BUSINESSHiring more staff may not cure chaosPractice Pointers. By Karen S. Schechter, amednews contributor. May 20, 2002. Question My pediatric office always seems to be in a hubbub. The staff appears stressed out and mistakes are being made. According to Medical Group Management Assn., staffing is adequate. The office manager insists we need more employees, yet I am reluctant to hire more. How can I decide? Answer This is not an unusual problem, particularly in a pediatrics practice. The reality is that there is a lot going on. However, as you realize, adding more staff is not necessarily the first or the best answer to the problems. It is important to realize that staffing recommendations from organizations like MGMA should be used as a starting point for gaining an understanding of what other physicians in your specialty do. No two practices are exactly alike. The number of staff in your practice depends on several elements: processes and workflow, experience and sophistication of the staff, the ability of the office manager to lead and supervise the staff, physician practice habits and the use of technology in the office. "Process" refers to the series of tasks required to complete a specific function. Examples of processes in a medical practice include appointment scheduling, registration, insurance verification, and billing. The first step in analyzing the processes in your practice is to identify all of the processes. Next, determine all of the tasks required to complete each process and gather all of the forms and other tools used. The third step is to actually evaluate each individual process for efficiency and effectiveness.
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