support staff FTE per therapist FTE

[Guest guest]

Does anyone use any specific target of support staff (clerical or techs) per

therapist?

I have been looking around for this type of information but am coming up

short...

Thanks in advance-

Jeanne Bradshaw, PT, OCS

Director of Rehabilitation Services

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System

PO Box 2600

Boone, NC 28607

Phone: Fax:

www.apprhs.org<http://www.apprhs.org>

" Making Life Better "

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

This document may contain information covered under the Privacy Act, 5 USC

552(a), and/or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (PL

104-191) and its various implementing regulations and must be protected in

accordance with those provisions. Healthcare information is personal and

sensitive and must be treated accordingly. If this correspondence contains

healthcare information it is being provided to you after appropriate

authorization. You, the recipient, are obligated to maintain it in a safe,

secure and confidential manner. Redisclosure without additional patient consent

or without legal basis is prohibited. Unauthorized redisclosure or failure to

maintain confidentiality subjects you to application of appropriate sanctions.

If you have received this correspondence in error, please notify the sender at

once and destroy any copies you have made.

[Guest guest]

As a follow up to Jeanne's email, I am surprised and a bit frustrated that there

seems to be no data in regards to benchmarks for support staff to clinician FTE

in our profession. MGMA (Medical Group Management Association) has a plethora of

data addressing these issues for medical practices. I fully realize that it is

difficult to compare apples to apples due to differences in support staff

roles/duties from practice to practice based on setting, structure, clientele,

etc. However, a range of current staffing models should be attainable to be used

as a resource for private clinic owners, hospital based managers etc. I can find

nothing on the APTA website related to this topic.

Meanwhile, I am working with consultants who have been hired by my facility who

are stating that we should be able to run our outpatient multidisciplinary

clinic of 17 therapists (12 FTE) that is open 10 hours a day with 1.5 FTE

support staff. This is support staff that schedules new and ongoing patients,

answers multi-line phones, verifies benefits/eligibility, registers

patients/opens accounts, manages therapist's schedules in real time to insure

efficient resource use, performs medical records management duties (for example

Medicare fax's for POC etc.), processes extention requests and more. Yet I have

no benchmarking data that I can counter with. If someone does know where there

is benchmarking data, I would really appreciate it if you could point me (and

Jeanne) in the right direction!

Mike Hampton PT, MPT

Outpatient Therapy Manager

PeaceHealth St. ph Medical Center

Bellingham, WA

 

To: " PTManager " <PTManager >

Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2011 11:49 AM

Subject: support staff FTE per therapist FTE

 

Does anyone use any specific target of support staff (clerical or techs) per

therapist?

I have been looking around for this type of information but am coming up

short...

Thanks in advance-

Jeanne Bradshaw, PT, OCS

Director of Rehabilitation Services

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System

PO Box 2600

Boone, NC 28607

Phone: Fax:

www.apprhs.org<http://www.apprhs.org>

" Making Life Better "

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

This document may contain information covered under the Privacy Act, 5 USC

552(a), and/or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (PL

104-191) and its various implementing regulations and must be protected in

accordance with those provisions. Healthcare information is personal and

sensitive and must be treated accordingly. If this correspondence contains

healthcare information it is being provided to you after appropriate

authorization. You, the recipient, are obligated to maintain it in a safe,

secure and confidential manner. Redisclosure without additional patient consent

or without legal basis is prohibited. Unauthorized redisclosure or failure to

maintain confidentiality subjects you to application of appropriate sanctions.

If you have received this correspondence in error, please notify the sender at

once and destroy any copies you have made.

[Guest guest]

Hi Mike,

I do not have nor know of any benchmarking unfortunately but I have always held

to what an article in PT Magazine (now PT in Motion) outlined a while back. The

article cited proof (by clinic profit) that having more support staff, not less,

actually made clinics more profitable because it freed up the professional staff

to concentrate almost solely on activities that produced revenue. My suggestion

is that you would have to closely chart all “non-productive†time by your

therapists now and see if it changes when the support staff is reduced.

