Plan Ahead for Summer “Down Time”
With the summer months fast approaching, now is the time to make sure your clinic schedule is in order and your team has a plan for making the most efficient use of “down time.”
If you (the provider) will be taking time off, is that reflected in the appointment schedule now? Many of your patients schedule appointments two to three months out so the sooner you make changes the better. If you are planning an extended getaway, you may want to consider a locum tenen to cover for you (so you don’t see a major dip in collections when you return).
If you have a multi-physician practice, are all providers’ vacations blocked out of the clinic schedule and is there a plan for patient coverage? Again, planning ahead avoids unnecessary rescheduling.
Most of the time when doctors are out of the office, there are still staff members working so make sure they have a “to do” list and make the best use of non-patient time.
Here are a few “Down Time Tasks” to get you started:
- Taking Inventory (take everything out of treatment room cabinets and drawers and supply closets and see what you have, what is expired, and what you need)
- Organizing of treatment rooms and supply closets and taking pictures once clean and fully stocked
- Scanning of documents into patients’ electronic charts
- Checking e-faxes, online portals and other referral sources, then calling patients to schedule appointments
- Performing prior-authorizations for upcoming patient appointments and procedures
- Calling patients who have received multiple statements and collecting payments over the phone
- Staff Training with me (your practice management consultant) on front desk procedures, appointment triage and scheduling, customer service/dealing with difficult patients, thorough evaluations, treatment protocols, cash products and services, collecting at time of service, etc.)
