Thou Shalt Not Manage Other People’s Money Your clients decide what they can afford. If they can’t afford your treatment plan, then there may be other options, but stop deciding on their behalf what’s affordable. Thou Shalt Not Trash Talk Thyself Yes you can be realistic about where you need to learn and grow. No […]
Our friend Raza Shah, ND has a large Mennonite patient base–so large, in fact, that he actually has a place to shelter horses while patients have their appointments. So cool. In The Practitioner’s Journey, we wrote about how my dentist used to amaze me by thanking me in person for each referral over the past […]
A friend once told me to never be held hostage to ultimatums. It’s good advice. They never lead anywhere good. You’d be surprised, though, at how often they appear in practice. Your staff member says, “I need a raise, or I quit.” Your associate says, “I need a bigger share, or I’m leaving.” Your patient […]
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be booked solid to have a waiting list. It’s a tool that works wonders at any point in practice. The challenge is that waiting lists are harder to use than they seem. Here’s how you can make one work for you and your clients with no cost […]
We’ve in the middle of a long recruiting process to fill out the rest of our clinic team. We’ve hired a few faces over the years, and right now I feel like we have our best staff ever, with one position remaining. There is no more important thing than having the right people. I’ve watched […]
We’ve discussed scheduling problems in the past, pointing you to a few resources here and there, but we’ve never really provided a comprehensive approach for those scheduled appointments that go off the rails due to patients canceling, rescheduling, or simply not showing up at all. Here are the exact strategies we’ve put in place over […]
Reader W., a naturopath, is facing a staff ultimatum: “I need a raise or I quit.” What’s the best thing to do? a) Give In b) Do nothing/ Call the Bluff c) Negotiate d) Accept The Resignation This situation is more common than you think. Keep an eye out for it in your practice, as […]
We did a little experiment a while back that I thought was worth sharing. In the early days of practice, many CAM docs struggle with whether or not to hire someone to answer the phone and take care of other admin tasks. After all, it may not even be ringing, right? Who wants to pile […]
Physicians Practice has an article on the importance of the front desk / receptionist position in medical offices, and some tips on how to attract them and keep them. Almost everything in the article applies just as well to CAM and holistic practitioners – it’s worth a read. The summary: screen them well, pay them […]
SoundPractice.Net has a free podcast on finding the right office staff. It caters to the MD crowd, but there are few interesting points in the 20-odd minutes. Perhaps even better, there are over 100 free podcasts on the same site… SoundPractice.Net – Podcasts for Medical Practice Management and Health Care Administration (For a full list […]
Recent Comments