Practice Management Alert

Creating a special bulletin board could help your biller through the tough times

If you sense that one of your billers is in a slump, you might need to give her a professional "pick-me-up." Here are some creative and motivating ways to make sure your biller feels appreciated.

Encourage Further Education

Pushing your biller to obtain certification as a coder or other higher education in medical billing lets her know that you believe she has potential, says Maggie Mac, CMM, CPC, CMSCS, a consulting manager for Pershing, Yoakley & Associates in Clearwater, Fla. Both your biller and your entire office benefit from encouraging her to build on her skills, she says.

"I think it's very motivating to show your interest in an employee," Mac says. Helping your biller to attend medical coding and billing conferences and seminars is a great way to motivate her and help her to attain further success, she adds.

Showcase Your Biller's Talent

"Motivation comes from showcasing talent," or showing your biller that you have an interest in her developing her talent, Mac says. A good strategy to showcase your biller's talent is to have her become an "expert" in a specific aspect of billing and to present that information to the whole office, she says.
 
How to do it: Assign your biller a specific topic to research, such as certain problems routinely encountered when billing particular services to Medicaid, Mac says. Have your biller figure out solutions to make billing these services easier or to reduce the number of denials your office receives. Your biller can give a 15-minute presentation to the entire office on how everyone can help to tackle this particular billing problem. "This makes them feel like they've accomplished something," she says.

Create Your Own In-Office Seminar

In addition to sending your biller to seminars and conferences, you could host your own mini-seminar in your office, Mac says.

Tip: Have one of the physicians present billing information about the practice's medical services, says Elizabeth Woodcock, MBA, FACMPE, CPC, a principal for Woodcock & Associates in Atlanta. "This is motivating in that it demonstrates respect for the biller's position and it improves education - and the likelihood of a biller effectively working a claim," she says. Staff will also gain a much better understanding of the office's medical procedures and how to code them.

Try this: You could hold the seminar for half a day or just a couple of hours to get the entire office to talk about billing problems and figure out solutions, Mac says. "[This] lets everyone know that they're not alone" and that all of the staff members are trying to achieve the same goals, she says. Most important, the seminar spotlights your biller's integral role in the office, making her feel valued and important.

Start a Bulletin Board for Your Biller

"There's nothing like just saying 'thank you,' " because patients rarely thank billers, Woodcock says. When a patient does send a "thank you" note or letter, you should make sure you preserve it, however.

When your biller receives a letter from a patient thanking her for helping the patient resolve a billing problem, you should post it on an office bulletin board. You can also include "thank you" cards from the physicians or other staff members on the bulletin board.

Result: On days when your biller is feeling down and needs a little motivation, she can look at the bulletin board. The bulletin board can motivate your biller to strive to do a better job and remind her what she did in the past to achieve professional excellence.

Celebrate Big Successes

When your biller resolves a large, challenging account, you should show your appreciation. After a difficult account is finally paid, due to your biller's hard work and perseverance, acknowledge her extra effort by making her employee of the month.
 
Best bet: By naming a biller employee of the month, you are recognizing her extra efforts and drawing the staff's attention to her big accomplishments. You're also making them aware of her contributions to the practice.

This strategy can boost your biller's self-esteem and get her motivated to continue to improve her skills. You might be surprised what a difference a few extra pats on your biller's back can make.