Office Management 101
Office Management 101 is an isometric business simulator envisioned in the image of tycoon classics. Poking fun at the corporate world, the game features quirky characters, slapstick humor, and unexpected events in a cheerful and detailed capitalist dystopia. As the CEO of a fresh consumer electronics company you must hire employees, design your office and turn your humble firm into a ruthless money-making machine. A deep system of employee productivity and social interactions combined with procedural generation allows a variety of playstyles. You are the boss now! KEY FEATURES:
Office Management 101
Computer and Systems Skills: This is a wide-ranging and important attribute. Your office manager needs to master your dental practice management software as well as understand financial principles, procedures for filing insurance claims, and running your marketing campaigns. Some tools and programs are available to help. For example, the American Association of Dental Office Management (AADOM) offers training, webinars, and conferences where each member of your staff can improve their skills. Dentrix offers the Mastery Tracks program that provides testing, training, and certificates for each of the positions in your office. Your office manager should be skilled in all the areas.
Although office managers/administrative assistants work in nearly every industry, many are employed in schools, hospitals, governments, and legal and medical offices. Most work full time in office settings. Virtual assistants typically work from a home office.
Medical billing specialists enjoy a variety of employment opportunities. Physician's offices, hospitals, clinic, insurance companies, and government agencies are just a few of the places one might work. Many medical billing specialists also choose to work on a contractual basis from home.
Most medical transcriptionist work for hospitals, physician offices, and third-party transcription service companies that provide transcription services to healthcare establishments. Others are self-employed and may work from home.
In the daily operations of a practice, a physician simplydoesn't have the time to deal with the array of businessandhuman resource-related issues that may arise. Havingstaff-specific and/or office managers cushions the physician.The appropriate manager should be the first to hear staffcomplaints or suggestions. The issue may be something themanager can handle. If it isn't, a good manager should beable to filter the information and present it to the physicianin a more clear and hopefully concise manner free ofemotion or intrigue. Unfortunately, excellent medical officemanagers are often the most difficult employees to find.
Ideally, an office manager is smart and logical with a skillset that includes excellent personal communication and theability to multi-task. This is the person who will deal at varioustimes with physicians, staff, patients, and vendors. Sincethis is the person with access to everything in the practice,he or she also has to be someone you can trust implicitly.Though technically an employee of the practice, he or shemust see the role as one of management and be an advocatefor the practice. Traditionally, a male physician's wifemanaged her husband's medical office in practice even ifnot in name (or salary), as my mother did for my fatherbefore she went to law school. That paradigm has shiftedwith more two-income households and female physicians,although interestingly I know several female dermatologistswhose husbands left finance or law to run her practiceas CFO. Indeed, some very large aesthetic practices recruitCFOs from industry to do everything that an office managerdoes plus more. Unfortunately, many of us have neither ofthose options, and affording a CFO-level manager is out ofour price range.
If you can't find or afford an appropriate office manager,all is not lost. In my private practice, we have a separatebusiness administrator and nurse administrator, both ofwhom report to an outside healthcare solutions consultantwho reports to us. As an outsider who works with medicalpractices of all types, she can be objective in helpingus reach our goals and in dealing with staff issues with lessemotional angst than might the physician employer. Andshe is clearly management and sees the issues as the physiciansdo. The business manager supervises the front staff,including reception, scheduling, billing and filing, and deals with related issues. The nurse administrator manages theclinical staff and deals with issues related to the clinicalpractice. In addition, we have a secretary who acts independentlyas our administrative assistant. She is in chargeof building and grounds issues and reports directly to thephysicians.
Whether you centralize or divide managerial duties,the need for open pathways of communication is equallyimportant. Staff members must know to whom they report.It gives each employee a feeling of stability and can helpdiffuse situations more quickly. In addition, it makes it clearfrom whom they take instruction, avoiding bullying. Yourmanager's ability to communicate, delegate, and workwith all members of the practice ensures the system willrun optimally. For example, the system in my office mayseem complicated, but the physicians can primarily focuson practicing medicine. Additionally, for the most part,everyone can vent in a safe way so that they are heard but itkeeps things said in the heat of a moment from compromisingthe overall integrity of the team. And everyone knowshis/her job description and responsibilities.
Of utmost importance, new employees should not beallowed to give medical advice that isn't verbatim from thephysician or a senior employee. Patients won't rememberwho told them what. My long-term clinical staff membersknow the answers to many questions from patients,whether it concerns practice protocols or specific detailsabout a particular product or procedure. Experience oftenvaries with new employees, even those coming from otherseemingly similar practices. Make sure that the traineehas seen you and the other physicians or ancillary staff inyour office in action and that you or other staff membershave confirmed that he or she understands the party lines.Although scripts can be helpful, I've spent too many hoursof my life on the phone with representatives from airlines,phone companies and credit card companies who refuseto stray from the order of their script. It is very frustratingnot to be able to get questions answered, and I finish theinteraction feeling ignored and unsatisfied. I've always foundthat I retain and use information best when I understandthe logic behind it. Taking the time to explain how productsand procedures work, why one patient may or may notbe a good candidate, and how an adverse event can happenwill allow your staff to recruit, prep, triage and care for yourpatients better. People who understand concepts ratherthan just memorize facts are also better prepared to managethe unusual and to build on their knowledge base andwill grow into more effective employees for the long term.
Economic factors have made it impossible for many businessesto give their employees routine raises or traditionalChristmas bonuses. Physician practices are no different. Weall work longer and harder and pay more overhead for everydollar earned. At practice management sessions, colleaguesdescribe programs like incentive bonuses split among thestaff for the office reaching certain goals or employee specificbonuses for individual efforts above and beyond thenormal.
Unfortunately, we can never predict how things willturn out. There will always be people who we misjudge orwho let us down. As in any relationship, mistakes and miscommunicationswill happen and it can get emotional onboth sides. Our relationships with our staff members are abalance of intimacy and hierarchy resting on a fulcrum ofrespect. Through hard work, a steady stream of communicationand a certain amount of good fortune, you can build ahappy office family.
Office Management 101 is a satirical office life simulation tycoon game set in a fictional capitalistic dystopia. Step over competitors, drive your staff to the limit and milk your customers for every penny in the pursuit of spiraling success!
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Because category management is relatively new, one cannot yet say what its impact will be. Furthermore, the next administration may choose to follow a different approach. However, if the initiative continues on its current path, the emphasis on government-wide contracts could be problematic for small businesses; the procurements are highly competitive and because the contracts have long terms, there are infrequent opportunities to compete. At the same time, OMB has said that maximizing small business utilization is a key principal of category management. If the implementation of category management continues, policymakers must ensure that small businesses can compete and thrive. We will continue to watch this space and identify opportunities to shape procurement policy.
However, not all games can rise to the ranks of some of the more famous games. Some management games are better than others. Whether or not Office Management 101 can scratch that itch for extended playthroughs will make it stand out as an excellent simulation game.
We created courses to help you improve your dental practice operations and enhance your contributions to the dental practice. Whether your title is dental receptionist, practice administrator, dental office manager, or a different role, these courses are designed to help you increase your knowledge and bring your expertise to the practice. 041b061a72