Some Ideas on Finding Good Staff

Our research staff does hundreds of interviews every week with practice owners all over the country. This research helps us know the areas of interest of doctors who read or will read this our on-line journal, Solutions Magazine.

One of the highest areas of interest, is "How do I find GOOD staff?" Here are some tips regarding one specific area of finding staff.

We have seen great success with temp agencies and private job placement agencies. There are several reasons why working with these types of companies can be advantageous: a) the cost of promoting, screening, interviewing is borne by the agency, b) the time needed to promote, screen, interview, hire, etc., is primarily taken up by the agency and not your office, and c) most agencies usually have a guarantee of some sort of the person working out and recourse if the person does not work out.

Below are some suggestions on how to best work with these types of companies.

1. Meet with the representative of the placement agency that is most local to your office. Invite them to visit your office to get a feel for the office and the kind of culture that you have specific to your office. Let the representative know about the qualifications of the employee that you are looking for. Be as specific as you can. Show them the job description of the position you are trying to fill so they have a good understanding of what type of person you need. Make the requirements as clear as possible - for example if you are looking for a receptionist, you need someone with excellent communication skills. As this representative is going to go to work for you to find the best candidate for your office, get her/him the best information you can on what you need and want.

2. Discuss with the representative the fees and benefits involved in hiring an employee through them. Most companies offer a 90-day program that has a variety of benefits. The employee works in your office but remains an employee of the temp agency or placement agency. During this trial period, an hourly fee is paid to the company that is just slightly greater than what you would normally pay a direct hire. The benefit to you is that you are not paying the taxes, fees and accounting normally associated with hiring and paying an employee. You are also not covering health insurance. For most employers, this option works out quite well. During this trial period, you have a resource for addressing performance concerns with the agency and determining if the person will work out.

3. Ask to interview the prospects that they send you prior to hiring them. Take the time to interview them just like you would a direct hire. The most obvious benefit to you at this time is that the prospect has already been screened by the agency and is qualified to work in your office. All you have to do is decide if this is the kind of person you want to work with in your office.

Be willing to interview several prospects before selecting the right one for your practice. Just because they are qualified does not mean that they will fit well with your team. Your greatest enemy at this point is any desperation you may feel to get someone hired right away. Remember that hiring the wrong person for your office can become a bigger problem and waste more time and money for you and your staff than taking a little more time to find the right fit. We have a variety of testing procedures that we use with our clients to help in this final evaluation process.
Silkin Management Group has been in business for over 25 years, delivering practice management consulting and training to over 4000 health care offices throughout the United States and Canada. For further information on Silkin visit our website at the Silkin Management Group Home Page.

I invite you to share any thoughts through our Discussion Forum at the Silkin Facebook Page BY CLICKING HERE.

Larry Silver
President, Silkin

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Solutions Magazine

ARE YOU A LEADER AT YOUR PRACTICE?

If you're having difficulty getting plans executed, then the information below may be helpful.

It is very important for the owner of a practice to maintain excellent communication with his/her staff and to provide active and visible leadership. Following are some key points for the executive:

Communication of Goals:

Determine what the purpose (Mission Statement) of your practice is and communicate it to your staff. Let them know what the goals for the office are and keep them informed of the projects you intend to implement to achieve those goals. The better informed your staff is and the greater understanding they have of such matters, the more likely they will be working in mutual motion with you.

Communication Tools:

There are some very basic communications devices to implement in the practice. These tools can be kept in place by your Office Manager, but must be reinforced by you as the senior executive. Some of these tools are: written requests or proposals (as opposed to verbal requests), written office communications, written policies and use of an effective communication relay system.

It is important that written communications are responded to swiftly. When people do not hear back on their communications within a reasonable period of time, they become less willing to communicate and as a result, the business can have more problems on its hands.

Staff Meetings:

It is also vital that staff meetings are held minimally once per month, but ideally once per week. This is one of the most valuable opportunities available to you for educating staff, setting goals and targets and handling problem areas that can be addressed by the staff as a whole. The communication lines within the business will strengthen considerably too.

