Operations management in a medical practice consists of developing and implementing an effective business plan and managing daily operations.
Operations management performance objectives include:
Process improvement
- Explain how quality assessment tools (process maps, run charts, Pareto diagrams, flowcharts, affinity diagrams and decision matrices) can identify organizational needs, potential risks and desired outcomes.
- Establish a process-improvement analysis to maintain and enhance quality within a medical group practice.
Master budgets, employment law, healthcare rules/regulations and project management
- Define a master budget and explain its use in a medical group practice.
- Interpret employee-rights legislation and ensure compliance with employment laws.
- Apply requirements related to employment offers and contracts.
- Describe the legal relationship between patient and provider.
- Identify an example of a healthcare ethical dilemma.
- Develop a suitable budget for a project that supports the strategic plan.
- Identify the important risks of a project that may affect the strategic plan.
- Apply appropriate techniques to assess ongoing project performance and ensure consonance with the strategic plan.
Purchasing and asset management
- Design an inventory-control plan to appropriately identify and purchase supplies and equipment.
- Illustrate the steps of a procurement process.
- Create a process for identifying and managing effective vendor relationships through purchasing alliances.
High-quality and safe environments
- Identify and demonstrate compliance with all required regulations (for example, those of Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA], ADA Amendments Act of 2008 [ADAAA]).
- Assess, identify and resolve issues relating to facility management.
- Describe the key stages to creating an effective facilities management strategy and implementation plan.
- Detail the process for the proper disposal of sharps and biohazardous waste products.
Outsourced business services and external expertise
- Identify indicators that substantiate the need to seek outsourced expertise.
- Detail all relevant IRS rules and regulations (for example, Form 1099).
- Perform a contract negotiation that promotes a partnership/strategic alliance and strengthens competitive position.
- Explain how contract compliance, timeliness and quality are crucial to partnership and alliance performance.
Information technology
- Develop a technology plan, policy and budget that support the needs and goals of the medical group practice.
- Illustrate a technology disaster management plan in accordance with HIPAA that safeguards office and patient records, establishes a data backup and recovery plan, determines key personnel and responsibilities and identifies a process of validation and testing.
- Manage information integrity, including release and storage of information, security and confidentiality according to HIPAA.
Communications, marketing and community relations
- Use market research, trends, demographics, economic influences, and other pertinent factors to develop a marketing plan.
- Use components of the marketing plan to develop a corporate image and branding strategy.
- Use various forms of media (print, electronic, social) to create advertisements that promote community outreach and collaboration.
Compensation plans, revenue allocation methods, expense allocation methods, and merger and acquisition agreements
- Describe the goal of a compensation plan and illustrate the steps to develop a plan that drives employee incentives and supports the organization’s goals.
- Evaluate types of benefit plans, including defined benefit, defined contribution, 401(k), 403(b), self-directed, employer-directed and profit-sharing plans.
- Ensure confidentiality of compensation data.
- Discuss how revenue and expense allocation methods can be used to establish productivity and compensation benchmarks for physicians and staff.
Physician conduct and performance expectations
- Create policy standards for physician conduct.
- Explain corrective action regarding conflicts of interest, performance issues and disruptive behavior that supports organization leadership, the governing body or a professional standards committee.
- Provide an explanation of the most appropriate course of action when facilitating a conflict resolution.
- Recognize inappropriate communication between physicians and staff.