Policies and Procedures in Allied Health: A (Medicare) Love Story

Policies and procedures—the unsung heroes of the allied health world. They sit quietly in shared drives, unnoticed until something goes wrong. Then, suddenly, they’re the stars of the show.

The Chaos of "Winging It"

You run a busy allied health clinic. Without solid policies, this chaos can multiply. Worse yet, without Medicare compliance procedures in place, that chaos might come with a side of audits or fines.

Medicare Compliance

Let’s talk about Medicare compliance - not particularly exciting, but essential for your clinic’s health. Medicare has a knack for turning simple things—like filling out a form—into what feels like doing a jigsaw puzzle in the dark.

To avoid getting caught out when it comes to compliance, you need to ensure that you have solid, regularly scheduled procedures in place. Ones that actually work for you and your business. The key word here is “scheduling”, don’t just lump them all into “admin time” on your days off. This is a recipe for disaster.

One of the best ways to keep on top of your Medicare compliance is to get your practice management system working for you, not the other way around. Are you using all the available features to make your (Medicare) life as easy as possible? If not, you should be. If you don’t know what features we’re talking about, you should reach out for help!

You may feel like throwing this idea in the ‘too hard basket’ but, instead, perhaps you should think of it as creating a safety net for your sanity. Bonus: nobody is stuck on the phone to Medicare for 3 hours.

The Top 3 Policy Pitfalls (and How to Fix Them)

1. The "It’s in My Head" Syndrome:

• Problem: Policies exist only within your brain.

• Solution: Write everything down immediately and automate as much as possible.

2. The "One-Size-Fits-All" Policy:

• Problem: Generic policies that don’t fit your clinic’s needs.

• Solution: Customise, even if you need to do so through trial and error. An OT clinic’s procedures will differ from a psychology practice - find what works for you.

3. The "Set It and Forget It" Mentality:

• Problem: Outdated policies.

• Solution: Schedule regular reviews. Laws change, and so does your clinic. Keep policies fresh and relevant.
  
  

Final Thoughts

In allied health, policies and procedures aren’t just red tape—they’re the backbone of a smooth-running clinic. They keep everything on track and, if followed, save you from a tonne of unnecessary anxiety and stress.

But here’s the thing, you don’t have to handle them alone. A virtual assistant can help you organise, update and manage these processes, making your life easier and your practice more efficient.

If you’d like help, Offsiters have policies and procedures that are tried and tested - we will personalise them to your business needs, taking away any guess work and unnecessary hunting around!

Reach out now to learn more!