Do practices really fail to uphold “clinical excellence”?

The answer unfortunately is an astounding yes. Most are falling short and don’t even know it. Patients may sing you praises or bake you a pie but that is not evidence of Clinical Excellence. Most practices don’t know what’s being told to physicians during the followup visit, or what the patient is thinking when receiving an unexpected bill. Many do not uphold clinical excellence in their practice.
Here are the TOP reasons why:
1) Incentive NOT to get patients better too quickly.
Get a patient better too quickly and you will have an empty slot. Empty slots need to be filled. Most practices have a subconscious fear of getting a patient better too fast. I know we all try our best but all too often patients are allowed to linger on in their treatment plan.
It’s not always easy filling an empty slot. It means you have to go out “marketing”, and since “marketing” means going door-to-door to physician offices (for most), they do not enjoy it. This fear produces a system where it’s ok if the patient does NOT get better very quickly. This way you continue to get money from insurance and so one and NOT have to go ‘marketing’ so much.
This epidemic causes two very big problems in our industry:
- Therapists across the country are being conditioned through their work environment (or their boss directly) to NOT to be as good as they can be.
- Our industry becomes mediocre and unexciting. That’s maybe why when you introduce yourself as a physical therapist to a new acquaintenance, the immediate response is, “Oh, can you rub that out, it’s been sore for awhile?” (as they point to their neck).
2) Too much paperwork.
When you are bogged down with paperwork, it’s hard focusing on the patient. If your software or EMR turns simple note-taking into a laborious task, patient care suffers. No one wants to do paperwork on their own time, before or after work, so most try to utilize precious clinical time to complete them. This is understandable.
Until you control and systemize your documentation system, it’s hard pressed you will uphold clinical excellence, no matter how good your therapists are.
[box type=”info”] In our course we will show you how to systematize and automate your paperwork so you can spend your valuable time treating patients and improving your clinical skills.[/box]
3) Not Enough Money
No matter how many abbreviations and titles you have behind your name, the one thing that dictates how much you get paid is the amount of revenue brought in for that session.
It’s like when you pay $3.99 for a breakfast you will get a $1.99 meal, (profit must be made) so it is with us. You can’t afford to offer a $200 service when you are only receiving $60 for that session. If you try your business will fail. So how do you command more pay for each session in order to grow your business and clinical excellence?
Come to a course near you and learn the secrets to upholding clinical excellence in your office. It’s not what you think. You will be very surprised! Learn more here>>>
4) Low-Perceived Value
In nearly every practice, patients complain about co-pays and deductibles. Some even complain about a $10 copay! Why is that?
How can you increase the perceived value of your services in a way where people not only pay $10 but $40,-$60 or $70 and do it willingly let alone without complaint?
It can be done. And there are practices doing it right now as we speak. This is probably the most important skill of all. Each therapist, and each of your staff, have the ability to contribute to a patient’s perceived value. You may be doing all the right things to get a patient better but what actually increases a patient’s “perceived value” are totally different. And, believe it or not, the therapist is not the main contributor of perceived value! This part will blow your mind!
5) Financial Ambiguity
You could be doing everything right clinically but do ONE THING WRONG, such as send them an unexpected bill, and you are through. Not only do they think you are horrible but they are more likely to file a malpractice suit against you. It’s more important than ever to be transparent in all things upfront, especially financial responsibilities. And don’t think about NOT sending them a bill and “writing it off” if it’s a small amount. That’s ILLEGAL. You are required to make a ‘good faith effort’ in collecting patient responsibility payments or you are breaking several laws. Learn more here about the laws>>>
If you want the secrets to increasing perceived value for more loyalty and clinical excellence watch the video below. learn more here>>>
Avoid these nasty side-effects of the low clinical excellence syndrome:
- Patients complain about paying co-pays and deductibles.
- Your reputation is non-existent, or mediocre at best.
- Staff losing morale.
- You always feel like you have to search for new patients to fill your schedule. It’s like a never-ending cycle because you hardly have a base of loyal patients.
The Clinical Excellence course by IndeFree. Get the skills before it’s too late.>>>