The question of whether or not to have an office manager can be a difficult one for some doctors – as well as a point of disagreement among consultants. But before we get into the various pros and cons, let’s discuss what we actually mean when we say office manager. In many offices the person who runs the front office is automatically called the office manager. Not only do I not consider this an accurate title, I would also give serious thought to the creation of an office manager position before the office is ready. The person who runs the front office at the start of the practice is the receptionist, the scheduling coordinator, or possibly the front office coordinator….. not the office manager. The reason I discourage the use of this title too freely is that it can become very difficult as the office grows to create the structure you need when we’ve already decided (by title) who will be the second in command. And that’s exactly who the office manager should be….the person who can run the office when the doctor is away and who manages the systems, staff issues and policies on a daily basis. The person who gets accomplished everything the doctor wants; leaving the doctor free to practice dentistry.
The question you now face is not only do you need an office manager, but should any office have an office manager? I have spoken with some consultants who would answer that question with a flat out, definite “NO.” I was once told that when we make someone the office manager, they go into the private office and stay there all day on personal calls only coming out to cause problems and dissention among the staff. Quite honestly, I took umbrage at this, as prior to becoming a practice consultant, I was a very successful and extremely hard working office manager. Because of my experiences, and experiences of many of my clients, I do think there is a place for a good office manager….but the question must always be asked, is the position right for your office? In observing a number of offices I‘ve come up with the following questions:
- Is your office large enough, staff wise, to need a manger?
- Do you feel very uncomfortable dealing with staff issues and conflicts?
- Are the office systems getting out of hand because no one is taking the time to maintain them?
- Are you wasting valuable patient time on administrative duties?
- Are you spending excessive hours at the office trying to get all the administrative duties completed?
- Is teamwork failing because no one has the time to lead the team or to work out team issues?
- Do you have difficulty effectively communicating with the staff?
- Do you have “revolving door” staffing issues because your office policies are so haphazardly applied?
- Are you constantly feeling frustrated and out of control in the practice?
If you felt a number of these questions hitting home, it may be time for you to consider hiring an office manager. You now however have a big job ahead of you….who do you hire for, or promote to, office manager; how many hats will the office manager wear; how do you coach someone to fit the job.
The question of having an office manager always brings up the same conundrum …..to hire from within or to bring someone in? There really is no right answer to this question as so much depends on who you already have working for you…..do any of your current staff have the qualities needed to run the office? A really good treatment coordinator may well be a very poor office manager. We’re certainly looking for a great personality and a very detail oriented person, but we are also looking for a leader; someone who can take charge and deal with the fact that the office manager may not always be everyone’s favorite person; someone who can make decisions and stand by them and who can inspire the staff by example. A good front office coordinator or treatment coordinator, who’s a very sensitive soul, or a very difficult person, is probably not the right candidate. If there is no one in the office who can fill the bill, it’s time to look outside your scope to find a good candidate.
Once you’ve decided where you’re looking, you also need to be clear how many hats (and which hats) you expect your office manager to wear. Allowing the position of financial coordinator to be assimilated into the office manager position is something I’ve seen proven to be a smart move. Doing the same with the treatment coordinator position, however, isn’t necessarily always the best way to go. The job of financial coordinator dovetails very well with the office manager position. Bringing the two together creates a manager who not only runs the office, but also becomes a “last word” patients can go to with financial issues. This not only keeps many difficult, time consuming conversations off the doctors plate, but it also gives the patients a sense of confidence that they’ve aired their concerns to “someone in charge.” The treatment coordinator position however…when done well and correctly….. is much too expansive a job to blend in with the office manager’s job. Merging these two positions creates a high probability that both jobs will be done with less than necessary attention to detail.
Finally, let’s talk about coaching the office manager for success. One of the most common problems I see when an office promotes from within is that no thought is given to training the new office manager. Someone’s been a great financial coordinator or treatment coordinator so now they’re somehow expected to understand how to run the entire office by osmosis. Conversely, when hiring from outside, it’s just assumed that the candidate knows all that’s needed to run this particular office; leaving them at a disadvantage with staff members who already know how the systems work and how the doctor practices. You need a good training plan ready (possibly with the help of a consultant or another office manger) and a clear job description before you make that hiring leap if you want to get what you really need….someone to relieve the stress and get the office running like a well oiled machine. With a solid background of good planning and conscientious practice introspection, an office manager may well be an excellent addition to your practice and a great help to the doctor and the rest of the staff.
