I’ve had the luxury of spending time in Florida this winter. I really thought it would be such a relaxing time but it’s been much busier than I thought. I’ve had the same problem in Florida as I have had in Michigan – I have more things to do than I have time!
When it comes to business, the key to managing tasks and being as efficient as possible is to concentrate on completing the ones that bring revenue to the practice like attracting new patients and keeping current patients connected to you. If you are struggling with the daily chore of balancing tasks, I have some suggestions that may help.
I really dislike paper and try to automate as many tasks as possible. Most patients today have access to email and are familiar with the web. Find a resource like iContact to send automated messages to your patients at least four times a year. It’s vital to stay in contact with current patients whether it’s a reminder for an annual hearing evaluation or an update on the latest technology. When a patient doesn’t have access to email, most office management software has the potential to send automated letters. If you are the revenue generator in your practice, your time should be spent with patients, not on addressing envelopes. And if you aren’t seeing patients, your time can be spent monitoring your numbers or asking colleagues and suppliers what marketing is working.
While it isn’t easy to manage the many duties required to run a successful practice, it’s just a balancing act. Try to remember that YOU don’t have to do EVERYTHING. Ask yourself every time you start a task whether it is essential that YOU do it or whether you could ask your support person to complete the task. If the task isn’t generating revenue or helping to maintain a relationship with your current patients, then perhaps YOU don’t need to do it.