The first and most important person you hire.....after your accountant....is going to be your Office Manager - Insurance Biller. It's far easier to hire a person knowledgeable in the insurance plans that participate in your geographical area and teach them to manage an office than it is to teach an office manager how to deal with insurance. This person will be responsible for your income, which is the backbone of your practice. And your practice IS a business and must be run like one.

Your second and third key people in your organization are going to be your front office Receptionist and back office Nurse, or MA.

The receptionist is typically the first contact any patient has with you and your office. You only get one chance at creating the first impression you want patients to have. Keep in mind the kind of practice you have when hiring a Receptionist. If you're dealing with menopausal women, for example, you might want to consider an older woman who can relate. Your Nurse or MA is a direct extension of yourself. They must be compassionate with the patients, and thorough in their work. They are typically the ones who will be doing blood draws and making sure those samples are sent to the right labs in a timely manner. Usually they are also responsible for call backs to the patients and must be knowledgeable in answering patient questions.....the way you would.

This is a general overall view of the staff needed when opening a new practice.

Author profile: Linda Strong