Transcript HS210 Medical Office Management

Unit 3 Seminar
3/29/2016
1
Now that we have learned about computers, we look at the
issues associated with starting a practice, including office
design and supplies. As a medical assistant, you may be
involved in the design and/or renovation of a health care
practice.
We will also look at a few practice management systems that
are available to assist health care practices efficiently and
effectively serve patients.
Because it is important and should be stressed, we will
review successful telephone techniques.
Let’s get started!
3/29/2016
2




Ability to shape the work
environment.
Decisions: carpet, chairs
and computer.
Impact on patient care,
practice productivity and
prosperity.
Questions to ask:
 How will we lay out the
exam rooms to prevent
wasted motion?
 What computer system will
reduce medical errors or
maximize collections?
3/29/2016
3
 “Build
Out”
• Installing walls, plumbing, etc.
• Gives the most freedom to design the workspace, but
it is the most expensive – anywhere from $60 to $90
per square foot.
• Landlords give an allowance for building out, but it is
rolled into the rent. Landlord allowance usually
covers enough for bare-bones design.
• Hire architect who specializes in physician offices,
who’s worked in the physician’s medical field and
can provide a design that maximizes efficiency.
3/29/2016
4
 Lease
• Remodel: construct a new receptionist station, lay
•
•
•
•
down new carpet, and create a new exam room.
Fewer design choices because you cannot gut the
space – bill will be considerably lower.
Landlord may give a remodeling allowance, but it
may not cover all of the costs.
Hire interior designer instead of architect, since the
work is less structural.
May be able to choose your own contractor, who may
provide design services.
3/29/2016
5
Tenets of Good Office Design
 Minimize the number of steps that
employees must take.
 Cluster the exam rooms so everyone can
move quickly from one to another.
 Include a recessed workstation in the
middle of that cluster so staff can study
charts and make phone calls between
patients.
 If you can save 15 or 20 seconds between
patient encounters, you can free up enough
time to see an extra patient each day.
3/29/2016
6
3/29/2016
7
Tenets of Good Office Design
 Streamline floor plans so patients can move
logically from waiting room to nurse’s station to
exam room without backtracking or hallway
congestion. For example, when the patient and
physician exit the exam room, the patient should
turn one way towards the cashier station while
the physician turns in the opposite direction.
 Primary care physicians need at least three exam
rooms for top productivity. The physician is not
the only one using the exam rooms. Medical
assistants need to work up patients before the
physician gets to them.
3/29/2016
8
Tenets of Good Office Design
 How to determine the size of the waiting room.
 Number of patients the physician expects to see during




his/her busiest hour and multiply that number by 2.5 to
account for tag-along relatives and friends.
Example: 6 patients X 2.5 = 15
Subtract the number of exam rooms.
Example: 15 – 3 exam rooms = 12
You will need 12 chairs.
Next multiple the number of chairs (12) by 20 square feet.
You should plan on a 240-square-foot waiting room with 12
chairs.
3/29/2016
9
3/29/2016
10
Tenets of Good Office Design
 Providing a practical waiting area
• Patients should see the reception counter as soon as they
•
•
•
•
arrive, so they do not feel lost.
The receptionist should be able to see all of the patients
no matter where they are seated, so no one is forgotten.
Pathways should be wide enough and the receptionist
counter low enough for people in wheelchairs.
Avoids institutional coldness and make patients feel at
home.
Arrange chairs in cozy pods rather than lining them up
along the walls.
3/29/2016
11
 Furniture –
 Interior designer to assist in selection and purchase of chairs, tables and other waiting
room furniture.
 Medical supply vendors.
 Used and refurbished office furniture stores.
 Discount office supply stores.
 Clinical equipment and supplies –
 Consultants.
 Vendors – Give a list to two or three vendors and request bids.
 Office supplies –
 Medical supply houses.
 Specialty companies.
 Office Depot.
Note: Purchasing should be handled by only one employee; often
the office manager. An employee who is given full responsibility
for purchasing is more apt to learn where to get good products at
the best prices.
3/29/2016
12
3/29/2016
13
Practice management software comes with the same
basic features no matter who makes it. They allow
practices to register and schedule patients,
generate bills, post payments, produce critical
reports such as aged accounts receivable by payer,
and transmit electronic claims; the best ones post
electronic remittances and capture real-time
information from payers about patient eligibility.
Let’s look at various practice management
packages.
3/29/2016
14
Provides a complete, affordable integrated web-based EMR and
Practice Management Solution that is designed to make life easier
for the physician, staff and patients. Its proven solution will help to
improve efficiencies, control costs, accelerate billing and build a
more successful practice
 Single, integrated solution – with the full range of functionality and
interoperability to meet the needs of practices of any size.
 24 x 7 access and control – from anywhere on the Web.
