Fixing administrative shortages: A conversation with Rihan Javid, D.O., J.D..

Rihan Javid, D.O., J.D., a psychiatrist and co-founder and CEO of Edge, said practices are underestimating the toll that administrative shortages are taking on patient care and workforce stability.

Speaking at the MGMA Leaders Conference in Orlando, Javid noted that front- and back-office staff are too often expected to juggle multiple roles without adequate support or pay, leading to constant turnover.

“Even just to have one or two people, when you need three, they’re pretty happy with that,” he said, adding that many staff leave for slightly higher pay or shorter commutes.

The downstream effects reach far beyond the front desk. Javid pointed to prior authorizations, delayed lab results and long patient wait times as examples of how understaffing hampers access to care.

Insurance hurdles alone, he said, can consume hours of staff time each day, creating a near full-time job for one employee. If practices fail to address these gaps, both physicians and administrators risk burnout — ultimately driving patients away.

“You save a few hundred bucks here, but it’s gonna cost you $20,000 or $30,000 on the back end and a lot of unhappy patients,” Javid said.