Finding Your Recipe for Success
As practice management consultants, we like to think of ourselves as the chef for your business. Our job is to come in, assess your ingredients, and then develop the right recipe for your unique needs, taste and budget. Finding your recipe for success requires experience and know-how, which we have. It also requires finesse — that specialized palate that allows us to take raw ingredients and create something special. Here are three of the main ingredients that we feel are key to any successful practice.
Ingredient 1: Staff
Your staff is the backbone of your practice. In a perfect world, they keep the gears running and the doors open, allowing you to do your job of seeing to your patients. However, your staff is also the first impression that any new patient has of your practice. So, while experience matters in hiring, it is not always our number one criteria. In fact, we have found that hiring someone who is passionate about what she or he does will get you further than hiring someone with a ton of experience who has a bad attitude. Passion translates into an eagerness to learn. So, as long the person is smart (a non-negotiable) and enthusiastic, he or she can learn the ropes. Not convinced? Check out: Hire the Attitude, Train for Skill from the Harvard Business Review.
Equally important is finding the right mix of employees to create a great team. Like a busy restaurant kitchen, there are distinct and important roles to fill. You need the right people in the right jobs. And, they need to effectively communicate in order to work accurately and efficiently.
Ingredient 2: Tools
After assembling the appropriate staff, it’s important that they be given the correct tools. After all, what’s a chef without a sharp chef’s knife? In your practice, some of the essential tools include:
A fully optimized EHR and practice management system
Robust and functional patient portal
Efficient and effective revenue cycle processes
Clearly defined workflows for each area of the practice
Ingredient 3: Culture
The third ingredient, culture, is often one of the hardest. Does your practice reflect a culture of teamwork or is there more drama than an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy”? Drama may make for good TV, but there’s no place for it in a medical office. Successful practices have created a culture of service. It’s not just about doing the job or punching a clock. It’s about creating the kind of positive patient experience that makes people come back again and again, and refer you to their friends.
When working with a practice, we are constantly evaluating the ingredients and making adjustments. Much like adding a pinch of salt, tiny tweaks are often all that’s needed to take a practice from average to extraordinary so that before you know it, your practice is earning a Michelin Star.
To find out more about how BrinsonAnderson Consulting can be your practice management chefs, for a predictable monthly fee, contact us here.
