Family ties: Making the office a relative matter

An ideal addition to your office staff, or a major disruption? Here are some things to consider when making personal relationships professional.

By Mike Norbut, AMNews staff. Aug. 2, 2004.

When R. Scott Springer, DO, came home one day a few years ago and told his wife, Michelle, that he wanted to start his own practice, she knew exactly who could help him run it.

Her.

A CPA with her own tax accounting practice, Michelle Springer helped her husband incorporate and set up his practice in a matter of weeks. Her initial work soon evolved into a full-time practice administrator position, which she still holds today.

"I knew Michelle wasn't going to do taxes her whole life, because it's just a grind," said Dr. Springer, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist whose practice, Center for Reproductive Health, is in Crest Hill, Ill. "This just kind of happened. It could be maturity or it could be necessity, but we probably get along better personally now than in our 20 years of marriage."

Employing a spouse or family member is a fairly common practice with physicians, especially ones in solo or small-group settings. There's something romantic about working with a spouse, sharing the commute and having offices a few yards apart, just like there's something comforting about knowing you have family members answering your phones, paying your bills and otherwise watching out for your best interests.

But not every couple gets along as swimmingly as the Springers. Health care consultants warn that employing a spouse or other family member can create problems. For starters, there's the possibility of damaging office morale and raising the question of favoritism among employees or physician partners.