BEST PRACTICES FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
12 Tips for Becoming a CLNC® Pro
by Rose Clifford, RN, CLNC
Beginners are easily recognizable because most of them make the same mistakes that others just starting out make. In working with LNC subcontractors I've identified 12 tips for helping you to become a CLNC® Pro.
Do Your Homework
Always learn about the attorney-prospect and his firm in preparation for your interview. Never assume that you know enough or that someone will fill you in on information vital to your success in time for you to digest it and make a good impression. Prepare your questions in advance. In addition to what you already know, what would you like to know about this attorney, his practice or his law firm?
Find some common interests to chat about, whether it's where the attorney went to school or how he succeeded on a famous case. Arrive early and take time to notice the attorney's office, such as the types of books he reads, his pictures or mementos from cases he has won. Notice the office furniture and environment. These are all easy ways to find common ground that might give you a competitive edge. If the attorney-prospect has a passion for something that is of genuine interest to you, use this shared interest to build a bond that will make you stand out from the crowd.
Review your Core Curriculum for Legal Nurse Consulting® to help you anticipate the most frequently asked interview questions. Answer all questions honestly and directly.
Beat the Clock — Be on Time
Always arrive on time. If your appointment is for 10:00 am, you should get there 10-15 minutes in advance. There is an unspoken code of demerits that will be racked up against you if you are late. Why start with one strike against you? We are always told to be on time, but I cannot stress it enough — there can be no exceptions. Navigate how to arrive at your destination and plan how long it will take in advance. Anticipate possible delays caused by traffic and finding a place to park.
For example, our office is located in a rural area of Kentucky — 17.2 miles out of town, the last 6 miles on a one-lane country road overgrown with foliage and without road signs, street lights or anything to provide a sense of direction. Often LNC subcontractors coming to our office fail to call for directions or to work out the logistics in advance, and then wonder why they get lost. One subcontractor was further delayed by a herd of cows in the road — and cows do not care if you're in a hurry. The subcontractor arrived an hour late, frustrated, upset, and off to a bad start.
Act Like a Pro
Out of respect, get up when the attorney walks in, extend your hand first, and greet him with a confident smile, rather than a frightened-doe look. Always be aware of your professional dress, demeanor and presentation.
Be respectful of the attorney's time. Be alert to nonverbal cues telling you when to elaborate or when to cut your responses short. More importantly, be alert to when it is time to leave. Do not offer personal information unless asked, and even then limit it. You want to focus on the attorney and his needs, not on yourself.
Never Let Them See You Sweat
When you're first getting started, it's natural to be nervous about what kind of impression you are making, whether you can do this assignment, whether you'll win the next assignment, and a dozen other unknowns of this business. Go ahead and acknowledge your nervousness to yourself. Just remember to keep it to yourself. This is easier said than done, but with a little practice you can learn to relax and project an air of calm professionalism.
Establish the Objectives
It is impossible to work any case in a timely manner without first establishing the objectives. Clarify your client's objectives in advance of starting the case. In an effort to please or appear sophisticated, some of our subcontractors fail to ask clarifying questions about their assignment. For example, one of our subcontractors was asked to screen two potential medical malpractice cases for merit. Instead, she focused on the volume, illegibility, disorganization and incompleteness of the medical records, obsessing about how difficult it would be to review records in this condition. She was so caught up in these problems that she was unable to review the records in the agreed upon time. Be careful about what you are focusing on and whether or not that will help you accomplish your assignment.
Write Everything Down
When working on projects where time is of the essence, listening becomes critical. The detailed information coming at you can be overwhelming. Do not rely on your memory. Write everything down. Your attorney-client will see that you take her assignment seriously without your having to say so in words. Your actions will speak much louder than unproven assurances.
Don't Underestimate the Importance of Paperwork
As an independent LNC subcontractor on a case, you may not always know all of the attorney's objectives. As a result, some paperwork may seem unimportant and unnecessarily time-consuming. Never underestimate the importance of even the smallest task, or any requested documentation, all of which can be crucial to the success of your attorney-client's case.
Focus and Prioritize
Working on large projects can be totally overwhelming. In such cases, break the project down into smaller hourly and daily tasks. Focus on your project by prioritizing each step. Then complete the most important, difficult or time-consuming step first.
Commit to the Work at Hand
Realize there is a transition period when you shift from working in your own office to working on site, whether with another LNC at her office or as an LNC at an attorney's office.
If traveling out of state, arrive early, preferably the night before. This allows you time to rest from the rush of getting ready for the trip and to adjust to your new surroundings before starting your project. If at all possible, make this adjustment prior to arriving at your colleague's office.
Once you arrive, focus on the tasks at hand. Arriving well rested and focused on the assignment is a wonderful way to begin a lasting professional relationship.
Ditch Your Perfection
As nurses, we want to do our very best. We may try to complete every step of our assignment perfectly the first time out, even if this causes substantial delays in getting started. This mind-set keeps us from focusing on our overall goal, which further delays us. You must know your deadlines, and you must change your approach from one of perfection to one of timely accuracy.
Expect Interruptions
Frequently, new LNCs mistakenly think the work environment should be as ideal as a classroom. It is not. This is real life with all the challenges of frequent interruptions. Learn how to deal with them:
Recognize that some interruptions are out of your control, and learn to work with the interruptions you cannot control.
If working at home expect double the interruptions: both office interruptions (telephone calls, UPS and FedEx deliveries) and "home" interruptions (children's demands, plumbing emergencies, drop-in visitors, more telephone calls) — double the challenges.
Develop a way to reduce interruptions and the time given to them.
The bottom line — learn to get your work done in spite of the interruptions.
For example, I was orienting a new team of LNCs during a large-volume case review of 200 medical records. My project manager, who was fixing lunch, placed a dish towel on the stove top and entered the next room to answer a question. Of course, the burner was still on, and fire and smoke soon came billowing out of the kitchen behind her. As the team responded to put the fire out, my only thought was how were we ever going to explain the burned medical records to my attorney-client. Fortunately, the interruption was only momentary — our team saved the records, then gathered their composure and returned to the job at hand.
Several days later we temporarily moved to an office in town. It rained and the ceiling tiles in the office fell in on our team of nurses, drenching them as they entered the building.
By this point, we had to laugh at this series of interruptions. However, we outlasted the challenges to complete our project. You too will persevere.
Respect Time As Money
When you are in business for yourself, time is money. Limit personal conversations.
Track your billable time carefully and consistently. Develop this habit early in your LNC practice. For every case and every service performed, write the time you start and stop working. It doesn't have to be pretty — it just has to be in writing. When billing time comes, I promise you will not remember how much time you've spent, and you will lose many hours of billable time unless recorded promptly.
Learn how to generate an appropriate professional-looking invoice. This will expedite payment. Do not assume your attorney-client or hiring LNC will know which case you are billing. List the name of the case on your invoice.
Do not attempt to learn a new computer program when you're faced with tight deadline. You only add more anxiety to an already stressful situation. Always get comfortable with your computer programs before using them on a time-sensitive project.
If you are a beginner, apply these 12 tips faithfully and soon your attorney-clients will see you as the CLNC® Pro you've worked so hard to become.
Rose Clifford, RN, CLNC has been an independent LNC for 14 years specializing in investigating Medicare billing fraud and PIP auto fraud. She owns Medical Analysis Resources, Inc. in Kentucky.
