Author Archives: Zach Kohlmeier

Are you an ‘Office Slacker’?

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We are all slackers. We all check our phones every five minutes, succumb to office chatter, and space out thinking about getting off work. American workers waste almost two hours a day on things other than their responsibilities and companies end up wasting an average of $759 billion on incomplete work.

So why do we slack off? It’s a mixture between employees not having enough to do, getting distracted by our coworkers, the opinion of getting underpaid, and the “I’ll finish it tomorrow” attitude. A third of this wasted time is socializing, while half of it are workers constantly being on their phones. And above all, one percent of this wasted time are employees applying for other jobs. How cruel is that?

So how can we fix this?

Employees, here are a couple ways to stay focused:

  1. Bring headphones into work and play classical music. This will help keep you focused from office chatter, which we all know is easy to get sucked into. Listening to classical music also makes repetitive tasks more enjoyable, reduces stress levels, and decreases blood pressure. Put on some Beethoven stat!
  2. As much as you don’t want to, put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode. This mode silences notifications, so your desk isn’t buzzing for every text message, news update, or sports score. With your muted phone, you’ll eventually forget you brought it in with you in the first place. Trust me, those happy hour text messages will still be there at the end of your shift.
  3. Create to-do lists and deadlines. Writing to-do lists and setting deadlines are great ways to make sure you finish all your tasks for the day. Also, there is no better feeling than when you get to cross something off your list, am I right?
  4. Make sure your desk is neat and tidy. It’s always nice to start your day off on a clean slate with a clean mind. Your room is messy, so let’s make sure your desk isn’t the same.
  5. We learned this in preschool. Make sure you’re getting the right amount of sleep and eating a solid breakfast. Eating breakfast in the morning boosts your energy, enhances your memory, and stabilizes your mood. If you eat breakfast, you won’t be “hangry” when you come in.

Statistics show almost half of all employees are distracted on any given work day. Using these tips will help you get the most out of each day.

Are Your Employees ‘Office Slackers’?

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We’ve all done it. Whether it’s constantly checking your phone, spacing out, or talking to your coworkers, we’ve all slacked. Americans spend almost two hours a day doing something other than their actual work. This means that companies waste an average of $759 billion on unfinished tasks.

Why do employees slack off? It’s a mixture between employees feeling like they are getting underpaid, employees not having enough to do, distracting and talkative coworkers, and the “I’ll do it tomorrow” attitude. Almost half of this wasted time is due to workers checking their cell phones and a third is socializing. And above all, one percent of this wasted time are employees applying for other jobs. So how can we fix this?

Employers, here are some tips to keep your employees productive:

Create a beneficial ambiance

    1. People feel more connected to nature when there are live plants around the office. Some results show that people with plants on their desks tend to be happier than those who don’t.
    2. Try and work with the sunlight. Make use of the windows or go for more sun-like light bulbs.
    3. It’s always nice to walk into work and have it smell nice in the office. Go buy candles or wall plug-ins. If it’s the season, buy seasonal smelling candles. It will give your workers a sense of home and comfort.
    4. Cater food in the office. Food powers the brain and it keep your em
    5. ployees focused and productive. Also, who doesn’t like free food?

Promote a more personable workplace

    1. Try to know your employees on a first name basis. It’s more comfortable for them when their boss knows their name.
    2. Join the company’s clubs and organizations. People will connect more when you share common interests– such as sports, book clubs, movies, and video games.
    3. Ask your employees about their lives outside of work, like how their families are. Hold the door open for them and give them a little smile. Any of these can create a more pleasing vibe and will make them feel more at ease.

Make your employees feel appreciated

    1. People like going into work when they feel they’re doing a nice job. Praise them as much as possible and try not to let anything good go unnoticed. Thank your employees if they do something for you.
    2. Don’t get emotional. It’s hard enough when employees know they did something wrong. Handle negative situations calmly. You hired bright employees and you know this because you wouldn’t have hired them if you thought otherwise.

