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Functions of Remote Office/Practice Managers

Functions of Remote Office/Practice Managers

Here are some of the main functions of Remote Office/Practice Managers:

1. Remote Office /Practice Managers are experts in operations management, financial management, human resources management, organizational governance, risk and compliance management, and patient-centered care. Physicians can be confident that we are highly competent and efficient, and experts in medical practice management. Employing a versatile and knowledgeable team of Remote Office/Practice Managers will position your organization for success. Absolutely!

2. Remote Office/Practice Managers increasingly emphasize on the importance of serving patients satisfactorily. Managing a medical practice involves cultivating a team of sophisticated and knowledgeable staff that ensures patients have a positive experience when they visit the office.

3. Remote Office/Practice Managers help guide collaborations with other healthcare stakeholders. There are many new ways providers and organizations are formally and informally collaborating and integrating. Remote Office/Practice Managers can evaluate options, and strategically guide alignments that will benefit your practice. Physicians can be assured that Remote Office/Practice Managers have the tools and resources that’s needed to understand and evaluate opportunities, through education and networking that is facilitated by professional memberships.

4. Remote Office/Practice Managers help practices improve care quality while reducing costs. Managers can use EHRs to identify and group patients with chronic diseases and/or conditions, such as diabetes. This can help practices better tailor their treatment approaches and target various patient populations. Remote Office/Practice Managers ensure that staff have adequate training to use the software and tools available to them within their practices.

5. Remote Office/Practice Managers navigate the complex regulatory environment. There are a plethora of federal regulations that practices need to be aware of and adhere to and medical practice managers can ensure groups remain in compliance and keep up-to-date with the evolving regulatory environment. Remote Office/Practice Managers set aside time for the staff team to learn about and understand applicable regulations to help minimize your practice’s risk in the long run.

6. Remote Office/Practice Managers implement and optimize technologies that drive better patient outcomes and guarantees efficient practice operations. Managers can lead the charge in implementing EHRs and practice management systems, as well as other technology solutions that help patients, such as portals that are designed to engage patients in their care. Remote practice managers collaborate with practice owners to understand the technology needs of their organizations, then to ensure that it’s operationalized thoughtfully. In addition, we make sure that staff are trained to input and access data accurately.

7. Remote Office/Practice Managers know their data. In addition to understanding and monitoring the many metrics that payers require, Remote Office/Practice Managers use data to benchmark organizations against their peers. We use industry data, such as from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), to develop physician compensation plans, monitor the cost of running a medical group, and assess how to best staff their practice. A benefit to setting aside time to participate in industry surveys is accessing the survey data for free, which gives your practice up-to-date, relevant information.

8. Remote Office/Practice Managers ensure patients have access to prompt, appropriate levels of care and manage cases between facilities.

9. Remote Office/Practice Managers help physicians devote their time to patient care. Because Remote Office/Practice Managers are experts in the business of care delivery, we run an efficient practices, allowing physicians to devote 100 percent of their time to patients. In trusting and teaming with your medical practice staff, physicians can spend their time visiting with and caring for patients, with assurance that practice operations are being run smoothly, efficiently, and effectively to position your practice for long-term success and sustainability.

10. Remote Office/Practice Managers are all about the bottom-line. The practice must show healthy profit margins. This is where we draw the line. And this is why we are in business.

11. Remote Office/Practice Managers use leading workforce management tools to enhance the productivity of your practice. Our system uses intuitive interface to simplify the management of your employees, task assignment, employee information tracking, performance-based employee reviews, goal assignment and fulfillment, recruitment, document management, employee behavior tracking, etc.


What We, As Remote Managers, Can Do For You

What We, As Remote Managers, Can Do For You

We can help your office with any and all of the following:

Performance Improvement Measures – The primary objectives of Remote Office Managers is to improve the productivity of your practice through evidence-based management approach. We work with the staff to develop a well-oiled cohesive team that can effortlessly get the job done. Getting the existing team to perfect alignment requires a lot of training and orientation and we have to tools and the experience to do just that.

Human Resources – Hire, fire, counsel, discipline, evaluate, train, orient, coach, mentor and schedule staff. Shop, negotiate and administer benefits. Develop, maintain and administer personnel policies, wellness programs, pay scales, and job descriptions. Resolve conflicts. Maintain personnel files. Document Worker’s Compensation injuries. Address unemployment inquiries. Acknowledge joyful events and sorrowful events in the practice and the lives of employees. Stay late to listen to someone who needs to talk.

