Healthcare Practice Management: How to Foster Continuous Improvement

In order to make continuous improvements in healthcare practice management, you need to start with an awareness of practice management challenges and opportunities. Many clinics, hospital departments, and even entire healthcare management organizations are facing serious problems in achieving value-based practice efficiencies and patient satisfaction.

The best practitioners agree on the most important approaches to bringing about transformational improvements. We can identify these areas in connection with planning, coordinating, executing, and directing the administrative resources of health services providers.

What Is Healthcare Practice Management?

Practice management represents the business end of running a health care operation.

  • Clinical and office staff utilization.
  • 360-degree communications.
  • Equipment and office logistics.
  • Patient scheduling and counselling.
  • Billing and payment systems.
  • Data collection, reporting, and analysis.

These are all key parts of a practice manager’s role, and all are open to ongoing assessment and improvement.

To be effective, a practice manager needs a complete business administration overview of these day-to-day functions of the practice. There also has to be an active engagement with the overall goals and objectives of the business for patient satisfaction measurements, profitability, revenue growth and expansion, and other relevant long-term metrics.

What Drives Practice Management Progress?

Technology is a critical component of optimized practice performance. From patient health records to patient communications, from scheduling to billing, technology offers opportunities to streamline and automate processes that are based on repetition and consistency.

Good practice management includes a system to evaluate, compare, and update new technology solutions. The ability to distinguish true improvements from mere innovations can make all the difference in the successful implementation of technological advances.

Clear Communication Is the Key Driver

Open and intentional communication underpins all aspects of assessing and improving practice management. Internal feedback loops and external patient and payor contact management programs can target value gaps and inefficiencies. Dialogue and discussion should bring forward all relevant points of view for consideration, and should include methods for decision-making and dispute resolution.

Using Interim Practice Management Expertise

Results from continuous improvements in practice management are measured by improving health care and lowering costs. The best practice managers make it their business to improve the service delivery and job satisfaction achieved by medical and administrative staff. They put patients first by making sure that clinical and office systems and policies contribute to effective, efficient delivery of care and increased patient satisfaction. An interim practice manager can help put these systems and policies in place.

At NHS Solutions, we have the best of the best in interim practice management professionals to serve the immediate needs of our clients and their patients. Give us a call and let us help you unlock the full value in your practice and set a clear path for success into the future.

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