Something so little, like a small smile or a compliment on someone’s hair might turn around their day for the better. You never know the kind of impact you’ll have on your employees, so remain positive and pleasant every chance you get.

HCS Healthcare Aqcuired by Healthcare Support

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For immediate release: Aug. 8, 2018

ORLANDO, Fl. — Aug. 8, 2018 — HealthCare Support Staffing Inc., a national staffing firm specializing in contract, right-to-hire and direct hire placement of healthcare professionals, today announced that it has acquired HCS Healthcare, formally known as Healthcare Scouts.

The acquisition strengthens HealthCare Support’s presence in the healthcare staffing arena by expanding its portfolio and national footprint. Through this acquisition, HealthCare Support has gained 49 new clients and doubled its Permanent Placement and Managed Service Provider (MSP) Divisions. The Company’s candidate database has also increased by 40% and now reaches over 2 million candidates. HealthCare Support anticipates the increase in both candidates and clients to make a tremendous impact in the Company’s short-term goal of reaching $150 million in annual revenue.

“We are pleased to announce this exciting acquisition that will pull together the best talent and resources to provide both new and pre-existing clients with the most positive experience,” said HealthCare Support President James Thompson. “We were fortunate to bring over senior sales members, talented recruiters, and an experienced support team to help grow our organization. We welcome our new employees and know that these additions will position us as one of the premier healthcare staffing firms in the US.”

HealthCare Support (HSS) is a privately held niched recruitment firm with national headquarters in Maitland, Florida. The company was launched in 2002 with a mission to respond to the biggest challenge Hiring Managers face – finding the right talent at the right time.

By focusing solely on healthcare, HSS has become a trusted partner to many of the nation’s top healthcare organizations, filling both clinical and non-clinical roles with the highest degree of success.

About HCS Healthcare

HCS Healthcare is a specialized healthcare workforce solution firm. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Winter Park, Florida, HCS specializes in placing talent in Case Management, Utilization Management, Quality Management, and Sales Management roles.

Press Release

Honesty is the Best Policy

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Let’s talk about honesty. There are few things more important than honesty and this holds true for working with recruiters as well.

For some, working with a recruiter sounds like a complicated process. However, when you partner with a reputable agency that has a record of success like ours, you will find the process is actually very straightforward.

Nonetheless, there are always certain situations where no matter how organized or defined the process is, a candidate makes things difficult. There are a number of reasons for this. It could be inattention to detail, lack of preparation, or miscommunication. Sometimes it simply boils down to the candidate choosing to be dishonest. Purposely embellishing experience or withholding information from your recruiter will do nothing but hurt your chances of gaining employment.

One scenario we see often is when a candidate has already been submitted to a position with X client, either personally or with another agency, and allows one of our recruiters to submit their resume to the same position. Applying to the same position will not make you a more attractive candidate or enhance your candidacy in any way. Be honest, if you’ve already applied tell us and we will work together again in the future.

Another scenario is when a candidate is asked about their criminal history and they choose to withhold information from their past. The majority of our clients request background checks and require that they are completed prior to the candidates’ first day. A suspended license or misdemeanor for speeding on your background report may not be charges that would impact a candidate’s chance of gaining employment, but finding out after the fact will make you loss some credibility. Active cases are also important to disclose.  Bottom line, it’s best to be upfront with your recruiter.

In other scenarios we’ve seen candidates withhold details of pre-arranged vacations for fear of time-off preventing them from securing the position, not to mention falsified experience or information provided during phone screens or listed on resumes. The list goes on, but our goal here is to assure all candidates that honesty is the best policy. Being honest allows our recruiters to work with the facts and help you the best way we can.

Item Entry Clerk

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The pharmacy item entry clerk works in all areas of prescription processing and fulfillment and helps support the pharmacist by entering prescriptions into the system, maintaining accurate customer records, verifying insurance benefits, and filling, receiving, and shipping orders.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

  • Operates cash register and processes payment for purchase
  • Prepares and packages finished products
  • Counts stock and enters data into computer to maintain inventory records
  • Performs register opening, closing, deposit procedures
  • Maintains cleanliness, security, and organization of shipping and receiving area
  • Checks in all delivered items to ensure merchandise type and count match
  • Monitors all damaged or expired merchandise
  • Follows proper pharmacy safety and security procedures and processes
  • Reports all customer complaints to the pharmacist
  • Works closely with pharmacy management and staff
  • Interacts with patients, doctors, office staff, vendors, etc.

