On this episode of The Modern Practice Podcast, host Gary Tiratsuyan is joined by Kat Morales (Chapin), Manager of the Customer Experience team at Rectangle Health to continue our “Inside Perspective” mini-series.
During the conversation, Kat shares her experiences and the challenges she faced in managing the day-to-day at the office.
As the discussion continues, she details how she is now helping office managers and practice staff create efficiencies with software, to save time and increase revenue.
Connect with Kat on LinkedIn.
Transcript
Gary Tiratsuyan 00:20
Without further ado, hello, everybody, and welcome back to the Modern Practice Podcast guest. Today we’re continuing our Inside Perspective series with Kat Morales, manager of the Customer Experience team here at Rectangle Health. If you missed part one with Shirley Devy, I have a link for you all in the episode description below so you could check that out. Kat, thank you so much for taking the time to join me today.
Kat Morales 00:44
Thanks, Gary. I’m incredibly excited to be able to do this with you.
Gary Tiratsuyan 00:48
My pleasure. And thanks again. And Kat, part of what makes Rectangle Health so unique and in touch with the healthcare industry is that we have people like you who have walked in the shoes of the healthcare staff we help every day. Can you talk to me a little bit about your experience before coming on board to Rectangle Health?
Kat Morales 01:06
Yeah, absolutely. So before Rectangle Health, I was actually in the dental field, and I truly started from the bottom. I started running a stereo room, which is where all of the dirty tools are kept. And then once they trusted me, I became an assistant, moved up to front desk, and eventually treatment coordinator and finally landed an office manager.
Gary Tiratsuyan 01:30
Awesome. Thanks for that. So with that experience, what would you say you needed more of it in your day to day?
Kat Morales 01:37
For me, it was time. There never seemed to be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that I needed to do.
Gary Tiratsuyan 01:44
Yeah, we hear that so often from our office managers, from our consultants that speak to the practices day in and day out. Time is definitely the most valuable asset. So what took most of your time when you were at the practice? And are you hearing the same from the practices you speak today in helping them?
Kat Morales 02:03
Yeah, I can say the struggle is definitely similar. There were so many areas that needed attention, especially in a dental office, and they all seemed urgent and needed to be done right now. Things like filling the schedule, confirming all of your appointments, verifying insurance, which we all know that’s a headache, presenting treatment to our patients. But the biggest stressor was definitely collections. Thinking about, what do I need to collect today? What is currently outstanding, and how do we possibly keep track of all of it?
Gary Tiratsuyan 02:35
Yeah. And what was your fix at the time?
Kat Morales 02:39
It was not pretty. I would come in earlier. I would stay additional hours after closing. I would skip on my lunch break. I even had posted on my desktop, not HIPAA compliant, but calendar reminders as well. That would help me keep track of when to charge a payment or when a patient was due. I know a lot of the office managers that are listening to this right now know exactly what I’m talking about. Definitely not pretty. And not to mention the pressure that was placed on my team at the time. There was so much stress to maintain a productive schedule and ensure that we collected everything. Believe it or not, it trickles down into your patients and they can feel that tension and anxiety. And ultimately all of those are really just Band Aid fixes and didn’t get to the root of the problem.
How Rectangle Health Helps Dental Practices
Gary Tiratsuyan 03:28
Thank you, Kat. So if we’re fast forwarding to present day your role here at Rectangle Health, can you talk to me a little bit about what you do with the organization, what your team does, and the mission you are all on?
Kat Morales 03:41
Yeah, absolutely. So it is to simplify the business side of healthcare. My team’s main focus is guiding our practices through our solution practice management bridge and finding out how we can work with their current workflows with the least amount of disruption to their daily. It has really become a personal passion of mine and the main thing that I’m able to do is give practices their time back.
A Permanent Resolution
Gary Tiratsuyan 04:06
Yeah, and thanks so much for that again, Kat. So getting back to the fixes, you spoke about the Band Aid fixes and now we’re looking long term, what would you say is the strategy for a more permanent resolution to these long standing pain points that you faced that the Rectangle Health clients face and the healthcare industry as a whole faces?
Kat Morales 04:27
Yeah, anything that you can take off of my plate as an office manager is valuable and that really boils down to automation. Being able to automate all of my workflows is the most valuable solution for me, from sending patient reminders, digital registration forms, automated schedule filling, a way to deal with that dusty HIPAA binder that we all know is hidden on a shelf somewhere and never touched again. And let’s not forget offering a better way for my patients to pay for their treatment. As an office manager at the time, that would look like automatic payment plans. So no more postits Text-to-Pay capabilities because let’s face it, cash has become somewhat obsolete and slowly debit, and credit cards are going that way as well. And the much needed financing option.
With the state of the world today, it truly is hard to pay for the things that we need, like our treatment. And that no longer has to be a roadblock. And they’re not just for the solution for the practice. Ultimately, the patient benefits when a practice can efficiently streamline all of these processes.
Gary Tiratsuyan 05:44
Yeah. And before we wrap up, I wanted to ask if you could share some feedback from the practices you’ve helped kind of course correct and follow this strategy and implement these features and tools to, like you said, simplify the day to day. Because I think often what happens is when somebody looks at technology, there’s somewhat of a fear. Is this going to replace my job? But technology will never replace that human touch, that human element to develop that bond between the practice and the patients. So if you could just share some insights on what you’ve heard from the organizations you’ve worked with.
Kat Morales 06:24
Oh yeah, this is my favorite part, Gary. Connecting with our clients and hearing their feedback. That’s the most rewarding part of my team’s function. Here at Rectangle Health, we consistently hear those aha, moments where the front desk manager, the practice manager, the doctor, they realize that they’ve gained time back. They no longer have to keep space in their mind for processes that they can automate and that helps them connect on a deeper level with their patients. Because a lot of our practices really are community building. They give back to the community. That’s where their time should be spent on their patients well being and running a profitable, healthy practice because that’s such a delicate balance between compassionate care and running a profitable business.
But a lot of our clients have been able to find that balance and that truly is a rewarding feeling.
Gary Tiratsuyan 07:24
Great insight and thanks so much for that, Kat. And thank you for taking the time to join me today. Yeah.
Kat Morales 07:30
My pleasure, Gary. It’s been awesome. Thank you so much for having me.
Gary Tiratsuyan 07:33
Pleasure is all mine. Looking forward to having you on the show again real soon. And for our listeners tuning in today, I invite you all to connect with Kat on LinkedIn as she brings a unique perspective and approach to simplifying the day to day at the practice. I will have a link to her profile in the episode description below, as well as a link to our site where you can learn more about our powerful software solution, practice Management bridge. Thanks for tuning in. Till next time, everybody.
Thank you for listening to the Modern Practice podcast. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify or SoundCloud for new episodes, and follow Rectangle Health on social media for more helpful information, news and event details. Thanks for tuning in.
