Eyeworld

106 | EYEWORLD | SPRING 2024 P RACTICE MANAGEMENT by Corinne Wohl, MHSA, COE, and John B. Pinto About the authors John Pinto President J. Pinto & Associates San Diego, California Corinne Wohl, MHSA, COE President C. Wohl & Associates San Diego, California B eing organized and understanding ev- ery component of your practice is not merely helpful, it is essential. Whether you are a practice owner or adminis- trator, being organized and ensuring that other key leaders become and stay orga- nized is an important priority company-wide. Being well-organized helps ensure that resources are used efficiently and effectively. Productivity improvements, cost reduction, and streamlined processes are the outcome and lead to a well-managed practice. It can be easy to assume that "being orga- nized" is a given, an in-built talent that every- one possesses. But how do you really know? As practice leaders and managers, here are some examples of being organized: Knowing where important documents are located (like employment contracts, key vendor contracts, insurance binders, pension reports, your facility lease, etc.). Are they in the admin- istrator's office, or on a shared drive with limit- ed access? Does your attorney have copies? Keeping these documents up to date. A majority of our new clients have key contracts they have not reviewed for years and/or are not abiding by the agreed terms. Having an annual calendar of key dates (like tax and other reporting dates, inspection and service intervals for equipment, contracts that are coming up for review this year, compliance reviews, staff performance evaluations, etc.). Maintaining an employee handbook that is reviewed periodically by your labor counsel and management team. Following an operations and training manual that shows—by department—the protocols that staff are obliged to follow. Ensuring that meetings are of proper content and frequency, including board sessions, all- hands staff meeting, department meetings, and the rest. No matter how large or small your practice is, here are six category examples of what needs to be tracked and well organized regularly… compare your practice with these rudimentary checklists: 1. Important documents are usually man- aged and maintained by the administrator. Schedule a review of each of these documents (monthly, quarterly, or annually) by placing the review dates on an annual calendar. Organizing review dates by calendar is a great way to avoid gaps or delays, as well as the opportunity to discuss pertinent components with the manage- ment team or practice owners. These docu- ments include: Partnership and operating agreements Facility leases Vendor contracts Equipment maintenance contracts Banking documents (loan covenants, credit lines) Employee files and other HR documents Position descriptions that provide struc- ture for each employee to know their role and responsibility Organization chart that improves com- munications and clarifies roles Compliance plan and associated docu- ments Financial reporting Business benchmarking standards (cost and profit ratios, labor productivity, etc.) Regulatory documentation (e.g., OSHA, CMS, etc.) 2. New employee onboarding is often an unmonitored task, with the assumption that a manager knows how to onboard and train new staff, because said manager knows how to do the tasks. This big leap of faith can lead to poor orientation, frustrated staff, and excessive staff turnover. Here are components of onboarding that benefit from detailed attention: Contracting, where relevant Orientation plan, specific to each depart- ment HR required paperwork (personnel files, I-9 forms, regulatory and compliance education, etc.) Benefits administration Training and ongoing education plans and operations manual references Being organized can boost your practice continued on page 108

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