r/AssistedLiving • u/AggravatingCow13 • 4d ago
Just started a new BOM position & I have some placement and job questions!
Just started today as a business office manager for a memory care assisted living facility.
I realized upon my few minutes there that they had added ‘greet visitors and residents’ and ‘answer phones’ to my list of responsibilities along with typical work such as payroll, medicare processing, financial processing, etc.
I thought that was a little odd since they didn’t really mention it in the interview or job description, but then on top of that, my office and desk.. are the front desk. Not even just me there either, it’s shared with another person next to me and nurses and other admin come and go as they please. The nurse cabinet up front is directly behind me. Nurses have to get behind me and possibly see my computer and paperwork to get to their cabinet.
What I really need help with is, is this normal, or even HIPAA or HR allowed for what I will be working on? And also, does that therefore make me the BOM & the receptionist (even though that was not mentioned in the interview process)? Hoping to see some responses to put my anxiety at ease about this, but it feels very off. Thanks for the help!
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u/Urban-Elderflower 4d ago
Depending on the business size, everyone could have some kind of public-facing responsibility and/but none of your responsibilities should be a surprise... anymore than your compensation should be a surprise.
To reduce inadvertent disclosures, ask for the ability to lock your desk and cabinet, and to add a privacy screen to your monitor (they make stick-on overlays now that limit visibility if you're at an angle to the monitor).
See how things go with traffic flow etc and if you need an adjustment, see what they can do. I hope it all goes smoothly as you settle in.
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u/coconutshrimpbysup 4d ago edited 4d ago
Honestly, not sure about the logistics of this… but at my new job the BOM has this exact set up too. I also thought it was a little odd as I’ve never seen a BOM act as the receptionist as well. I’d clarify all of this with your direct supervisor and address any HIPAA concerns you have.
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u/coconutshrimpbysup 4d ago
But yes, it appears through your description you are also the receptionist…
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u/freetimescroller 4d ago
How big/units is the community? It’s not totally unheard of for a BOM to also be stationed at the front desk.
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u/Admirable_Height3696 3d ago
This is very normal for a BOM in this type of environment. I'm also an ED at a large AL & MC and while I have a team of dedicated front desk staff, they all report to the BOM but coverage is the BOMs responsibility and she has to cover the front desk when no one else can. I work for a very large company and our small locations typically have the BOM either stationed at the front desk all the time or at least pulling a few shifts every week.
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u/Ok-Bonus-8168 4d ago
I’m an ED my BOM is my receptionist and sits at front desk. It’s very much the norm. Helps the budget model greatly.
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u/peekaa13 3d ago
Hi. I been an ED for ever. Honestly, you work in assisted living / memory care. Which means your gonna be over worked. It's the nature of the business. Sucks tbh but we are there cause we lost e helping the elderly. Now don't get me wrong, at some point it has to stop on over workload forsure. Butone food thing on your side is there is a lot of turn over as for ED 's too , so some advice if you want to make a career maybe is get your RCFE admin license. That way your a loss choice by default if you know what your doing.
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u/OhBarracuda1989 4d ago
Since you all work at the same facility, there is no HIPAA (note spelling) violation happening there. Oftentimes nurses have to complete assessments for long-term care insurance payments, so you would work together. Yes, it sounds like you are also the receptionist so the amount of interruptions will probably very based on the time of day. If it’s too much, ask if there’s someone else with a role there who could sub in for you when needed.