Focus on front-office issues to improve practice efficiency: computerized time-clocks, labels.(Practice Trends)

LAS VEGAS -- A fresh approach to front-office issues ranging from time clocks to employee perks can help you run a more efficient practice, Dr. Scott Dinehart said at the Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference.

Dr. Dinehart offered some pearls he's round useful in maximizing productivity and minimizing costs:

* Use a computerized time dock that coordinates with your accounting program or paycheck service. These systems enhance efficiency by storing clock-in and clock-out times electronically, eliminating the need for someone to enter the times into the record manually. They also save employees time by allowing them to log in or out from any computer terminal in the office, rather than having to "bunch up" around a central time dock. Dr. Dinehart recommended TimeClock Plus from Data Management Inc., at www.timeclockplus.com.

* Synchronize your practice's accounting software with your accountant's program. This should eliminate the 3-4 hours it can take to write checks. It also saves the accountant the trouble of entering information from a program that isn't synchronized, so your accounting costs should drop correspondingly, said Dr. Dinehart, professor of dermatology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.

* Send bills in cycles. Once-a-month billing can precipitate an avalanche of phone calls a few days later from patients with questions. A cycle approach to billing, in which a quarter of the bills are sent out in successive weeks of the month, evens out the process and minimizes the risk that the staff will be in undated with phone calls at certain times of the ...