Time Management Tips for the Medical Office Manager: Delegation

If you are managing a small- to medium-sized provider office, then you’re painfully familiar with the daily struggle to keep everything and everyone in line. These broad responsibilities probably include things like managing the patient-payer mix, staffing, provider schedules, patient relations, and accounting. It’s not easy; our hats are off to you!

Since you can’t clone yourself or run out the door, consider that taking steps to improve your time management skills can help you become a more effective leader. We understand how hard it is to see the forest through all those trees! One of the most common reasons that managers are drowning is because they can’t give up control. Let’s take a brief look at effective delegation techniques so that you can sleep a little easier at night and feel more refreshed in the morning ahead.

Delegation

Delegation is a delicate dance, and there are many leaders and managers that have a hard time with this. The pendulum can shift widely from over- to under-delegation. Finding the right balance is key. Turning over too many responsibilities will quickly burn out your staff, leaving them feeling overworked and underappreciated. Too little delegation means you’re trying to do it all, and this requires some careful self-reflection.

Ask yourself why you don’t trust your staff to handle tasks and responsibilities. Maybe you’re not giving them enough credit, or could it be that you need to find more competent staff? If you don’t turn over some control, you can’t be an effective leader and they will most-likely fill their time working on unimportant tasks. Lack of contribution breeds apathy, and they’ll start looking elsewhere for opportunities where they can grow and feel appreciated.

Effective delegation ensures that you as a manager don’t burn yourself out. It also shows that you trust your staff to take on more responsibilities. From the employees perspective, it can be very gratifying to work in a role that is challenging and contributes to a well-run office. Here are some general tips to help you delegate work tasks:

• Provide clear, detailed, and specific instructions that your staff can easily follow.
• Appropriately and regularly monitor progress - but avoid micromanaging.
• Set firm deadlines, due dates, and milestones for task completion.
• Give clear and honest feedback regularly to encourage and promote improvement.
• Promote two-way communication so your team feels comfortable voicing their own feedback on time management best practices.

Learn More Ways to Manage Your Own Time

We understand that managing your time effectively is not just nice to have, it’s a must! If you need a little help in this area, then you’ve come to the right place! Our latest Ebook on The Medical Office Manager's Guide to Time Management is hot off the press! We’re sharing tips from our instructors to help you manage your own, your staff's, and your provider's time. Stay ahead of the game. Click that link below to get your free Ebook now.