The Owner and his Office Manager should continually strive to establish strong coordination and leadership for the staff. Any problems or disagreements between the Owner and Office Manager should always be sorted out OUTSIDE of the staff meeting and should never be addressed in the presence of any staff.

Staff meetings run most effectively if the Owner and Office Manager meet prior to the staff meeting to plan and coordinate those matters to be addressed with the staff. This should include items such as production goals for the office, coordination needed between staff members concerning patients or other matters, education on office policy or technical matters, etc.

Setting Goals and Targets:

When targeting your weekly and monthly quotas, it is advisable to plan ahead prior to your staff meeting and really confront how much production you did the week/month prior and how much can realistically be produced within the upcoming week/month (bearing in mind that you should target toward expansion). Really take a look at what CAN be done, then go over it together and with the rest of your staff at the staff meeting.

Each week you should bring relevant production graphs to the meeting and keep the staff informed as to how the group is doing in approaching the goals.

Group Member Responsibility:

The more each staff member takes responsibility for the office as a whole, the better your office will do. It is very helpful to have each staff person come to the staff meeting prepared to contribute. This is something to be backed by the Owner so that the staff realizes the importance and complies with the Office Manager's orders. The goal of the executive should be to encourage and show the staff how to become more and more responsible and able to contribute to the creativity, growth and expansion of the practice.

Policy:

To create stability for the practice and to keep the lines straight, it is very important that you continue to implement written policies. There should be written policy to govern all activities in the practice.

When you write a policy, place the original in a binder marked "Policies." The Office Manager would then distribute a copy to each relevant staff person, indicating to the staff that they are to read the policy and route a note to the Office Manager reporting that they had done so. Their copy of the policy would be placed in their "job description" manuals, under General Staff Section.

The Office Manager can be very helpful in policy development, but she needs to know exactly what your policies are. She can write the policies and submit them to you for final approval. She can and should suggest to you areas in which policy is needed. Staff should also be encouraged to propose policy via the Office Manager.

Silkin Management Group has been in business for over 25 years, delivering practice management consulting and training to over 4000 health care offices throughout the United States and Canada. For further information on Silkin visit our website at: Silkin Management Group Home Page.

I invite you to share any thoughts through our Discussion Forum at the Silkin Facebook Page BY CLICKING HERE.

Larry Silver
President, Silkin

Silkin Management Group Home Page
Visit our Facebook Page
Silkin Management Group Press Room
Solutions Magazine

ECONOMIC WOES LEAD TO EMPLOYMENT DISHONESTY

I received the following article from one of our attorneys that I thought was very informative and something that would be useful for anyone who runs a small business, which would certainly include health care practices. Some months ago I posted an article on our blog concerning steps to take to protect against employee embezzlement, and I thought that this article would add useful information to that subject. I hope you enjoy it.

As usual, I invite you to share any thoughts through our Discussion Forum at the Silkin Facebook Page BY CLICKING HERE.

Larry Silver
President, Silkin

Silkin Management Group Home Page
Visit our Facebook Page
Silkin Management Group Press Room
Solutions Magazine

ECONOMIC WOES LEAD TO EMPLOYMENT DISHONESTY

False Sense of Security

Employee dishonesty can take many forms. No one seems to be exempt, and tough economic times only make matters worse. Although embezzlement can happen at all levels, we have encountered a number of situations in small to medium sized companies where employees were trusted and often thought of as family. When embezzlement is discovered, there is not only the reality of economic loss, but a real feeling of betrayal. After discovery, your oppositions may be limited. The key is to establish and diligently adhere to a system of checks and balances, to minimize opportunities.

Establish Procedures

The first step is to meet with your certified public accountant, or attorney, to establish the correct procedure for your business. This alone can be difficult, because in many instances your loved and trusted bookkeeper will feel like he or she isn’t trusted. Although the feeling is understandable, you can explain that it is something that must be done because (a) it is the correct business practice; and (b) it will confirm the great job your bookkeeper is currently doing. Furthermore, should your bookkeeper become ill or otherwise unable to perform his or her duties, the procedures will already be in place for the replacement. Don’t get talked out of this step, or you could be talking to us, or someone like us, under more strenuous circumstances.

