Medical Practice Owners – Can you do more?

It’s no secret that there is a shortage of GP’s in Australia and attracting a high calibre Doctor to your Practice is certainly not easy. In some ways, I am grateful for this, as if this wasn’t the case, I probably wouldn’t be in a job.

When I am approached by a Practice to assist them with finding a GP, one of the most important questions I ask, is what makes you stand out from the competition down the road. 90% of the time, the response is something along the lines of “well, we’re a really nice Practice” and I agree, most people who work in healthcare are nice, it comes with the territory. But this isn’t what I’m interested in finding out about.

I do not ask this question to be difficult or insult them. I ask them because it has never been more important to stand out from your competition and do more for your patients and staff. If you are to go on to any job board and search for GP positions, you will be overwhelmed with roles that on paper look almost identical. While 70% of billings and a full complement of Allied Health support is important, it does not make you stand out.

Of course, if I were to stop writing here it would seem that I am just having a whinge and moan, so I thought it would be important to talk about some ideas I had and what I am getting at. I would even go as far as encouraging you to look at some of these points prior to looking at hiring a Doctor, as I firmly believe they will help with attracting new GP’s and also retaining your existing staff:

Talking with your patient base:

Aside from when they’re in your clinic seeing a Doctor, how often are you interacting and communicating with your patient base? Let us use ASOS as an example…You sign up to the website, you buy yourself a new blouse, it’s gorgeous and you look lovely.

Now go and check your emails, almost like clockwork you are being contacted periodically with emails regarding new deals, offers and discount codes. Before you know it, you’re back online and buying yourself a new pair of shoes to go with that blouse. Strange analogy?

Maybe, and I am not suggesting that you bombard your patients with emails and texts nor am I suggesting that I would wear a blouse. However, messages regarding relevant information, such as new a Doctor joining the clinic, a timely reminder regarding pap smears or even a simple “hello, we’ve not seen you in a while” can go a long way to help building your brand and reputation and retaining your patient base.

Sounds time consuming, right? It is, but the good news is there are ways of automating this now and it is more affordable than you might think. Feel free to ask me for more information this.

Playing to someone’s strengths & Career Development

One of the most common takeaways from the conversations I have with Doctors that are actively seeking a new opportunity, is that they feel like a number. They often feel restricted, and lack autonomy in terms of how they run their clinic. All GP’s are not the same and to me it makes sense that within reason you should allow a Doctor to play to their strengths. For example, if you have a Doctor with an interest in Family Planning, surely it is mutually beneficial to offer them support with pursuing a certificate in Reproductive & Sexual Health? After all, this is something to shout about to your patient base.

Work life balance:

NewsGP recently reported that 47% of GP’s are concerned about their work life balance. Now I am not saying that you should allow your Doctors to come and go as they please, but burnout is a serious issue. Offering a GP a later start so they can take their kids to school is a tiny gesture that can go a long way. Work life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work environment and one third of workers say work life balance is the most important of all benefits.

Performance Management – Checking in with your GP’s

How often are you checking in with your Doctors? I personally have an hour long meeting with my Director each and every week and we usually catch up at the start and end of each day. Now, this might sound intrusive and perhaps a little excessive, but the benefits are tenfold. Checking in with your Doctor takes away the guess work and any surprises, but above all it demonstrates that you care. A massive 84% of the workforce agrees. Being able to offer this support to your new Doctors ensures they feel like a welcomed and valued at the Practice. These discussions are often the catalyst for some of the best ideas that you and the Practice can benefit from.

Culture

This is an obvious one, but organisational culture effects all aspects of your business. Creating a great culture helps increase engagement and productivity, so it is important to work on getting this right. Building a great environment can transform employees into advocates and can convert your company into a team.  Social events can also be a way to bring your team closer together, but culture is a lot more than just an evening down the bowling alley and is an omnipresent, ever evolving topic that you should be conscious of paying attention to. I would recommend an open door policy; regularly gaining feedback from your Doctors and staff. This feedback is only useful if you acknowledge it and where suitable, act on it.

Other areas to look at:

• Finances – This is a business after all and so needs to be ran like one.
• The “right” staff – From a strong Practice Manager, to your reception staff who are the face of your Practice. You want everyone to be an advocate of your Practice and align themselves with you high standards and values.
• Technology – I touched on this, but there is software that can assist with everything from patient engagement, accounting, secure messaging, easy claims for rebates and much more
• Digital/Online Presence – From SEO, to your website and even Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin, a strong digital presence can affect your patient acquisition. The first thing someone is going to do when looking for a new GP is head straight to Google.
• Patient experience – An obvious one, but this one is multifaceted. From patient portals to customer service training for your staff, everything else I have talked about is irrelevant if the patient does not receive a friendly welcome when they arrive. Remember, no one wants to be at the Doctors, so it is even more important that you get this right. I would also be asking your patients for feedback regarding their experiences at the Practice.
• Engaging in third party help/consultants – Though this might seem like a “cost”, there are lots of companies now that have fantastic products that can really help improve your productivity and performance and provide you with more transparency over where you need to make decisions. Invariably, these products and companies actually help you to save money in the long run (or make more).

These are just a handful of ideas and things that you can look at. For what it’s worth, if a Practice turns round to me and talks to me about any of the aforementioned points, then I generally get excited about the role. I am always happy to have a chat around these topics and this is only my humble opinion. There are also plenty of external, third party companies that can really assist with any of the above and more. I would be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

Below is a list of just a handful of organisations that can assist with some of the above. We/I have no affiliations with these companies, but

admire what they do. Of course, there are plenty of other organisations that you can engage.

Medinet – https://medinet.com.au/

Health&Life – https://www.healthandlife.com.au/

Scale my Clinic – https://www.scalemyclinic.com.au/

Cubiko – https://www.cubiko.com.au/

Surgical Partners – https://surgicalpartners.com.au/

If you are a Practice owner or Manager and would like to have a chat about any of the above, then feel free to reach out to me anytime

Eamon Murray

Management Consultant – GP Division

M: 0488 858 062

E: Eamon@dnarecruit.com.au

W: DNAMedicalrecruitment.com.au