Q4 2022 Newsletter - PMRG

The Path Forward

As the year draws to a close and we enter the holiday season, I want to take a pause from the never-ending work of making sure your charges and payments are being properly handled, and of doing everything we can do to keep the insurance companies in line—no small task, that one!—to express our gratitude that you trust us with this critical part of your business/practice. Our aim has been, and continues to be, to provide you with the best possible professional service so that you have a greater peace of mind knowing we’ve got this piece covered. Our hope is that our work in some small way positively supports you in the all-important task of taking care of your patients.

If you’ve been following the messages I’ve sent out this year, you’ll know that 2022—and, frankly, going all the way back to that fateful March of 2020—has been very tough for us. I know it has been hard on many of you as well. We are finally feeling that we have learned to navigate this new environment we’re all working in. We’ve implemented new and necessary processes and procedures for our staff, who are now located all over the country! Some time ago, we gave up the notion we would ever be coming back to a centralized office—at some point, I suspect we’ll have stories where we’ll say to one another, “Remember when we all worked in the Tinley Park office together?”

We’re excited and cautiously optimistic about 2023. We have a lot planned! We continue to evaluate value-added services and third-party vendors that we think could be valuable to you and your practice. We intend to continue the roll-out of Phreesia, which many of you have now signed on for. We are looking at how else we can make our monthly reporting valuable to you; we’ve recently added the net collection ratio statistic and are also considering other data points. We’ve begun the work of re-organizing our staff to seamlessly cover cases of illness and leave across the entire company.

All that said, we deeply appreciate our partnership with you—it is something we never take lightly or for granted.

Here’s to 2023—the best year yet.

Curt Hill

CEO, PMRG

The Importance of Time Management for You and Your Staff

Time management is the organization of one’s time and activities. Time-management skills are important for health care professionals who must perform a multitude of different tasks throughout the day.

Benefits to efficient time management include:

Prioritizing tasks
Accomplishing more work in less time
Higher quality work
Better work/life balance
Improved self-discipline

Here are some tools to improve time management within your organization.

Delegating Tasks

Employees who find themselves consistently working overtime or missing deadlines need to consider delegating some of their tasks to others. Deciding to whom the task should be delegated is the next step.

Consider the following questions to determine who to charge with the task:

Do I have the authority to delegate this task? (If not, you may have to request permission from someone in authority to delegate the task.)
What education or skills are necessary for someone to possess to complete the task?
Has any employee expressed an interest in increasing his or her skill set or responsibilities?
What training do I need to provide for completion of the task?
What equipment, tools, or resources are required to complete the task?

When approaching an individual about taking on a new responsibility, it is important to clearly communicate specific directions and expectations, including what the task involves and a deadline for completion.

Managing Interruptions

It is frustrating to be interrupted while trying to complete a task; interruptions break concentration and disrupt workflow. Interruptions cannot totally be avoided; however, they can be controlled.

Tips for managing interruptions include:

Arranging isolation time or setting “office hours”
Taking advantage of pauses or “down time” in the workflow
Limiting distractions with electronic devices
Guiding the conversation of the interruption (if by a person) to focus on a quick and effective resolution for the interruption

Avoiding Procrastination

Putting off a task repeatedly is the telltale sign of procrastination. Procrastination is often a chronic issue that can prevent professionals from fulfilling their potential. Procrastination is usually a result of two factors: 1) The task is unpleasant, or 2) The doer is disorganized. When a task is considered boring or unpleasant, procrastination becomes attractive.

Keys to avoiding procrastination include:

Be accountable to someone within the organization.
Identify the disadvantages of avoiding a task.
Create and prioritize a “to-do” list, set a schedule and establish deadlines.
Create a personal reward system.

Time-Management Goals

Goals maximize the chance of success when implementing good time-management habits. There are many valuable tools designed to help individuals manage time. Here are some of the most common time-management tools.

Day planner
Mobile devices – apps for phone and tablets
Software – Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendars are basic time-management programs that are easily accessible to most individuals

With an understanding of the basics of time management, medical professionals can change habits and schedules to effectively manage their work and personal life. Investing the time, resources, and effort to improve time-management skills can ultimately result in an increase in productivity and focus.

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