Hit Your Practice Goals by Holding Properly-Planned and Well-Run Weekly Staff Meetings

T hrough the years as a practice consultant. I"vc personally sat down with hundreds of chiro­practors in order to help them improve their practices. During these consultations, reasons for poor performance often surface. In one of these meetings last month. I had a conversa­tion with a doctor that was pretty typical. As we talked of the changes he would be making in his practice, one of his main concerns was how his staff was going to react. After a few additional questions, the problem became obvious. This doctor never took the time to sit down and meet with his staff. He was "too busy." When a doctor has problems in his or her office, there arc typically a few common problems, and one that is usually present in an office with difficulties is POOR COMMUNICATION between the doctor and the staff. When you as doctor and staff have solid lines of com­munication and work together as a team, your focus goes to serve the patients and strengthen the practice. Your patients sense your unity as they walk through the door, and their experience is enhanced. However, when you as doctor and staff don"t communi­cate and are fmstratcd or upset with each other, the patients feel it: and the practice suffers. The quality of your office communication can be traced back to the quality of your weekly staff meetings...or lack of holding weekly staff meetings. Meetings should never be held simply for the sake of having a meeting, but having a properly run and organized staff meeting can be the catalyst to a practice that continues to grow and thrive year after year. Why Hold A Weekly Staff Meeting? Your weekly staff meeting is the time for you to come together as a group and make sure you arc all on the same page, headed towards the same goals. Start by deciding what is really important to you as a practice. What do you REALLY want to accomplish with this practice? What specific practice goals do you want to hit? Stud> after stud)' lias shown that when you specifically focus on something, it is more likely to improve. So staff meeting is the time where you will want to focus on your practice goals and make sure that the doctor and staff arc all on the same page about how to make those goals happen. What To Do In Staff Meeting? Once you have determined what your practice goals are and where you arc headed, your weekly staff meeting will become the place and time to monitor progress and make changes and corrections to stay on target. In order to stay on target, you should have a predeter­mined agenda for staff meeting. You can use the same basic outline each week, just adding in current issues that are applicable. You" 11 want to have the following items on your agenda: The Goals of Your Practice Clearly Outlined for Review: Staff meet­ing is where you will be reminded of your practice goals. Weekly focus will be vital to hit your goals. Last Week's Progress on Specific Goals: Track how you did on each goal. Discuss the specifics of continuing to do what is working and tweaking tilings that aren't. Last Week's Clinic Activities: Track the number of new patients, the number of patient visits, the number of patient referrals, the amount billed, the amount collected. Anything that is important to you or your bottom line should be reviewed and tracked. Again discuss the specifics of continuing to do what is working and tweaking things that aren't. Exceptional Work or Service Performed by Staff: You'll get great leverage by focusing on great behaviors and work ethic. Sing the praises of those that deserve it! You should con­sider having a box with slips that can be filled out during the week. If anyone "catches" anyone else doing something great, it could be noted on a slip and put in the box. Then the slips can be read at staff meeting. Ongoing Education on Services Rendered or Products for Sale in the Office: If your staff is constantly educated on the value of even thing that happens in your practice, they'll be able to relay those messages to patients who will be more likely to continue with care and to refer friends and family. Review Last Week's Assignment: Review progress on any assignments that were given at last week's staff meeting. Items Needing Attention and Suggested SOLUTIONS for Each: Staff meeting is a great time to resolve problems. However, if not handled properly, its easy to have staff meeting turn into a "gripe" session. Beware of losing control. You want to solve problems, but you don't want staff meeting to become a place of negativity. Because this is the time you have cvcnonc together, its a good time to bring up problems. But remember the objective is to find solutions to problems. So welcome a problem, just set ground rules for how it is handled. Develop the policy that when a problem is presented, it is presented first, but then it is immediately followed with the suggested solution. Also, set guidelines of how much time will be spent on the prob­lem and how much time spent on the solution. Beware of those who want to spend 100% of the time on a problem by going over and over it. A good rule of thumb is 10% of the time allotted should go to problems and 90% of the time should be allotted to the solutions! Dont be afraid of problems. Sec them for what they arc...opportunities of growth. Let problems surface and be discussed. But be quick to describe the problem and then spend the majority of the discussion on the solution. (You might want to even consider striking the word "problem" from the meeting and changing it with the phrase "opportunity for growth.") Next Action Steps: After coming up with solutions, deter­mine the next action step to take for each item. Also de­termine who w ill follow through and w hen it will happen. Progress on action steps will be reviewed the following week in staff meeting. Motivation, Inspiration, Philosophy and Patient Success Stories: This is the juice that keeps everyone motivated! Both doc-torand staff will find fulfillment in your work as you focus on improving your lives and the lives of your patients! If you will cane an hour out of your weekly schedule to hold a staff meeting, covering the items listed above, you will sec amazing things happen in your practice! With proper implementation, you will hit your goals and find great fulfillment in this important work! Nancy Singleton is a 1989 graduate of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic Assisting College. She has been consulting and helping doctors grow their practices for over 20years. Along with her husband. Dr. Todd Singleton, she oversees their busy private practice. In addition lo that, they teach chiropractors how lo imple- men! multiple cash systems into existing practices, lor more informa­tion see MMw.DoclorsCashSeminar.com. Sancy also leaches small businesses litnr lo manage Iheir employees b\ ■ implementing effective office systems. For more information see www.llappyEmployer.com.