 Cost-effectiveness – no software to purchase, just a simple monthly
fee and no hidden expenses. The most affordable Practice
Management System available.
 Peace of mind – easy to use with no installations, no software
maintenance and no software upgrades – get started right away.
 Security – data integrity and security to ensure full compliance
with HIPAA privacy regulations.
3/29/2016
15
Features:
 Online EMR (Electronic Medical Record) – access clinical
data from any Internet connection; electronic links to
laboratories; track all orders.
 Scheduling & Online Registration – online patient
scheduling; access schedule from any Internet connection;
track office workflow; flexible schedule input viewing;
schedules the way physicians work.
 Billing & Revenue Management – clean claims; faster
payments and shorter A/R cycle; increased collections;
capture lost charges; improved control and knowledge of
practice finances.
 ERx (Electronic Prescribing) – connects to pharmacies.
3/29/2016
16
Features:
 Website and Patient Portal – educational content for patients and
secure online messaging.
 Order Tracking – tracks all orders issued from the EMR through
the entire order life-cycle; and relieves burden of tracking orders
that have not been obtained by the patient or have not been
received by the office.
 Messaging – patients can communicate securely from the
customized website for appointment requests, billing questions,
prescription refills, referral requests and general questions.
 Document Management – transition from paper to electronic
charts by scanning and indexing old paper charts and reports so
that they are available online.
3/29/2016
17
Features:
 Transcription – process is integrated through the
Internet so that dictation goes directly into the
patient chart smoothly, seamlessly and
significantly less than traditional transcribing.
 Personal Health Records – secure access to key
medical data such as medications/prescriptions,
allergies, immunization status, and all data sets
necessary for a continuity of care record (CCR).
 Connectivity Solutions – automatically connects
to pharmacies, insurers, labs, other physicians
and patients.
3/29/2016
18
Helps to efficiently manage the physician practice
and increase profitability by integrating front and
back-end office functions into one simple,
affordable application.
 Access from anywhere, at any time.
 No extra hardware to buy.
 Total security & HIPAA compliance.
 Choice of affordable monthly or annual
subscriptions.
 NueMD clients see an average of 4 more patients
and work 23 fewer minutes each day, due to
efficient scheduling and less time spent billing.
3/29/2016
19
Features:
Batch Payment – post checks; make adjustments; turn claims
over to secondary plans; post internal office memos and
outgoing messages based on insurance denial codes received;
patient balances are automatically ready for secondary filing
or patient responsibility.
Electronic Remittance Advice – automatically posts
government and commercial payments in seconds.
Capitation – payments will be evenly distributed and
adjusted accordingly, leaving clean and balances accounts.
Will show how well practice is being paid for services via the
capitated plan versus other payment options.
3/29/2016
20
Features:
Patient Registration – input patient demographics;
set up insurance information; scan and attach
insurance cards and driver’s licenses; assign
patient responsibility and track guarantor status;
view snap shot of patient’s ledger and previous
billing history; verify insurance eligibility prior to
billing.
Reports & Analysis – generates 80 standard
reports with the ability to customize more; charts
and graphs; filters and exports data in multiple
formats (Acrobat, PDF, Word and Excel); accesses
multiple years’ worth of data.
3/29/2016
21
Features:
Medical Billing & Claims Processing – checks claims
for complete and accurate information; formats fields;
batches claims for electronic filing; accommodates
both electronic and hard copy claims; lists a snapshot
view of overdue claims; high detailed collections
reporting.
Patient Appointment Scheduling – quickly creates new
patients; scans for next available appointment times;
schedules for multiple appointments; offers multiple
views; tracks patient flow with a time-stamped record
of arrival, check, visit and departure time; tracks copays, no-shows and cancellations.
3/29/2016
22
Features:
Electronic Medical Record (EMR) –
•Option 1 – clinical notes; integrated billing; run
reports; prescription-writing feature; attaches
documents, images, X-rays, EKGS, or other files in
digital format that are associated with the patient’s
visit; user audit trail.
•Option 2 – interface with other EMR systems.
3/29/2016
23
Provides effective selections for practice
management in so many ways, and is inclusive of a
variety of capabilities that can cost thousands of
dollars extra when sold as “modules” with other
systems.
Patient Information Management and Database –
provides quick look ups, reports and filtering on
the patient database to identify groups of patients
based on certain criteria. Prevents creation of
duplicate patient records. Possible duplicates are
identified by name, social security number,
telephone and a number of other parameters.
3/29/2016
24
Features:
Financial Ledgers – provide a variety of
financially-related data in dynamic formats that are
user-defined, user-configures, and easy to
understand.
Advanced Recall – track routine recalls (annual
physicals, exams, pacemaker checks, etc.) by
generating recall letters or postcards to keep
patients returning to the practice.
