There are ways to help improve on your time management. First, schedule everything in your day and as much as possible, stick to your schedule. Even menial tasks like opening the mail, taking a break and returning telephone calls should be scheduled into your day. Schedule time for the unexpected as well. That way, when something you were not planning on happens, you not only are prepared, but you have time to take care of it.

It is also important to organize your space. Your desk should be clear of clutter. Get rid of the “I know where everything is” pile. Use file folders to organize. Consider your desk prime real estate. What do you want and need in your space. Find the perfect location for your telephone and keep it in the same place all the time. The same thing should hold true for your paper clips, pens, note paper and stapler. Have a particular place for it and always keep it in its place.

Being organized on space and time will help you accomplish what you need to do when you need to do it. Now when you look back, you can feel like you made the most of your time.

Conduct an impact analysis to determine how it will affect your practice
Contact your payers
Contact your vendors to verify they will have their processes in place
Contact your clearinghouse and/or billing service
Undergo installation of vendor upgrades
Conduct internal testing
Update internal processes
Conduct staff training
Conduct external testing with trading partners
Make the switch to ICD-10 on October 1, 2013.

Preparing yourself will help prevent you from becoming overwhelmed!

It should be easy to show appreciation. First off, a simple “Thank You” can do wonders. How about, “Great job! You really made a difference today” or “you did a great job handling that customer.” Your simple words can mean so much.

Another way of showing appreciation is writing a thank you note. You may even want to mail it to the employee’s home. That way they can show it off and know that you appreciate their efforts.

Having a “pot luck” lunch or ordering lunch may be an option as well. A small gift card can speak volumes about how you feel about the work your employees do. An extra afternoon off is also a great way to say thank you.

That said, appreciation does not have to cost money.  When you are creative you can be appreciative in many ways. Utilize staff meetings as a time to recognize those who “make a difference” in your workplace. My sister had a boss that each week at the staff meeting, she recognized one employee (everyone was selected at one time or another). She went on to say what that employee did that went above and beyond and why she was selecting the employee to recognize.

Little things can make a big difference. Isn’t that what life is all about?

When choosing a new EHR system it is important to do your homework. Review several systems, talk to other physician practices in your specialty and make sure you are buying the best one for you.

Cost is always a factor. There are many out that are cost effective but beware that it is CCHIT approved and will allow you to prove Meaningful Use.

Be prepared for an overwhelming process. Converting to electronic health records is major, but in the end if you have done your homework you will find that it will add value to your practice and your patients.

Contact a trusted consultant to help with the process. I am certainly willing to help you if you need.

New Years is a time for fresh starts. If your business has been doing poorly this past year, look for ways to increase revenue and strengthen relationships with business partners, vendors, customers and clients.

During the coming months I will offer ways to increase your revenue, build your business and gain clients.

Here is to a healthy, happy and prosperous year for you and your business.

Ergonomics is defined as the applied science of equipment design, as for the workplace intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort. What types of changes can you make in the workplace to improve your comfort?

 Using a desk lamp rather than overhead or diffused lighting may have a positive effect on what you are doing. Preventing eye fatigue is just one of the benefits. Keeping your thermometer at 68-71 degrees will keep the room cool, but not too cold.

 The heights of your desk, your computer key board and the location of your computer screen all affect your comfort and vision. The type of your chair and its height also affect your comfort. The distance you sit from your computer will greatly affect your physical well being.

 Finally, the placement of items on your desk affect you’re your comfort and efficiency. For example, let’s think about the location of your telephone. How often are do you receive or make telephone calls? Where is the telephone located? Do you have to stretch to reach the phone or is it conveniently located? By placing your telephone in an easy to reach location, you are less likely to strain as you pick up the receiver.

Find ways to improve your comfort, well being and efficiency.

It is important that you have a social networking policy. If you do not want your business mentioned then your policy must state that. The policy must also clearly state the consequences of not following your office policy.

All businesses need to protect themselves as much as possible against negative comments. Be sure that your employees are not talking about you.

Place your policy in your policy manual (you do have a policy manual,don’t you?). Have each employee sign off that they were notified of the change to the manual and the inclusion of the new social networking policy.

At the same time, if you are interviewing candidates, you can learn about them by seeing if they are on social networking sites. Do not connect to them, but do use this information as a guide to the type of person you are interviewing. Many businesses do this already.

Whether it is Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter or another site, being aware is protecting your business.

Your reception room can be as welcoming as a spring day or as unfriendly as a storm. It is important to look at the furniture and make sure it is clean, well maintained and appropriate for your practice. The carpeting should be clean and neat. Magazines should be current and appropriate for your practice.

If you have a children’s area, keep it clean, organized and use toys or activities that can be disinfected. It is always a nice idea to have a water cooler for patients.

Having a television is always a questionable decision. What are you playing on the TV and how will your patients feel? Is it too loud or too soft to be heard? An option is always to offer healthcare topics that can be informative and educational for patient.

Your reception area is an extension of your practice and it’s image. It is the first visual impression by your patients. Have it be welcoming and inviting.

My goal is to inform and share information. I will offer information on such topics as human resources, customer/patient satisfaction, hiring and retaining employees, time management, protecting yourself from embezzlement, professionalism, marketing, electronic health records for practices and a host of other topics.

Join me in the days, weeks and months ahead as we offer sound ideas to helping you grow and improve your business.

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