Acknowledge, reward high-performing staff

Our practice created a form that staff members can use to give “shout outs” to other employees, and it has proven to be an awesome motivator. Staff members can congratulate or give special thanks to any other employee for doing their job with attention to detail or for any other exceptionalism by writing a brief note on the form. The completed form is handed out and posted in the staff lounge or at the recipient's desk. It is especially rewarding when the providers in our office give “shout outs” to office staff members.

Take a seat

A recent study suggests that taking time to sit down during patient encounters may improve patients' perceptions of their visits. Researchers had a neurosurgeon meet with 120 of his postoperative patients in their hospital rooms, alternately spending the entire visit standing or sitting. Following the visit, a researcher asked patients how long they believed the visit had lasted. Patients perceived visits during which the doctor sat down to be almost five times longer than they really were. Standing visits were perceived to be about two and half times longer than they were.

Patients who experienced a sitting doctor also expressed a greater degree of satisfaction with their care and greater understanding of their treatment than patients whose doctors stood.

Managing multiple fee schedules for Medicare patients and others