Many businesses have made a permanent shift to remote work after seeing the benefits during the pandemic. Not only does it save on costs, but often employees are more productive at home. 

While orthopedic practices must remain mostly in-person, there are areas that can be remote, like the billing team. There are significant hurdles that practices with remote billing teams face such as how to measure productivity, HIPAA compliance, secure remote access, and all paperwork associated with remote billing. 

How can your practice take advantage of increased productivity and lower costs with a remote billing team? Consider these best practices that many orthopedic offices have implemented. 

1. Provide Motivation

Motivated employees are 87% less likely to resign. However, motivating remote staff can be challenging. A few key ways to get started include: 

  • Online events and meetings where you can see your workers face-to-face
  • Friendly competitions, such as who can process the most in a specified period of time
  • Incentives for a job well done, such as bonuses or additional PTO
  • Daily check-ins

2. Create an Inclusive Culture

The nature of billing can be isolating, which can lead employees to feeling frustrated or burnt out. This is especially true for those working from home who don’t have an outlet. It’s important to keep them connected. 

One way to do this is to include them in luncheon meetings. Your team might be celebrating an office birthday or a record achievement, but your remote staff can feel excluded from the festivities. Instead, send each person from the billing team lunch as well and allow them to join with Zoom so they don’t miss out.

You can also consider having weekly meetings. This provides them with a consistent touchpoint where they can share challenges, collaborate on ideas, and begin fostering relationships with colleagues. 

3. Enhance Communication

Your remote staff should feel comfortable sharing both successes and failures. Oftentimes, you may only hear about things once they become a problem. Instead, encourage employees to tell you what is going well.

It may also be prudent to invest in technology aimed at increasing communication. Software like Slack is a great way to have quick check-ins or connect throughout the day. 

4. Be Positive

Even when things might be going awry, it is important to approach problems with the perspective that you will all get through it — as a team. This positivity not only motivates your remote staff, but also positively influences your company culture.

Make the Most of Your Remote Team

With benefits like reduced costs, increased employee satisfaction, and more flexibility, it’s no surprise that remote work has caught on in recent years. 

But managing a remote billing team comes with its share of challenges – you can’t simply tell your billing team to work from home and expect everything to run smoothly. Implementing the right technology and best practices will help you create an office culture that thrives!