Regardless of where medicine is practiced, efficiency and profitability depend on processes and procedures. If processes and procedures are automated, the Clinic becomes dependent on automation to the extent that no alternative process is available. And yet, clinging to the “old way” for the sake of avoiding dependency simply precludes the necessary commitment to making improvements. The net result is the change made for the sake of change.
We need to recognize that any change implemented by a practice will create risk. The “old” way of doing things, ie writing letters on paper, will no longer be available or we will not have stamps to send the letter. Automate as many office functions and processes as you can. Interconnect the functions you automate so that a piece of data is manually entered only once. When data comes from a machine or device of some kind, an automated interface will eliminate manual data entry and with it all opportunities for human error. It depends on the defined process, the tools and your people.
Whether processes and procedures deliver efficiency at a level that produces a satisfactory profit depends on a number of variables. One of which is the process itself. For the purpose of this discussion, process is the general category of automation, specifically electronic medical record software and billing software with all of their appendages and interconnections. Create easy-to-use interfaces between automation and people. Assign your people tasks that require thought, experience and knowledge, with the maximum support of automation and training.
Training can free you from an unprofitable and therefore undesirable dependency. Better-trained people not only do better and more work in less time, they are also happier and make the workplace more enjoyable for others. Training is the most overlooked and underutilized tool for increasing efficiency and therefore profitability. Becoming dependent on well-trained staff, using any reasonably good software and other automated tools, is a good thing for business.
Remove the emotional attachment to changing billing and EMR systems. Get rid of the shine of the newest and the best. Instead, rely on running a good office, with all its shortcomings, to the best of your ability. A new EMR system, expensive or cheap, will not fix an office whose procedures are poor and whose people are not fully trained.
Training alone will increase the value and functionality of your software. Whether you have great software, average or marginal software, your office will gain a significant advantage by investing in your staff through training. In most cases it will cost less and deliver more than buying new software. Not one or two training sessions, but training set up routinely for upgrades and as a refresher for less frequently used features. Learn more about training in my full article dedicated to training.
By preceding training with a thorough review of your existing software functionality and office processes, you can implement new features and modified office processes appropriately before training begins. You are now in a position to dramatically increase efficiency and profitability. If after this effort you still find the software to be inadequate, you are in a great position to select the best software for your office.
It is sometimes difficult to run a business without emotion, but it is essential to a well-run clinic. Companies cannot afford to make “buy” versus “train” decisions based on frustration or complaints. Efficiency, and therefore profit, comes from doing the same thing well over time. Using the same tools, working with the same people (good, well-trained people), elevating people to tasks that require their best skills and diligent thought process. These are the elements of profitable businesses. Repetitive change becomes a business in itself, often poorly planned, only partially executed, costing more than expected, and delivering less than expected. Change postpones the favorable reliance on doing the same thing well over time, to its own “change back” cycle in five years or so.
I don’t sell training (except to a very small customer base, maybe 2% of revenue), but I do sell a lot of data conversions. Offices that skimp on training and then buy new software to make up for it are my bread and butter. I recommend training and everything that goes with it but personally I prefer that they keep changing software. As for the dependency, if you commit to use it, you depend on it. Take advantage of it, automate everything and become dependent on well-planned and fully integrated automation. Make it work for you. Don’t fight with it.