Frustrated with Your Practice Performance? Ask Yourself These 6 Questions!

I’ve heard it said that every organization is perfectly designed to generate the results it is presently getting. In other words, if you are a leader who’s frustrated with the performance of your team and practice group, it might be time to look in the mirror and give consideration to alignment of structure, expectations, and organization with current objectives. The healthcare environment has changed considerably in recent years. So if you believe that your organization, in present form, is capable of generating the same outcomes you’ve previously enjoyed, that confidence may be misplaced.

If you find yourself in this scenario – frustrated with performance but unsure of how and what to change – ask yourself these six important questions.

It’s practically impossible to chart a course to the best outcome if the destination isn’t clear. Define success, understand what you wish to accomplish, communicate it to your organizational constituencies, and construct organizational structure to deliver.

As with any business, clinical operations win with talent. The required skill sets and organizational placement of yesterday may or may not align with your objectives today. Evaluate your team members relative to competencies required in the current operating environment. Train, develop, and displace as may be necessary.

Clarity and accountability are most always present in high-performing cultures. Competent team members desire and require that you clearly define what you need from them, and your team deserves to know what winning looks like. Provide them with a clear understanding of responsibilities and success markers, and genuinely support those who are willing to hold themselves accountable.  

I constantly hear from clients that they are challenged with extended vacancies and high turnover. If you can relate, look for the root cause of the problem. It could be that your extended openings are simply unfillable based on available talent. Or it may be time to redefine functional roles and workflows such that required candidate profiles are available.

Recognize that your team members are both better informed and have a higher degree of leverage than in the past. You simply have to pay up. As you do so, it’s important that compensation packages reward behaviors and outcomes that tightly align with your organizational objectives.  

6. What will be required of my team in the future?

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Ask yourself what will be required of your clinical practice and back office in the future state and work towards it. Progressive organizations operate as if the future is now.

In both the clinical and administrative areas of your practice, it’s critical that you evolve to serve the patient consumer, employed talent, and the compliance landscape. Performance success today has much to do with leadership’s willingness to consistently and objectively evaluate what’s required of an organization.

Pro-active leaders are committed to ensuring that their organizations are not just keeping up, but are getting ahead. And the best leaders know when to ask for assistance in the process of evaluation and change management.

If you can answer the questions above with confidence, congratulations. If not, please reach out to us at jkelsheimer@medicmgmt.com or risakov@medicmgmt.com. We’re here to help you accomplish your goals with practical industry knowledge, an objective eye for evaluation, and a track record of successfully implementing change initiatives as they become necessary.        

Jerry L. Kelsheimer is President of Medic Management Group and MMG Healthcare Solutions. His background includes extensive work in areas including leadership development, strategic planning, process improvement, and capital markets / financial management. MMG is a national provider of advisory and consulting competencies, transaction support services, and back office administrative support to independent and system owned physician practice groups.