1. Management of the Medical Office
Chapter 10
Management of the Medical Office
Chapter 10: Management of the Medical Office
Comprehensive Medical Assisting, 3rd Ed Unit Two: Fundamentals of Administrative Medical Assisting

2. Overview This presentation will discuss:
Organizational Structure of the Medical Office
Traits of the Medical Office Manager
Responsibilities of the Medical Manager
Risk Management
Quality Improvement Programs
This presentation will discuss:
The organizational structure of the medical office,
traits of the medical office manager,
responsibilities of the medical manager,
risk management, and
quality improvement programs.

3. Organizational Structure
The organizational structure of a medical office is as follows:
Physician and/or
partners in the practice
Physician’s
Assistant
Practice
Administrator
Nurse
Practitioner
Clinical
Supervisor
Office
Manager
The organizational structure of a medical office is as follows:
The three people who report directly to the physican and/or the partners in the practice are the physician’s assistant, the nurse practitioner, and the practice administrator.
The two people who report to the practice administator are the clinical supervisor and the office manager.
The clinical supervisor oversees the certified medical assistant, the registered medical assistant, and the licensed practical nurse.
The office manager oversees all administrative personnel.
Certified
Medical
Assistant
Registered
Medical
Assistant
Licensed
Practical
Nurse
All
Administrative
Personnel

4. Traits of the Medical Office Manager
A continuous learner
A resource
Able to see
the big picture
Well-organized
Must be multi-skilled and multi-talented
Supportive
of management
Flexible
A medical office manager must be multi-skilled and mult-talented.
Other traits include:
Flexible
A good communicator
A good role model
A resource
Supportive of management
Well-organized
Able to focus
Able to resolve conflicts
Able to see the big picture
A continuous learner
Able to resolve
conflicts
A good role model
A good communicator
Able to focus

5. Responsibilities of the Medical Manager
Communication
Staffing Issues
Policy and Procedural Manuals
Developing Promotional Materials
Financial Concerns
Office Maintenance
The responsibilities of the medical manager are:
- Communication
- Staffing Issues
Policy and Procedural Manuals
Developing Promotional Materials
Financial Concerns
Office Maintenance
Management of Inventory and Supplies
Service Contracts
Education
Management of Inventory and Supplies
Service Contracts
Education

6. Responsibilities of the Medical Manager
Communication with…
Patients
Staff
Staff meetings
Bulletin boards
Communication notebooks
Resolve problems and alleviate negative feelings
The Medical Manager must be able to communicate well with:
Patients to resolve problems and alleviate negative feelings.
Staff by holding staff meetings, using bulletins to post information, implementing communication notebooks, and communicating via .
When it comes to staffing, the Medical Manager is involved in:
- Writing job descriptions
- Hiring and interviewing employees
- Taking disciplinary action
- Terminating employees
- Scheduling.
Staffing Issues
Writing job descriptions
Hiring and interviewing employees
Taking disciplinary action
Terminating employees
Scheduling

7. and Procedural Manuals
Responsibilities of the Medical Manager
Policy and Procedural Manuals ensure…
Consistency
Legality
Professionalism
Mission statement
A philosophical look
Organizational chart and HR policies
Define staff responsibilities, benefits, and rules
Quality improvement and risk management procedures
Define how problems are handled and avoided
Clinical and administrative procedures
Define the facility’s everyday practices
Infection control
May be broken out as a distinct manual
Policy and procedural manuals esure consistency, legality, and professionalism.
Different types of policies and procedural manuals address certain topics:
A mission statement that provides a philosophical look at how the medical office is run;
An organizational chart and HR policies that define staff responsibilities, benefits and rules;
Quality improvement and risk management procedures that define how problems are to be handled and avoided;
Clinical and administrative procedures that define the facility’s everday practices;
Infection control may be broken out as a distinct manual.
Types of Policies
and Procedural Manuals

8. Responsibilities of the Medical Manager
Developing Promotional Materials
Educational materials for patients
Practice brochures and newsletters
Holiday and birthday cards to patients
Yellow pages listings and direct mail ads
Business cards and stationery
PATIENT
Developing promotional materials can include:
Providing educational materials for patients,
Creating practice brochures and newsletters,
Sending holiday and birthday cards to patients,
Creating yellow pages listings and direct mail ads,
Ordering business cards and stationery.
FAQ

