It easy to become a victim to circumstances be it your medical practice, the demands of your patients, or family members. Here our four basic skills that I assist private practitioners to institute into their lives, and into their medical practice.
Own Your Medical Practice
Your practice isn’t making you crazy, you are making you crazy. The first step in changing anything in your life it to take responsibility for the choices you are making. Start using language that indicates you are in charge and empowered to make changes in your practice. If your schedule is crowded then choose to make some decision around how your patients are scheduled. Set clear limits with your staff about when, and where clients can and cannot be scheduled. Create a clear picture of the practice that you want to have, then begin to implement that design one step at a time.
Slow Down
This suggestion often startles physicians and busy medical practitioners. It is like speaking a foreign language to them. It has been so long since you slowed down, you no longer know what that looks like. Slowing down is about coming into the present moment and being fully aware of what needs to be done now, before going to next. It also means taking time to evaluate how you are managing things or how you are allowing your time to be managed for you.
Analyze your Systems
You are getting the perfect outcome for the system that you have in place. What systems are not creating the outcome you want? Are you not creating enough income? What is your system for creating income? Where is it working? Where is it not working? Are you creating enough new patients? Are you retaining patients? Are you and your staff billing for everything that you are doing? What about your fixed costs? Could those be reduced? Insurance premiums? Supplies? Customer service? Time management?
Utilize Your Team
Are you utilizing your team? You cannot do everything even if you think you can. Have your attorney, accountant, billing system, life coach, support staff support you in stream-lining and creating effective systems for your practice. Utilize these individuals and their expertise when making decisions for your business. You pay them to support you. Granted you must make the final decision, however your team can make decision making easier and smoother.
Utilizing these four tips you can take the insanity out of your practice. Take ownership, slow down, utilize your team, and analyze your systems to create a smoothly operating practice that you enjoy showing up for day after day.