Strategic Office Administration

© 1997-1998 R. C. SCHAFER, DC, PhD, FICC



TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction to a Rewarding Career -14

How Chiropractic Is Similar to Other Health-Care Professions -14
How Chiropractic Differs from Other Health-Care Professions -15   
      The Chiropractic Approach -15
      Environmental Irritants -15
      The Nervous System: Primary Regulator of Function -16
      Social Concerns -19
      Examples of Professional Recognition -20
      The Philosophy of Chiropractic -21
      Articular Injury -22
      Intervertebral Foramen Impairment -22
      Intervertebral Disc Disorders -23
      Chiropractic Adjustments -23
Brief History of Health Care -24
      Early Records -24
      Birth of Modern Chiropractic -24
      Scope of Chiropractic Practice -25
Basic Principles of Clinical Chiropractic -26
2. The Important Role of the Chiropractic Assistant -28
Versatility Is Often Necessary -28
Duties and Responsibilities -29
      The Practice Plan -29
The Atmosphere of a Professional Office -30
      Staff Adaptability -31
      The Business Aspect of Health Practice -32
      Administrative Complexities -32
      Initial Data Gathering -33
      Fees for Service -33
Acquainting Yourself with Office Policies -33
      Policies vs Procedures -34
      Practice Policies vs Employee Policies -34
      Personnel Records -35
      Payroll Deductions -35
      Resignation -35
      Dismissal -35
      Housekeeping Control -36
      Confidential Information -36
      Personal Telephone Calls -37
      Grievances -37
      Developing Your Initial Contribution -37
Continuing Education -39
Closing Remarks -39
3. Responsibilities of an Administrative Assistant -40
Overview -40
      General Office Philosophy -43
      Aiding Professional Service -44
Opening the Office -46
Greeting Patients -46
      Importance of a Positive Approach -47
      Types of New Patients -49
Greeting Visitors -52
Telephone Duties -53
      Attitude -53
      Answering the Telephone --56
      Calls the Assistant Can Resolve -57
      Calls the Doctor Must Resolve -58
      Call Records -60
      Follow-up Calls -60
      Outgoing Calls -61
      Answering Services -61
      Pressure Shows Your Personality -61
      Summary of Highlights -62
Managing the Reception Room -63
      Overseeing the Receiving Area -63
      Educational Literature -64
      Reception Area Supervision -65
Successfully Managing a Professional Appointment System -66
      Handling and Making Appointments -66
      Managing the Appointment Schedule -70
      Handling Difficult Appointment Requests -77
      Appointment Planning Influence on Case Management -81
      Handling Broken, Changed, or Late Appointments -85
      Handling Emergency Situations -90
      Maintaining Appointment Continuity and Control -91
Office Records -98
      Office Records and Functions -98
      Typical Office Records and Communications --99
      Common Record Flow -99
      Emergency Telephone Numbers -100
      Closing the Communications Gap -100
      Standard Operating Procedures -101
      Entering Patient Data -101
      Patient History Form -102
      Examination and Case History Form -104
      Case Progress Records -105
      Legal Considerations -106
      Referral List -109
      Other Record sand Forms -109
Office Filing Systems -109
      Basic Filing Requirements -110
      Pulling Files -110
      Safety and Security Considerations -111
      Avoiding Space Waste -111
      Filing Systems -112
      Types of Files -114
Purchasing and Inventory Management -124
      Typical Business Office Supplies -124
      Ordering Supplies -124
      Checking Deliveries -124
      Clinical Supplies -125
Handling Mail and Correspondence -126
      Daily Record -127
      Transmittal Slips -128
      The Doctor's Correspondence -128
      Preparing Enclosures -128
      Organizing Incoming Mail -129
      X-Ray Films -130
      Certified and Registered Mail -130
      Letters Containing Checks or Money Orders -130
      Document Routing Slips -131
      Handling Mail in the Doctor's Absence -131
      Holding File -131
Housekeeping and Equipment Service -132
      Cleaning Services -132
      Equipment Service and Repair -132
      Periodic Inspections -132
Policy and Procedural Changes -133
Business and Personal Duties for the Doctor -134
      Nonpatient Callers -134
      Organizational Aid -135
      Meeting and Travel Arrangements -136
      Personnel Data -136