Facilities and Machines – Shop for, negotiate, recommend, and maintain buildings or suites, telephones, hand-held dictation devices, copiers, computers, pagers, furniture, scanners, postage machines, specimen refrigerators, injection refrigerators, patient refreshment refrigerators, staff lunch refrigerators, medical equipment, printers, coffee machines, alarm systems, signage and cell phones.

Ordering and Expense Management – Shop for, negotiate and recommend suppliers for medical consumables, office supplies, kitchen supplies, magazines, printed forms, business insurance, and malpractice insurance as well as services such as transcription, x-ray reads/over-reads, consultants, CPAs, lawyers, lawn and snow service, benefit administrators, answering service, water service, courier service, plant service, housekeeping, aquarium service, linen service, bio-hazardous waste removal, shredding service, off-site storage and caterers.

Legal Issues – Comply with all local, state and federal laws and guidelines including OSHA, ADA, EOE, FMLA, CLIA, COLA, JCAHO, FACTA, HIPAA, Stark I, II & III, fire safety, crash carts and defibrillators, disaster communication, sexual harrassment, universal precautions, MSDS hazards, confidentiality, security and privacy, and provide staff with documentation and training in same. Make sure all clinical staff are current on licenses and CPR. Have downtime procedures for loss of computer accessibility. Make sure risk management policies are being followed. Alert malpractice carrier to any potential liability issues immediately. Make sure medical records are being stored and released appropriately.

Accounting Related Obligations – Pay bills, produce payroll, prepare compensation schedules for physicians, prepare and pay taxes, prepare budget and monthly variance reports, make deposits, reconcile bank statements, reconcile merchant accounts, prepare Profit & Loss statements, prepare refunds to payers and patients, and file lots and lots of paperwork.

Billing, Claims and Accounts Receivables – Perform eligibility searches on all scheduled patients. Ensure that all dictation is complete and all encounters (office, hospital, nursing home, ASC, satellite office, home visits and legal work (depositions, etc.) are charged and all payments, denials and adjustments are posted within pre-determined amount of time. Transmit electronic claims daily. Send patient statements daily or weekly. Negotiate payer contracts and ensure payers are complying with contract terms. Appeal denials. Have staff collect deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance and have financial counselors meet with patients scheduling surgery, those with an outstanding balance, or those patients with high deductibles or healthcare savings plans. Make sure scheduling staff know which payers the practice does not contract with. Liaison with billing service if billing is outsourced. Credential care providers with all payers. Perform internal compliance audits. Load new RBRVS values, new CPTs and new ICD-9s annually. Run monthly reports for physician production, aged accounts receivable, net collection percentage and cost and collections per RVU. Attach appropriate codes to claims for e-prescribing and PQRI. Have plan in place for receipt of Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) letters. Make friends and meet regularly with the provider reps for your largest payers.

Practice Marketing – Introduce new physicians, new locations and new services to the community. Recommend sponsorship of appropriate charities, sports and events in the community. Recommend sponsorship of patient support groups and keep physicians giving talks and appearing at events. Thank patients for referring other patients. Track referral sources. Recommend use of Yellow Pages, billboards, radio, television, newspaper, magazine, direct mail, newsletters, email, website, blog, and other social media. Prepare press releases on practice events and physicians awards and activities. Recommend practice physicians for television health spots.

Business Strategic Planning – Prepare ROIs (Return on Investment) and pro formas for new physicians, new services, and new locations. Forecast potential effect of Medicare cuts, contracts in negotiation or over-dependence on one payer. Discuss 5-year plans for capital expenditures such as EMR, ancillary services, physician recruitment, and replacement equipment. Explore outsourcing office functions or having staff telecommute. Always look for technology that can make the practice more efficient or productive.

Day-to-day Operations – Make the rounds of the practice at least twice a day to observe and be available for questions. Arrange for temporary staff or rearrange staff schedules for shortages, meet or speak with patients with complaints, and meet with vendors, physicians and staff. Open mail and recycle most of it. Unplug toilet(s).

Stay Current in Healthcare – Attend continuing education sessions via face-to-face conferences, webinars, podcasts and online classes. Maintain membership in professional organizations. Pursue certification in medical practice management. Network with community and same specialty colleagues. And participate in social marketing efforts.


