Fam Pract Manag. 2013;20(3):44
Use your EHR to better prepare for appointments
If you have an electronic health record (EHR), review the day's appointments early and electronically set up the office visit as much as you can. For example, if you anticipate renewing a patient's medications or ordering a mammogram and a Pap smear for a physical, enter those orders ahead of time. This can be a time-saver. Just make sure you don't finalize the orders until the patient has actually come into the office.
Don't let injection supplies play hooky
If you give cortisone shots for various orthopedic conditions, consider keeping all of your supplies in one place. I have a fishing tackle box (bought at a local sporting goods store for about $10 several years ago) in which I keep alcohol pads, adhesive bandages, gauze, extra needles, syringes, a topical antiseptic, and vials of lidocaine and cortisone for injection. When it is time to give an injection, I just pick up my tackle box and have everything I need.
Recognize good and punctual performers
At our private group practice, we have instituted a successful, fun, and pragmatic merit program that has greatly enhanced employee attendance, decreased tardiness, and improved service metrics. We allocate points to physicians and staff members based on these measures as well as scores based on patient surveys, patient compliments, or input from employees. The highest-ranked physician and staff member are announced at a monthly department meeting. While the financial value of that recognition may not be high (a dinner coupon, gift certificate, or movie ticket), the accolades are highly sought and promote higher performance from everyone.
Use your technology powers for good, not evil
Communication technology, including email and social networking, can help managers keep a closer eye on their operations and maintain or improve efficiency. But it can also enable micromanagers to meddle even more in their employees' work, bringing down morale and hurting results.
Curious where you stand? Look at your last 100 emails, texts, LinkedIn postings, or other network communications and determine which messages could be considered management, mentoring, or micromanagement. Also ask whether you're using the technology to reduce trust in your workers or to improve your management style.
