Staff Feedback Pays Dividends
Pearl Shores, MBA
Shores Enterprises, LLC
One often overlooked area in the reimbursement arena is the need for individual feedback on performance. In Infusion Therapy billing each account representative may be billing different payers and using different means of submission. The more claims going electronically, the faster the turn around on payment. The staff member with all paper claims and attachments will have a longer payment window. The cash posting person may have many other duties mixed with the cash application function.
When an employee rises in the morning, few, if any, do their morning ritual and commute with the intent to deliver an eight hour day filled with errors and inconsistency. Staff as a whole wants to deliver a quality product and feel pride in their contribution to the success of the company. Without feedback, it is easy to assume that the job is being conducted adequately and that there is no need for improvement. The feedback loop provides information in the form of data to focus each member on the areas in need of improvement and to provide reassurance that the job well done is being monitored and appreciated. When no one is looking or measuring outcomes, the opportunity for improvement is diminished.
Take a look today at how you monitor performance of your staff. It can be reports such as:
- Number of denials by billing clerk
- Number of invoices produced by billing clerk
- Number of follow- up calls by billing clerk
- Number of posting entries
- Reconciliation of the posting information consistently with the financial staff
- Cash posted by age of invoice by payer
Determine a meaningful measurement and then give the feed back consistently. Data, in the form of quantitative information can work for you to motivate staff, improve performance and keep management in touch with the day to day staff functions and the effectiveness of the work process. Take the time to tell your staff how they are doing. It will pay dividends for your business.
Pearl Shores MBA
Shores Enterprises
Phone: 760-518-9329