| Your day might not be anything like what I've | | | | accountant is coming for her quarterly visit today and |
| described below, but the point of the post is to | | | | you don't have everything ready. |
| suggest that most administrators put out fires all day | | | | You realize lunch is out for today, grab a soft drink |
| long and juggle meetings, email, and employee and | | | | from the break room, grab a packet of crackers |
| physician issues and have very little time for planning | | | | from your drawer and review your email. You've |
| and thinking. Depending on how long you've been | | | | been advertising on craigslist for a medical records |
| with your current group, how well trained your staff | | | | clerk and you take a quick look at the responses |
| are, and how many supervisors you have working | | | | you've gotten and see there are two that look like |
| with you, you might have a much easier day than | | | | they have possibilities. You call both candidates and |
| described below, or a much harder one! | | | | leave messages that you'd like to speak with them |
| 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. | | | | about the position. |
| An employee calls you at home before 7 a.m. to say | | | | You get the rest of the information together for the |
| they will not be in. You check the schedule to see | | | | accountant and clear a space at the desk where she |
| how staff can be re-arranged to cover all needs. | | | | works when she comes. |
| 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. | | | | 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. |
| As you arrive, two employees have been waiting for | | | | The accountant arrives and starts working, and you |
| you and have things to discuss with you - one wants | | | | know you'll need to stay close to answer any |
| to reschedule her vacation for the third time and the | | | | questions she has. |
| other wants information on FMLA (Family Medical | | | | You start working on the reports that the physician |
| Leave Act.) You tell the first you'll look at the | | | | has asked for. |
| schedule and get back to her and hand the second a | | | | You call your EMR project manager but get his voice |
| packet of info on FMLA to review. | | | | mail and leave a message. You call the payer and ask |
| You check your schedule and note that Nurse's Day | | | | for a list of the charts needed for the chart review |
| is coming up soon and you need to make plans to | | | | with a request letter detailing the type of audit. |
| celebrate their day. | | | | You start reviewing the report from the benefits |
| You check your email and see that your state | | | | broker to see where you might be able to change |
| listserv has some interesting information that you | | | | other benefits to afford to continue the same health |
| forward to your billing manager, asking her to look | | | | insurance plan. |
| into the issue and tell you if it applies to your | | | | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. |
| practice. | | | | One of the medical record candidates calls back and |
| 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. | | | | you talk with her at length, then invite her to |
| You handle a patient complaint. You round on | | | | interview with you in two days. |
| everyone in the practice, checking to make sure | | | | You review the staff vacation schedule to see if you |
| everyone has what they need and checking on their | | | | can change the schedule for the employee who has |
| weekends. On your way back to your office, a nurse | | | | changed her mind about her dates. |
| mentions that the exam rooms are not being cleaned | | | | You round on everyone in the practice again, |
| as thoroughly as they should be; you make a mental | | | | checking to see that everyone got a lunch and that |
| note to speak with the cleaning company. | | | | things are running smoothly. |
| Your 9:30 a.m. meeting is with a broker who has | | | | When you return from the bathroom you have five |
| some quotes to share with you in anticipation of | | | | voice mails (!), one of them the EMR project |
| your June 30 benefits year-end. Your senior physician | | | | manager calling you back again. |
| has asked that the group consider cutting benefits | | | | 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. |
| this year if health insurance rates go up again. | | | | Your billing manager arrives for her standing weekly |
| You listen to several voice mail messages that came | | | | meeting and reviews the previous week's dashboard |
| in while you were meeting with the benefits broker. | | | | numbers for charges, receipts, write-offs and |
| The first is your EMR project manager calling to say | | | | accounts sent to collections. She tells you that one of |
| your go-live date might need to be changed; please | | | | the check posters has noticed that a payer is not |
| call him back. Another is a payer asking to schedule a | | | | adhering to the contract on payments. The manager |
| chart audit sometime in the next three weeks. | | | | wants to know what to do about it. You ask her to |
| 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. | | | | track back the payments and identify exactly when |
| A physician lets you know that she's using the last of | | | | the payments started going off-schedule. You call the |
| the Rx pads - could you order some more ASAP? | | | | payer representative and ask for a meeting later this |
| It is payroll week and you spend most of the hour | | | | week. |
| finishing the payroll and checking with the four | | | | You receive a call back from the second medical |
| employees whose payroll record is missing a punch. | | | | records candidate and after speaking with her on the |
| You send the payroll file out and move money into | | | | phone, you decide not to invite her to interview. |
| the payroll account, checking the bank balance and | | | | The employee asking about FMLA stops by and |
| noting the Electronic Funds Transfer that came in | | | | makes an appointment to speak with you tomorrow |
| since you checked it on Friday. | | | | morning. She tells you that her mother is ill and she |
| 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | | | | will need to miss work to care for her intermittently. |
| You meet with a physician who has concerns about | | | | The cleaning crew arrives and you walk through |
| the compensation schedule. He asks for a report | | | | several exam rooms with them, talking about the |
| showing his charges, receipts and work RVUs by | | | | level of cleanliness that is required. You make a |
| month for the past two years. | | | | mental note to touch base with the nurse who is |
| You receive your mail, put bills in the to-be-paid file | | | | monitoring the rooms and see if there is |
| and note that an employee that you terminated is | | | | improvement in a few days. |
| appealing her unemployment denial and there will be a | | | | You check your email, straighten your desk surface, |
| hearing next week. | | | | notice the to-do list you started the day with that |
| You call your printer and put a rush order on Rx | | | | has nothing crossed off. You add two more things to |
| pads. | | | | the list, turn off the lights, and leave the office. |
| 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | | | | There's always tomorrow. |
| You look at your calendar and remember the | | | | |