The staffing squeeze: Roles practices can’t afford to lose

In this clip, Rihan Javid, D.O., J.D., explains why staffing gaps hit some positions harder than others — and why it still ends up being an “all roles matter” problem.

He notes that when patient-facing staff like medical assistants aren’t there to check patients in and keep the front end moving, the waiting room backs up, tempers rise and the entire visit can sour before the physician even walks in. On the back end, billing, coding, prior authorization and claims roles can be even more critical: practices can keep seeing patients, but if no one is getting clean claims out the door, cash flow stalls and payroll quickly becomes a stress point.

The takeaway: there’s no single “expendable” role. Losing key people in either patient-facing or revenue cycle positions can choke both access and income for the practice.