How to make your practice run smoothly with effective team meetings

Physicians and their teams can save time by working together to improve their work flows. Learn easy ways to implement regularly scheduled team meetings to increase communication within your care team and work like a well-oiled machine. Physicians and their practice teams may recognize that they aren’t working efficiently and that there may be a better way to organize their work, but they need the time and focus to fix processes. Fortunately, regularly scheduled meetings can help. They provide a forum to solve problems and develop stronger bonds between team members, both of which ultimately result in better patient care. A free online module in the AMA’s STEPS Forward collection provides step‑by‑step solutions to implement and conduct successful team meetings in your practice. 1. Identify the team. The people in the team meeting will vary based on the size of your practice or your specialty. You may include the physicians, medical assistants, nurses and the clinic manager, or you may include just one physician, two nurses and a receptionist. If you’re in a small practice, you may invite the lab technician. Read details in the module about the most effective size of the team. 2. Meet regularly and on the clock. Pick a set time to meet weekly or every other week. The meeting should occur “on the clock,” and away from the clinical area to minimize interruptions. 3. Agree on ground rules. Establishing rules from the beginning will foster a suppor...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news