Sounds like your consultants are “business-based†and purely looking at how

to cut overhead (ie salaries) without understanding how a PT clinic works

best-ie one in which the professional staff is free’d from as much

non-productive activity as possible. They only way to do that is generally by

making current staff as efficient as possible or increasing support staff.

Their number, by the way, is pretty unrealistic but without the benchmarks, I

think your only choice is to document now (the non-productive time) and after

the change.

Tom Howell, PT , MPT

Meridian, ID

thowell@...

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reply email.

From: PTManager [mailto:PTManager ] On Behalf Of

Mike Hampton

Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 3:57 PM

To: PTManager

Subject: Re: support staff FTE per therapist FTE

As a follow up to Jeanne's email, I am surprised and a bit frustrated that there

seems to be no data in regards to benchmarks for support staff to clinician FTE

in our profession. MGMA (Medical Group Management Association) has a plethora of

data addressing these issues for medical practices. I fully realize that it is

difficult to compare apples to apples due to differences in support staff

roles/duties from practice to practice based on setting, structure, clientele,

etc. However, a range of current staffing models should be attainable to be used

as a resource for private clinic owners, hospital based managers etc. I can find

nothing on the APTA website related to this topic.

Meanwhile, I am working with consultants who have been hired by my facility who

are stating that we should be able to run our outpatient multidisciplinary

clinic of 17 therapists (12 FTE) that is open 10 hours a day with 1.5 FTE

support staff. This is support staff that schedules new and ongoing patients,

answers multi-line phones, verifies benefits/eligibility, registers

patients/opens accounts, manages therapist's schedules in real time to insure

efficient resource use, performs medical records management duties (for example

Medicare fax's for POC etc.), processes extention requests and more. Yet I have

no benchmarking data that I can counter with. If someone does know where there

is benchmarking data, I would really appreciate it if you could point me (and

Jeanne) in the right direction!

Mike Hampton PT, MPT

Outpatient Therapy Manager

PeaceHealth St. ph Medical Center

Bellingham, WA

From: Jeanne Bradshaw <jbradshaw@... <mailto:jbradshaw%40apprhs.org> >

To: " PTManager <mailto:PTManager%40yahoogroups.com> "

<PTManager <mailto:PTManager%40yahoogroups.com> >

Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2011 11:49 AM

Subject: support staff FTE per therapist FTE

Does anyone use any specific target of support staff (clerical or techs) per

therapist?

I have been looking around for this type of information but am coming up

short...

Thanks in advance-

Jeanne Bradshaw, PT, OCS

Director of Rehabilitation Services

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System

PO Box 2600

Boone, NC 28607

Phone: Fax:

www.apprhs.org<http://www.apprhs.org>

" Making Life Better "

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

This document may contain information covered under the Privacy Act, 5 USC

552(a), and/or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (PL

104-191) and its various implementing regulations and must be protected in

accordance with those provisions. Healthcare information is personal and

sensitive and must be treated accordingly. If this correspondence contains

healthcare information it is being provided to you after appropriate

authorization. You, the recipient, are obligated to maintain it in a safe,

secure and confidential manner. Redisclosure without additional patient consent

or without legal basis is prohibited. Unauthorized redisclosure or failure to

maintain confidentiality subjects you to application of appropriate sanctions.

If you have received this correspondence in error, please notify the sender at

once and destroy any copies you have made.

[Guest guest]

I say have the consultant work in the position for 2 weeks as the 1.5

support staff, then see what the opinion is.

Steve Marcum PT

Outpatient Physical Therapy

Lexington, Kentucky

> **

>

>

> I disagree w your consultants. I've been running rehab for over 40 yrs and

> am a consultant. I suggest you ask some other very experienced people who

> are part of this group ( like Dick Hillyer, Beckley, Sykes

> Milliken, JoAnne Wisely) for their input. From my experience, you need more

> than 1. 5 along w a very well built out and organized physical plant you

> have designed yourselves to maximize efficiencies. Sally McNamara,

> MCS, CCC-SLP, CCP,CCE ohio.

> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

>

>

>

>

--

“Anyone who lives a sedentary life and does not exercise, even if he eats

good foods and takes care of himself according to proper medical principles,

all his days will be painful ones and his strength shall wane.”

