From the Cosmetic Dermatology Archives

Responses provided by our columnists Helen M. Torok, MD; Heather L. Funk, MBA; and Aaron M. Funk

Q: What are the top traits you look for in a physician extender (PE)?

A: Hiring the right PE is vitally important. Hiring the wrong PE can be costly. When you are ready to hire a PE, take your time. Don’t hire just for the sake of hiring. The costs associated with advertising for the position and training the PE add up considerably when hiring too hastily.

So how do you make certain that you hire the right candidate? A great way to observe and gauge a PE candidate is to have him/her shadow physicians at the practice. Assign him/her to several different physicians within your practice to shadow for a day. The more opinions you get, the more comfortable you will feel about your decision of hiring the right PE for your practice.

Look for some of these personality characteristics in the candidate during the shadowing process:

1. Character: How is the PE’s temperament? Will he/she complement the practice and the other providers in your practice?

2. Appearance: Does this PE have the professional image you demand from all of the providers in your practice?

3. Communication skills: How well does this PE communicate and how will he/she communicate with patients and staff members?

4. Drive: Is this PE driven to succeed?

5. Interest: Does this PE pay attention and actively observe, or does he/she seem uninterested in the practice and patients?

6. Maturity: As a physician, you want an individual who is going to reflect you as the physician and your practice. You want an individual who carries herself/himself well at the office as well as outside the office.

For more information on hiring a PE, read our article “Physician Extenders: What They Can Do for Your Practice and How to Hire the Right One” at www.cosderm.com.

Q: What is the best way to manage unhappy patients?

A: When dealing with any patient who is upset, the best type of medicine is listening, understanding, and showing compassion. Listen to why the patient is unhappy, apologize, and see if you can provide a solution to make the patient happy and also prevent another patient from being unhappy about the same thing.

Q: What have you found works best for motivating employees? To encourage them to bring in more patients and work harder?

A: One of the most important things a company can pride itself on is excellent customer service. Companies strive to create an environment where customers feel welcome. A manager must motivate his/her employees to provide excellent customer service on a consistent basis by creating a system that rewards and recognizes amazing customer service. Employees should be recognized on-the-spot for going above and beyond the call of duty, which sends a message to that employee as well as to the entire staff that excellent customer service is rewarded and recognized.

Items such as movie cards, gas cards, gift cards, and gift certificates work very well as rewards. Incorporating this type of system helps improve customer service and employee morale.

Employee parties and functions are great opportunities for management to say thank you to employees for their hard work. They build morale and create positive energy throughout the entire company. Managers can host employee functions and parties such as:

• Holiday parties: Consider seasonal functions (eg, Halloween party, Oktoberfest, Easter egg hunts, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations); invite the entire staff and their families to participate.

• Sporting events: Have a party at the office or an employee’s house to cheer on your local team, or host an outing at a professional ballpark to reward employees.

• Outdoor events and functions: Take advantage of nice weather and have a cookout at the office or at an employee’s house to build employee morale.

Recognizing years of service also is important and lets employees know that you appreciate their dedication and loyalty to the company. It also helps retain great employees, which in return makes management’s job much easier. As a result, management does not have to constantly hire employees to replace ones who have resigned or quit because they were not happy with their job or company. Most companies reward their employees with a pin and letter of accomplishment, which is a good system, but do you really think that pin got any use or ended up in a drawer somewhere? Get creative and give employees something that they could really use. It would be nice for employees to have a gift card and be able to take their significant others out to dinner or a movie. When structuring a recognition program for years of service, create tiers that represent the length of service. Each tier should include what the employee receives for reaching that length of service with the company.

Q: Does having a staff member with an MBA (master of business administration) degree help the business? How?

A: A staff members with an MBA can bring invaluable expertise to the practice. Learning business strategies, concepts, theories, and the experience will only enhance and grow your practice and your business. The staff member will surely bring the necessary business skills to the business operations.

Do you have a question? E-mail your practice management questions to melissa.steiger@qhc.com. Our columnists will answer questions and their responses will be posted online at www.cosderm.com.

Disclaimer: Answers to questions herein have not been reviewed by the Cosmetic Dermatology^® Editorial Board for their accuracy or reliability. Answers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Cosmetic Dermatology or Quadrant HealthCom Inc. Any reference made to a specific commercial product, service, or other information does not indicate or imply that Cosmetic Dermatology or Quadrant HealthCom Inc endorses, recommends, or favors the product mentioned. Always consult your local medical board requirements and legal services.

