APMA News - January 2012 - (Page 44)

Small Business 101 From the American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management, the voice of practice management for the profession. By John Guiliana, DPM The Morning Huddle … Breakfast of Champions QUESTION: At a recent meeting of the American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management, I heard you speak about a morning meeting that you recommend. Can you please review your advice on that? ANSWER: The morning huddle is a 13- to 15-minute gathering attended by all staff and all doctors. Ideally, the doctors should arrive first, but at the very least, the doctors should be there on time and ready to participate. If the first patient is seen at 8 a.m., staff should arrive at 7:30 a.m. to get ready for the day, then be available for the huddle at 7:45. The doctor should not lead the huddle. I suggest you rotate leaders (daily or weekly) to give staff members an opportunity to refine their skills and present material from their own perspective. Front desk personnel, assistants, and billing personnel should all take a turn. Everyone at the meeting should receive a print-out of the daily schedule. Here are some things to consider: 1. Because most of us believe all emergency patients should be seen the same day they call, at the huddle, identify the three best spots for emergencies to be seen. It is very important for front desk staff to have this information before the day begins so they can handle emergency calls seamlessly. 2. Who are the new patients on the schedule? Be sure you know who referred each patient, and review the detailed information about the patient that should have been gathered during his or her initial telephone call. Patients are impressed when you have this information available. It shows how well you have prepared for their visit. The doctor’s responsibility at the morning huddle is to have previously reviewed (the night before or before the huddle starts) every patient chart for the day and made written comments and suggestions. For example, you might want to note a patient needing a follow-up X-ray, or one who might need orthotic impressions. You might even want to make a note reminding yourself that on a previous visit, you made a strong recommendation for a surgical procedure. A lot of treatment dollars can be left on the table without this type of exercise. 3. Are there patients scheduled today who are chronically late or forgetful? The morning huddle is a good opportunity to review who should receive a courtesy call as an additional reminder. 44 APMA News January 2012 4. Quickly review the scheduled treatments on the doctor’s schedule. Fine-tune to be sure the flow is adequate. Where could the trouble spots be? Will you have to adjust the amount of time allotted for anyone’s appointment? 5. Are there any new policies in urgent need of modification? The morning huddle is a good time to disseminate that information so that time and money are not lost waiting for the monthly staff meeting. The doctor should not lead the huddle. I suggest you rotate leaders (daily or weekly) to give staff members an opportunity to refine their skills and present material from their own perspective. 6. Practicing medicine is only half of today’s battle. It’s tough to pay bills with high receivables. So it is crucial to review the copayments, deductibles, and patient balances to be collected that day. At this point in the meeting, it is also productive to share a quick report on the previous day’s production, collections, and percentage collected over the counter. 7. Over the years, I have found a number of ways to end the meeting on a high note. One is to assign the staff person who is in charge of leading the huddle the responsibility for telling a joke. The Internet is a great source for jokes. Just keep it clean! Sometimes what is a lot funnier than the actual joke is the person’s attempt to tell a joke. Ending the huddle in this way usually gets everyone smiling and laughing as they face the multiple challenges of another day at the office. There is no doubt that a well-run morning huddle sets the tone for a productive, profitable, and smoothly flowing day. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes. n Contact Dr. Guiliana at Jguiliana@aappm.org.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - January 2012

APMA News - January 2012
President’s Message
Contents
APMA Celebrates its Centennial
APMA by the Decade: 1912–1921
Updated List of Seal Holders
Paving the Path to Parity: A Look Back at 2011 State Advocacy Initiatives
2011 Podiatric Practice Survey: How Do Your Benefits Compare?
CAC-PIAC: The Only Constant in Health Care is Change
Reimbursement
Federal Advocacy Forum
APMAPAC Chair Report
IT Consultant
Can They Really Do That?
Website Wisdom
Technofile
Young Voices
Small Business 101
CPME Update
APMA All Stars
Awards Nominations
In Short
Worthy of Note
Resolutions Submissions
Affiliates Corner
List of Affiliated Organizations
Insurance Advisor
New Members
Death Notices
Annual Scientific Meeting Registration Form
Annual Scientific Meeting Sponsors
APMAPAC Update
Development Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions

APMA News - January 2012