Practice Management Alert

Question: We are having a problem with two of our nonphysician practitioners (NPPs); there is obvious tension between the two, and I’m not sure why. As the practice manager, I need to settle this dispute before it starts to affect the bottom line. Can you offer any suggestions on conflict resolution?

New Mexico Subscriber

Answer: According to the American Management Association (AMA), there are five steps you should take toward resolving any in-office conflict:

1. ID conflict: You should meet with the NPPs as soon as possible, and give each an uninterrupted chance to explain the conflict, as he sees it. Also, consider asking the individuals questions like “When did you feel upset?”; “Do you see a relationship between that and this incident?”; “How did this incident begin?”

2. Check for underlying causes: Sometimes, there is tension between co-workers that eventually leads to a conflict after the issue hits a “tipping point.”

“The source of the conflict might be a minor problem that occurred months before, but the level of stress has grown to the point where the two parties have begun attacking each other personally instead of addressing the real problem,” reports the AMA. You need to drill down to the core of the issue between the pair, and then work toward an agreeable solution.

3. Ask for solutions: Once you get both points of view on the conflict, ask each NPP how to best resolve the conflict. Questions such as “How can we put this conflict behind us?” or “What would you like to happen in order to make this situation more tolerable?” can get both parties talking and, hopefully, starting to feel better about each other.

Your goal as mediator is to end the fight and get the NPPs to have an amicable working relationship. Toward that goal, you need to “get the disputants to stop fighting and start cooperating, and that means steering the discussion away from finger pointing and toward ways of resolving the conflict,” the AMA reports.

4. Look for common ground: After considering both viewpoints, suggest a few ideas for the NPPs to consider to resolve the conflict.

5. Agreement: While it might take some negotiating, but the two parties should agree to one of the ideas you presented while proposing potential solutions. In extreme situations, a practice might even get each individual to sign a contract that specifies the actions they’ll take to improve the relationship.

AMA doesn’t recommend this for a first-time conflict, however. “It might be sufficient to meet with the individuals and [ask them] ‘What action plans will you both put in place to prevent conflicts from arising in the future?’ and ‘What will you do if problems arise in the future?’” AMA states.