How to Maximize Clinical Efficiency in Your Practice

No matter how you slice it, the success of any business has everything to do with the people you choose to do business with. It’s about the people and matching their expectations to what you have stated as your purpose for being in private practice is where you want to start. You might say the “human” interaction is what makes or breaks an organization— what makes a good restaurant great is the customer service, right? And those serving are only efficient when their job fulfills them, thus becoming a self-motivating factor. The same holds true in physical therapy private practice. If we create a stable environment that allows for people to come in and make a difference in the lives of others each day, they too will be happy and be motivated to be patient care advocates.

Out of the four keys to business success, the third centers all around personnel. During a recent webinar, we had an attendee ask the question, “How do I get my clinicians to be more efficient when I already have a bonus system and none of them ever make bonus”? 

The solution to this problem centers around two areas:

Having the Basics 

There are some basic actions one can take before anything else in order to get their staff primed and ready to succeed. Try starting with a status sheet that is filled out at the time of hire with full agreement on all terms and conditions. What you are going for is a clear understanding of the following terms: 

• Production
• Efficiency
• Quality of Care ( % of arrival, # of testimonials, % of return business >60%, Pt outcomes reaching > 93%) 
• Patient care advocacy 

In addition to this one very important form, there are other tools that are critical to be in place with all new hires in their first 90 days.

Purpose

Reviewing with them and having them clarify for themselves what their purpose was for becoming a physical therapist is a critical first action. In all my years asking this here are two real substantive answers to this question for any physical therapist out there working in private practice:

1. To become the most skilled and talented professional who is capable of providing an abundance of care that leads to the greatest degree of patient improvement with each and every interaction. 
2. To be able to master the most efficient method of delivering the highest quality of care to the greatest number of people possible every week. Therefore, as a result of helping more patients achieving optimum health, we are creating a happier, healthier community. 

Engage Your Staff

Create a game to re-engage your staff with the success of this game being a team of individuals who are “all in” on the purpose and feel good about working on the winning team in your community:

• Fully Committed Participation 
• Transparency  
• Acknowledgment 
• Appreciation 
• Validation 

How the Game Works

The entire team must understand that they are the players on the field and our patients are the fans. It is the player’s job to gain as many raving fans as possible to support their success. The better they treat their fans, the greater their results and the better player they are. Who’s providing quality care? Who has patients who will rave about them far across the community? 

Full Participation & Transparency 

The overall goals for the group are set by the Executives. The targets for the individuals’ posts are created together with the full commitment of participation and with complete transparency. 

Acknowledgment & Appreciation

There are two things your staff wants in order to have full job satisfaction: acknowledgment and validation. Acknowledge them with one-on-one meetings each month for every employee along with regular informal communication demonstrating personal interest. 

Show appreciation of top performers in front of the group with certificates of achievement and rewards. You could also implement employee incentive programs that provide a high level of exchange and are paid out at least monthly with a status of performance full validated by the executive team. 

In order to have a team that is fully committed to your practice and your mission, you need to invest in them like you do your family members. Don’t let distractors hang around and spoil the well – remove them once found. And finally, hold the team in accountability across the board

Your business is only as strong as every member of your team. These tools are intended to help you achieve maximum efficiency with the highest level of professionalism and with the clinic’s purpose ever-present and ignited. With your team efficient and motivated you can play the game and win.   

For more information on this topic or anything else, please reach out to us in order to set up a time for us to talk about what’s on your mind.  Getting some answers to your questions might have an immediate effect on what you can do right now to improve the quality of life in your private practice. Because we pull from all three of our divisions: MEG billing solutions, MEG remote management services, and MEG Academy— we have the depth of knowledge and experience to help you customize a solution that will meet your individualized needs.