Practice Management
December 2022
by Fielding Emmott and William Rabourn Jr.
“This is the year.”
The new year resolution cliché enters our collective minds as holiday excitement settles down and the year winds to a close. New year resolutions may evoke eye rolls and general indifference from some, but others use these resolutions to their advantage, marking a time to organize and prepare for the incoming challenges of the year ahead. January is an important month for businesses, and arguably the most important month for achieving new year resolutions. A successful year necessitates a successful January. Utilize time off during the holidays to analyze branding, employees, and operations. Executing the first month will set the stage for the rest of 2023.
Modernize visuals
When analyzing the branding and visuals of a business, it’s not always the fanciest building or slickest logo that resonates with customers. That said, neglected, antiquated branding can leave a bad impression on current and potential patients. Most businesses have updated their branding and visuals at some point, if not gone through an entire rebrand. In the last few years, Walmart, Mastercard, Volvo, and Medical Consulting Group have refreshed and modernized their brands.
Brands in the medical field can create branding intended to reflect their services: high-end, sophisticated, complex. Researching the modern style of branding will show that cleaner, simpler branding can be more easily applied to the locations it may live these days: websites, digital platforms, email, social media, etc. To create more cohesive branding, the trend these days is to keep it clean, minimal, and sharp.
Rebranding or refreshing a brand is never a “flip of the switch” but rather a gradual integration of a newly refined, sharper look to the business. As direct mail gives way to email, and commerce and communications become more digitized, brands must adapt to the changing environments where business visuals live. To make branding look good anywhere, consistency and clarity are crucial.
Source: Medical Consulting Group
Cultivate positivity
Imagine a workplace where employees are uninspired, stressed, and confused. What is the likelihood that business is running efficiently? Even if operations are streamlined and doctors are executing perfect procedures, negative employee morale will negate these efforts. Ophthalmic practices are businesses that revolve around communication and human connection: phone calls, preop and postop visits, patient education, reception check-ins, etc. If any of these are unpleasant experiences for a patient, expect a negative review online. A “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” staff, coupled with clear, cohesive branding will be a vital first impression on the patient’s journey. Focused, smiling staff is good for business. And that’s without considering the savings in avoiding turnover. How can owners and administrators cultivate a positive workplace environment?
A good starting point is to reflect on what employees have experienced these last few years: shifts in operations and systems, stress from the threat of COVID-19, mask mandates, and general disruption across the board. To foster a more positive workplace, welcome feedback from staff, listen genuinely, and respond accordingly. Ask employees:
- How can we improve?
- What mistakes/problems are you seeing?
- How can we make your job easier or more enjoyable?
If a business wants to grow its profits, it should focus on its people.
Vision into reality
A common new year resolution is losing weight and improving physical fitness. What’s great about these resolutions is progress can be easily tracked. For weight loss, progress is measured by stepping on a scale every day. For physical fitness, depending on the goal, weights get heavier, times get faster, and skills improve. Businesses that set clear goals with established performance metrics stand a better chance of success than those without. How else can a practice know if it is getting “fitter”?
Resolutions for 2023 for medical practices may include improving online reviews, decreasing wait times, streamlining patient education, and improving site performance and security.
Set clear goals, revisit them often, and track progress. Keep in mind that while it is OK to be ambitious when choosing resolutions, progress should be viewed more conservatively. If a resolution is to lose 15 pounds by the end of the year, it is unlikely and unreasonable (and likely unhealthy) to lose weight for 365 days straight. Focus on executing goals, and the results will take care of themselves.
Utilize calendars to schedule the necessary meetings, reminders, and appointments that will support your resolution tactics—company retreat, events, conferences, symposia? Get those on the calendar.
Invest in modern tech
The problem solving, functionality, and accessibility of digital solutions has exploded recently, and many businesses utilize them to their advantage. Not long ago, TSA PreCheck didn’t exist; it was innovated because long lines and wasted time were priority concerns for the airlines. Now PreCheck is the norm, getting passengers in and out more efficiently. This is a win-win using modern technology.
Automation solutions offer the power to streamline, simplify, and optimize operations, helping practices do more with less. But with an abundance of solutions, where can a practice start? Audit what software is currently being utilized; can it be updated? Has it gone up in price? Is there a better solution? Do we even need it? Next, analyze other areas of the business that may benefit from a new management application: reputation management (online reviews), customer relationship management (email and text communications), education management, website management. The condition of hardware such as laptops, tablets, and phones should also be considered when investing in modern technologies.
Finding the right mix of staff and technology is different for each practice and should be revisited often.
Once the resolutions have been established, it’s time for implementation.
About the authors
Fielding Emmott
Copywriter
Medical Consulting Group
Springfield, Missouri
William Rabourn Jr.
Managing Principal
Medical Consulting Group
Springfield, Missouri
Contact
Emmott: femmott@medcgroup.com
Rabourn: brabourn@medcgroup.com
