As the urgent care center added providers and expanded clinical services, its accounting department had more insurance deposits to reconcile and higher payroll expenses to record. During a staffing shortage, the office manager helped with financial tasks while continuing to run the front office.
The practice owner appreciated her contribution and is considering transferring her into accounting. However, the accounting supervisor is still spending considerable time on the month-end close. Before approving the move, the owner needs to know which duties could shift to the office manager and whether those are the duties slowing the department down.
What Is Holding Up the Month-End Close?
The last three closes give the owner a place to start. Were vendor invoices waiting to be entered, or was the supervisor reconciling payroll liabilities that no one else in the department could resolve?
An invoice backlog suggests a need for processing capacity. Differences between payroll reports and liability accounts point toward a need for stronger technical accounting experience. Hiring someone to enter invoices won’t take those reconciliations off the supervisor’s desk.
The supervisor could also be filling gaps created by unclear job responsibilities. The owner needs to confirm who prepares each reconciliation and who reviews it. If the supervisor does both, how accounting duties and review are assigned needs attention before another position is added.
A delayed close also limits how quickly the owner can rely on updated financial reports when deciding whether to add another provider.
What Can the Office Manager Take Off the Supervisor’s Desk?
She understands how patient payments move through the front office and has experience with vendors. Those strengths are useful in an accounting assistant role, but they don’t establish whether she can reconcile payroll liabilities or recognize expenses recorded in the wrong period.
If the department needs invoice support, she could begin processing vendor invoices under documented coding and approval procedures. Reviews at 30, 60 and 90 days would allow the supervisor to assess her progress, including how she handles an invoice that doesn’t match the approved amount.
The move also changes how she works with former colleagues. Suppose a front-desk employee asks her to reduce a patient balance without supporting documentation. Training explains the adjustment policy, while coaching helps her respond to someone she once supervised. Neither gives her authority to bypass the practice’s approval requirements.
What Will the Transfer Cost the Practice?
The front-office role still needs to be covered after the transfer. Hiring a replacement would increase payroll expenses. If the owner reassigns her duties instead, front-office employees would have to absorb the additional work while checking in patients and collecting payments.
The accounting supervisor would have to make room for training as well. For illustration, six hours of instruction and two hours of review each week over six weeks would total 48 hours. Those hours don’t automatically increase a salaried supervisor’s pay, but they reduce the time available for reconciliations and the close. Overtime or temporary accounting help would create additional expense.
What does the owner get back for that commitment? If the office manager takes over invoices that weren’t causing the delay, the supervisor may still be completing the same reconciliations. The owner would then have redirected supervisory time and arranged front-office coverage without resolving the original bottleneck.
Which Staffing Decision Will Improve the Next Close?
If vendor invoices are holding up the close, an accounting assistant position could be a reasonable opportunity for the office manager. However, if the department lacks the accounting skills to complete its reconciliations, an experienced accountant or qualified outside support deserves consideration. The owner should compare those options with the full cost of the transfer.
Before approving the move, I’d ask the supervisor to identify which month-end responsibilities she will stop handling and who will review the office manager’s work. If the same unresolved reconciliations remain on the supervisor’s desk, what has the transfer accomplished?
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