To assure efficiency, each phase of your practice should be planned in detail and the phases coordinated with your overall objectives (Fig. If damaged goods are not discovered until after delivery, the supplier should be called immediately and asked to pick up the damaged goods when he makes delivery according to your specifications. Moreover, if employees keep coming to management asking for exceptions to policy, or complaining that a procedure is too onerousthats a warning sign that perhaps your policies and procedures are the anomalies, rather than reluctant employees. All equipment should be wiped or dusted, and appropriate instruments should be placed in a sterilizer. Permanent ledger sheets Because of unforeseen delays resulting from case management, traffic conditions, or climate, it will be impossible to give the patient anything more than an approximate time of your planned arrival. What is said and the way it is said is representative of you and your practice. Patient preparation If you have more than just a few employees, consider having a labor attorney write the employment sections of your manual there are a variety of federal and state laws and regulations that may apply to your practice, depending upon how many people you employ. Accounts receivable procedures HANDLING DELAYS In a severe or chronic condition of an obscure nature, this process may take several visits before a working diagnosis can be arrived at. This information will help the office to prepare for the patient prior to arrival. a record of transaction that identifies which what person or persons and at what time and day an electronic record was accessed in order to maintain accountability for the security of the information as it is accessed, record of services for billing and for insurance processing, Scheduling patients for specific type of visits or procedures at specific times, Scheduling two or more patients for the same appointment time. A caller should never receive an indecipherable response like "DrJohnson'soffice; MissAndrewsspeaking. By helping patients without disturbing good management standards, everybody benefits. It is helpful to develop a continuing education log (Fig. CANCELLED APPOINTMENTS EPO-subscribers must use network providers Documentation helps employees understand their tasks and responsibilities, which ultimately leads to improved productivity. When this happens, your scheduling assistant should be sure to obtain the name of the insurance company since it will be they who pay the bill. Your assistant should greet the entering patient with a smile and cheerful welcome, as if she were the hostess in her own home, being gracious and pleasant and making the patient feel welcomed and at ease. Patients unable to be reached earlier may possibly be contacted late in the day. There is a distinct difference between an office policy and an office procedure. Bookkeeping requirements Approved programs are usually listed periodically in the state chiropractic association's communications. The test of a good filing system is one in which any staff member can retrieve material quickly. (5) financial concerns take priority over clinical concerns. It is always important to create a pleasing tone for the patient to be comfortable. The assistant then presents any literature or supplements recommended by the doctor, arranges another appointment for the patient according to the doctor's instructions, and sets up an appointment verification date according to office policy. That is, on a quarterly purchasing basis, a month's supply is retained in the work area and a 2 month's supply is kept in the central storage area to replenish the needs of the work areas. Your professional history, periodically updated, should be on file at the office so that your employees will know your background to the extent that questions from patients can be answered appropriately. Improperly prepared checks returned from your bank can cause confusion in your bookkeeping system. When a telephone hour is formally specified, office policy usually requires that telephone appointments not be scheduled during that time nor are progress reports or inquiries accepted at times other than that specified. Following is a common priority order for mail sorting: 1. (2) the ratio between account receivables and current liabilities is below forecasts, Insufficient stock may interfere with proper patient services. Barriers to offering the best professional service possible must be identified as early as possible, and attempts must be made to eliminate them. A few minutes later, Mrs. Anderson calls to confirm her daughter's appointment time. Be alert to the fact that many people become quickly irritated when their call is answered by a machine. Patient Progress and Inquiry Calls Thus, either in the reception area or the preparation rooms, or both, a supply of modern chiropractic educational literature should be available in organized racks. This composite of data is called the patient's chart. The most common areas of concern are a low patient volume, decreasing working capital, reducing profit margin, and rising debt level. Integrating third-party data into your third-party risk management (TPRM) program - Integrating with third party systems, What is a Compliance Audit? Films from another facility should be left within their mailing tube or envelope. A procedure is an even more specific method or system, limited in scope, by which a policy will be