Efficiency: The Key to a Successful Practice
If you’re working as a medical professional, you understand the importance of getting the details right. In medicine and in business, correcting small issues can have a much larger impact than expected. And while it may be easy to recognize these issues when you’re treating a patient, running your business efficiently is far different. So if you’re looking for ways to increase efficiency in your practice, SmileMakers has compiled a list of four simple management solutions that can be implemented immediately.
1. Create a Phone Call Script and Host a Training Day
In most medical practices, the Q&A section of a phone call can eat away at valuable time for the front desk. Especially with new or inexperienced staff, the phone answering process can be painfully slow. Writing preset responses to questions may take up a chunk of time in the short term, but it will pay off exponentially in the long run. Just like an FAQ section on a website, your script will help answer the most commonly asked questions and provide effective follow-up questions to help patients get the answers they need and schedule the treatments that they need. As effective as a call script can be, nothing substitutes a full training day. With new staff or increased services, giving your front office staff a full day of training, whether facilitated by you, a long-term staff member, or a professional, will ensure that they feel confident answering any question and can represent your practice professionally.
2. Go Paperless
As almost every industry is going digital, there’s no reason to remain reliant on paper and ink. Patients are more than happy to receive their information via email or text, and digital record-keeping has become far more efficient than storing physical documents. Using both systems is quickly becoming unnecessary, and it’s not a difficult switch, either. Hard copy documents like new patient forms or patient records can all be filled out online. This allows your patients to submit their information on their own time, putting less pressure on your staff. You may even surprise yourself with how much money you save on ink and printer costs.
3. Answer as Much as You Can Online
With almost 75% of internet users looking online for their healthcare information, the value of a good website cannot be understated. Not only will a strong website help promote your practice digitally, it should also provide answers for new and returning patients. Take note of the most common questions asked about your practice and be sure to have them as prepared answers on the site. This can take the form of an FAQ section, but many common questions surrounding treatments and contact info deserve their own page. By having all the information available online, you’re relieving some of the burden from your front office. This will allow them to focus on bookings, invoicing, and customer service. It will also help your patients feel more confident coming in for their treatment, as they’ll have had access to all the information that they desired beforehand.
4. Use EDI Software
When looking at the front-end of your practice, what processes take up the largest portion of your time? For most practices, the answers are appointment booking, patient invoices, stock orders, and checking patient claims. There are many tools that can help deal with these issues, but almost all of them work through an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). EDI is used to securely transfer and process information that previously was submitted in person. An effective EDI can synchronize with your current Practice Management System (PMS) to help with claim filing, eligibility and benefit confirmations, and patient records. Even smaller businesses that cannot afford high-end PMS can still pair cheaper alternatives like Direct Data Entry (DDE) with EDI technology. Depending on needs, EDI can help solve everything from online payments to form submissions. If you’re looking for efficiency in your front office, EDI is a great place to start.
One of the most overlooked features of a strong EDI system is its ability to expedite the ordering process. By tracking your stock digitally, you’ll know exactly when you need to place a new order and EDI can help make that order in minutes, if the company you’re ordering from is EDI compatible. At SmileMakers, we’re dedicated to creating an easy shopping experience for our customer, which is why we have EDI specialists to help you manage your order. If you have any other questions regarding our EDI compatibility or the ordering process, contact us at [email protected] or take a look through our FAQ section.
Curious about what you can order through EDI?
The short answer is - everything! From stickers to toys to bandages and tongue depressors, all of SmileMakers products are available for order via EDI. It’s quick and easy!
