Furnishing Your Office

By Larry Markson


EQUIPMENT AND FURNITURE

You will find a room breakdown of the basic equipment and furniture that you will need to consider purchasing for your office in another section.This can act as a check list to be sure you haven't forgotten anything.

ADDITIONAL OFFICE EQUIPMENT

1. Telephone system (purchased or leased)
2. Answering machine - with call-in feature or beeper
3. Photocopier - dry, plain paper
4. Typewriter- preferably self-correcting electric
5. Adding machine with tape
6. Outside professional signs

TELEPHONE SYSTEM

As soon as you sign a lease, order your telephone equipment in order to have a telephone number assigned to your office. To guarantee that number, you may have to install the phone lines (not the actual telephone instrument) in your new office immediately. It's worth the investment, because often the phone company promises you a number, but is not able (for whatever reason)to give it to you . . . after you publish the number on your stationery and business cards, etc. Be careful!

We recommend that you purchase a basic telephone system if your budget allows or, if not, lease it from the telephone company. You need at least 2 incoming jump or hunt lines to start, with the capability of expanding to 3 or 4 lines in the future. The telephone system should have a pick up and hold button, an intercom, and music on hold.

Once the phone number is guaranteed by actual installation, and not until then, you can order your stationery, forms and supplies, opening announcements and Yellow Pages ad.

OFFICE SUPPLIES -- DETAILED STATIONERY AND SUPPLY NEEDS

A. STATIONERY

Before ordering, be sure you have guaranteed your telephone number.

Large letterheads (8 1/2" x 11 ")	1000 pcs
Second pages	500 pcs
Business envelopes	1000 pcs
Business cards	2000 pcs
Opening announcements	250 pcs
Personal note pads and envelopes	500 pcs

B. APPOINTMENT BOOK

If you are a single practitioner, you need the 4 column book, or if youare in a partnership, you will require a 6 column book. Be sure to orderrefills. This book will meet all your current needs and will expand withyou as your practice grows.

C. FORMS AND SUPPLIES

Some of the forms need to be personally imprinted with your name andaddress, etc. and that requires additional time.

For some forms you will need to know:

1. Your license #

2. Worker's Compensation #

3. Medicare Provider #

4. Federal Tax l.D. #

5. Social Security #

D. MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES FOR FRONT DESK & BUSINESS OFFICE:

1. Two - 14" x 17" lucite clipboards.
2. One 5" x 9"lucite clipboard for each adjusting room
3. Numbered lucite basket for outside of each adjusting room
4. Rolodex for important addresses and telephone numbers
5.Two looseleaf notebooks (1 red and 1 blue with A-Z alphabet dividers)
6.Thank you grams
7. Receipts for cash patients
8. Cash drawer for change and petty cash
9. Postage stamps
10. Manila folders (numerical patient folders from VlSI record Systems)
11. Index boxes (1 for birthday file, 2 for ticklersystem)
12. 3" x 5" index cards
13. Color stickers to categorize travel cards (green, red, black & blue)
14. Scotch tape and dispenser
15.Letter opener
16. Stapler & staple remover
17. Scissors
18. Three holepunch
19. Pens, pencils and flair pens (red & black)
20. Rubber bands,paper clips and gummed reinforcements
21. Ruler
22. White-out