It feels like a no-brainer to ask the President and CEO of Practice Management Institute (PMI), a medical staff education firm that began operating more than 40 years ago, to write an article about the value of having a well-educated staff. When I began this task several months ago, I found it to be a very reflective assignment. When most of us think of education, we immediately get a picture in our heads of a classroom. Maybe it’s your elementary school classroom or a lecture hall in college. Whatever you picture, I think we can all agree that learning started when we were very young, and I hope most of us never stop.
The idea of elevating your staff through education is really a larger and more important concept that includes the individual but really encompasses the entire medical practice or business. Education can certainly take place in a traditional classroom environment, but today it can also happen sitting in front of a computer screen on an individual basis. Education is typically about improvement. If we think about educating a staff, we’re generally thinking about improvement of an operation or a single job function.
The idea of elevating your staff through education is really a larger and more important concept that includes the individual but really encompasses the entire medical practice or business.
In a recent interview, Rachel Bomar, Director of Human Relations with TidalHealth in Salisbury, Maryland, made the comment that “Today, workforce development is firmly on the employer.” Thus, as employers today, it’s up to us to “grow” the type of employee we need. Colleges and universities, in most cases, teach theory, and practical application is generally an on-the-job training experience. So, we hire people with the skills we need, or we hire a person with the aptitude that seems to fit within our organization, and then we grow them into the version of what we need. TidalHealth has recently implemented PMI’s Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM) certification coursework as a way of developing tomorrow’s practice leaders within their organization today.
I hear from people at all different management levels in healthcare from all over the country, “It’s getting harder to find and keep good people.” In some conversations, just finding people is difficult, so once a person is found, employers need to have something in place to keep them. Salary, benefits, and a sense of belonging are all great ways to keep employees, but most people also want to grow. They want to take on more and not just rise in an organization but contribute. I submit to you that education is the key to making all this happen.
Education does not have to be a formal affair—it can come in the form of mentoring, and it can take place in staff meetings. When structured correctly, education is an all-day everyday occurrence on the way to a successful practice. Two things are important to figure out, however: first, where are we now? and second, where do we want to be? This can be done for individuals and businesses alike. The path between the two is a “track.” Next, it’s necessary to add on the blocks of educational elements that will see that person or the business overall get from #1 to #2.
If the desire is sincere, now is the time to implement a plan for success. There are literally hundreds of ways to approach what comes next. It may be useful to commit to some form of written plan. Studies have been conducted on the differences between developing and capturing ideas for a plan on paper versus the computer—this is an individual decision—but some type of written formal plan to achieve success is vital to have something to measure, monitor, and guide you, similar to a roadmap.
Start with the individual or team that needs improvement. Enumerate the critical issues or missing knowledge that are pain points. Then research appropriate educational elements to fill those gaps or solve those critical issues. If customer service scores are low, find customer service training. If problems are occurring with coding or billing rejections, find coding and billing training. If a supervisor is needed, identify the most logical person to fill this role and invest in a leadership and management curriculum.
We are certainly an educational organization. I personally feel like we’re one of the best, but let’s be honest: Hundreds if not thousands of avenues exist for training and raising someone’s competencies. In recent years, medical societies have increased their offerings for education, and many carriers now offer education. National and state specialty societies offer a great variety of specialty-specific training. In fact, Oncology Practice Management (OPM) is a perfect example of an exceptional resource for elevating your team through the sharing of knowledge. OPM publishes monthly articles that cover need-to-know topics for those running and/or working in a medical practice. Another resource to consider if you are seeking an industry-recognized credential that demonstrates your skill set and knowledge base is the PMI/MSHO Certified Medical Office Manager certification for Hematology/Oncology practice leaders. To explore this option, click the link below:
CMOM-HEM/ONC Course: A Valuable Resource for Practice Managers
If you’re looking for educational offerings, they’re out there. Just take the time to find high-quality strategies that check the boxes on the track you have developed for an individual or your team. I wish you great success in elevating yourself, a teammate, or the entire practice through education.