      Postgraduate Education Log -136
4. Preparation of Professional Documents -138
Office Correspondence -138
      Signature Authorization -139
      Form -139
      Letter Quality -152
      Style -152
      Design -156
      Opening and Closing the Body of a Letter -156
      Vocabulary -157
Form Letters and Model Paragraphs -158
      Letters Over an Assistant's Signature -158
      Letters Over the Doctor's Signature -159
Clinical Reports -162
      Postexamination Reports -162
      Narrative Reports -164
General Grammar and Rules of Composition -165
      Antecedents -166
      Verb Number -168
      Collective Nouns -168
      Verb Tense and Mode -171
      Possessives -172
      Comparisons -173
      Parallelism -174
      Punctuation -174
      Capitalization -191
      Numerals -195
      Calendar Dates -199
      Abbreviations -200
      Footnotes -203
      Bibliography Style -205
      Errata -207
Formal Professional Papers and Reports -208
      The Basic Outline -209
      Testing the Outline -209
      Organization -210
      Typography of Reports -217
Typing Hints and Helps -223
      Labeling Drafts -224
      Word and Line Divisions -224
      Proofreading -224
      Spelling -225
5. Brief Introduction to Computer Science -227
The Beginning -227
      Early Contributors -227
      A Need Is Met for the 1890 Census -228
      Microcomputers -229
      A Look Ahead -230
What Computers Do -230
      Hardware Versus Software -232
      Computer Hardware -233
      Basic Hardware Elements -233
      The Factor of Time -235
      A Byte Is Not a Bite -235
      Addressing -239
      The CPU -239
      Registers -239
The Keyboard -240
      Buffers -241
      Function Keys -241
      Numeric Keypad -242
      Enhanced Keyboard -245
Storage and Input/Output Devices -245
      Floppy Disks -245
      Hard Disks -247
      Monitors -248
      Input Devices -248
      Output Devices -249
      Interfaces -250
Operating Systems and Commands -251
      DOS -251
      Parts of DOS -251
      Input/Output System -252
      Command Processor -253
      Starting the Computer -253
      Default Drive -254
      Device Names -255
      Rules for Filenames -255
      DOS Commands -256
      Command Syntax -256
      Listing a Disk Directory -257
      Date and Time -258
      Formatting Disks -258
      Erasing Files -259
      Renaming Files -260
      Copying Files -260
      Typing a File -262
      Backing-up a Disk -263
      Checking a Disk -263
      Concluding Remarks -264
The Role of Subdirectories -266
      Paths -267
      Tree Structure -267
Batch and Configuration Commands -269
      Batch File Commands -269
      Configuration System Commands -272
6. Insurance Considerations -274
Introduction -274
      Physician Coverage -274
An Office's Insurance Inventory -275
      An Overview -275
      Maintaining Coverage -276
      Malpractice Insurance -277
      Medical Expense Insurance -280
      Disability Income Insurance -281
      Other Types of Coverage -282
Third-Party Relationships -285
      Administrative Control -285
      Coding Systems in Insurance Claims Processing -290
Claims Control -291
      Policy Coverage -291
      Helping Patients Process Claims -293
      The Processing Procedure -294
      Major Medical Accounts -298
      Personal Injury Accounts -298
      Blue Cross and Blue Shield -299
      Workers' Compensation Accounts -300
      Automobile Accident Cases -304
      Health Maintenance Organizations -306
Government Sponsored Public Plans -306
      Medicare -306
      Medicaid -308
      FEHB -309
      CHAMPUS and CHAMPVA -310
      Welfare -310
Standardized Claim Forms -310
      Statements to Private Insurance Companies -312
      Blue Shield -313
      Medicare Statements -313
      Medicare Receipts -315
      Medicaid Statements -315
      Workers' Compensation Reports -316
      Requests and Follow-up Activities -317
Assignments -317
      Cases Accepted on a Nonassignment Basis -318
      Cases Accepted on an Assignment Basis -318
      Private Insurance Company Assignments -319
      Blue Shield Assignments -320
      Medicare Assignments -320
      Posting Procedures in Assignment Accounts -320
      Write-offs -321
      Medicolegal Considerations -321
Cost and Utilization Control -322
      Professional Standards Review Organizations (PSROs) -323
      Peer Review Objectives -323
      Independent Consultants -323
      Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) -324