QUICK TIPS

Play by the rules

When you hire employees, you have certain legal obligations. Here are a few to keep in mind:

• Check their eligibility to work. Employers are required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to verify eligibility to work in the United States by having every new employee complete a form I-9. Failure to do so could be a $1,000 fine.

• Report a new hire to your state. Most states require reporting a new hire within 20 days.

• Display required posters. If you have more than 15 employees on staff, you are required to display state and federal posters that inform employees about job discrimination.

— Business Week Online, www.businessweek.com,
"When to say 'You're hired!'"

Go 'live' during lunch

Do you forward your calls to voice mail during lunch hour? No matter how good your recorded message is, nothing beats the real thing! And, you may be missing out on scheduling new patients.

It often takes new patients a lot of "courage" to dial the phone the first time. If they do not talk to a caring CA, they might not call back.

Some DCs forward calls to a cell phone during breaks. This practice is better than using voice mail, but it is not as good as having a staff person who knows and understands patients answer the phone.

Assign a CA to cover the phone during lunch hours. (You can rotate the task.) Your team member can keep busy doing administration tasks, photocopying, archiving, working on special projects, and other related tasks.

— Drs. John and Judy Hinwood
Powerful-Practices.com