Practice managers are champions when it comes to multitasking! There are admin and management tasks to look after, clinicians to support, patients to cater to, team members to supervise, and the list goes on! With all these aspects and responsibilities resting with one person, the role can be more stressful than initially expected, particularly in peak periods when everyone wants and needs a piece of you!
And every day is different for a practice manager, making it difficult to feel like you’re progressing across all areas and in the directions you want. So if you’re new to the role or maybe just looking for some ideas to add to your arsenal, we’ve collated some essential practice management tips to help you succeed in your role 😊
If you’re a healthcare business owner or practice manager looking to generate a PM position description, check out our article, “Practice Managers – Defining an Undefinable Role.”
Role-specific Knowledge
Whether you’ve developed your expertise through courses and study, practical experience, or a combination of both, most PM tasks require familiarity with the healthcare environment and broader management knowledge. Some pointers to help you stay abreast are:
Read through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items relevant to your clinicians for up-to-date information and to help determine which items apply to which services. It’s also good to skim over the monthly item number update information, plus you can subscribe to get updates about particular items of interest.
Subscribe to medical/practice/management website updates/newsletters to maintain current knowledge of standards, resources and requirements. Some suggestions are your local PHN, AusDoc, the Australian Digital Health Agency, Fair Work Australia, ATO, WorkSafe, State and Federal Government small business organisations, the RACGP, those specific to your practice speciality/college, etc.
Become a member of the Australian Association of Practice Management (AAPM) with individual or practice membership. You’ll access various benefits, including networking opportunities, discounts for events and webinars, and access to resources and education relevant to your role.
Implement organisational strategies like checklists, diarising regular tasks and calendar items, and setting reminders to help keep you on top of your responsibilities and put you more in control of your workload. This includes things like monitoring Medicare exceptions, cash flow, clinician appointment schedules, regular review of debtors, team and individual meetings etc. To identify your regular commitments amidst the busyness, it can help to start with a review of your position description and your tasks and emails over the last couple of weeks.
Professional Development
There’s always room for improvement and expansion when it comes to your professional development and role proficiency…
Here are some ideas to consider, to keep yourself learning and growing:
Identify the areas in which you’d like to develop your skills and knowledge, then look for applicable:
Online forums;
Webinars & online resources;
Courses & workshops; and
Formal qualifications.
Find a coach or mentor you click with, who understands your goals from the relationship and can help you achieve them. You may find that over time you’ll benefit from new/additional relationships and arrangements, and you can be the person providing the support, which will extend your skills and depth of knowledge even more and bring lots of satisfaction! If you can’t find a mentor, an option is to apply for the AAPM Mentoring Program.
Network with other healthcare practice managers. Having and supporting others in your field can create valuable and reassuring relationships. You can also join online communities, such as practice manager Facebook groups.
Ask questions – of everyone! You may feel nervous asking questions, but the saying rings true: ‘There’s no such thing as a silly question’. When you encounter something you’re unsure of and need help, guidance, or training, ask your clinicians, colleagues, suppliers, etc. You’re supporting others, so remember that they can also support you in their areas of knowledge.
Remind yourself that it’s okay if you don’t complete everything on your task list each day! There’s so much work that goes into practice management, and there are often times when you need to reprioritise, plus many of your team members won’t realise the full extent of what’s on your plate. Communicate with the applicable people about where you’re up to on the items relevant to them and put boundaries in place if needed to alleviate pressure.
If there’s something you can’t give a definite answer to straight away, let people know when you’ll get back to them and allow yourself time to source the information you need. We all want to perform at our best, which is hard to accomplish if you’re constantly working to complete tasks and find solutions in highly stressful environments.
Building a Great Team for Mutual Support
Committing time and energy to build the culture of your team and practice will serve many purposes, including increasing team member satisfaction and efficiency, improving the service provided to your patients, and creating a positive workplace atmosphere. Personal leadership skill development is always a work in progress, and the following are some suggestions to help you nurture the environment you’re aspiring to create:
Empower your team members, and get to know them individually. Once you know what drives them and their current skill set, you can support and motivate them and boost their morale by providing opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills.
Mind your manners 😊. Make a point of thanking your team members when they do a great job and provide constructive criticism when there’s room for improvement.
Invite team members to provide you with feedback and constructive criticism.
To ensure that you can support them, ask your team members to explain and demonstrate their roles. Pay attention to their tasks, respect their methods, ask questions, and explore with them whether there are opportunities to improve systems and procedures.
Communicate with your entire team about any issues they’re experiencing, changes coming up, etc. Some practices use a communication book, group emails or tasks/messages through their clinical software. Whatever method you use, ensuring all team members get the same information and are on top will help avoid many potential issues.
Having an ‘open door’ policy helps to develop your team’s trust in you and the likelihood that they’ll come to you about any issues they’re experiencing inside or outside the work environment.
Organise team-building activities and events. This can be social catchups outside work hours or lunch breaks. With the rapport that develops, you’ll increase communication, encourage creativity, and improve your team members' problem-solving skills.Cherish and empower your team members, and get to know them as individuals. Once you know what drives them and where their current skillset is at, you can support and motivate them, and boost their morale by giving them opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills.
Finally, if this is a new role, take your time settling in - you’ll be learning for the rest of your life! And strive from the outset to maintain a good balance between meeting your responsibilities and maintaining your mental health. This will help you maintain a positive approach and create an environment in which everybody can thrive.
The Augmentum team provides a broad range of consultancy and management services, supporting healthcare business owners and decision-makers in key areas, such as strategy development and action planning, building effective foundations and teams, keeping your finger on the pulse, and driving growth and success.
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