Office optimization

Nurses are a critical component of the care team responsible for important clinical tasks and helping to improve the patient experience and outcomes. They also serve as advocates and educators for patients.

The nurse station is a central hub where nurses or medical assistants (MAs) go between patient exams to perform several important tasks. These tasks include returning patient calls, processing prior authorizations, communicating confidentially with other clinical staff, and more. It is important that the station is set up to meet nurses’ day-to-day needs. Here are priorities to keep in mind for this space:

• Involve the nurses and other clinical staff in the process to ensure it functions best for them.

• Define the spaces within the station where nurses will carry out typical tasks such as preparing medications, updating patient charts, returning phone calls, and interacting with patients, physicians, or other clinical staff.

• Ensure privacy to maintain patient confidentiality.

• Prioritize easy access to all equipment that is needed to complete routine tasks (e.g. phones, computers, printer/copier, an under-counter refrigerator to store culture media, Botox, etc.).

• Make sure the central nurse calling system is easily reachable by everyone, so they can respond to exam room needs quickly.

• Leave room for traffic to move about freely for comfort and efficiency.

• Put up a visible display such as a white board to make tasks and updates available at a glance.

• Use this space for team huddles at the start and end of each day to preview daily schedule and wrap up lose ends.

After you set up the space, it is time to focus on enhancing workflows. Workflows should outline a visual, logical sequence of operations. Make efforts to minimize duplication, maximize efficiency, and gain consensus on final results. Follow these seven steps to creating successful workflows:

1. Define the process

2. Determine and engage all individuals involved

3. Brainstorm the steps

4. Draft the flowchart visually/graphically

5. Organize the steps sequentially

6. Draw arrows between steps to show the process flow

7. Review and approve the flowchart with all those involved

When considering what areas to develop workflows for in your practice, focus on these key areas:

• Communication

• Productivity

• Finances

• Patient care

• Patient satisfaction

Remember that workflows are works in progress that should be discussed and revised as needed. If you are not overhauling an entire workflow, you may find that your team will recommend updating parts of the workflows after working with them.

Employing nurses to take the lead on developing workflows allows dermatologists to work at the top of their license while entrusting nurses to prioritize practice efficiency and high-quality patient care. As a dermatologist, you may spend as little as 5-7 minutes with each patient, depending on their complaint — the rest is the nurse’s job, whether it's answering last minute patient questions, helping schedule a follow up visit, or ensuring the patient knows the aftercare instructions. Energizing and elevating their “station” to co-lead these efforts toward practice efficiency is vital to success!

Use our online form to contact practice management staff for questions or concerns.