Front Office Management

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Front Office Management

• Jeff Steele, LDO, CPOT
• Spokane Community College

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Objective

• Explore the duties and responsibilities of the
  front office staff and manager
• Prepare the student for management position in a
  clinical or optical situation

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Managing the Practice

• Staff management
• Delegation and Time Management
• Telephone Management
• Scheduling/ Appointment Management
• Patient Record Management
• Fee Management

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Management of the Practice

• Collections management
• Managing Patient Recalls
• Managing Patient Follow-up
• Inventory Management
• Computers in the Practice

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Important Message!!!

• Loyal, well trained staff members are the most
  valuable management mechanism for any practice.

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Staff must be motivated and willing to learn

• Technical skills can be taught
• Importance of enthusiastic, professional staff
  with positive attitudes

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Staff Training Program

• One article or chapter of technical book per week
  or month
• Allocate time during weekly staff meeting
• Study time offered during office time

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Delegation and Time Management

• Well managed time means money
• Utilizing staff is like doubling your time
• Doubling your time means generating more income

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Delegation, Delegation, Delegation

• The road to genuine efficiency is paved with
  delegation even though most of us are dragged
  into it kicking and screaming in a futile effort
  to maintain what we perceive to be control
• Robert Nelson, economist

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Excuses For Not Delegating

• My staff lacks experience
• It takes more time to explain than to do the job
  myself
• A mistake by one of my technicians will be too
  costly
• My patients will pay more attention to me
• There are just some things I shouldnt delegate
  to anyone

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Excuses For Not Delegating

• My staff lacks the overall knowledge necessary to
  make proper decisions
• They are already too busy
• They just arent ready to accept more
  responsibility
• Im concerned about lack of control when I
  delegate
• I enjoy keeping busy and making my own decisions

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Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

• Delegation needed for quality vision care
• Provides better service
• More productive use of professional time
• Profitable bottom line

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Part of The Management Team

• Staff help better manage all areas
• All contribute different things
• One coach

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Telephone Management

• Opportunity calling
• First point of contact with the practice
• One person should be assigned the task
• Minimum of 2 phone lines are needed
• Answer before the third ring

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Telephone Management

• Define an initial greeting
• Every employee to use this standard greeting

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Telephone Management

• Identify the practice
• Identify the person answering
• Offer an opportunity for the patient to continue
  speaking How may I help you?

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Develop Telephone Scripts

• Scripts can be used by staff members to answer
  the most commonly asked questions
• Use as guides ( not word for words)

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Hold On, Could You?

• Do you care for the patient standing in front of
  you first?
• Do you take care of the caller first?

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Exercise good judgement

• First case Thanks for your patience
• Second Case Thanks for your patience

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Telephone Management

• Screen calls based on urgency or importance
• Provide priorities for interruptions
• Take messages whenever possible to avoid
  interrupting the office patient flow

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Telephone Management

• Politeness
• Kindness
• Consideration
• Respect
• Smile!
• Use the patients name

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Get the Whole Scoop

• Pull patients chart and attach telephone message
  the chart to provide needed background
  information
• Staff can manage many of the telephone inquiries
  and questions
• Delegate when possible
• Locate the info immediately or offer to return
  the call once you have the needed information

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Scheduling/ Appointment Management

• Ensures smooth, efficient day to day flow
• Effective scheduling is managing time well

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• Time parcel
• Allocation by type of appointment
• Allocate specific time blocks to new patients,
  follow up exams, C/L disp, refitting C/L

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• New patient comprehensive exam 1 hour
• New C/L fitting 1/2 hour additional
• Patient care handling instructions 1 hour
• Follow-up 15- 30 minutes
• Additional time for elder or child 15 minutes

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• Scheduling the first appointment correctly is
  critical to gaining a lifelong patient

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• In todays busy world the first appointment is
  best scheduled within one week
• Later - The patient may forget, or schedule
  conflicts occur

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• To ensure the patient arrives for the first
  appointment and impress them with quality care
• Fax or email a map or directions
• Mail, fax or email an office brochure
• Mail, fax or email a note of welcome
• Send the website address
• Telephone or mail in advance the complete the
  health history information

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• Confirm the appointment 1-2 days prior
• One person should be responsible for keeping the
  appointment book full
• The key-the flow- the daily operation of the
  practice - IS The APPOINTMENT BOOK

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• Never rely on memory
• Computerize appointing system
• All patient files are easily computer linked
• In a smaller practice, a manual system works

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• Offer two appointment times
• First available , one alternative
• Keep the practice busy
• Ensure the patient turns up based on their
  selected convenience

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Scheduling Appointment Management

• Reconfirm 1-2 days in advance
• Offer method of reconfirmation at time for
  appointment setting
• Discourage drop ins as they will interrupt
  daily flow

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Smart Scheduling

• Single most effective means to establish
  efficiency with the patient OR NOT
• Shows respect

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Smart Scheduling

• The commodity of the new millennium is time
• If only I had more time, I could do more
• Time has great value.