Responses provided by our columnists Helen M. Torok, MD; Heather L. Funk, MBA; and Aaron M. Funk

Q: What are the top traits you look for in a physician extender (PE)?

A: Hiring the right PE is vitally important. Hiring the wrong PE can be costly. When you are ready to hire a PE, take your time. Don’t hire just for the sake of hiring. The costs associated with advertising for the position and training the PE add up considerably when hiring too hastily.

So how do you make certain that you hire the right candidate? A great way to observe and gauge a PE candidate is to have him/her shadow physicians at the practice. Assign him/her to several different physicians within your practice to shadow for a day. The more opinions you get, the more comfortable you will feel about your decision of hiring the right PE for your practice.

Look for some of these personality characteristics in the candidate during the shadowing process:

1. Character: How is the PE’s temperament? Will he/she complement the practice and the other providers in your practice?

2. Appearance: Does this PE have the professional image you demand from all of the providers in your practice?

3. Communication skills: How well does this PE communicate and how will he/she communicate with patients and staff members?

4. Drive: Is this PE driven to succeed?

5. Interest: Does this PE pay attention and actively observe, or does he/she seem uninterested in the practice and patients?

6. Maturity: As a physician, you want an individual who is going to reflect you as the physician and your practice. You want an individual who carries herself/himself well at the office as well as outside the office.

For more information on hiring a PE, read our article “Physician Extenders: What They Can Do for Your Practice and How to Hire the Right One” at www.cosderm.com.

Q: What is the best way to manage unhappy patients?

A: When dealing with any patient who is upset, the best type of medicine is listening, understanding, and showing compassion. Listen to why the patient is unhappy, apologize, and see if you can provide a solution to make the patient happy and also prevent another patient from being unhappy about the same thing.

Q: What have you found works best for motivating employees? To encourage them to bring in more patients and work harder?

A: One of the most important things a company can pride itself on is excellent customer service. Companies strive to create an environment where customers feel welcome. A manager must motivate his/her employees to provide excellent customer service on a consistent basis by creating a system that rewards and recognizes amazing customer service. Employees should be recognized on-the-spot for going above and beyond the call of duty, which sends a message to that employee as well as to the entire staff that excellent customer service is rewarded and recognized.

Items such as movie cards, gas cards, gift cards, and gift certificates work very well as rewards. Incorporating this type of system helps improve customer service and employee morale.

Employee parties and functions are great opportunities for management to say thank you to employees for their hard work. They build morale and create positive energy throughout the entire company. Managers can host employee functions and parties such as:

• Holiday parties: Consider seasonal functions (eg, Halloween party, Oktoberfest, Easter egg hunts, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations); invite the entire staff and their families to participate.

• Sporting events: Have a party at the office or an employee’s house to cheer on your local team, or host an outing at a professional ballpark to reward employees.

• Outdoor events and functions: Take advantage of nice weather and have a cookout at the office or at an employee’s house to build employee morale.

Recognizing years of service also is important and lets employees know that you appreciate their dedication and loyalty to the company. It also helps retain great employees, which in return makes management’s job much easier. As a result, management does not have to constantly hire employees to replace ones who have resigned or quit because they were not happy with their job or company. Most companies reward their employees with a pin and letter of accomplishment, which is a good system, but do you really think that pin got any use or ended up in a drawer somewhere? Get creative and give employees something that they could really use. It would be nice for employees to have a gift card and be able to take their significant others out to dinner or a movie. When structuring a recognition program for years of service, create tiers that represent the length of service. Each tier should include what the employee receives for reaching that length of service with the company.

Q: Does having a staff member with an MBA (master of business administration) degree help the business? How?

A: A staff members with an MBA can bring invaluable expertise to the practice. Learning business strategies, concepts, theories, and the experience will only enhance and grow your practice and your business. The staff member will surely bring the necessary business skills to the business operations.

Do you have a question? E-mail your practice management questions to melissa.steiger@qhc.com. Our columnists will answer questions and their responses will be posted online at www.cosderm.com.

Disclaimer: Answers to questions herein have not been reviewed by the Cosmetic Dermatology^® Editorial Board for their accuracy or reliability. Answers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Cosmetic Dermatology or Quadrant HealthCom Inc. Any reference made to a specific commercial product, service, or other information does not indicate or imply that Cosmetic Dermatology or Quadrant HealthCom Inc endorses, recommends, or favors the product mentioned. Always consult your local medical board requirements and legal services.