administered. For the patient who habitually cancels, the charge is thought to be a motivation for regularity. While community standards are important considerations, they should not be the sole factor to consider. Even taking advantage of the telephone company's discount time periods will make a difference. Thus, planning gives your efforts a road map bridging the gap from where you are to where you want to be. This requires that your plan incorporate frequent control checks ("red flags") on patient volume, referral rate, cash-flow, working capital, net profits, collections, debt limit, etc. * Attachments Therefore, it is important to do everything possible to put the patient at ease, * Main communication for most practices Handling several progress reports or inquiries by telephone may dominate lines needed to receive and schedule appointments. or "What seems to be the matter?" In the "Office Policies and Procedures" section of the patient brochure, explain why the following sections are also important to include. * Never an interruption, annoyance Proper atmosphere and patient contact are the two major points in a good approach. This would be discourteous. A patient with a question about insurance Administrative Medical Assistant If it's not an emergency, your assistant should schedule an appointment for the next day. For example, a credit policy establishes whether cash-only payments will be accepted for services or if credit will be extended and under what circumstances and limits. Periodic staff meetings should be regularly used to analyze the different phases, procedures, and control points involved in the services offered and to seek areas of improvement. The information usually requested concerns the patient's name, address, mailing address if different from the patient's residence, telephone numbers (ie, residential and business), date of birth, chief complaint, marital status, number and ages of children, occupation, employer, referral source, and health and accident insurance company data. Other common causes include poor clinical management, overly aggressive behavior by doctor or personnel, a poor recall system, or severely adverse local economic conditions. If the company requires any special laboratory tests, this should be noted in the appointment book or elsewhere. Equipment files can be subdivided into office equipment, diagnostic equipment, and therapeutic equipment if desired. For frequently dialed outgoing calls, your assistant should have a list or rotary file of the numbers handy to her desk and kept updated. To appreciate this, the person answering the telephone must consider the outlook of the caller. If the time is available, it should be granted. Patients can become quickly discouraged if they feel their appointments are routine or will be without end. ECONOMIC FACTORS Visit slips Color codes can also be used to indicate any number of signals such as patients who are excellent sources of referrals, the numbers of years the patient has been an active patient, etc. He or she is free to either ignore the advice or reflect on it and take positive action. Caller: It's been getting worse over the last 2 weeks. Roentgenologic referrals/consultants For follow-up visits where a new record is not necessary and the appointment has been made for several weeks, records can be pulled once each week when reminder notices are sent. They should never be left lying open on a desk when unattended. Petty cash should be placed in a safe, and all necessary vaults, cabinets, desk drawers, and files that have locks should be secured. Formal purchase orders facilitate both record keeping and inventory control (Fig. There is nothing unprofessional about an assistant calling a patient to determine the reason for not meeting a scheduled appointment. one way to ease fears and maintain good report with patients is to communicate clearly what is expected from patients of the practice as well as what patients can expect from the office staff. This is Miss Andrews. General filing procedures Mrs. Anderson says that's fine, but that she will have to check with the school to see if her daughter can be excused early that day. elizabeth jones, age 76, is an established patient in your family practice office. Different procedures and situations require different time requirements. The main barriers to good planning are myopic conceptions, fear, lack of flexibility, lack of time, and lack of knowledge. Employee policies concern personnel policies such as working hours, duties and responsibilities, salaries, overtime, holidays, vacations, sick leave, insurance benefits, etc. Prepare a patient for procedures or treatments 6. Avoid writing policies and procedures with language so specific that it is difficult to comply with, makes it challenging to operate your practice effectively or interferes with your ability to flexibly handle specific situations that may arise. Routine Calls the mother states that the child has a temperature but denies nausea vomiting diarrhea or other signs or symptoms. * Use inflection Your assistant should speak in such a manner that others nearby will not hear the conversation, especially other patients. Most people with a legitimate reason will identify themselves and their suspicions. * Develop spreadsheets, * Microsoft outlook When the time for the appointment arrives, different conditions and situations may develop that may require a longer or shorter visit than originally anticipated. The