A Career In Health Care Administration: What Does A Medical Administrator Do?
Whether the title is manager, medical office manager, medical office manager, administrator, office administrator, chief executive officer, office manager, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, director, division manager, department manager, or any combination Of these, with a few exceptions, people who manage medical practices do some combination of the responsibilities listed here or manage the people who do.
Human Resources: Hire, fire, advise, discipline, evaluate, train, guide, train, advise and schedule staff. Buy, trade and manage benefits. Develop, maintain, and administer personnel policies, wellness programs, salary scales, and job descriptions. Resolve conflicts. Maintain personal files. Document Worker’s Compensation injuries. Answer unemployment inquiries. Recognize happy events and sad events in practice and in the lives of employees. Stay late to listen to someone who needs to talk.
Facilities and Machinery: Buy, negotiate, recommend and maintain buildings or suites, telephones, portable dictation devices, photocopiers, computers, pagers, furniture, scanners, postal machines, sample refrigerators, injection refrigerators, patient snack refrigerators, lunch refrigerators staff, medical equipment, printers, coffee makers, alarm systems, signaling and cell phones.
Management of orders and expenses– Buy, negotiate and recommend providers of medical consumables, office supplies, kitchen supplies, magazines, printed forms, business insurance and malpractice insurance, as well as services such as transcription, X-ray readings/overreadings, consultants, CPAs, attorneys , lawn and snow service, benefits managers, answering service, water service, courier service, plant service, housekeeping service, aquarium service, linen service, biohazardous waste removal, shredding service, external storage and catering services.
Legal: Comply with all local, state, and federal laws and guidelines, including OSHA, ADA, EOE, FMLA, CLIA, COLA, JCAHO, FACTA, HIPAA, Stark I, II, and III, fire safety, bumper cars and defibrillators, communication disaster, sexual harassment, universal precautions, MSDS hazards, confidentiality, security and privacy, and provide staff with documentation and training in this regard. Make sure all clinical staff are up to date with licensing and CPR. Have procedures for inactivity due to loss of computer accessibility. Make sure risk management policies are followed. Alert the malpractice company immediately to any potential liability issues. Make sure medical records are properly stored and disclosed.
Accounting: Pay bills, prepare payroll, prepare compensation schedules for physicians, prepare and pay taxes, prepare budgets and monthly variance reports, make deposits, reconcile bank statements, reconcile business accounts, prepare profit and loss statements, prepare reimbursements for payers and patients , and file lots and lots of paperwork.
Billing, Claims and Accounts Receivable: Perform eligibility searches on all scheduled patients. Make sure all dictation is complete and all encounters (office, hospital, nursing home, ASC, satellite office, home visits, and legal work (depositions, etc.) are uploaded and all payments, denials, and adjustments are recorded within Transmit electronic claims daily Send patient statements daily or weekly Negotiate contracts with payers and ensure payers meet contract terms Appeal denials Have staff collect deductibles , copays, and coinsurance, and have financial counselors meet with patients to schedule surgery, those with an outstanding balance, or those patients with high deductibles or health care savings plans Make sure the scheduling staff knows which payers the practice does not contract with Liaison with billing service if billing is outsourced Accreditation of care providers with all payers Perform internal compliance audits Load new RBRVS, new CPT, and new ICD-9 values annually Run monthly reports for physician production, old accounts receivable, net collection percentage, and RVU cost and collection. Attach the codes corresponding to e-prescribing and PQRI claims. Have a plan for receiving letters from the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC). Make friends and meet regularly with the vendor representatives of your major contributors.
Marketing: Introduce new doctors, new locations, and new services to the community. Recommend sponsorship of appropriate charities, sports, and events in the community. Recommend sponsorship of patient support groups and keep doctors speaking and appearing at events. Thank patients for referring other patients. Follow-up of referral sources. Recommend the use of yellow pages, billboards, radio, television, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, newsletters, email, website, blog, and other social media. Prepare press releases about practice events and physician awards and activities. Recommend practicing physicians for television health advertisements.
Strategic planning: Prepare ROI (return on investment) and forms for new doctors, new services and new locations. Forecast the potential effect of Medicare cuts, bargaining contracts, or overreliance on one payer. Discuss 5-year plans for capital expenditures such as EMR, ancillary services, physician recruitment, and replacement equipment. Explore outsourcing of office functions or telecommuting of staff. Always look for technology that can make the practice more efficient or productive.
Daily operations: Go through the practice rounds at least twice a day to observe and be available for questions. Arranging temporary staff or rearranging staff schedules due to shortages, meeting or speaking with patients with complaints, and meeting with providers, physicians, and staff. Open the mail and recycle most of it. Unplug the toilet(s).
Stay up to date on health care: Attend continuing education sessions through face-to-face lectures, webinars, podcasts, and online classes. Maintain membership in professional organizations. Get certified in medical practice management. Network with colleagues from the community and from the same specialty. Get involved on listservs, LinkedIn and Twitter.
What did I leave out? Have lunch?