Some days, it feels like you’re doing everything you possibly can to improve things in your practice, but nothing seems to change.
I know many medical practice leaders who feel this way. You try to keep physicians happy, balance financial pressures, improve patient access, and meet an ever-growing list of organizational goals. All at the same time.
To get it all done, you try pulling every lever you can think of …
- Adjusting compensation formulas
- Tweaking physician schedules
- Launching new recruiting efforts
- Motivating with money or recognition
- Et cetera, et cetera
… and it feels like, instead of taking one step forward, you’re stuck in the same place. Or one step back.
I’ve seen this happen so many times in so many practices and I’ve come to realize that the answer isn’t yet another shiny new initiative.
Improvements will only work if they build upon a solid foundation. In high-performing medical practices, that means:
- Physicians know exactly what’s expected of them, and why.
- Physicians’ time/effort are respected and not stretched to the breaking point.
- Physicians are set up with all resources they need to meet your expectations.
- You’re able to coach and partner with your physicians instead of having constant fire drills and frustration.
When any one of those foundations is shaky, even the best-intentioned improvement efforts struggle to take hold.
Consider, for example, a medical group that couldn’t figure out why physician productivity kept dropping despite several careful tweaks to schedules and financial incentives. After a closer look, it turned out that the definition of “success” had changed so many times that it just became synonymous with “more, more, more”. The physicians, demoralized, gave up trying.
Once leadership took the time to clarify expectations, simplify metrics, and hold short monthly check-ins, morale and productivity both improved.
I know these kinds of changes might seem too simple, but they’re exactly what turns frustration into momentum.
Here’s one practical step you can take in your practice this week:
Have a brief meeting with one agenda item: defining, in plain language, what “meeting expectations” looks like for your physicians. Not in financial terms, but in behaviors, teamwork, and patient care. Once you’re happy with the result, use it as your practice’s North Star. When expectations are clear and shared, performance issues become easier to coach.
If you’d like to talk through what this might look like in your own practice, I’d be glad to help. Just click here to schedule a free Practice Strategy Session.
