Physician's Practice - November 2008 - (Page 75)

CME IN PRACTICE INTRA-OFFICE TUG-OF-WARS B Y S H E L LY K . S C H WA R T Z , B A FROM THE FRONT DESK TO THE BACK DESK, CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? There’s a war raging at doctors’ ofﬁces across the country and it’s not for the reason you think. Indeed, while it’s easy to blame insurance providers and regulatory agencies for turning the healthcare industry on its ear, the most common source of contention comes from within: the friction that exists between front- and back-ofﬁce staff. From nurses who snap at schedulers for double-booking patients, to billing clerks who gossip about the “overpaid” medical assistants, the us-versus-them mentality at many practices is rampant. “It’s a common problem,” says Fran Lavallette, facilitator at Healthcare Facilitators consulting ﬁrm in Orlando, Fla. “It’s a very disjointed relationship — almost like having two separate departments.” And it’s not just a matter of driving down morale. Eventually, division among the ranks leads to work ﬂow problems, high turnover and low levels of productivity — not to mention the palpable tension that drives patients straight out the door. “The blame game is the worst thing that can happen,” says Charles Sodikoff, a psychologist and organizational consultant in North Merrick, N.Y. “When everyone’s pointing fingers at everyone else, it really turns off the patients.” MARS VS. VENUS LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this article, readers will be able to: • Develop communication strategies to minimize team disconnects between front- and back-ofﬁce staff members so that individual staff members are held accountable for each function automate practice operations • Organize front-ofﬁce responsibilities • Utilize technology to streamline and WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM Part of the problem is that the responsibilities of the front- and back-office staff are so vastly different, it’s hard for them to relate to one another. Front-desk clerks are charged with answering phones, managing the schedule, collecting copays and registering patients. The clinical staff, including nurses and medical assistants, work side by side with the physicians, prepping exam rooms and assisting with patients. “Medical assistants have an opportunity to be one-on-one with the patients. They might not be with them long, but there are no other distractions and they have a chance to bond and show interest in that patient,” explains Judy Bee, founder of consulting ﬁrm Practice Performance Group in La Jolla, Calif. Contrast that with the front desk that has waves of people approaching them while the phones are ringing and medical assistants are coming up and asking for records. “If your job all day long is greeting people in that frantic environment, where you get no positive feedback and really you’re the sacriﬁcial lamb when doctors are running late, you have a very huge potential to be too busy to be nice.” NOVEMBER 2008 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 75 http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physician's Practice - November 2008

Physician's Practice - November 2008 Contents Death of Solo Practice Just a Myth Letters HSAy What? Noteworthy Finding Lost Revenue: The Search for Billing and Coding Gold Getting More: Our Annual Physician Compensation Survey ’Tis the Season to be Neutral Ask the Experts Evaluating Paperless Labs HR in a Box? The Guide Coding Third-Party Audits on the Rise Branding the Cash-Only Practice Intra-Office Tug-of-Wars Stickin‘ Up For Yourself Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physician's Practice - November 2008

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