The Importance of Daily Maintenance

Veronica McGrath, M.S., has a wonderful article available here on podcast at soundpractice.net detailing the importance of accurate and up-to-date recordkeeping. She notes how patients rely upon office managers to keep complete records, and to contact them when needed for care.

She emphasizes the importance of having an effective tracking system, which I know firsthand to be completely true. The disappearance of test results can have tragic dimensions, and it only takes one irate patient to realize what it means to the person-in-question.

The courts have decided that treatment follow-up is the physician's responsibility. The article details techniques to aid the office manager in making sure this is done, such as the physician initialling all reports, a test log for referrals outside the office, and documenting telephone conversations regarding test results. She also notes the importance of keeping a solid, written record of missed appointments.

Please give the article a listen, especially if you are new to the field. It will give you terrific tips on how to have a well-run office that protects both the patient and the physician.

Career Opportunities

A nurse in our office recently quit at age 58 to work for an insurance company. Apparently, her years of service in the medical field have made her qualified to do case management, which really amounts to her using her expertise to review patient care for treatment and cost efficiency.

I was sad to see my friend go, but she was burned out on nursing, and not ready to retire. So I was happy that she could find something that gave her a chance to still work and use her experience.

It seems that a lot of people are opting for this second career path. The key is to translate your abilities to a field where they would be useful. My friend told me she got offers to do legal consultation for medical lawsuits, and that her brother-in-law's architectural firm may ask her advice for a new medical facility they're designing.

We live in an amazing time, full of opportunities! I'm very happy with my present career path, but it's good to know that I will have options should I ever change my mind.

What do you think? Have you switched your career path? Do you know someone who has?

We Have the Technology!

Every so often I read something like this article on C/Netnews.com that really upsets me. It says that most small doctors' offices are still filing claims by using billing agencies! Unlike large corporations, which can afford to implement cost-saving methods for accounts receivable, smaller practices lag behind. Here's a snippet that I found interesting:

"But most doctors practice in small groups, representing the majority of the nation's 750,000 physicians. About two-thirds of physicians practice in groups of eight or fewer, according to Eric Brown, principal analyst for health care at Forrester Research.

"Practices like these may only recently have installed a computer, with an office manager serving as the entire technology support department. With no compelling reason to move forward--like a hard federal deadline and sanctions to back it--they'll drag their feet on a requirement that, at least in the short term, doesn't improve their bottom line and may damage it."

That's right, when all else fails, dump more work on the office manager! The article makes the point that while the technology is there, what needs to change is the insular office culture. I am grateful that my boss is forward-thinking about this kind of thing. It's the 21st century, and people have to realize that the old way of doing things is costing them money in the long run.

Transcription Pros and Cons

I recently read an article in a past issue of the Journal of AHIMA that did a cost analysis of transcription. It compared voice recognition (VR) software, as well as outsourcing and in-house services.

The costliest turned out to be in-house due to the salary of the personnel performing service, and equipment maintenance and depreciation. My office originally had a person on staff doing transcription, and it wasn't my preference. In a busy environment, it was one extra thing to police and maintain. When our transcriber was out sick or quit, we were forced into the time-consuming task of finding and training someone new.

Equipment depreciation and maintenance (as well as training time) were also factors that made VR the second costliest method of transcription. A lot of the doctors I know aren't interested in something as labor-intensive. They have so much to keep abreast of without having to be trained on a new piece of office equipment.

The most cost effective method was outsourcing, which I finally was able to implement at my office. It has helped morale immensely, and has proven to be an extremely dependable service. Still, that's just my experience. I'm open to feedback.