9. Monitor performance and cost effectiveness
Responsibilities of the Medical Manager
Financial Concerns
Management of
Inventory and Supplies
Payroll
Draft and monitor budgets
to promote planning, cost
consciousness, communication,
and financial effectiveness
Operating budget
Capital budget
Decide who monitors and orders
clinical and administrative
supplies
Establish a tickler file to ensure
timely delivery
Establish policies to coordinate
intake and accounting
The medical manager handles financial concerns such as:
Payroll
Drafting and monitoring budgets to promote planning, cost consciousness, communication, and financial effectiveness. Budgets include an operating budget and a capital budget.
Management of inventory and supplies includes:
Deciding who monitors and orders clinical and administrative supplies,
Establishing a tickler file to ensure timely delivery, and
Establishing policies to coordinate intake and accounting.
The medical manager must also maintain the office for cleanliness, safety, efficiency, organization, and attractiveness to the staff and patients.
Service contracts must be negotiated while monitoring performance and evaluating cost effectiveness.
Office Maintenance
Service Contracts
For cleanliness, safety, efficiency, organization, and attractiveness to the staff and patients
Monitor performance and cost effectiveness

10. Provide staff policies and resources
Responsibilities of the Medical Manager
Education of…
Staff
Patients
Manager
POLICY
The medical manager must ensure the education of:
STAFF to
Maintain credentials,
Ensure competence and compliance, and
Increase staff productivity and pride.
PATIENTS to provide staff policies and resources.
Lastly, MANAGERS, must maintain and enhance their sklls and stay abreast of change.
Maintain credentials
Ensure competence and
compliance
Increase staff
productivity and pride
Maintain and enhance
your skills
Stay abreast of change
Provide staff policies and resources

11. Risk Management
Identify problems before they cause injury to:
Patients
Staff
Visitors
Minimize or completely eliminate:
Environmental dangers
Inadequate precautions
Human error
When it comes to risk management, the medical manager must:
Identify problems before they cause injury to patients, staff, or visitors;
Minimize or completely eliminate environmental dangers, inadequate precautions, or human error;
Obtain liability insurance to protect against financial loss from professional malpractice or general business negligence.
Liability insurance protects the practice against financial loss from:
Professional malpractice
General business negligence

12. Document untoward events.
Risk Management
Document untoward events.
Complete a report for any instance of:
(within 24 hours if possible)
Accident
Error
Near-miss
File the report in an incident file.
Not in the patient’s chart.
INCIDENT FILE
Trend reports regularly to discover patterns of
incidents and problems
REPORT
Document any untoward events.
Step 1) Complete a report for any instance of accident, error, or near-miss. Try to do this within 24 hours of the instance.
Step 2) Include all pertinent facts. Leave no blanks, instead, enter “N/A” for “Not Appliable.”
Step 3) File the report in an incident file and NOT in the patient’s chart.
Trend reports regularly to discover patterns of incidents and problems.
Include all pertinent facts.
Leave no blanks.
Enter “N/A.”
PATIENT’S CHART

13. Quality Improvement Programs
Regulatory Agencies
OSHA
Occupational Safety & Health Administration
JCAHO
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
Sets standards of practice
and accredits compliant
organizations
Compliance is voluntary
Issues rules to protect staff
Compliance is mandatory
Certain agencies have been established to help regulate Quality Improvement Programs.
OSHA issues rules to protect staff. Compliance is mandatory.
The JCAHO sets standards of practice and accredits compliant organizations. Compliance is voluntary.
CMS monitors CLIA and HIPAA compliance. Compliance is mandatory.
The state health departments oversee state licensing requirements. Compliance is mandatory.
CMS
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
State Health Departments
Monitors CLIA and HIPAA
compliance
Compliance is mandatory
Oversee state licensing
requirements
Compliance is mandatory

14. Quality Improvement Programs
Developing a Quality Improvement Program
Identify the problem
or potential problem.
Establish a monitoring plan
including source, frequency,
and agent.
Obtain
feedback.
Form a task force.
Implement the
best solutions.
Here are the steps to developing a quality improvement program:
Identify the problem or potential problem.
Form a task force.
Assign an “expected threshold” or realistic goal.
Explore the problem and possible solutions.
Implement the best solutions.
Establish a monitoring plan including source, frequency, and agent.
Lastly, obtain feedback to measure how effective the solution was.
Assign an
“expected threshold”
(realistic goal).
Explore the problem
and possible solutions.

15. Quality Improvement Programs
Putting It All Together: A Case Review
BEFORE
The task force identifies these problems and solutions:
PROBLEM
SOLUTION
Place more labels and pre-print for expected needs
Too few labels
AFTER
Let’s consider this case. The graph shows that from January to April, office traffic is most heavy on Mondays and Fridays.
The task force identifies three problems and a solution for each:
Problem #1: There are too few labels.
Solution: Place more labels and pre-print for expected needs.
Problem #2: There is high volume on Monday and Friday afternoons.
Solution: Shift the assistants’ hours for more coverage at those times.
Problem #3: Lack of knowledge amongst staff.
Solution: Bring in a lab rep for a staff in-service.
This next graph shows that upon implementing the solutions, office traffic has calmed down by July.
Shift the assistants’ hours for more coverage at peak times
High volume Monday and Friday pm
Bring in a lab rep for a staff in-service
Lack of knowledge

16. End of Presentation
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