Hiring & firing: what gastroenterologists need to know about finding a stellar staff
Ask a Gastroenterologist is a weekly series of questions posed to GI physicians around the country on business and clinical issues affecting the field of gastroenterology. We invite all gastroenterologists to submit responses. Next week's question: What are some of the best entrepreneurial endeavors for gastroenterologists?
Please submit responses to Carrie Pallardy at cpallardy@beckershealthcare.com by Thursday, August 14, at 5 p.m. CST.
Question: What skills should gastroenterologists look for in an excellent staff?

The first and foremost quality of a stellar office staff is their ability to effectively communicate with patients. This is especially important when dealing with patients in a gastroenterologist's
practice due to the number of diagnostic procedures such as endoscopies, colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies, which are performed on a routine basis.
A GI's clinical staff needs to have the ability to bridge the gap between physician and patient when it comes to explaining the various procedures and tests that the physician has ordered as well as being able to give detailed instructions to patients regarding pre- and
post-op care.
In a medical practice, it is vital to have a staff that can multitask without getting overwhelmed in the process. The clinical staff has to be able to navigate between patients, doctors, insurance companies, labs and hospitals on a day-to-day basis.
The "front" or office staff, in addition to being able to handle computer work and scheduling duties, has to be customer-service oriented in order to put patients, some of whom are very anxious due to their medical issues, at ease.
A stellar office staff works as a team to perform all of these tasks with one goal in mind – great patient care.

Similarly, word of mouth is so important when referring physicians hear how easy it is for their staff to deal with your office, not only in scheduling appointments, but in obtaining reports and the like.
Staff must also prove to be independent and good at taking initiative. By doing so, solutions can be readily discovered to commonly encountered problems without requiring a lot of fanfare from the physician. However, the staff should also be aware of their limitations and seek help when there is a lack of alacrity.
Good training with an electronic health record will go a long ways in satisfying meaningful use measures as well as meeting core measure requirements. Don't underestimate how a staff person could help you tremendously in accruing the proper data to maximize medical reimbursement.
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