Offering Educational Seminars to Attract New Patients

If growing your practice is a priority, consider offering seminars as one component of a comprehensive marketing plan. It’s not as challenging as you might think to attract a small (or even a large) crowd of potential new patients who are hungry for information. Here are some ideas to help make your seminar efforts successful.

First, be clear about the types of patients you’d like to draw into your practice. If you give a talk on anorexia, for example, expect to see more people who suffer from the disease trickling into your office. These individuals can be time consuming, so a seminar on this topic will “pay off” only if you’re passionate about helping anorexic patients. Make sure your topic is both of interest to the public, and that it will positively impact your business.

Next, determine whether you want to offer seminars on your own, or where groups already gather. There are pros and cons to both, so let’s look at them one at a time.

When you organize your own seminars, the upside is that you have control over the time, location, and who is invited or encouraged to attend. The downside is that the details are all up to you. Read the rest of this entry »

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News Release – Washington State

The July 1, 2010, deadline is approaching rapidly and prescribers need to stock up on the new prescription pads and paper. For more information on the new requirement you can visit the Washington State Department of Health website at http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/trpp/

You can find the new prescription forms at: http://www.medicalartspress.com/content/iw/downloads/rx/wa-rx.pdf

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Cross- Training: Why and How

Cross-training so that staff are able to perform job functions outside of their usual area simplifies vacation scheduling, helps reduce chaos when someone calls in sick or has a family emergency, and can be a real lifesaver when an employee quits without notice. Here are a few ideas to consider when cross-training your team.

• Everyone in the office should be able to do “the basics” such as make an appointment, collect a co-pay, complete forms to refer patients for diagnostic studies, fill exam rooms, and take vital signs. In a pinch, your office can keep running if these basic functions are handled.
• Take advantage of slow times in the practice to have employees train one another. If you have a particularly light week or if one of your providers is out for vacation, have your billing person float to the front office or your receptionist shadow a medical assistant in the back office. Start slow, with just a few hours of training at a time so that no one becomes overwhelmed with new information or goes back to their main job feeling so far behind that they become resentful of the cross-training process.
• Once you have people up to speed enough to fly solo in another position, trade places at least once a month to keep skills sharp. Your file clerk will likely welcome the opportunity for some face-to-face time with patients while working the front desk, and your receptionist may revel in the peace and quiet of doing data entry in the billing department for a change.
• Avoid “forcing” anyone to do a job for which they are not well suited. If, despite good intentions and best efforts, an employee just can’t get the hang of managing multiple phones while simultaneously checking patients in and out, don’t push the issue. Not everyone is cut out for every position.
• Well organized, written job descriptions and procedures will make cross-training easier and more effective. The comfort of pulling out a binder that has, for example, a step-by-step procedure for “end-of-day closeout” or that says who to call when the copier breaks down makes for less stress and greater efficiency.
• Enjoy the side benefit of finding out which staff members have skills that you were not previously aware of. A back office assistant might be a whiz when it comes to managing the appointment book, or your receptionist might have a talent for organizing exam rooms in a way that makes them more efficient. The next time you have an open position, perhaps there will be an opportunity for someone on your team to move up (or laterally) within the practice.

Cross-training requires an investment of time and energy, but the payoff can be huge. Add “cross-training” to the agenda for your next regular office meeting and float the idea to staff. Odds are, the concept will be met with enthusiasm. After all, most human beings are, by nature, curious and eager to learn.

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When Your Staff Squabbles

Busy people working together in tight quarters will, inevitably, get into the occasional tiff or argument. Power struggles, turf battles, generational differences, assigning blame, and personality clashes are not uncommon in medical offices. Left unchecked, however, these problems result in negative consequences such as low morale, high turnover, increased levels of stress and absenteeism, and decreased patient satisfaction (yes, patients notice when there is tension in the air). Here are a few ideas to promote a positive work environment.

Expect harmony. Make it known early and often that the expectation is that staff will get along and work well together. Don’t imply that everyone has to become best friends, but do stress that being polite, respectful, and reasonable is a requirement of the job. When interviewing a potential new employee, make it clear that you strive to run a positive, pleasant workplace. When checking references ask specifically about an individual’s demeanor and personality (you may not get a great answer due to privacy issues, but it can’t hurt to ask). Appraise attitude and the ability to get along with others as part of the annual performance review process.

Encourage a “light” atmosphere. Everyone has their bad days, sometimes for very good reasons, but just one person showing up for work cranky can set an unhappy tone throughout an office. Obviously, if a staff member is distraught over something serious like a family illness or a failing marriage, you wouldn’t make light of the situation. But for the generic “I got up on the wrong side of the bed” attitude, empathy coupled with a little bit of humor can go a long way toward turning the mood around (and keeping it from spreading through the office). Cultivate an environment where “This, too, shall pass” and “We shall not make mountains out of molehills” are everyday mantras.