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Smart Scheduling

• Fill up the patients time if needed
• Utilize staff, educational materials
• Make use of the time. Value it..

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Smart Scheduling

• Be observant
• Be flexible
• Your time is the patients time

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The Reception Area

• Utmost importance to office ambiance
• The first /overall impression of the office
• Office flow and efficiency is evident

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The Reception Area

• Nothing succeeds like success
• A small area, filled with people, comfortably, is
  more impressive than a large area that is empty
• Balance perception, patient flow, workload to
  achieve a pleasant profitable, schedule

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Managing Patient Records

• Alphabetical
• simplest
• alpha sequence
• according to last name
• watch for spelling errors!
• Results of mis-filing

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Managing Patient Records

• Numerical
• More complex
• Assign patient file numbers
• Corresponds to cross-reference
• Tracks more recent patients
• Former patients can be reassigned
• Old need for recall

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Managing Patient Records

• Color Coding
• Nearly impossible to misfile
• Contrasting color stands out
• One letter designated as color
• Ared, Bblue, Cgreen
• If numeric, color identify patient segments

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Managing Patient Records

• Daily Task
• All staff should be able to file
• One person to take lead to manage
• File each day to prevent pile up
• File each day to prevent lost charts
• Identify those charts that doctor has

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Fee Management

• Written fee statement
• Clearly indicate total
• Clearly indicate breakdown
• No charge items separated
• Fees as package or individual items

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Fee Management

• Fee Agreement
• List out items
• Patient review type of payment noted
• Patient signature for agreement of responsibility

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Fee Management Payment Policies

• Diplomacy grace
• Believe in your fees
• Use skilled staff
• Discuss fees comfortably
• Encourage payment at time of service

• Offer variety of payment plans
• Most common 50 down, 50 on next visit
• Monthly payments accepted by discouraged

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Collection Management

• Accounts Receivable
• Large amount is detrimental
• Collect at time of service or delivery
• Costly staff time to collect later

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Collection Management

• Send out billings routinely
• 30,60,90, then to collections
• Accept credit cards
• Offer credit card instead of payment plan
• Medical Bills are last

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Patient Recall Management

• Patients busy, need reminder
• Recall ensures ocular health
• Eye health is important
• Keep reminder simple, efficient

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Patient Recall Management

• Encourage attitude of regular follow-up
• Set the recall appointment now or
• Notify when you will recall
• Preappoint and then remind
• Notify by mail, email or telephone
• Combine methods
• Reinforce why the should return

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Patient Recall Management Telephone Benefits

• Immediate
• Book appointment in one step
• If no answer, implement another method
• Have script, This is, Dr. indicated, would MTF
  be best?

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Patient Recall Management

• Less responsive patients, use variation
• Simple card file will work well if computer not
  available

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Patient Recall ManagementComputer Benefits

• Tracks better
• Easy
• Predesigned software recall packages
• Set variables
• Date is most common

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Patient Recall ManagementComputer Benefits

• Designs database rather than strict index card or
  log
• Special recalls
• Promote new product or service
• Emphasizes patient benefit
• Emphasize exam without red eye or pain

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Patient Recall Management

• Reinforce Follow-up
• Patient Education
• Initial visit begins education of follow- up
• Explain Frequency of return visits
• Manage effective recall
• Plant ideas for future options

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Patient Recall management

• Cost containment packages
• Professional care packages
• Discounted Care Packages
• Bulk contact lens purchase packages
• Service agreements
• ENSURES HEALTH OF PATIENT and THE PRACTICE

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Managing Patient Referral

• Remember to Say, Thank-you
• 1 satisfied patient 10 more
• KISS Simple referral reward system

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Managing Patient Referral

• Simple Note
• Handwritten or personalized by practitioner
• Sent out soon after referral
• Different notes for each new referral

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Managing Patient Referral

• Gifts of Gratitude
• Show special attention
• Results in more referrals
• Determine when note isnt enough (4,5?)
• Flowers, coupon, other ideas?

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Managing Patient Referral

• Keep record of referrals with chart
• Mention when they come into office
• Make personal comment,your friend, Mrs.
  Stanley

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Inventory Management

• Track all supplies ordered in the office
• Expendable
• Nonexpendable
• Capital
• Larger inventory means better service
• Reduced rates by wholesale company

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Inventory Management

• Methods
• Just in time
• Direct shipment to office/ to patient
• Record shipment dates
• Check with Sales representative

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Computers In the Practice

• Convenience
• Time
• Me/ Help
• Now/ Not later

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Computers and Other Communication Links

• Websites
• Email
• Mail lists
• Search Capabilities
• Education

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Proper Management

• Brings Balance to a Pleasurable, Profitable Work
  Day.