Physicians Practice - June 2008 - (Page 68) START IT UP (a basic search will produce plenty of options), you’ll be ready to craft the essential underpinnings. In addition to a formal mission statement for your practice, you’ll need job descriptions and a handbook for employees. “So you’re prepared and are able to hire the right person,” says Weinstock. “Know who you want and what you want.” Too many practices, she says, make the mistake to back up an employee’s claim of wrongful termination. Even a simple statement could be misconstrued. For the same reasons, you’ll also want to include a disclaimer stating that the book does not constitute an employment contract. Make sure job descriptions, meanwhile, are oriented toward the results you expect rather than just static lists of responsibilities. A group employee reviews, updating it when circumstances require a change in the duties assigned to a particular position. And although it sounds like nothing more than a cover-yourduff move, add “and other duties as assigned” to the list, and let employees know that their jobs will change over time. A staff member who continually uses the job description or other documents to back up a “that’s not my responsibility” stance is someone you — and your patients — don’t want working in your practice. EXPERIENCE COUNTS THE BEST BENEFIT “Starting a practice is a great chance to build your team from the start.” Donna Weinstock, consultant of thinking, “We’ll write a manual later,” or, “We’re too small an office to need policies and procedures.” Get a running start with a sample handbook (from a site like AllBusiness.com, HRIT.com, or TemplateZone.com), then consult an attorney experienced in labor law. Yes, sorry, you need a lawyer: Information laid out in the manual could later be used called the Job Results Management Institute (www.jrmi.com), whose founders have authored several books on job descriptions and employee performance, suggests on its Web site the following example for a medical assistant: “JOB PURPOSE: HELPS PATIENTS READ MORE ABOUT IT! PhysiciansPractice.com has more of the resources you need to make sure your most valuable asset is truly worthy: • The online version of this article includes “5 Steps to Giving Quality Interviews” to get things off on the right foot. business manager candidates, and use it as a template for other roles. Under the Tools menu, scroll to “For Internal Use.” south, look for “Staff Development: Give Peace a Chance” and “Managing Staff: GO TEAM!” in the Search Articles box. • Find a simple form for evaluating • For help when staffing decisions go By arranging examining room instruments, supplies, and equipment; greeting patients; confirming purpose of visit or treatment …” Under the list of “essential functions” for this employee fall generalized tasks — the results the MA is expected to achieve — followed by the steps they’ll take to accomplish them. This MA will prepare patients for their visits “by directing and/or accompanying patients to the examining room; providing examination gowns and drapes,” and so on. A document crafted in this deliberate fashion helps staff understand where they fit into the practice’s mission, and makes crystal clear their contribution to it. The MA above, for instance, is told that he is expected to generate revenues by recording billing data and answering payer inquiries. Refer back to the job description when conducting all subsequent First on the list of the folks you do want in your practice should be someone who can ensure that operations run smoothly, allowing you to focus on your patients. According to Sheri Poe Bernard, vice president of member relations at the American Academy of Professional Coders, a certified coder may be the best fit for this role, at least initially. “A lot of what we do in coding and reimbursement ties into that business component,” she notes. “A great part of it is making certain that the front office is running smoothly. An even bigger part is the whole reimbursement picture and making sure that [you] understand both compliance and charge capture. It’s kind of a thin line: You want to follow all the payers’ rules but also capture everything you can to get paid what you deserve.” Others say the office manager should be the first hire if you’re starting small. Particularly in a single-physician practice, that person and the coder could be one and the same. In all but the most lavishly financed practices, staff (and physicians) will have to fill more than one role in the beginning — this person can manage billing and other tasks until revenues increase sufficiently to allow for more hires. Even when you expand, you’ll want to be able to head off scenarios like, “Susie just quit with no notice, and she was the only person who really knew how to use the billing WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM 68 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | JUNE 2008 http://www.jrmi.com http://AllBusiness.com http://TemplateZone.com http://HRIT.com http://AllBusiness.com http://TemplateZone.com http://PhysiciansPractice.com http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM
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