Education and Qualifications

  • High School diploma or GED
  • Good computer, communication, and math skills
  • Accuracy and attention to detail
  • Ability to work under pressure to prioritize and manage workload
  • Must be able to interact cohesively with colleagues in a team environment
  • Excellent customer relations skills
  • Must preserve confidentiality of patient information

Case Manager

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The case manager acts as a liaison between patients, payers, and the healthcare team to support the revenue cycle and help close the gap between a healthcare’s finance and clinical departments.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

  • Develops, plans, organizes, and implements business strategies
  • Bills customers and processes payments
  • Works to minimize debt and improve cash flow
  • Manages overall health of the company’s receivables
  • Oversees all operations with a focus on billing department functions
  • Tracks and monitors key performance metrics and targets
  • Initiates processes to provide regular communication with team members
  • Interviews, selects, hires, and trains team members

Education and Qualifications

  • HS Diploma or GED
  • Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration
  • 5+ years of revenue cycle experience
  • 3+ years of supervisory or management level experience
  • Strong knowledge of insurance companies
  • Some experience with DME billing
  • Knowledge of cash receipts, reconciliation, and remittance posting

Recruiting Top Talent: The Do’s and Don’ts

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Recruiting talented employees takes a certain amount of skill. The candidate needs a job, and you need to fill a role. It’s a partnership. So, just like you’re looking for specific qualifications in a potential employee, they too have certain expectations of you.

When hiring staff for your healthcare industry, keep these do’s and don’ts in mind:

Do’s:

  • Do read the candidates resume so that you can discuss relevant information pertaining to the job position.
  • Do introduce yourself with a firm handshake to help the candidate feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar environment.
  • Do make an effort to remember the candidate’s name (ex. “Hello Kathy, it’s nice to meet you.”)
  • Do be on time to show the candidate that punctuality and attendance matters on both their end and yours.
  • Do listen to what your candidate has to say to discover things that may be important to them.
  • Do discuss all of the fantastic perks your business can offer them such as competitive compensation, benefits, career advancement opportunities, catered lunches, paid time off, overtime pay, etc.
  • Do give candidates something to be excited about by putting some focus on your organization’s culture and values.

Don’ts:

  • Don’t surprise the candidate. Instead, be transparent about the hiring process being sure to set proper expectations.
  • Don’t forget to write down notes on each candidate’s resume. Throughout the hiring process, you will meet a lot of people, so it’s important to have specific details to refer back to.
  • Don’t stick to certain hiring processes especially if you haven’t been getting the results you wanted with previous new hires.
  • Don’t let inexperienced staff handle the initial screening and interview process. An employee who doesn’t have the proper hiring background could easily overlook candidates whose talent could be best utilized.
  • Don’t forget that everything you say or do during the hiring process could cause the candidate to see the organization, culture, and management in either a negative or positive light.
  • Don’t drag the interview out or lead a candidate on if you know they aren’t the right fit. After all, you could be using that time to recruit someone you feel has more potential for your organization.

Hiring top healthcare talent for your organization can be a daunting task; yet, it’s one of the most critical processes. Recruiting the wrong candidates often leads to loss of productivity, customers, brand integrity, and more. Luckily, there are recruitment firms that can help.

HealthCare Support (HSS) places top talent in the dynamic healthcare industry. And, because we’re focused solely on healthcare, we understand the needs of our clients better than anyone else. For general questions or to acquire our services, please call us today at 1-407-478-0332.

