Your Key to Success
The primary function of the office manager is to accomplish the goals and purposes of the practice as determined by the owner of the practice. The OM should assist the owner in developing policies that forward the purpose of the business as a whole. It is the OM’s job to see to it that all members of the group are fully contributing to the expansion of the practice, and that a high level of communication exists between the group and the owner.
The OM should run the day to day activities of the office and keep the daily distractions off of the owner/doctor’s plate. This would be accomplished by ensuring that the OM, first of all, was trained in the handling of staff and felt comfortable with the hiring, training and correction of all staff members.
The OM should be a person who understands the importance of communication and the power that open communication can generate within any group. The OM should energetically lead the group toward accomplishment of the established goals. The OM should be someone with good communication abilities and someone who can really care for the staff.
The OM would ensure that all internal communication systems are strongly in place and operational, and that the staff is taking responsibility for keeping all unnecessary “traffic” from and within their own posts to a minimum.
To affect the above, the OM should have a strong working understanding of the management tools such as statistical management, the establishment of a communication system that really works for the office, written communications, job descriptions for each position, written policies for the practice, and personnel management.
The OM is in charge of seeing to it that all areas in the practice are running smoothly and producing the desired products of each respective area. This would require her/him to have an understanding of organizational structure and function. They would ensure that all functions in the organization were being firmly held by someone and that they were trained in the skilled handling of their assigned posts.
The OM should have a very strong working knowledge of statistics and their use in strengthening the practice. The OM would be in charge of posting statistics and going over those statistics with the staff in the staff meeting to determine the appropriate steps to take in order to improve, maintain, or increase practice production statistics.
It is the OM’s responsibility to obtain compliance from all staff in regard to the owner/doctor’s wishes and any program or project steps that are being worked on.
The OM would be responsible for the hiring and firing of personnel and for conducting performance evaluations on a regular basis with all staff.
The OM is responsible for the preperation and implementation of programs that would take the group through the needed steps toward the accomplishment of company plans.
These are the key objectives of the position of office manager:
- putting in and keeping in policies and job descriptions,
- training the staff on policy,
- monitoring the statistics of the office,
- ensuring a smooth and efficient patient and client flow, and
- creating an environment where clients feel that they will be competently cared for and where staff can work together as a team toward the expansion and prosperity of the practice.
The following are the end results of the office manager properly doing his/her job:
- an organization that is flourishing and prospering,
- a doctor who is only having to wear the “owner hat” and the “doctor hat,” and
- staff members who know their jobs and are thereby productive and are operating together as a team.
The statistics of the job that need to be kept are as follows:
- production (or services)
- collections (money in)
- new clients (brand new to the practice)
- office visits
- dollar value/office visits
Salary
An OM could initially expect to receive a salary based upon their training and experience. At the end of a three-month initial period, they could then qualify for a possible base pay increase and would also qualify for a bonus system they could earn bonuses based on the growth and stability of the practice, as agreed upon between the OM and the doctor.
Selecting an Office Manager
When considering placing someone in the position of OM, it is important to look at the ambitions of the group, and ensure that your OM could be a true leader in such a group. Here is the kind of person that you want to look for:
- someone who would consider the ideals and ethics of the business,
- someone who would be a creative and constructive assistant for the owner toward the achievement of the goals of the group and assist the owner in determining how these ventures could be executed.
- someone who has determined for his/herself that the stated goals and purposes of the owner aligned with their own goals and purposes.
It is obvious that a dedicated and well-trained OM would be worth his/her weight in gold to a doctor who is striving to achieve the realization of his dreams for the practice.