Folders and Other Organizing Tools • Automatic Routing to Folders via Rules • Search Folders • Flags • Filters • Labels • Color coding • Follow ups • Reminders • Calendar Interface

27. Recommended “Keep Much” Strategy • Route emails you do not need to read routinely into folders automatically (rules) • Read emails several times per day and: • Delete useless mail immediately • Respond to important email • Mark emails that need action today • Leave the remainder in the main inbox • You will save 10-50 email per day • 2,000 – 15,000 per ear

28. Processing Email • Delete • Delegate • Respond • Defer • Do

29. A Daily Routine • Check email at home • Check main inbox periodically at office (in messages) • Delete “no read messages” • Route junk to junk filter/folder • Read and delete “one read” messages • Take action on “immediate action messages” • Leave “action today” messages • Flag “future action” messages • Route “send to others” messages • What is left may be important – archive it • Check email at home

30. Accumulating Information via Email • Saving important communications from others and sent by yourself • Participation in MGMA Communities and other listserves / forums • Review informative emails from relevant web sites • Vendor communication emails • Receiving website change detection emails • RSS fees via your email client

31. Selectively Filling Your Inbox • Keep almost all corporate communications • Keep MGMA Community useful emails • “Sign up” / news emails from professional web sites • Notifications from vendors • Change detection email notifications • RSS feeds • Useful emails from colleagues • Keep almost all the messages you send

32. Why use multiple email accounts? • Home vs. Work • Account for “junk” • Accounts for multiple work projects • Account to receive mail from news sources, web sites and change detection email

33. Emailing to Yourself • If send from non-controlling email client to assure that sent emails are on all clients • Quick offsite backup of documents in process • “To Do” reminders when at another location (home desktop, home laptop, handheld) • Copy yourself if your are sending to others and emwant email on other email accounts

34. A Recommendation -1 Hotmail, Live or Yahoo for personal email Hotmail, Live or Yahoo for “junk” Outlook or equivalent email client for business Set up work ISP/client for multiple mail clients Set up work ISP to forward copies to cloud email Gmail is best free cloud email service Save a couple of years of emails on computer Use a third party local computer search program

35. A Recommendation - 2 • Save 10-50 emails per day after deleting • Archive older emails and use search that can search active and archived email together • Become proficient at searching these emails and attachments

36. Filling Your Mailbox

37. Sites To Connect To Your Email Medicare & other payers MGMA Communities MGMA news email ASA (RSS, change detection) State and local medical societies Recruiting websites Medical Blog sites Medical Publications (Modern Physician, Anesthesiology News) Vendor news & information emails

38. Sites To Connect To Your Email CMS Mailing Lists MGMA Communities MGMA E-Newsletters Modern Physician Anesthesiology News See vendors in Vendor hall ASA (RSS, change detection) State and local medical societies Recruiting websites Medical Blog sites Vendor news & information emails

40. Google Alerts • Google searches for your topics daily • Google sends you email alerts • Setting up Google alerts • Choosing keywords • Set up folders or alternate email accounts • Link to set up Google Alerts

41. Google Alerts

43. Change Detection Web Site

46. RSS Feeds • What are they? • Why are they useful? • Automatically kept up-to-date • Information from many sources available quickly • How to set up • Internet Explorer • Outlook 2007 • Stand alone - Google Reader Wikipedia RSS Feed

47. RSS Feeds in Outlook 2007 Mailbox  Outlook 2007 RSS Feeds Training Video

48. RSS Feeds in Outlook 2007 Mailbox

49. Result after clicking on RSS feed item in Outlook 2007 inbox

50. Web site with RSS feed indicator