Nip it in the bud. When staff members do become engaged in a battle of wills, the office manager or lead physician should step in quickly. Review the policy that harmony is expected and give the individuals an opportunity to work things out among themselves. If that doesn’t solve the problem, you may need to take further action. Counseling or coaching employees on workplace behavior may be an option. If the situation is particularly difficult and keeping staff on board is a high priority, consider hiring a professional mediator. For a systemic problem (i.e., negativity permeates pretty much the entire office and/or squabbles are a frequent occurrence) schedule an off-site strategic team-building session with a professional facilitator. Reprimanding employees or even letting someone go may be necessary in intractable situations.

Workplace disharmony and dysfunction are costly. Don’t let conflict get in the way of managing your practice in a way that keeps staff, providers, and patients satisfied.

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Everyday Stress Reduction

Your job is demanding. There are never enough hours in the day. Everyone wants your attention. You’re pulled in too many directions. Things on your desk, in your purse, and on your person keep ringing and beeping. Welcome to life in 2010 where, if you don’t make a deliberate effort to maintain a degree of equanimity, stress can become a real issue.Aside from being unpleasant, left unchecked, chronic stress can lead to both physical and emotional problems. There are a multitude of ways to manage and reduce stress, most of which you’ve likely heard about – meditation, regular exercise, deep breathing, yoga, and so forth. These are all good ideas; practice one or more daily to keep stress at bay. And here are five more suggestions you can try starting tomorrow (perhaps even today) to reduce stress.

1. Get to work 10-15 minutes early. This may seem counterintuitive, given that you’re already probably putting in eight or more hours at the office. But taking a few minutes for yourself first thing in the morning can help make the entire day run more smoothly. Make a cup of coffee or tea, scan the headlines, tidy up your work area, review the day ahead, or write your “to-do” list (more on that in a moment).

2. Take frequent, short breaks. It’s easy to get immersed in work and forget to take breaks throughout the day, or get into the habit of thinking that you “don’t have time” for a break. At least once every 90 minutes, get away from your work station. Walk outside, do a few stretches, drink a glass of water. Five minutes to yourself can be quite refreshing.

3. Nourish yourself. Instead of reaching for that third cup of coffee and whatever happens to be lying around in the breakroom to eat mid-morning, choose herbal tea or water along with a healthy snack instead. A handful of unsalted nuts or a banana will give you the energy needed to effectively juggle all that you have to do. A pastry or bag of chips, not so much.

4. Use lists. Monthly goals, coupled with weekly and daily task lists, will help you stay focused and feel confident knowing that things are not falling through the cracks. Read Getting Things Done, by productivity expert David Allen, for more on the power of using lists.

5. Let it go. Not every battle is worth fighting; pick and choose carefully. Don’t take everything so seriously (especially yourself). And, by all means, cultivate a sense of humor.?

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Career Burnout: Turn it Around Now

Everyone has moments when they say to themselves, “I can’t do this job anymore.” Maybe the workload has become crushing, or perhaps boredom has set in. A demanding boss, irritating co-workers, lack of recognition, or technology overload can make you want to throw in the towel from time to time. Sometimes, the remedy for career burnout is as simple as taking a vacation. On the other end of the spectrum, a job or career change might be in order.

Signs that you might be teetering on the edge of burnout include: fatigue or exhaustion; a chronic sense of dissatisfaction; lack of interest in projects that would have once inspired you; feeling resentful and frustrated frequently; procrastinating or avoiding making decisions; using food or alcohol inappropriately; dreading Mondays. If you’re nodding your head and thinking, “Sounds like me,” here are a few ideas to consider to turn the situation around.

Schedule a real vacation (i.e., not just a four-day weekend).

Reduce your work week by four or eight hours, either temporarily or permanently.

Spend time in another department. If you work in the front office, ask to be cross-trained one day a week as a clinical assistant.

Learn something new that has the potential to enhance your career such as new computer skills, advanced cardiac life support, medical Spanish, phlebotomy, or accounting.

Become absorbed in something new outside of work. Train to run in a marathon, start working on that novel or screenplay you’ve been thinking about, learn how to quilt, take an art class, or volunteer for a significant role in an organization you care deeply about.

Learn to set boundaries and say “no.” Before adding anything new to your plate (even something social), imagine how you’ll feel seeing it on your schedule.

Practice good self-care. Begin a program of healthy eating and regular exercise, take time to do something for yourself every day, get adequate sleep, and take steps to reduce stress (e.g., meditation, yoga, journaling, spending time in nature or with your pet).

Keep things in perspective. When you’re feeling burned out, little problems can feel huge. If you feel annoyed or frustrated, ask yourself, “Will I even remember this a week from now?” If you take these and other intentional steps to thwart burnout and symptoms persist, consider speaking with a therapist about the possibility that you’re actually experiencing depression or a related problem. Or, work with a life or career coach for additional support to get out of the doldrums and/or start making plans for a career transition. Life is too short to be miserable at work. Take action now if you’re feeling burned out. It’s up to you to make the changes necessary to feel better and enjoy working again.

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