THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL IN THE MEDICAL OFFICE

Employee policy and procedure manuals have been a necessity in offices for years, but are they really necessary?

If you are like most doctors offices, practicing in today’s busy healthcare environment, writing or updating policies is not at the top of your priority list. There is also a great deal of confusion regarding whether written policies are more helpful or hurtful to the office.

Having a well written policy and procedure manual, communicates clear expectations of your practice and staff.

In order for doctor’s to best help their patients, they must first have a smooth running practice. The more informed your employees are, the more efficiently your practice will operate.

Written policies and procedures are not legally required. However, having a formalized policy and procedure manual is simply a good idea. Employee and former employee lawsuits are from the lack of communication and unclear policy guidelines for employees and any management personnel.

Often, employees win workplace lawsuits when an employer takes action against them for violating company policy. This occurs because the employees are able to prove that they were not aware they were violating company policy. If policies do NOT exist or are unclear to the employee, the courts will most likely side with the employee. Thousands of dollars have been lost in legal judgment because of failure to inform or notify employees of company policies.

The importance of a Policy and Procedure manual is to familiarize your employees with your practice’s specific mission, expectations and benefits. While these manuals are not a contract, they do help to provide a clear, common understanding of your practice’s goals, benefits and policies, as well as what the practice expects with regard to staff performance and conduct.

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