Remote Employees Management Guide

Remote Employees Management Guide

Making Use of Wide Range of Technologies

Remote workers need to be given technology that allows them to work in diverse settings and overcome obstacles when unexpected circumstances arise. The basic tools they need include:

  • A laptop with wireless adapter
  • Reliable Internet access
  • Secure remote access to the company’s internal network
  • Access to corporate messaging systems (SMS, IM, voicemail, email)
  • A phone (a mobile phone is must for mobile workers)

Other Resources:

There is a panoply of resources to help make you and your remote workers’ lives easier. It’s important to know what the latest innovations in technology are and make an effort to adopt them. Access to e-mail and the company Intranet is a start but there are other available technologies that can help build stronger teams and improve overall organization.

For instance, having a discussion board or internal company blog where members can post photos and discuss various topics related to work and the industry can help create stronger bonds and keep the remote employee in the work loop.

Setting up a wiki, where all employees can access company information (operations guides, important documents, deadlines, FAQs, team calendars, etc.) is a great way to track progress and organize information among large groups.

Use Video-Conferencing Tools

Video conferencing – whether through Skype, MegaMeeting, Telepresence or Google Video Chat – allows you to have face-to-face contact with your remote employee, especially when important matters are at stake.

Video Conferencing Applications
When managers rely on voice and e-mail communication to reach workers off-site, research has shown that only 7 percent of communication goes through. So you need to supplement your communications with frequent face-to-face interactions.

Communicating effectively by email also turns out to be challenging. Five studies showed that participants who sent emails overestimated their ability to communicate by e-mail and that participants who received emails overestimated their ability to interpret e-mail.

Participants who sent emails predicted about 78 percent of the time their partners would correctly interpret the tone. However, the data revealed that they did so only 56 percent of the time. The receivers in the study “guessed that they had correctly interpreted the message’s tone 90% of the time.”

Video conferencing helps convey tone, body language and facial expressions that are fundamental to effective communication.

Plan & Strategize Ahead Of Time – Be Ready!

A lot can happen when you’re on the go. Given that your remote employee might come across various factors that cause disruption in their work, you need to have set strategies to deal with such occurrences (backing up files, for instance.) This again means giving them the right resources and tools. Virtual meetings also demand more preparation to ensure all participants know what’s on the agenda and can participate. This means having material ready for everyone involved ahead of time and making sure you have an audio bridge and multidirectional conference phone designed for audioconferencing – a regular phone just won’t cut it. After the meeting, be sure to follow up by sending an e-mail with a recap of what was discussed during the meeting and confirm the next steps to take.

You’ll Need to Build Your Trust in Them

Remote workers tend to be independent and therefore appreciate being trusted to work independently. Many managers like to track their remote employees with diary sheets and weekly updates. Not only do employees tend to fill out these sheets inaccurately (to appease the manager and essentially, get them off their back), the practice undermines trust and can seriously decrease motivation. Self-motivation is already one of the biggest challenges a remote employee faces. Rather than micromanaging them, work on developing a dynamic in which they take personal responsibility for meeting their targets.

Manage by Objectives Through Tasking & Monitoring
To be an effective manager of remote employees, you must adopt a management by objectives approach as opposed to managing by observation. This entails setting goals and action plans with your remote employee, then evaluating their performance based on the outputs or results. When employees are involved in the goal setting/course of action planning, they are also more likely to fulfill their responsibilities.

Interact with The Workers Regularly

Pearn Kandola, a business psychology consultancy that offers various services to HR professionals, conducted a large international study on mobile workers and found that because mobile workers frequently work alone they don’t always get the human contact and support they need – putting them at risk of fatigue and burnout.

It’s important to communicate regularly with your mobile workers and remote employees in order to build trust and build a close, supportive relationship with them. It’s very important that you try and put yourself in their shoes. They too can face many pressures. To help alleviate some of that stress, it’s critical that you validate their roles and remind them how important they are to the organization.

Use 360 Degree Feedback Tools

To give your remote employee valuable feedback, it’s important to gather input from workers and clients who work directly with them. 360 degree feedback allows each individual to understand how their effectiveness as an employee, coworker, or staff member is viewed by others. It also give managers a broader, richer perspective on their employees’ performance.

Which Kind of Personality Thrives in a Virtual Workspace?

When Pearn Kandola conducted their study, they assumed, as most of us would, that introverted personality types would thrive in a virtual work setting. After all, they tend to be shy and keep to themselves.