By Linda Strong

An Office Manager can be the single most valuable employee you have. So before the interview process....ask yourself these questions.

Note: I use "she" to denote Office Manager, but do not let that restrict you from looking at male Office Managers.

1. What do you want your Office Manager to do? What do you want her to be responsible for? How much authority do you want her to have? How much responsibility should she take on?

2. Do you want someone with a degree in Business Administration? Do you want someone who's had at least 2 years of managing in any profession.....5 years in medical management? Do you want someone who's never worked in management or a medical office?

3. Are you looking for someone young...who can identify with your younger patients? Do you want someone more mature who can identify with your older patients?

4. How much are you willing to pay for this person's services? Minimum wage to start with regular increases? Salary depending on experience? Do you know what the norm is in your community?

5. How many references should you check? Do you know the questions to ask when checking references?

These are just a few of the things you need to know before you ever advertise for an Office Manager. Make a list of what you want...what you're willing to pay...have a job description ready.

Exactly WHAT do you want your Office Manager to do? Manage the office...that part is easy enough, but you want to be specific. Obviously you want someone who will see that your office is run and the patients treated the way YOU want. Will you allow her to hire and fire new employees? Should all office personnel report to her concerning absences, lateness, days off, vacation, etc? Will your office manager be responsible for Accounts Payables? Do you want your office manager to have a "job" in addition to running the office? Will she also file insurance....check patients out...make appointments...post payments on a daily basis....make a daily deposit?

Remember.......if you give the Office Manager the responsibility ...also give her the authority to handle whatever problems come up with those responsibilities. A good office manager knows her limitations...but she should feel secure enough in her position to take care of problems without interrupting you a hundred times a day "asking permission".

How much experience, if any, do you want her to have? Personally, I will take medical office experience over a school degree any day. Too many times I have encountered managers with a Business Degree who have absolutely no knowledge of what it takes to really run an office. In my experience, they seem to see things strictly in black-and- white...while in real life, there are a lot of gray areas that need attending to.

While you cannot hire or refuse hiring based on age.....do keep these things in mind:

Your office manager must have self-confidence (with your support) in her duties. She must be able to reprimand an employee at any time. She must be able to communicate well.....and she must be able to spell, write a business letter, and most of all, she needs to know how to deal with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. You don't want someone with a volatile temper dealing with a patient who has a complaint about her care or her bill. She must also be able to say "thank you" and "please". She should also be able to fill in whenever and wherever necessary should the occasion arise.

As for a starting salary.....check with other physicians in your area. What are they paying their Office Manager....how long has she been employed there.....what are her job duties. That will give you a good starting point. This is one area where cheaper is not necessarily better...and it certainly won't save you any money in the long run.

Also keep in mind, that most Office Managers...if they have hire-and-fire privileges, do payroll, pay the office bills...are not generally eligible for overtime (check with the Department of Labor in your state). However, bonuses, additional time off is always appreciated. :-)

Always Check References!!! I can't stress this enough. Look at her resume. How many jobs has she had? How long on the average has she stayed with them? Is she moving up the ladder...or is she moving sideways? Ask previous employers how she got along with staff, patients, other physicians in the practice. Was she sick often...take an abnormally amount of time off....tardy? Does she learn quickly? Did she need supervision all the time? What was the quality of her work? Did she contribute any ideas that would help the office run more smoothly?

In short...have an idea of what you want before you hire someone for this position. A good Office Manager will be your right arm...your office wife, so to speak. She will allow you to do what you want...to see your patients and have a well-run, smooth business