Training staff is essential
It’s utterly essential to train all office staff, Dr. Lessin said. “I can’t tell you how important this step is because no matter how much you know or how well you understand what you want to do, you’re going to be frustrated at every turn if your staff and colleagues don’t get this stuff.”
That includes training those who make appointments, front desk staff, clinical staff, and practice colleagues regarding coding, scheduling, visit protocols, and similar procedures. Cheat sheets can be helpful here.
“They must understand the structure of the visits, what happens at each visit, the time requirements for each visit, and the standard follow-up,” including, for clinical staff, what handouts and rating scales to use, he said. “And if they aren’t sure what the parents needs or what you want, make sure they know to contact you.”
Colleagues also need to learn to properly document visits to justify coding and complexity, and not dump all patients on you.
One challenge that Dr. Lessin acknowledged as a common problem is that many pediatricians don’t have subspecialists they can refer patients to.
“Sadly, this is true almost everywhere, in rural and in big cities, near big medical centers and only local hospitals,” Dr. Lessin said. “This another reason why I think you need to learn and treat this illness to the extent you can. Your families need you.”
Dr. Hackell particularly appreciated this point, emphasizing again how important it is that pediatricians manage ADHD care of their patients.
“We see their day-to-day life, and that’s where this impacts these kids and families,” he said. “It’s really rewarding to do from my personal experience because you can really make a really big difference in these kids’ lives when they’re younger and even as they get older. When you get the rewards, it makes the work all worthwhile.”
Dr. Lessin and Dr. Hackell said they have no relevant financial disclosures.