train them on practice management systems, policies, and procedures rather than on how to actually perform the job. For years we had a 90-day training period in the corporate office to ensure they were comfortable with the technology we use. The transition to the home office was predicated by a quiz on such things as virtual private network access and demonstrated ability to query the database and navigate multiple systems. The company is moving away from this model as we have seen our turnover increase in the first year of employment. although we are effectively transitioning employees to their home office, we are not getting the indoctrination into our company culture and methodologies. There has also been an increase in turnover in the first year with teleworkers who did not have expertise in the field. It is almost impossible to teach someone via Webex in a few hours each week what someone would learn sitting next to a coworker full time. although the company will maintain the telework model, new employees will need to demonstrate more than just how to access the system in order to earn the benefit of working from home. Periodic meetings are held at the corporate office, and it is fun to get together. It is almost like a family reunion – without the cheek-pinching aunt – because although we talk, Im, and email every day, we only see each other in person every three to six months. We discuss the status of our clients, look at processes in the various practice management systems, and brainstorm about policies, procedures, or new technologies. We chat over lunch and hold training sessions where everyone is in the same place. When you do not have two to three of those meetings each week, you can afford to do so quarterly. HIPAA, HITECH, and the Teleworker as a certified compliance officer, this is one of the areas that keeps me up at night. I do not ever want to self-report to the Office of the Inspector general (OIg) that we had a data breach. This is a risk in any medical practice or billing company, regardless of whether your staff is office based or remote. The company provides all of the computer equipment the staff needs, so there is no commingling of HIPaa-protected information with personal computers. every team member works from a hard-wired setup, and our clients provide VPNs or secure websites for access. We ensure that the home office is private, not shared with other family members during the workday, and that conversations and correspondence are secure. Information technology specialists are generally no more concerned about teleworkers than office workers. The technology exists to ensure communications are secure as long as the end user employs the technology. The greater issue is when the technology exists and the teleworker bypasses or ignores it. again, this is why telecommuting goes back to the inherent trust we place in our staff. Trust that is breached is rarely regained. It is ultimately up to each employee to protect the information and secure their office. Finding the Right Balance We remain committed to our work-from-home staff with the knowledge that comes from eight years of operating in this mode. recruiting techniques have changed over the years as we learn how to identify people who not only fit into our culture but also our working model. While we may delay when new team members transition to working from home, we believe this is the right move to ensure their success and longevity. Yvonne Moncovich, SPHR, CPC, CPCO, blends her experience in human resources with her roles in coding and healthcare compliance. Yvonne is the director of operations for StraightLine Medical Billing LLC. You can reach Yvonne at ymoncovich@straightlinemedical.com. Resources 1 global Workplace analytics 2 Nicholas Bloom, 2013 3 global Workplace analytics 4 scambray, 2012 5 Nicholas Bloom, 2013 6 global Workplace analytics Works Cited global Workplace analytics. (n.d.). latest Telecommuting statistics. retrieved February 2, 2013, from global Workplace analytics and the Telework research Network: http://www.globalworkplaceanalytics. com/resources/people-telecommute global Workplace analytics. (n.d.). Pros and Cons. retrieved February 4, 2014, from global Workplace analytics: http://www.globalworkplaceanalytics.com/pros-cons Nicholas Bloom, j. l. (2013, February 22). Does Working From Home Work? evidence From a Chinese experiment. retrieved February 6, 2014, from stanford.edu: http://www.stanford.edu/~nbloom/WFH.pdf scambray, j. (2012, December 8). Conducting a medical Billing return on Investment anlaysis For Your medical Practice: staffing & Payroll. retrieved February 6, 2013, from Practice extension: http://practiceextension.com/category/medical-billing/ THe jOurNal OF THe HealTHCare BIllINg aND maNagemeNT assOCIaTION 23
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