Responses provided by our columnists Helen M. Torok, MD; Heather L. Funk, MBA; and Aaron M. Funk

Q: What are the top traits you look for in a physician extender (PE)?

A: Hiring the right PE is vitally important. Hiring the wrong PE can be costly. When you are ready to hire a PE, take your time. Don’t hire just for the sake of hiring. The costs associated with advertising for the position and training the PE add up considerably when hiring too hastily.

So how do you make certain that you hire the right candidate? A great way to observe and gauge a PE candidate is to have him/her shadow physicians at the practice. Assign him/her to several different physicians within your practice to shadow for a day. The more opinions you get, the more comfortable you will feel about your decision of hiring the right PE for your practice.

Look for some of these personality characteristics in the candidate during the shadowing process:

1. Character: How is the PE’s temperament? Will he/she complement the practice and the other providers in your practice?

2. Appearance: Does this PE have the professional image you demand from all of the providers in your practice?

3. Communication skills: How well does this PE communicate and how will he/she communicate with patients and staff members?

4. Drive: Is this PE driven to succeed?

5. Interest: Does this PE pay attention and actively observe, or does he/she seem uninterested in the practice and patients?

6. Maturity: As a physician, you want an individual who is going to reflect you as the physician and your practice. You want an individual who carries herself/himself well at the office as well as outside the office.

For more information on hiring a PE, read our article “Physician Extenders: What They Can Do for Your Practice and How to Hire the Right One” at www.cosderm.com.

Q: What is the best way to manage unhappy patients?

A: When dealing with any patient who is upset, the best type of medicine is listening, understanding, and showing compassion. Listen to why the patient is unhappy, apologize, and see if you can provide a solution to make the patient happy and also prevent another patient from being unhappy about the same thing.

Q: What have you found works best for motivating employees? To encourage them to bring in more patients and work harder?

A: One of the most important things a company can pride itself on is excellent customer service. Companies strive to create an environment where customers feel welcome. A manager must motivate his/her employees to provide excellent customer service on a consistent basis by creating a system that rewards and recognizes amazing customer service. Employees should be recognized on-the-spot for going above and beyond the call of duty, which sends a message to that employee as well as to the entire staff that excellent customer service is rewarded and recognized.

Items such as movie cards, gas cards, gift cards, and gift certificates work very well as rewards. Incorporating this type of system helps improve customer service and employee morale.

Employee parties and functions are great opportunities for management to say thank you to employees for their hard work. They build morale and create positive energy throughout the entire company. Managers can host employee functions and parties such as:

• Holiday parties: Consider seasonal functions (eg, Halloween party, Oktoberfest, Easter egg hunts, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations); invite the entire staff and their families to participate.

• Sporting events: Have a party at the office or an employee’s house to cheer on your local team, or host an outing at a professional ballpark to reward employees.

• Outdoor events and functions: Take advantage of nice weather and have a cookout at the office or at an employee’s house to build employee morale.

Recognizing years of service also is important and lets employees know that you appreciate their dedication and loyalty to the company. It also helps retain great employees, which in return makes management’s job much easier. As a result, management does not have to constantly hire employees to replace ones who have resigned or quit because they were not happy with their job or company. Most companies reward their employees with a pin and letter of accomplishment, which is a good system, but do you really think that pin got any use or ended up in a drawer somewhere? Get creative and give employees something that they could really use. It would be nice for employees to have a gift card and be able to take their significant others out to dinner or a movie. When structuring a recognition program for years of service, create tiers that represent the length of service. Each tier should include what the employee receives for reaching that length of service with the company.

Q: Does having a staff member with an MBA (master of business administration) degree help the business? How?

A: A staff members with an MBA can bring invaluable expertise to the practice. Learning business strategies, concepts, theories, and the experience will only enhance and grow your practice and your business. The staff member will surely bring the necessary business skills to the business operations.

Do you have a question? E-mail your practice management questions to melissa.steiger@qhc.com. Our columnists will answer questions and their responses will be posted online at www.cosderm.com.

Disclaimer: Answers to questions herein have not been reviewed by the Cosmetic Dermatology^® Editorial Board for their accuracy or reliability. Answers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Cosmetic Dermatology or Quadrant HealthCom Inc. Any reference made to a specific commercial product, service, or other information does not indicate or imply that Cosmetic Dermatology or Quadrant HealthCom Inc endorses, recommends, or favors the product mentioned. Always consult your local medical board requirements and legal services.