Maimonides, 1199 AD

[Guest guest]

I posted a question along these lines a few months but was only asking about

inpatient, acute settings. I received three responses, which were:

1. 1:1 ratio (small acute community hospital, if I recall)

2. 1:4 ratio

3. No support staff (eliminated several years prior, also small hospital)

Our setting, adult acute inpatient large teaching hospital, is also 1:4. This

doesn't reflect what is appropriate, just what is done at 4 hospitals out there!

Dan Gaskell

Carilion Clinic

Roanoke, VA

>

> Mike -

>

> I am forwarding an email that I saw years ago (2006), posted on PTManager.

This is not my data, yet I agree with the parameters and our clinic fits within

the projections outlined. I do know the source of the email, yet I will let that

individual identify themselves if they should so choose.

>

> So...here you go:

>

>

.................................................................................\

...................................

> Subject: RE: Re: Support Staffing

> To: PTManager

> Date: Saturday, August 12, 2006, 7:13 AM

>

>

> We've done a few of these projects in the past, and here's a sort of rule of

> thumb:

>

> (Office staff FTEs) + (Clinical FTEs) = Total FTEs

>

> Office staff: A " step model " driven by daily patient visits and managed

> over each two-week pay period.

> (This model is for an OP clinic which handles all telephoning, intake,

> authorization, appointments, charge entry, medical records, chart

> assembly/disassembly. They don't print, assemble, or mail bills or receive

> payments. Obviously, individual cases will call for more detailed

> calculations.)

>

>       0-25 visits/day - 2 staff

>     26-75 visits/day - 3 staff

>     76-100 visits/day - 4 staff

>

> Clinical Staff: In a mainly 1:1 clinic with 45 minute visits (1-hour

> evals).

>     Based on the premise that clincal staff are there to see

> patients,

> but that there are evil events, such as no-shows.

>

>     3 billable 15-minute units per paid manhour. 75% of paid time is

> billable. 6 hours of patient care per 8-hour day. Tech/aide staff is only

> present to enable therapists and clinicians to see paying patients, so their

> hours are included, but they, of course, have no billable productivity.

>

>     So, a week with, say, 400 visits would average 80/day. Visits

> average 3 units of One-to-One care. (80 visits/day X 3units/visit=240

> units/day) That's 80 manhours/day, or 10 clinicians (aggregate

> Therapist/Assistant/Tech).

>

> A smaller clinic with half those visits would have 5 clinicians and 3 office

> staff.

>

> Hope that helps!

> ..............................................................................

>

> Mike

> Salem, OR

>

>

> Mike Studer,PT,MHS,NCS, CEEAA

> 2011 Neurology Section Clinician of the Year

> President, Northwest Rehabilitation Associates Inc. Serving You With

Specialist Care and a Personal Touch

> Phone:

> Fax:

> mike@...

> www.northwestrehab.com

>

>

[Guest guest]

I posted a question along these lines a few months but was only asking about

inpatient, acute settings. I received three responses, which were:

1. 1:1 ratio (small acute community hospital, if I recall)

2. 1:4 ratio

3. No support staff (eliminated several years prior, also small hospital)

Our setting, adult acute inpatient large teaching hospital, is also 1:4. This

doesn't reflect what is appropriate, just what is done at 4 hospitals out there!

Dan Gaskell

Carilion Clinic

Roanoke, VA

>

> Mike -

>

> I am forwarding an email that I saw years ago (2006), posted on PTManager.

This is not my data, yet I agree with the parameters and our clinic fits within

the projections outlined. I do know the source of the email, yet I will let that

individual identify themselves if they should so choose.

>

> So...here you go:

>

>

.................................................................................\

...................................

> Subject: RE: Re: Support Staffing

> To: PTManager

> Date: Saturday, August 12, 2006, 7:13 AM

>

>

> We've done a few of these projects in the past, and here's a sort of rule of

> thumb:

>

> (Office staff FTEs) + (Clinical FTEs) = Total FTEs

>

> Office staff: A " step model " driven by daily patient visits and managed

> over each two-week pay period.

> (This model is for an OP clinic which handles all telephoning, intake,

> authorization, appointments, charge entry, medical records, chart

> assembly/disassembly. They don't print, assemble, or mail bills or receive

> payments. Obviously, individual cases will call for more detailed

> calculations.)

