[Maggi315]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my previous questions regarding setting up my office. It is coming along nicely, I hired a secretary to help me, but I am still in the process of teaching her what needs to be done. Once she gets going, that will be a huge relief to me. Office/Business stuff is not my strong point and I don't particularly like it so I end up procrastinating!<br><br>
anyway, i have a few more office questions if everyone would be kind enough to help me with:<br><br>
-Handouts: I am in the process of making/copying handouts on all kinds of stuff, but not sure how to store them. I have made hanging files on all the topics with stuff I read, info from internet, etc, but I am thinking I shouldn't throw the handouts in there too? Or should I? Do you make copies up beforehand or just as needed? Just this week, I have needed a GBS Alternative Treatments, UTI, Rhogam/Blood Typing, Breastfeeding and Jaundice (thank god for dr. newman's site!), and optimal fetal positioning.<br><br>
-billing: I made up nice invoices to hand out when someone pays, but I am wondering how to record their payments for myself so I know what they paid. do you have a separate place in their folders? I also want to include it into Quicken, trying to set up each client as a separate category so I can keep a running total. Anyone have other, maybe easier ideas?<br><br>
-anyone use an answering service? what is the cost? do you like it? I would love to have someone answering the phone all the time so I don't have to worry about missed calls and I don't have the constant interruption. Right now, I get about 5 calls per day.<br><br>
thanks, as you can see I am full of questions! Maybe I overthink stuff, I don't know. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/dizzy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Dizzy">: But now that I am getting 3-4 clients per month, my old system of just stuffing papers around isn't cutting it. And it is driving my husband crazy because he is worried about the taxes, balance sheets, stuff I could care less about<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

 

[mwherbs]

simple receipt book, is one way to keep track - you can have in someone's folder a payment sheet- but do not attach it to their permanent medical records- KWIM could be paper clipped in the folder --

 

[Maggi315]

Thats a good point, I was thinking the same thing, I don't the money stuff to be part of any record I might need to copy, etc. Paperclipping is the easiest.<br><br>
I also thought that a plain old ledger pad would work well. I don't know about everyone else, but I find all the computer programs, etc. overrated. I do like having my secretary put all my client info, numbers, directions, etc. in the computer to have in case I lose something, etc. but I would much rather just look in my dayplanner!<br><br>
And I had been using a simple receipt pad, the kind you come home with your copy and put it on the stick looking thing (very accurate description<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> ).

 

[pamamidwife]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Maggi315</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7926512"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Thanks to everyone who responded to my previous questions regarding setting up my office. It is coming along nicely, I hired a secretary to help me, but I am still in the process of teaching her what needs to be done. Once she gets going, that will be a huge relief to me. Office/Business stuff is not my strong point and I don't particularly like it so I end up procrastinating!</div>
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OMG! you hired a secretary?? that is remarkable - that is what I need. The business side of midwifery really gets to me...However I don't think I could pay one - or really keep one busy.<br><br><br>
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">Handouts: I am in the process of making/copying handouts on all kinds of stuff, but not sure how to store them. I have made hanging files on all the topics with stuff I read, info from internet, etc, but I am thinking I shouldn't throw the handouts in there too? Or should I? Do you make copies up beforehand or just as needed? Just this week, I have needed a GBS Alternative Treatments, UTI, Rhogam/Blood Typing, Breastfeeding and Jaundice (thank god for dr. newman's site!), and optimal fetal positioning.</td>
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I have a file drawer right now that I put things in, but I have some of that stuff in my handout booklet that I give to every person I interview. I like the idea of a file cabinet because it's cleaner looking but binders are much more visually accessible.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">-billing: I made up nice invoices to hand out when someone pays, but I am wondering how to record their payments for myself so I know what they paid. do you have a separate place in their folders? I also want to include it into Quicken, trying to set up each client as a separate category so I can keep a running total. Anyone have other, maybe easier ideas?</td>
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I send statements out at the beginning of each month and record payments in their chart - like on the prenatal day if that's when they pay (like "pd ch#3058, $500") I think keeping a copy of their statement in their chart and adding any pmts / additional charges by hand might be good, too.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">-anyone use an answering service? what is the cost? do you like it? I would love to have someone answering the phone all the time so I don't have to worry about missed calls and I don't have the constant interruption. Right now, I get about 5 calls per day.</td>
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To me, this is the key of having a midwife - accessibility without having to relay messages through a third party. I give my home number (but don't always answer it) for non-urgent messages and my cell number for urgent calls. I make time each day to return phone calls.<br><br><br>
I also have a file system in my house as the mail comes in - I have a separate file for office stuff to go downstairs to my office. That way I can pull it all at once and go down to file, etc.

 

[Maggi315]

The secretary I hired is a mom of 3 and a LLL leader so she is familiar with birth and stuff. Right now, she is working Wednesday mornings for about 2-3 hours. Plus she takes a box home to make up new folders, retype handouts, flyers, brochures, etc. She can also enter client info into the outlook for me at her home and transfer it to mine.<br><br>
She is working to earn some extra money, I wouldn't be able to pay someone for loads of hours yet. But I do consider this to be a good investment, somebody to keep me organized. If nothing else, since I know she is coming on Wednesdays, I have to get my butt in gear to get the stuff ready<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

 

[Jane]

I did lots of office stuff at one of my student sites. The other one...not so much.<br>
I love the office photos that were posted - very inspiring. Especially the massage table/gyn table. I showed the photos to dh and he said he could make those changes to a massage table from costco for me.<br>
I have a big lateral file cabinet that I'm planning to repurpose to midwifery stuff - client charts in the bottom, office stuff on the top.