Top 10 ways to survive and be successful in patient access management
By Anthony M. Bruno, MPA, MEd
Director of Patient Access and Business Operations
University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia
10. Learn your boss’ agenda and values. Always keep your boss informed about departmental issues and situations and never place your boss in an embarrassing situation. Don’t work for someone who does not have values similar to yours. It just doesn’t make for a productive work environment.
9. Don’t be afraid to change jobs when necessary. Changing hospitals and jobs will keep your creative skill sets and instincts sharp. Each hospital and access department will present you with new challenges.
8. Volunteer, especially for difficult assignments. Gain a reputation as someone who can be counted upon to "get things done," but expect to be asked to take on assignments that will stretch your skill sets.
7. Expect to be criticized, but never criticize others. Just don’t take criticism personally. Always be cooperative and set an example as a collaborator.
6. Get organized. Make lists, keep track of your projects and commitments to your customers, and place a high value on hiring staff with great organizational skills.
5. Recognize and reward employees, especially those who are helpful to your customers and display a driven-by-team-success attitude.
4. Hire staff members who are more talented and smarter than you are. It’s a cliché, but it has been proven to be good advice. It’s just more fun to be surrounded by talented people at every level of your organization who have creative skills and are innovators. Talented people will keep you challenged to continuously improve your department.
3. Be continuously customer-focused. Management is all about knowing who your customers are and how to impress them with your customer service. Make decisions that support the needs of your customers.
2. Know and value the 4 Rs:
- Recruit and select the right person. Hire for attitude, train for skill. Look for someone who values customer service.
- Place staff in the right jobs. Ensure that staff are placed in the right jobs by matching staff skills sets to the job requirements.
- Provide staff the right training. Support continuous staff education and training. Each employee must know his or her role and how to complete responsibilities for your team.
- Perform in the right environment. Position staff to perform job tasks in the right environment. Ensure that staff have the right work tools and that they know how to use them.
1. Balance your time between your work and your family. Get to work very early in the morning and try to get home each evening to have dinner with your family.
(Editor’s note: Anthony Bruno has been a patient access administrator since 1984, working as a department head at several New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania health systems, including Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia and Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He has been a presenter at three National Association for Healthcare Access Management conferences and is president of the Philadelphia Area Healthcare Access Management organization, among other achievements and awards in the access field. Bruno also serves as a member of Hospital Access Management’s Editorial Advisory Board.)
Tips from Anthony M. Bruno, MPA, MEd, Director of Patient Access and Business Operations, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia.
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