Medical Office Management: Software or Human

Medical Office Management: Software or Human By: Mark Flygare

When evaluating good medical practice management it is important to consider that the manager is the person charged with setting up and maintaining office systems ranging from scheduling patients, to billing and collecting fees, to managing front- and back-office staff. Most managers are the leading non-physician overseers in a small practice of two to four physicians. They are often the most responsible staffers that have been promoted from line positions or moderately qualified medical workers with previous medical practice management experience. These managers are typically limited in authority to managing the lay employees and overseeing the business systems.

On the other hand, physician managers are naturally considered mid- or high-level medical practice administrators, normally with an MBA. Except for the clinical side of the practice, they are usually the person to turn to for all other things that arise in the practice. They are still not at the top of the totem pole though, even the most qualified administrator naturally has the need of reporting to the physician-owners.

Doctors looking to get the most qualified medical practice management in this day and age report that it's troublesome than ever to hire the top manager. Many factors have contributed to the increase in competition for this position. It has become an intense field to try and land a position. Such things as practice management software is also making it hard for practice managers to find new positions because the software is able to do many of the task that humans would normally have taken much longer to do.

If time is not on your side you can try using a professional recruiter to hire the most qualified person for your practice. Don't just go find someone with no experience in recruiting to try and recruit someone. Find the most qualified recruiter and make sure he or she knows how to locate the best candidate. They will understand what is most important in running a medical practice. Whatever practical approach you take, you can increase your chances of hiring the right man or woman for the job by following key principles.

1. It's not smart to underestimate how much research and time must take place in order for the practice to be very prepared for the new manager, especially when you haven't ever done it before. Don't look like a fool, before you try to hire someone, make sure you have a good idea of what the job will entitle. When you write a job description, keep in mind what it really takes to run a practice today. Wisely assess your wants. Too often, a medical group hires a manager and then does not give them the authority to use his or her experience and training. Be willing to delegate responsibility and stand back.

2. Be flexible when evaluating the medical practice management candidates' abilities. Don't get hung up on how many letters follow their names. A candidate with 10 or 15 years of successful group leadership may overshadow a candidate with a brand new MBA or MHA from a prestigious university.

Once you find a qualified medical practice management candidate, make sure he or she is the kind of person you can trust. Look for ethical character and charismatic leadership traits. And pay attention to your own "gut" response. Do you sense a feeling that bodes well for working together in the future? There's nothing wrong with waiting to hire someone you like. Especially if that someone will be able to innovate and solve problems that may arise. Also, he or she needs to know something about working with a software solution since many practices are finally moving from a paper format to keep track of records to an electronic format. In other words, practices have been installing emr software to help manage their medical records and medical practice management software to help ease the job of a practice administrator.

Last of all, don't forget this: " A successful medical practice who hires a noble practice manager has learned how to let him or her manage properly without getting in his or her way."