>

>       0-25 visits/day - 2 staff

>     26-75 visits/day - 3 staff

>     76-100 visits/day - 4 staff

>

> Clinical Staff: In a mainly 1:1 clinic with 45 minute visits (1-hour

> evals).

>     Based on the premise that clincal staff are there to see

> patients,

> but that there are evil events, such as no-shows.

>

>     3 billable 15-minute units per paid manhour. 75% of paid time is

> billable. 6 hours of patient care per 8-hour day. Tech/aide staff is only

> present to enable therapists and clinicians to see paying patients, so their

> hours are included, but they, of course, have no billable productivity.

>

>     So, a week with, say, 400 visits would average 80/day. Visits

> average 3 units of One-to-One care. (80 visits/day X 3units/visit=240

> units/day) That's 80 manhours/day, or 10 clinicians (aggregate

> Therapist/Assistant/Tech).

>

> A smaller clinic with half those visits would have 5 clinicians and 3 office

> staff.

>

> Hope that helps!

> ..............................................................................

>

> Mike

> Salem, OR

>

>

> Mike Studer,PT,MHS,NCS, CEEAA

> 2011 Neurology Section Clinician of the Year

> President, Northwest Rehabilitation Associates Inc. Serving You With

Specialist Care and a Personal Touch

> Phone:

> Fax:

> mike@...

> www.northwestrehab.com

>

>

[Guest guest]

I want to thank everyone for their replys. It helped to validate that I am not

out in left field (at least in this case) and the data/benchmarks that I did get

I was able to reference in my arguments for our support staffing needs. I won't

know the outcome for another week or so.

Again, thanks to all of you.

Mike Hampton PT, MPT

Outpatient Therapy Manager

PeaceHealth St. ph Medical Center

Bellingham, WA

Â

To: PTManager <PTManager >

Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2011 3:29 PM

Subject: support staff FTE per therapist FTE

Â

Mike -

I am forwarding an email that I saw years ago (2006), posted on PTManager. This

is not my data, yet I agree with the parameters and our clinic fits within the

projections outlined. I do know the source of the email, yet I will let that

individual identify themselves if they should so choose.

So...here you go:

.................................................................................\

...................................

Subject: RE: Re: Support Staffing

To: PTManager

Date: Saturday, August 12, 2006, 7:13 AM

We've done a few of these projects in the past, and here's a sort of rule of

thumb:

(Office staff FTEs) + (Clinical FTEs) = Total FTEs

Office staff:Â A " step model " driven by daily patient visits and managed

over each two-week pay period.

(This model is for an OP clinic which handles all telephoning, intake,

authorization, appointments, charge entry, medical records, chart

assembly/disassembly. They don't print, assemble, or mail bills or receive

payments. Obviously, individual cases will call for more detailed

calculations.)

    0-25 visits/day - 2 staffÂ

   26-75 visits/day - 3 staff

   76-100 visits/day - 4 staff

Clinical Staff:Â In a mainly 1:1 clinic with 45 minute visits (1-hour

evals).Â

   Based on the premise that clincal staff are there to see

patients,

but that there are evil events, such as no-shows.

   3 billable 15-minute units per paid manhour. 75% of paid time is

billable. 6 hours of patient care per 8-hour day. Tech/aide staff is only

present to enable therapists and clinicians to see paying patients, so their

hours are included, but they, of course, have no billable productivity.

   So, a week with, say, 400 visits would average 80/day. Visits

average 3 units of One-to-One care. (80 visits/day X 3units/visit=240

units/day)Â That's 80 manhours/day, or 10 clinicians (aggregate

Therapist/Assistant/Tech).

A smaller clinic with half those visits would have 5 clinicians and 3 office

staff.

Hope that helps!

............................................................................... Â

  Â

Mike

Salem, OR

Mike Studer,PT,MHS,NCS, CEEAA

2011 Neurology Section Clinician of the Year

President, Northwest Rehabilitation Associates Inc. Serving You With Specialist

Care and a Personal TouchÂ

Phone:

Fax:

mike@...

www.northwestrehab.com