Data Entry Specialist

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A data entry specialist enters information into a computer database for adequate record keeping. Data entry specialists must be able to type quickly and accurately and possess strong attention to detail.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

  • Enters patient information into the computer system in an accurate and timely manner
  • Prepares various reports as requested by management
  • Communicates effectively with staff
  • Keeps records of payments, co-pays, prior-authorizations, etc.
  • Evaluates and processes expense reports
  • Maintains accurate and thorough vendor records
  • Analyses data for errors
  • Reports problems found with data

Education and Qualifications

  • High School diploma or GED
  • 3+ years of data entry experience
  • Maintain confidentiality regarding financial matters
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Strong verbal, written, and typing skills
  • Proficient in MS Office (Word, Outlook, and Excel)
  • Must be personable, professional, and polished
  • Ability to work in a high-paced, high-volume data entry environment

How to Engage Your Employees

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When it comes to job satisfaction, individuals want to be valued, appreciated, and feel they are a part of the team. Managers who make an effort to engage their employees, will see that their team members are more productive, enthusiastic, and committed to both their work and workplace.

With 70% of U.S. workers feeling unengaged at work according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, what can you do to help keep your employees happy?

To help engage your employees, you can start by providing these seven things:

  • Fair pay

    Compensation must be competitive and fair, or employees will seek work elsewhere. (Read Retaining Employees with Good Pay)

  • Shared purpose

    Everyone wants to feel like the work they do is for a purpose. Let employees know how their work makes a positive impact on the business, and they will be more willing to work effectively, cohesively, and as a higher-performing group.

  • Flexible work options

    Those who are students, have families, or work additional jobs, need a career that provides flexible work arrangements. Companies that offer flexible schedules allow their employees to thrive both personally and professionally.

  • Recognition programs

    Incentive programs are a great way to motivate employees and keep them from wanting to quit. Reward those who reach a particular goal with things such as gift cards, lunches, event tickets, etc.

  • Transparent leadership

    To foster a culture of trust between leaders and their employees, senior staff should keep employees updated and informed. Hold bi-weekly meetings where you communicate with your team while getting their feedback or listening to their suggestions.

  • Mentorship programs

    Whether it’s focusing on things such as company culture, improving retention rates, and developing leadership skills, you can help retain great employees by giving them the opportunity to receive personalized training.

  • Structured career paths

    Employees typically feel more engaged when they believe their employer cares about their growth within the organization. Managers should encourage their staff to enhance their skills and expertise, giving them the opportunity to excel in their current job role, receive promotions or begin a new position with the company.

Job retention is a common issue for companies whether big or small. However, when you engage employees with recognition, praise, training, and fair pay, they are more likely to appreciate their jobs and less likely to leave. You should always remember that investing in your employees only benefits your company in the end.

If you’re looking to obtain top talent for your healthcare organization, HealthCare Support (HSS) can help. Since 2002, we have been the leader in the healthcare recruitment field. Call us today for more information at 1-407-478-0332.

 

Qualities of a Great Candidate

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While education, certifications and computer program knowledge often make up a large portion of hiring decisions, other things like character traits can be of equal importance.

Drive or ambition is probably the most sought-after trait in an employee and the one that most closely correlates with a quality candidate. Someone with ambition knows where they want to go in life and have the drive to get them there. These individuals can usually answer short-term and long-term goal questions without hesitation and often exceed employer expectations.

Humility and Positivity are just as important and people with these qualities tend to work better in teams and bounce back from shortcomings faster. These employees make great leaders. When issues arise, which they will, these individuals search for the root of the problem and find the solution instead of placing the blame elsewhere.

Reliability is a key ingredient to trust and large part of how and employee becomes a long-term employee. People with this quality typically progress faster in their career because their supervisors can trust them to complete the work and respect their opinions. They live up to their word and are transparent with information that may impact their plans or promises.

Displaying these highly coveted qualities during an interview can differentiate you from the competition and can ultimately give you the upper hand in a head to head race for the job. Our recruiters are trained to look for these same attributes to provide our clients with quality options. If you have the skills for the job and qualities of a great candidate, the only thing you are missing is a great employment partner like HealthCare Support! Let us work with you and open the door to new opportunities with great companies!