Effective medical practices often have the office manager to thank for smooth procedures that facilitate patient care. The manager oversees many aspects of the office to ensure everything works smoothly and efficiently, including operational aspects like the following.
Facilities Oversight
The medical office needs to be kept sanitized and organized to welcome patients for their appointments. All areas need to be kept clean and tidy with scheduled maintenance to remove waste and debris. Many office managers use medical facilities management software to outline the tasks they are responsible for and to consistently monitor facility conditions. Heavy foot traffic in the winter, for example, may require new rug mats for catching ice, snow, and mud that could be tracked into the office. Parking facilities also need to be well maintained.
Procedures Management
The daily schedule, monthly reports, and annual reviews are also under the office manager’s purview. Small changes in routine activities, such as more children being seen for respiratory ailments, may lead to partitioning the waiting area into a section for patients with these symptoms. Appointments, call-backs, and referral processes will often be established and periodically reviewed by the office manager. Employee hiring and schedules are also an important part of this job.
Patient Coordination
New patients will follow a registration process that may be instituted or updated by the office manager. Outpatient lab work or hospital procedures are extended patient care tasks that the office manager will oversee for accuracy and follow-up as needed. The office manager will likely oversee the policies and procedures for patients with special needs, such as wheelchairs or language translators and transportation to the hospital for urgent situations.
Staff Training and Evaluations
An office manager will work with the medical team to implement the use of new medications and vaccines, newly-approved treatments, and protocols for handling disease outbreaks or contagious illnesses. The staff will be given training in how to prepare for and handle medical emergencies and serious illnesses that they may come in contact with while working with patients.
Supplies and Equipment
It is usually the office manager who oversees the stocking of routine medications, supplies, and equipment that are needed by the practitioners. New devices approved by the doctors may require special handling that the office manager will learn and possibly teach to others.
A knowledgeable office manager is an indispensable asset to a successful medical practice. Be sure and say thank you the next time you are in the office for a checkup.
