Maintaining an efficient office should be one of your top priorities going into 2022. Or, in some cases, improving the workflow may be your goal instead. To assist, we have gathered up some of the most common ways that offices may be falling short and some solutions.
- Have your current COVID policies clearly posted in a place the patient can see, such as the first door they enter, and also send the information before the appointment. Many offices are also having patients sign a form that confirms they are aware of the potential risks to being in close proximity with others. This helps your overall transparency with patients.
- Check in every patient as they arrive and have a list for the front staff to go through. Essentially, they need to make sure they have the complete, updated information such as insurance, address, and additional contact information. Maintaining up to date info helps the billers out and also ensures the office can contact the patient if need be.
- Keep the waiting room clean and be aware of when a patient arrived, when their appointment is, and how long they’ve been waiting.
- Continue to offer telehealth services. As COVID variants continue to evolve, patients may either find themselves needing to quarantine or prefer virtual appointments for the convenience. However, be sure your software is still up for the challenge. Has there been issues with scheduling in-person and telehealth appointments? Is your video chatting system safe and private? Is your wifi fast enough to handle multiple video calls at once? There may be a few upgrades your clinic needs going into the new year.
- With a new year comes the time again for yearly training. If you haven’t already, go over the processes and revenue from 2021 for evaluation. Are there areas that can be improved and streamlined? Has the staff asked for better support in areas or for more training? It’s important to be open to communication with all employees as they encounter different parts of the clinic on a regular basis.
- Focus on your revenue cycle and how you want it to improve in 2022. While billing does take charge of gathering those payments, the process needs supports from all levels of the office.
If your providers and staff are struggling, then give them some extra support in 2022. The experts at Outsource Receivables Inc. can complete your billing, evaluate your digital systems, and help improve your administrative tasks.