Medical schools do a great job of teaching clinical skills, yet many of us graduate largely unprepared for the demands of leading a practice team.
Along with skilled practitioners, a practice’s success relies on having a cohesive team of professionals who not only know their role, but also feel comfortable making independent, on-the-fly decisions.
1. Remind staff of the “The Big Purpose.”
Assure that each team member knows his/her role and exactly how to:
- Enhance the patient experience
- Contribute to increased revenue
- Deliver effective clinical support
2. Hold daily meetings.
- Hold a 5-minute, all-hands-on-deck, stand-up meeting to get the team aligned with your big purpose and values—every day.
- Highlight only a few tasks that are super important to achieve.
3. Define three or four executable strategies and chart the course.
- How will you become the “go-to” practice? Clarify your strategy with defined tasks and ongoing accountability—define the “how” and “what.”
- List tasks and processes, including resources and people who will execute to support the strategy.
4. SET GOALS related to patient experience, volume or revenue, then chart the course and visualize success.
For example: If the goal is to improve the patient experience, define a strategy for your team to define the action tasks together.
Who will carry out each action and what resources are necessary?
Strategy – Create a positive patient (and/or employee) experience through:
- Smoother, more efficient workflow – so staff can focus on people and not tasks.
- On-time appointments – so people are not waiting too long.
- Customized technologies – so each person’s experience is more professional and personal.
- Visible hospitality – so people feel welcome and cared for.
Tactics – the tasks to assign accountability for: Who will do it and when will it get done?
- Define expectations/metrics for each stage of patient interaction, from initial inquiry to check-in to check-out, through to follow-up. (Create a flow chart with what needs to happen at each step along with a way to measure if it is working.)
- Launch software that supports the processes you define, such as Power2Practice, which is designed to support Integrative, Anti-Aging and Functional Medicine practices specifically.
- Identify dashboard metrics that measure success at each stage (different staff members interact with patients at each stage – each staff member has a specific action that is measured).
- Assign regular days to buy hospitality supplies, such as water, candles, bathroom items, flowers, etc.
- Create a checklist for waiting room amenities and assign accountability.
- Complete patient education tools that support treatment plans and keep the supplies on-hand.
- Monitor wait times for appointments and monitor patient feedback per provider.
- Assign accountability to a single person to monitor the whole experience and meet together to brainstorm solutions.
Ensure the “hand offs” to each player are optimized and that “weak links” are corrected.
For example: In an aesthetics or anti-aging practice, clearly define the processes such as:
- When the clinician increases the amount of Botox or fillers “on the fly,” how will you document the charges so the front desk collects the right amount on extremely busy days?
- How will mishaps be documented and fixed immediately? Rather than rebuke a single employee, ask the team how to streamline this process.
5. Keep a “Player Scoreboard” and make it simple and visible, so your team always knows the status.
Example of a Player Scoreboard:
Use a thermometer drawing that shows supplement sales for the week: “So far we have sold $1000 . . . $2000 to go!” Or, use it to show the number of booked appointments with the dietician for every diabetic or cancer recovery patient that comes in.
Practices are much more successful when each staff member is fully engaged and aligned with their active role in creating success! So, whatever your scoreboard looks like, make the goals–and plays to reach the goal–very clear.
You’re great at helping patients get healthier, but what about the health of your practice?
After so many years in the industry, we have befriended many doctors who are great at focusing on the health of their patients, yet struggle to develop their practice in the 7 key areas that matter most for long-term success:
- Marketing
- Patient Engagement
- Finances
- Optimized Workflow
- Leadership & Staff
- Retail Products
- Supplemental Revenue/Referrals
Have questions? We are here to help! Feel free to reach out via phone (800) 590-7459 or email: [email protected].
