"Open Your Office Door to a Colorful World"

How can one ever forget the captivating moment when Dorothy opened her front door after her journey through the tornado to see the vivid colors of Munchkin Land?  She felt that her life in Kansas was tragically gray and now had a dream come true.  She was set free and brought somewhere over the rainbow to this colorful world she envisioned to lead to her happiness.

The Munchkins were quite scared of Dorothy and were quick to find out if she was a good witch or a bad witch.  Their false fears were forged through past experiences and, in a sense, tunnel vision.  This same way of thinking frequently keeps us in a gray world within our offices.  We look at things such as managed care, insurance companies, HIPAA and increased paperwork as the Bad Witches and often complain how this leads to considerable frustration. 

The Munchkins had Glinda the Good Witch to comfort them that Dorothy was harmless, but where is our Good Witch to help us through our days with the layers of additional work caused by the forces mentioned above?  The answer is right in our own backyard.  The forces that appear as wicked as the Bad Witch in our office can melt, as easily as she did with a pail of water, by simply understanding that we can only change something we have control over.

There is no logic in complaining about managed care, but it makes a lot of sense to learn how to bill correctly to maximize reimbursement for the plans you participate in.  This is where raises in your pay and benefits are derived.  Instead of whining about governmental control such as HIPAA and OSHA regulations, create simple systems to follow their guidelines and they will quickly become a simple part of your daily routine.  Rather than focus on that one patient on your schedule that continually aggravates the doctor and staff, think of the other 95% of the patients that appreciate your good service and remind us of our devotion to our profession.  After all, it is the patient who does write our paychecks.

So take that first step along the Yellow Brick Road and begin your journey understanding that your friend Glinda is always watching to keep your glass half full instead of half empty.  In next week’s FootZine we’ll meet the Scarecrow and his wits.  Happy 4^th and EVERYDAY.