Resource Centers:(News, information, and tools to support your practice)
January 2010
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Team Tips: Systemizing your practice
In the past, the focus of many practice management topics has been about making sure each patient has a good experience in your practice.
At the heart of a good experience is not only feeling good about the comfort and care given by your entire staff, but also the professionalism and efficiency with which the care is given.
Equally important, however, is making sure your staff also has a good experience. After all, the deliverer of the care ultimately sets the tone for the office.
Obviously, once you have fine-tuned your procedures and efficiency with delivering care, you create a less stressful environment where patients and staff can enjoy the process. It becomes a win-win for everyone involved.
Better scheduling means a better experience for everyone, and better patient flow procedures means a better experience for staff and patients alike.
The key to making your office streamlined and efficient is to create a systemized approach to every possible aspect of care including your paperwork, notes and reports, collections, and insurance processes.
The process begins
The systemization process begins by laying it out on paper and then breaking it up into components. Each component of care should be defined, timed, and assigned to a particular staff member.
For example: The new patient visit components include welcome and sign-in sheets, completion of forms, new patient video, consultation, exam, x-ray, treatment, and checkout.
Once you have the components lists, set a time for each process. An average time
Scripting must be developed for each component and is very important for communication purposes. Scripting should always be delivered in a way that gives the perception that the patient is being served, not the staff, even though it does and should serve the staff too.
The following are examples of the new patient scripts:
• “Dr. Smith has requested you fill out a few forms. Please be as complete as possible because it will help evaluate your condition more accurately.”
• “Dr. Smith requests you view a short video. We’ve found that many people are a bit apprehensive on their first visit. This video will help you understand the chiropractic process and put your mind at ease.”
The patient is usually more compliant when the doctor makes the request.
Once you have created the components, create a checklist so nothing falls through the cracks.
While making sure the new patient visit is systemized for optimum patient experience and efficiency is important, so to is making sure the new patient paper work is completed so billing is completed quickly.
Insurance billing should be submitted within 24 hours of the new patient visit. It’s always better to find out sooner than later that there is a problem with the insurance.
Once you have systemized all of the processes, created time parameters and responsibilities, and created checklists, you will be amazed at how efficiency improves. Along with efficiency comes less stress, better cost-containment, and a better experience for everyone involved.
Susan Hoy is an award-winning team trainer and consultant. She presents training seminars for teams throughout the country and is the author of two team training manuals. The newest is called Systemize, Organize, Simplify. She can be reached at 215-674-0130, suzzhoy@aol.com, or through www.beefitup.net.
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