7 Marvelous Tips for Managing a Medical Office More Effectively

Almost 50% of physicians in the United States run their own medical office. Are you one of them? Well, you’ll know better than anyone just how challenging the task can be!

From attracting patients and keeping them satisfied, to dealing with employee turnover and handling the admin, there’s no end to the tasks on your to-do list. At any given time you’re wearing multiple hats, juggling numerous jobs, and problem-solving at every turn. With so much going on, it’s no wonder that many doctors struggle to grow their practice to its fullest potential.

Thankfully, a few minor managerial tweaks can make an almighty difference. With the right approach, you can fine-tune your operations, experience fewer hiccups, and enjoy a smoother time all-around. Sound good? Keep reading for our 7 top tips on how to run a more effective medical practice.

1. Invest In Yourself

Stop for a moment and consider your current skillset. You could be the best doctor in the world. But that doesn’t mean you’re a brilliant manager! They’re two distinct roles and you need to be adept at both in order to run a successful medical practice.

If you can see room for managerial improvement, then it’s well worth investing in this area of your development. You could take online courses, read more blog posts like this one, seek advice from acquaintances who hold managerial positions, and so on. Learn what it takes to be an effective manager and you’ll soon reap the rewards in your practice.

2. Hire the Right People

The secret to success in any business is hiring the right people to work with you. You want a team that’s full of positive, hard-working, and conscientious individuals to help run and grow the practice.

Alas, too many physicians struggle to a) hire good workers and b) retain them. They hire bad apples and/or face a constant battle to bring new staff-members on-board. Want our advice? Don’t rush the hiring process in your bid to fill gaps in the team.

Take your time, hone your hiring process, and pick a candidate with the requisite attitude and attributes for the role. From there, invest in employee training to bring them up to standard. Do that and everything from patient satisfaction to medical office productivity should improve!

3. Delegate

Effective delegation is crucial too. After all, you’re only one person! Trying to do everything yourself is a recipe for burnout, mistakes, and poor results all-around.

Having hired a solid team of people, it’s time to cut down your personal to-do list and put them to work. Think about the jobs that only you can do and set about delegating the rest. By assigning specific tasks to the right people, you’ll get more done in less time and with fewer setbacks.

4. Offer Incentives

There’s nothing like a potential reward to prompt productivity! That’s where having an incentive system comes into play. In other words, try to make hard work worth an employee’s while. This age-old employer tactic delivers results every time.

Offer bonuses, vouchers, meals out, cash pay-outs, and anything else of value that will encourage them to step up their game. Oh, but don’t forget to be generous with your verbal affirmations too. A quick “well done” can go a long way to making someone feel appreciated, which in turn makes them more likely to work hard thereafter.

5. Automate Key Tasks

Business owners in every industry are using automation to streamline their operations. The result? They’re increasing efficiency, reducing mistakes, and cutting costs all at once. You should do the same! Think about your system of booking appointments.

The old-fashioned way of making them is laborious and error-prone. Switch to a web-based system and that all changes. With patients booking themselves in online, your receptionist can focus on other jobs, there’ll be a drop in missed appointments, and more. Automate at every opportunity and managing a clinic will become ten times easier.

6. Use External Services

Most physicians who own their own medical practice have too many jobs for the time they have available. They’re rushed off their feet, working through a never-ending list of tasks.

If you’re all too familiar with this situation, then think hard about outsourcing. Paying a third party to perform certain jobs (such as washing uniforms and linen) will free up vital time for your core responsibilities. You’ll have less on your plate, which should reduce your stress levels too. The same goes for taking calls.

You know as well as anybody how time-consuming it is to answer the phone throughout the day. A 24×7 doctors answering service could handle this for you and ensure that patients’ calls are answered, their messages taken, and any emergencies get picked up along the way (no matter the time of day/night).

7. Confirm Patient Appointments

Missed appointments are bad news when it comes to running an effective medical office. After all, no shows mean no income! Too many of them and you can suffer debilitating cash flow troubles.

Thankfully, reminding your patients with a quick phone call is a straight-forward way to reduce the problem. Get in touch with people a day or two before their appointment and you’ll see a decline in no-shows in no time.

You could think about automating this task to minimize the time-factor. Sending automatic text messages and/or emails instead would deliver the same benefits without putting in as much work.

Time to Run a More Effective Medical Office

Hundreds of thousands of physicians across the country know and understand the challenge of managing a medical practice. The tasks don’t stop, the issues keep coming, and the idea of work-life balance can feel fanciful.

With any luck, though, the medical office management tips in this post will make a positive difference. Keep them in mind and you’ll be one step closer to running an effective operation in no time. Would you like to read more articles like this one? Search ‘medical’ on the website now.