Follow Your Procedures

Establishing procedures won’t help you unless you are willing to follow the established guidelines. It takes a little effort, but nothing equivalent to the forensic work associated with discovering and determining the amount of embezzlement. Where there is embezzlement, seldom is it limited to one method of stealing. Don’t stop looking after you’ve discovered one source of theft. It is like peeling an onion. In one of our cases, the CPA said he was aware of fifty ways to embezzle money, and forty-eight had been employed.

Remedies

How you react when you discover your loss may have a significant impact on the extent of your recovery. Your emotions will run from anger, to embarrassment, how will you recover your loss. Although our advice is sought with regards to each of the above, our primary focus is usually on how to recover your money.

Acting fast is a proven key. As the victim you have a great deal of leverage. The fear of prosecution is a great motivator. Your initial reaction is to call the police and “throw away the key.” While this knee jerk reaction is understandable, it is seldom a motivation for repayment. Although criminal prosecutions can result in “civil compromises,” these are frequently less rewarding than can otherwise be accomplished.

Strike fast and tie up assets. Locate property and collect what you can. If there is a spouse or significant other, don’t overlook their involvement. If significant amounts were stolen, there is a good likelihood they were at suspicious of what was going on.

Call your insurance carrier. If you don’t have employee dishonesty coverage, get it. Make sure your limits are reasonable. You would be amazed at how much can go missing. We have been involved in cases for small to medium companies where the amounts exceeded $1,000,000.

The banks and credit card companies may be a source of recovery. Under the right circumstances, there can be liability for forgery, negligence and credit card fraud. Third party sources of recovery should not be overlooked, as the embezzlers may not have been a good steward of your money. Insurance claims and claims against banks and credit card companies normally require you to prosecute, but by the time you get to this stage, you normally have little to lose.

If you do not have a procedure of checks and balances, contact your professional today.

Written by:
Bitts & Hahs, Attorneys at Law
4949 SW Meadows Rd., Suite 260
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
503-228-5626
http://www.bittner-hahs.com

MORE KEY MARKETING ACTIONS

Silkin Management Group has helped accomplish significant growth for thousands of practices using marketing procedures that really work based upon results. As a follow up to our June 26 blog, here is another list of key marketing actions for a health care practice.

Our tailor made marketing programs include some of the basic techniques mentioned in these tips, but also include the "how to's" of each tip with template examples of most ideas presented. Our consultants develop surveys and questionnaires that health care practitioners all over the country have used to drive more new patients into their practices – and keep them coming back. As the number of patients increase, Silkin continues to provide management and organizational consulting that supports stable growth. This is accomplished by offering specialized administrative training for doctors and their staffs, job descriptions, office policies, organizational charts and much, much more.

Key Marketing Actions:

1. Research your market.
2. Create surveys for existing patients/clients.
3. Create surveys for potential new patients/clients.
4. Conduct surveys with both publics.
5. Tabulate survey results.
6. Categorize internal versus external marketing efforts.
7. Create a promotional calendar.
8. Reactivate past clients.
9. Prospect for new clients.
10. Create a referral campaign.
11. Begin new resident contact campaign.
12. Create/refine letters and promotional items for the practice (welcome letter, thank you letter, educational material, financial information, reactivation letter, etc.)
13. Address the appearance of the practice.
14. Upgrade practice signage.
15. Hold an open house for the practice.
16. Utilize web-based marketing and contact management.
17. Upgrade logo on business cards, letterhead, web site, etc.
18. Use newsletters for existing patients, referral resources and potential new patients/clients.
19. Create a practice brochure to educate, outline expectations and improve patient/client interaction.

I invite you to share any thoughts through our Discussion Forum at the Silkin Facebook Page BY CLICKING HERE.

Larry Silver
President, Silkin

Silkin Management Group Home Page
Visit our Facebook Page
Silkin Management Group Press Room
Solutions Magazine