Advanced Collections – fine tunes management
of delinquent insurance claims and patient
accounts with automatic generation of collection
letters and tracers.
3/29/2016
25
Features:
Patient Accounting – automated remittance posting;
management reporting; reports can be scheduled to
run; authorization tracking; handles HMO capitation;
allows for auto adjustment calculations; family or
patient billing; HIPAA compliant electronic claims,
remittance and eligibility.
Appointment Scheduling – scheduling for providers;
multiple providers on one screen; pop up alerts for
messages, appointment history and past due balances;
no show and cancellation tracking; advises patient of
pre-appointment instructions; next available
appointment search; automatic printing of bills.
3/29/2016
26
Features:
Patient Access Option – schedule
appointment over the Internet; subject
changes in demographics or insurance
information; communicate with practice
through secure messaging; granted access
to view account balance and most recent
transaction.
3/29/2016
27
3/29/2016
28
1. Let’s start with
enthusiasm. Try to convey
some type of
enthusiasm. From beginning
to end, show that you care
about the person you are
talking to. You don’t need to
act overly excited about your
phone conversation. Just have
a positive attitude. It is
contagious.
3/29/2016
29
2. Be sure to smile. Even
though you are on the
phone, the other person
can sense a smile from
you. Some telephone
experts recommend
putting a mirror on your
desk to remind you when
you are not smiling at the
patient. For people who
are on the phone all day, a
mirror may not be a bad
idea.
3/29/2016
30
3. How do you sound on the
phone? Using the right tone of
voice creates atmosphere on the
phone. This ties into the first two on
this list. Is your enthusiasm coming
through? Do you have a positive
attitude? Is your phone
conversation strictly business? Is it
lighter or personal? Your tone and
voice
inflections will create an impression
and help the person on the other
end understand what you are telling
them.
3/29/2016
31
4. Say “Hello!” (or good
morning, good afternoon,
etc.) Have a warm greeting
or opening. Welcome
people into the
conversation. Don’t make
them feel as if they are an
interruption. If you are too
busy, then let someone else
or your voice mail pick up
the phone. That is lot better
than a greeting that sounds
like, “Yah, what do you
want!”
3/29/2016
32
5. Say “Goodbye.” Have a strong closing. At the minimum, be sure to say goodbye
before hanging up the phone. How many times have you expected someone to say
goodbye, have a nice day, etc. only to hear a click? Don’t do that to your patient!
6. When talking to a patient, avoid medical terminology that they may not
understand. Everybody has had this happen at one time or another. Someone tries
to tell you something and you have absolutely no idea what he is talking about. It
sounds like it could be English, and it is. But, you still don’t understand it because it
is medical jargon. Medical terms or industry buzz-words can put a patient in an
uncomfortable position. They might feel dumb because they don’t understand
you. Or, they may feel frustrated and become impatient.
3/29/2016
33
7. Don’t get angry, even if the patient
is. It is not always easy to keep calm,
especially if the patient is angry about
something you have no control
over. (Chances are they are mad at
something that has already
happened.) If a patient is complaining
and angry, let them vent. Most likely
they aren’t mad at you personally. Ask
them questions to show that you
care. Don’t add to their
aggravation. You might ask them to
repeat the problem just to make sure
you understand. Be a good listener.
3/29/2016
34
8. When transferring - ONLY ONCE! If you are
transferring to someone else, make sure that person
is available. Don’t put the customer on the hold,
transfer, hold, transfer, hold, transfer, routine.
9. Control the “hold” button on your phone. A
survey in USA Today conducted by Nancy Friedman
(a.k.a. The Telephone Doctor) showed that
customers hate, more than anything else relating to
the phone, to be put on HOLD! There are really only
two reasons to put someone on hold: to transfer to
someone else or to get information.
3/29/2016
35
10. More on controlling that “hold”
button. If you are going to make a
customer wait on hold, for any
reason, let them know how long they
will have to wait. When you say a
minute and it really is just a
minute, it will probably seem a lot
longer to them. So, if you are asking
them to hold for an extended
period of time, it is probably best to
call them back. Promise to call at a
specific time. Then, keep your
promise!
3/29/2016
36
e-Medsys Practice Manager -- Practice information
management and database. Retrieved November 16, 2008
from http://www.practiceone.com.
Hyken, S. (2003). Top ten telephone basics. Retrieved
November 16, 2008 from http://www.hyken.com.
Lowes, R. (2004). Starting a practice 5-6 months out: office
design and supplies. Retrieved November 16, 2008 from
http://www.license.icopyright.net.
NueMD Medical Practice Management Software. Retrieved
November 16, 2008 from http://www.nuemd.com.
Waiting Room Solutions. Web-based EMR and medical
practice management software. Retrieved November 16, 2008
from http://www.waitingroomsolutions.com.
3/29/2016
37
3/29/2016
38