Physician practices administer annual employee surveys for a number of reasons but often make a common oversight, according to Peter Lucash, CEO of Digital CPE, a physician practice consultant group based in Charleston, SC. "Too many people view employees as costing them money, but they're really your eyes and ears. They're your best asset," he says. "Employees will see things that you won't see as a physician or as a practice administrator. They see everything from a different perspective; patients will say things to an employee that they are afraid to say to a doctor."

HR management is an important function in medical offices, but it traditionally has not been handled in the professional manner it should be. Every practice has a person who is responsible for handling HR issues, but he or she often lacks the professional training in HR management necessary to avoid common blunders. In smaller practices, it may be a physician or a staff member who oversees HR issues on the side. In larger practices, the person assigned to handle the HR function is often a manager or administrator with other assigned duties.

Depending on your location and payer environment, managed-care contracts can account for a substantial portion of the revenue your practice brings in. To maximize the value of these agreements, it's crucial to identify and leverage your practice's strengths when negotiating with payers, according to Jeffry Peters, president and CEO of Health Directions in Chicago.

Although the fall air is cooling down, some relationships in your office might be heating up. Below are some of the stories and feedback your colleagues shared about romance in the office through "Practice Chat"-a free listserv open to physicians, office managers, and practice administrators. Red light: Take control It's not if it happens but when. Roughly 40% of employees in all industries polled have been involved in an office romance. In healthcare, it may be even more, given that most medical practices are less formal.

Many physicians are inherently driven to make the world a better place-it's often one of the top reasons behind their decision to enter medicine. This desire often compels physicians to take action on other social issues as well, one of which is protecting the environment. "A lot of physicians are interested in public health issues, and environmental issues are easily tied to public health," says Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH,1 with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.