As a practice owner, you need to spend your time on the actions that will have the greatest positive impact on your business and its bottom line. What should you be doing more of, and what should you be doing less of?
Delegate as many responsibilities to your team as possible. Assigning all nonclinical duties to team members will make a huge difference in your productivity. Even if you enjoy some tasks and are reluctant to give them up, delegation allows you to spend 98% of your time on patient care, which equals more production and revenue for the practice.
Don't let the minority of patients who are challenging monopolize your time. Every practice will run into some patients who complain no matter what. Identify who these more difficult patients are and encourage your staff to use customer service techniques to minimize disruptions. The satisfied patients -- the ones who require less time and effort --are more likely to provide referrals, show up for appointments, and pay their bills.
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the chairman and CEO of practice management consulting firm Levin Group. You can connect with Levin Group on Facebook and Twitter (@Levin_Group) to learn more strategies and share ideas. Also, check out Dr. Levin's free practice management videos at www.levingroup.com/gp.
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