world of corporate compliance uses many terms of art, and one of the most common is policies and procedures. Yet, somehow, it also ends up being one of the most vague phrases we use, too. If a long delay is anticipated, the assistant should offer to return the call. Necessary data of who, what, when, and where must be accurately and clearly recorded. Reporting procedures Both the name of the patient and the person making the appointment should be recorded. Perception becomes shortsighted ("brush-fire" management), and the emphasis is on procedures that are designed to safeguard survival. what kind of paperwork must be completed, and what information will the hospital require prior to admission? Office policy differs widely whether clinical correspondence should be filed with the patient's records or if the correspondence should be filed in a separate folder under the name of the individual, institution, or company, in alphabetical order. Salespeople are not only an excellent source of information, they are also carriers of good will or ill will. You may be an examiner for or a consultant to one or more insurance companies. . It is important that a schedule or checklist should be established for daily, weekly, monthly, and less frequent responsibilities for each assistant and cleaning help. They may have recently been informed of the quality services of your practice and are now prepared to have a full diagnostic work-up and a comprehensive rehabilitation plan outlined. The Inquisitive Caller. Regardless of the size of the practice, there is no more certain sign of inefficiency than a hectic office atmosphere. Definite office policies and carefully planned procedures are the prerequisites for running a smooth and efficient practice. Positive initial and continuing impressions are an integral part of developing and maintaining a successful practice. In addition, laws change over time and vary by jurisdiction. Inventory control Such materials should be dated upon arrival. This requires established policies, procedures, and training. PERSONNEL 2. age and DOB. One survey indicates that less than 6% of new patients will be referred by sources other than present patients. PERSONALIZED FORM LETTERS It is rarely possible in a busy office to give a patient an appointment for the exact time desired unless the appointment is made far in advance. Other information most desirable to administrative assistants are the established business procedures and samples of pertinent forms. To maintain office efficiency and its economics, a minimum of lost production time caused by broken appointments, changed appointments, and tardy patients must be controlled. Was the patient adequately educated of office policies, and were appointment policies emphasized? In essence, this system is a "tickler file" (Fig. There is a distinct difference between an office policy and an office procedure. 5. ssn the office has been busy all day, with several interruptions calling the physician away. Subdivisions. 7. modified wave. However, it is difficult to completely differentiate sales psychology from human relations common sense. 3.12) from the patient and total the charges for the services and supplies received. An attending doctor who has recommended a comprehensive health plan must adapt the ideal to anticipate periodic scheduling interruptions. Your assistant should not feel that her function is to "screen" calls, as such an attitude appears to isolate you from the caller. Because of your progress, it looks like it won't be necessary to see you again until next Wednesday, but call me immediately if your discomfort increases." * Staff at desk at all times the mother states that the child has a temperature but denies nausea vomiting diarrhea or other signs or symptoms. Lack of respect may be the result of the patient's personality, negative environmental factors, or negative conditioning. Birthday cards (3) when the average number of direct referrals declines or plateaus, and Specimen procedures * Programs track access Duty Schedules and the Procedural Manual If room depth is a problem but wall space is not, cabinets can also be obtained in which folders can be stored sideways. 9. Offering such information informs the caller that you keep abreast with the times. Call-Backs Appearance Inspections In many respects, it is an elaboration of the patient's chief and minor complaints along with other facts necessary for accurate case evaluation. Some offices do not require such initialing. I know you will do your best to see that it won't happen again." TDD/TTY: (202) 336-6123. If the office has a lending library, all books leaving the office should be noted. From both a human relations and an economic standpoint, it is important to have recorded and periodically evaluate the number of cancellations and the reason for the cancellations. The Mystery Caller. Practice policies relate to those nonpersonal policies such as office hours, billings, collections, inventory control, etc. Manage conflict between personal and professional responsibilities. The business maxim is: "Get organized, or get ready for trouble." It is most difficult and hypocritical to criticize patients for being late for their appointments if the doctor is consistently behind schedule. The most common areas of concern are a low patient volume, decreasing working capital, reducing profit margin, and rising debt level. 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