The front desk is your patient’s first impression, and whether it’s checking in a patient, verifying insurance, or scheduling an appointment, how things are handled can make or break a patient’s experience. Because there’s a great deal of pressure for such activities to run smoothly, medical office staff must be equipped with the right training and support to deliver exceptional service. Here are just a few tips from our CMOM course for practice managers to consider implementing at the front desk.

Topics: medical office, medical office manager topics, medical office staff, medical office training

In a time where medical practices and hospitals continue to experience staff shortages, it is more important than ever to cultivate and embrace your team. Leading an engaged, productive, and happy team is a hallmark of a successful medical office manager. It's also one of the biggest practice management challenges. So where do you begin? Read on for some tips to lead a great medical office team.

Topics: Practice management, medical office manager topics, medical practice issues

Last November, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2023 Medicare Physician Payment Schedule (MPS) and Quality Payment Program (QPP) final rule that impacts payments for physicians and other healthcare practitioners. The agency said it remains committed to promoting more meaningful participation in the Quality Payment Program for clinicians and to creating policies that continue to drive value and improved health outcomes for patients.

Topics: quality assurance, patient satisfaction, value-based care, Care Management

You are thinking about the busy workday ahead as your car inches forward in heavy morning traffic. An incoming call from the medical office building manager changes the trajectory of your day. Downed power lines from a heavy storm have forced the offices to close indefinitely. Water has seeped into the building. Now your thoughts shift to the patient load for the week, in-office procedures scheduled for the day, and communicating with staff heading into the office. How can you address the closure, property damage, system outages, and other unknown perils as quickly as possible?

Topics: CMOM, medical office manager topics, medical office compliance, workplace violence, leadership, workplace safety, Crisis Leadership

Pain management treatments are primarily performed by an interventional pain management specialist, physiatrist, anesthesiologist, orthopedic surgeon, or neurosurgeon, and can include physical or occupational therapy, over-the-counter or prescription medication, neurostimulators, and injections.

Topics: medical billing, Pain Management, medical coding, patient billing, medical office training

Putting on the dreaded collections hat is a necessary evil that every medical office can relate to. You can run a tight ship, doing your very best to collect payments at the time of service, but because of the complexities of medical billing and emergent situations, there will always be times when collecting every patient's payment is an impossibility. Documenting best strategies for more expeditious patient payment practices will help the team get it done.

Topics: medical billing

The 2022 edition of the Medical Group Management Association's MGMA DataDive Cost and Revenue Report indicates the pandemic has sparked an overall downturn in healthcare productivity, increased operating costs, staffing shortages, and inflation. One positive shift noted was an increase in patient portal use. There's a lot of ground to gain in 2023. Seeking out efficiencies has never been more important. 

Topics: CMOM, Certified Medical Office Manager, medical office, medical office manager topics, cmom certification

Healthcare jobs are always in demand, and administrative positions are booming. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics cites that the employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 32 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Now is a great time to prepare for a career leap.

 

Earning a credential like the Certified Medical Office Manager means gaining more expertise, leveling up your career, and ultimately, making more $$$. If you love working in the non-clinical side of healthcare and want to take on a leadership role, studying to become certified is a step in the right direction. But, how do you know if you're ready to make the leap into CMOM? Take the assessment to find out.

 

Topics: Practice management, medical practice benchmarking, cmom certification, cmom assessment

One of the most popular training and certification programs PMI offers is the Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM)(R). This curriculum helps office managers take charge of their practice, better manage risk, motivate employees, and improve the financial outlook in a medical office.

Topics: CMOM, PMI Certification, medical office certification, Certified Medical Office Manager

As medical practices bounce back from the pandemic, many are finding it challenging to recruit and hire great employees, including front desk staff. Don't put this off! It takes time to find the right fit, and as patient flow picks up, you need to be ready!  Here are some recruitment best practices for Medical Office Managers to help you attract the best talent.

Topics: Practice management, CMOM, Certified Medical Office Manager, medical office, medical office manager topics, medical practice issues, staff recruiting

Creating and maintaining an employee manual is a vital management responsibility; it can also be one of the most frustrating tasks to confront. In this article, we provide you with 10 guidelines, policies, and issues to cover in your employee manual. Use this information as needed to protect your physician, employee, and practice.

Topics: medical office, medical office manager topics, administrative burdens

With high turnover and staff burnout sweeping the healthcare industry, medical practices have sped up and expanded their recruiting efforts, hoping to secure the right team for the long term. If you’re a medical office manager that’s caught in this hiring whirlwind, you’ll want to follow these best practices to ensure you’re not only attracting motivated candidates but also selecting the most qualified, patient-focused members for your team.

Topics: medical office, medical office manager topics, medical practice issues, medical office staff, staff recruiting, personnel management

By now, every medical practice leader in the nation has completed the "school of hard knocks" apprenticeship in Crisis Management, compliments of COVID-19. Hopefully, most have made it through unscathed and learned a lot in the process. Now that the pandemic waves appear to be subsiding, some medical office managers may be wondering whether to relax protocols and get back to pre-pandemic normalcy, stay on course, or prepare for new possible threats. The answers will present themselves in due time. 

Topics: medical office compliance, workplace violence, emergency preparedness, Opioid Addiction, medical office leadership, personnel management, Practice safety

Here at PMI, we receive a lot of questions from prospective students about the Certified Medical Office Manager course and exam. They want to know things like how much experience and knowledge is needed to begin the course and tips on how to study for and pass the exam. So, we asked PMI faculty member, Linda D’Spain, to address some common questions about the certification course. 

Topics: Practice management, CMOM, PMI Certification, medical office certification, Certified Medical Office Manager

Whether you are new to Practice Management Institute, a certified professional, enrolled in, or inquired about medical office training, you have probably interacted with Kathleen Riexinger at some point. She has worked with PMI for two decades and recently received a well-deserved promotion to Director of Student Experience. She chose the new title, said PMI President/CEO David T. Womack, and it fits her to a tee.

Topics: Practice management, medical office manager topics, medical practice issues, medical office staff, administrative burdens, medical office leadership, medicare compliance