The Office Procedures And Technology Book
Solving Physician's Practice Problems – What's on Office Manager to Do?
The role of the Medical Office Manager or Practice Manager is varied and complex. The OM basically runs the business side of a medical practice, clinic, or group of physicians. That means he or she is responsible for billing, scheduling of patients and staff, maintaining inventory, balancing the books, complying with Regs, and a whole host of other day-to-day tasks.
But ask Practice Managers to define their role and most will say they are "problem solvers." On a given patient's chart it's easy to find his or problem or "chief complaint" for the physician to deal with. Practice Managers on the other hand spot problems in the office, and they usually do not need a chart to recognize the signs and symptoms of "Office Tension", "Compliance-itis" or "Code-a-phobia." Here are some of the most common problems that ail physician's practices today – and "prescriptions" for the best solutions from top practice and office management experts.
Working more – Earning less. Many physicians say that today, they have to see more and more patients – and yet they still seem to be unable to make up for shortfalls in reimbursements, etc., and are earning less than they did years before. Yes, the experts agree that problems from third party payers have a lot to do with this. But so does office inefficiencies. Streamlining procedures, and improving technology, such as adopting an EMR, could make a major difference. The Office Manager is a major resource for streamlining procedures and improving the bottomline.
What about those denials? A major symptom many medical offices are suffering from is a bad case of "Chronic Insurance Denial." Deborah Walker Keegan, who co-wrote the book, The Physician Billing Process: Avoiding Potholes in the Road to Getting Paid, says the cure is in finding the source of the problem. In the book she suggests the Office Manager make a "rejection log" of the denials for each payer with key information of the patient, the service provided, the codes, the charges, and of course the reason for the denial. Doing this usually for just one week will help identify and correct the problems. She also suggests using a practice management system that uses "claims scrubbing software" which can prevent errors before claims are processed.
Even When Claims Are Approved – It Takes Forever to Get Paid. "Slow-pay-a-dosis" isanother common problem. And the best cure is a "pit-bull" of an Office Manager who is not afraid to be aggressive with follow up. This also goes back to office efficiencies, if workflow and other procedures are working smoothly and in synch, then the Practice Manager is free to pursue revenue-generating activities, such as collections.
Patients Waiting Too Long. Call it "Waiting Room Fatigue Syndrome." There can be many reasons for this, from workflow issues, to lack of qualified assistants, to not enough exam rooms. Often doctors are to blame for poor time management skills. But where the OM can make a real difference is in scheduling -- understand why a patient is coming in, and do not be unrealistic in scheduling appointments.
These are just a few of the major problems that Medical Office Managers are expected to "treat" everyday. Each month we will look at some other symptoms – and some of the best practice "cures."
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