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from a different set of eyes, you may identify many areas where inef- ficiencies and redundancies may be eliminated, and the flow of your office can be improved.
An outside consultant may be extremely helpful in this exercise. They would be able to look at your workflow in an unbiased man- ner and compare what they see to models of successful practices. Additionally, this would make the best use of your time by allowing you to continue seeing patients while this takes place.
As you review the workflow of your practice, consider also how communication takes place. After seeing a patient, do you need to track down one of your nurses or assistants to explain to them the next steps in the care of the patient? Consider the use of technol- ogy in this process. A lighting or internal messaging system could let them know that a patient is ready for discharge or that they need to have lab work scheduled, all while allowing the provider to move right on to the next patient. Such a system may also allow the pro- vider to be informed when something comes up that requires atten- tion, without being interrupted during a patient visit.
Improving the efficiency of your practice workflow is an area where your electronic health records (EHR) system may come into play. Consider meeting with your EHR vendor to see what features or functions may exist in the system that you may not be utilizing
to their fullest potential. A review of this process may help elimi- nate unnecessary paperwork or the need for documentation after
a patient visit that could have been documented during the patient visit. You pay a lot for these systems, so it is important to make sure you are getting everything you can out of them.
Best Practices
The second step in improving the effectiveness of your time management would be to review some of your own daily tasks. When you arrive for the day, after getting your cup of coffee, make sure that you have reviewed the schedule for the day before seeing any patients. This should include a review of the reason for the vis- its, as well as a review of the patient’s chart.
For those patients coming in for a follow-up visit, this will ensure that you have received all test results before the patient arrives, as
opposed to scrambling to locate them with the patient in the room waiting to be seen. When consulting with a patient, if they bring something up that was not scheduled, and it is non-life-threatening, consider requesting that they make another appointment so that you will be able to spend adequate time discussing the issue with them.
Additionally, be sure to build time into your schedule each day to catch up when you fall behind and to return emails and phone calls. Many providers work late each day and follow up on these items after everyone else has gone home for the day. The problem with this is that a patient waiting for a return phone call may call back multiple times a day until they hear from the provider. Additionally, leaving a pile of paperwork for your staff for when they return the next morning will make them stressed out for the day before they have even placed the first patient in an exam room.
Managing Patients
The one way that all providers can help to more effectively man- age their own time is to better manage their patients.
First, when scheduling, particularly with new patients, consider changing your policy so that all patients arrive 10 to 15 minutes prior to their visit. Explain to them in advance this policy so that paperwork can be completed and your team can check weight, blood pressure, and changes from the last visit before their sched- uled time with the provider.
Second, call patients in advance of the appointment to remind them of their visit. In this call, be sure to confirm with them the office’s policy for no-shows and late arrivals.
While many providers are busy with their caseload for the day,
it is easy to get behind in your daily schedule. To be the most effec- tive and productive, however, take a step back and evaluate some of the areas discussed in this article. They are all areas where a little effort up front will lead to greater rewards at the end of the day. BW
James T. Krupienski, CPA, MSA is a partner at the Holyoke- based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
“When you arrive for the day, after getting your cup of coffee, make sure that you have reviewed the schedule for the day before seeing any patients. This should include
a review of the reason for the visits, as well as a review of the patient’s chart.”
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