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Allied Health: Articles of Interest
Medical office management: required competencies
By Alan R. McMurray, EdD, FACMPE
Managers of today’s allergy/immunology offices already know that they are beset with a myriad of challenges, including negotiating fee schedules with insurance companies, dealing with employee performance problems, and analyzing computer and networking needs.
Managers may not know who they can turn to assess their level of competence or, in fact, what the competencies should be. Physicians themselves may not be fully aware of the intricacies required for daily management of the complexities of their office. Fortunately, professional guidelines have been developed to serve as a roadmap of the requisite skills needed.
This article summarizes the Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management developed by the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE), listing core competencies and performance skills necessary to manage a modern physician’s office. The guidelines should be helpful both to managers and physicians as they analyze essential knowledge requirements, and plan for organization growth and practice refinement.
MGMA and ACMPE
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is the nation’s largest, most active professional organization for managers of medical group practices. The ACMPE is the certification and standard-setting body of the MGMA. These organizations provide resources to support professional development and achievement for medical practice managers.
Body of Knowledge
The MGMA and ACMPE have developed the Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management, a comprehensive document that lists fundamental competencies that today’s medical practice managers must develop in order to meet the many challenges the healthcare environment offers. The document lists five general competencies that the two organizations deem essential for managers. In addition, there are eight performance domains that more specifically describe skills that medical practice managers should develop.
General competencies
The general competencies describe key abilities needed for successful performance by medical practice managers:
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Professionalism - achieving and preserving professional standards
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Leadership - supporting the medical practice’s strategic direction
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Communication skills - interacting with others effectively; presenting information clearly and concisely
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Organization and analytical skills - solving problems, making decisions and developing support systems
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Technical/professional knowledge and skills - developing the required skill set to function effectively as a medical practice manager
Performance domains
Under the heading of Technical/Professional Knowledge and Skills are eight performance domains:
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Financial management - includes budgets, financial statements, coding and reimbursement, insurance contracts, and fee schedules
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Human resource management - includes compensation and benefits programs, workforce planning, training programs, and compliance with employment laws
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Planning and marketing - includes strategic planning, business plans, marketing and customer relations
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Information management - includes needs analysis, computer system procurement and installation, training, and network security
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Risk management - includes legal compliance with the corporate structure, conflict resolution, liability insurance, establishing policies on confidentiality and maintaining compliance with governmental mandates
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Governance and organizational dynamics - includes organizational improvement, evaluation of bylaws, facilitating physician understanding of good business management, and conducting needs assessments
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Business and clinical operations - includes operations planning, staffing analysis, inventory control, patient flow processes and maintenance programs
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Professional responsibility - includes development of professional knowledge, promoting ethical standards, professional networking and developing effective interpersonal skills
Medical office managers can use the Body of Knowledge in a variety of ways, such as self assessment of current skills, and development or revision of job descriptions. The complexity of managing a medical practice is not going to get easier; in fact, more requirements are being added on a continuing basis. The Body of Knowledge provides an excellent starting point for managers and physicians to assess the skills needed for running and efficient and effective modern medical office.
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