By reviewing charts before patient appointments begin for the day and taking note of the visit’s purpose to see what preparations are needed, a medical assistant or nurse can avoid having to leave the exam room to retrieve test results and other medical reports, Ms. Mooney says.
Cross-Training Staff
Training staff in multiple areas can pay off during busy times. It’s best to prepare ahead of time though, and not have to teach someone when there is an actual need. “This can best be accomplished by shadowing—that is, spending a few hours observing someone else’s work, asking questions and performing tasks while the other person is there to offer input,” Ms. Mooney says. “The team member should be comfortable in her current position before training someone else.”
In particular, Ms. Mooney advises cross-training front-office staff on all positions in the front. Cross-train clinical staff in certain clinical tasks to better assist the provider.
At Dr. Sesin’s practice, almost all staff members are cross-trained. For example, if a medical assistant is tied up, one of the receptionists can bring patients in, take vitals and take them to an exam room. “Everyone knows how to make appointments and collect patient demographics over the phone,” he says. “We have biweekly meetings to keep all staff members up to date and informed of important updates and news, such as insurance, coding and billing changes.”
Dr. Wei’s small staff has specific scripts in place that all staff members have to memorize as part of the practice’s cross-training efforts.
Prioritizing Tasks for Staff
Another way to help a large practice run smoothly and, hence, keep patient appointments on time, is to dedicate staff to specific tasks to avoid bottlenecks—which can throw the entire office off track.
Specifically, Ms. Mooney recommends dedicating a staff member to answering the phone, enabling her to give her undivided attention to the call. Defining criteria on what calls or situations need to be transferred to a clinical person enables the receptionist to better route calls and messages. In addition, outlining criteria on how to schedule certain appointments to make the most of the provider’s time gives the front office staff more information to properly schedule the right amount of time for the appointment.
Assigning someone to check in patients at the window allows this person to give her full attention to the patient and expedite the check-in process. Meanwhile, a dedicated staff member can check out patients and also schedule additional appointments. Allocate one person to coordinate all prior authorizations and referrals, as well.
