When a small practice attempts to do everything themselves, problems will almost certainly arise. Between managing operations, scheduling, billing, account management, customer service, and providing medical attention, administrative duties can become too demanding and downright burdensome for a small staff. In fact, it may often divert attention from the core focus of providing care.
How can this be avoided? A recent discussion among MGMA Members Community provided overburdened practitioners with valuable feedback. Some were of the view that practices should outsource their administrative duties while others provided tips on how to streamline operations to reduce the burden.
Here is what they recommended:
Hire competent staff- A competent workforce can work wonders, which is why a small practice should hire experienced and competent staff to handle the administrative burden. This would allow providers to focus on enhancing the quality of care rather than documentation and streamlining daily workflow. Training should be provided to increase efficiency and coordination.
Avoid postponing tasks- When practitioners postpone administrative tasks for later in the night or on the weekend, they end up not doing them at all. Hence, it is recommended that administrative tasks are taken care of during the day and as required instead of postponing them for later on.
Use cloud-based specialty EHR software- Using a specialty-based EHR system rather than a paper-based system would reduce the need for a large administrative staff. Additionally, using cloud-based integrated software would completely eliminate IT problems, increasing efficiency and avoiding hurdles. CureMD's cloud-based specialty EHR software perfectly serves the purpose, enabling you to perform administrative tasks quickly and without hassle. An additional benefit of EHR is that it is cloud-based and therefore requires no installation may it be hardware or software. Which consequently reduces installation and maintenance cost.
Billing should be outsourced- Billing can be a time-consuming and rigorous process that can cause holdups in other essential tasks. Therefore, it is best to outsource it to a company such as CureMD, who can ensure maximum returns, timely payments, and a well-coordinated system.
Seek the advice of a mentor– Mentors can provide valuable feedback regarding their experience of managing huge workloads. Seek the advice of a competent physician who can guide you on how to streamline operations, delegate administrative duties, and help you devise a strategic plan to increase productivity.
Prioritize and delegate- Some respondents were rather skeptical regarding practices handling administrative tasks and patient care at the same time. One respondent said that a practice handling such a burden should simply stop, refresh things, organize, prioritize what is important, and divide tasks amongst their staff.
Organized practices that are focused on providing exceptional service are the ones that remain efficient, profitable and liked.
Source: CureMD.com
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