Eyeworld

78 | EYEWORLD | SEPTEMBER 2023 P RACTICE MANAGEMENT Contact Rabourn: brabourn@medcgroup.com Getting help You may be thinking that all of this sounds great, but there isn't enough time to do it. That's when to consider seeking outside help. There are many organizations that can help im- plement and manage these recommendations, especially when it comes to marketing. Shop around to find the best fit for your needs. When doing so, here are some things to consider. Set goals first. Be clear on exactly what you want to do and what your goals are. This will guide you in picking a vendor to fit your needs. Choose a company or marketing agency that specializes in healthcare, specifically ophthalmology if possible. This is especially true if you're looking for marketing assistance. If you hire an agency that has no experience in healthcare or ophthalmology, you'll be pay- ing for their learning curve, and it could take a while to get them up to speed. The key to choosing the right agency is finding one that can provide the full spectrum of services that fits your practice culture, style, and needs. Bou- tique firms that specialize in ophthalmology or healthcare are often the best choice and will be able to hit the ground running from day one. Don't limit the options. The agency you choose doesn't have to be local. Look outside your area for help. With today's communication technology, most marketing and consulting can be done remotely. Do an online search and see what results turn up. This will provide more options to choose from without sacrificing the quality of service. Look at their portfolio and talk to cur- rent clients. This is a good way to evaluate the type of company they are, how they do business, their track record, and what to expect when working with them. At the end of the day, everything we do comes down to building strong relationships. To be successful, you must earn the trust and respect of your employees and patients. This means taking the time and investing the re- sources into effective engagement both inter- nally and externally. Doing so will improve your patients' experience, make your practice more efficient, and increase your bottom line. communication or feedback with management. This is especially true in bigger practices where there are many employees and departments. The result is that inefficiencies develop that can affect the patient experience and overall operations. However, there are some things practices can do to ensure staff remains focused, in- formed, and connected. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to hold regular, all-hands employee meetings. These inform and educate staff on current issues and goals so that every- one is on the same page and help staff interact with each other. For example, it's easy for departments to get "siloed" so that no one in the organization has a clear idea of what the role or functions of other departments may be. Perhaps during a meeting, department managers can give a brief presentation explaining specifically what their department does and how their role fits into the overall organization. This can significantly affect operational efficiency. Instead of hunting for answers or help with problems, staff will have a clear understanding of how the whole organiza- tion works and where to go to get information or assistance when needed. It also encourages teamwork while helping everyone get better acquainted with colleagues they may not see or interact with very often. Another way to keep staff engaged and working efficiently is to provide continuing education or training in their specific areas of expertise. Providing continuing education keeps everyone's skills up to date and helps maximize efficiency while providing the best patient expe- rience possible. Something else to consider is using online or app-based software to streamline HR man- agement. This will save time that can then be channeled into more important tasks while giving staff more control over their interaction with the practice. There are many great resourc- es to choose from that provide a host of tools employees can use to do things such as view payroll stubs, request time off, sign up for direct deposit, complete onboarding paperwork, and view their benefits. Finally, if you use a CRM, use it to identify areas of improvement and make decisions on how best to allocate staff resources. This will further increase operational efficiency and save money. continued from page 76

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