The Consultant Advantage

Are you working with a consultant? Maybe you should be. Consultants are a wealth of information and can help you navigate issues that may arise in your practice.

Most consultants come from business backgrounds, either from running their own business, or from corporate America. In either case, they have the business knowledge and experience, most physician do not have. I've met some really sharp physicians who happen to be really good business people, but sadly, most of their learning comes from the school of hard knocks.

Business consultants have resources that most physician owners would love to tap in to. For example, consultants have access to financial benchmark data that can be so important to doctors. Yes, physicians can, and should, conduct their own benchmarking, comparing financial data from quarter to quarter, year to year. But how many physicians have access to broad range benchmark data to measure themselves compared to other like practices?

Consultants can also serve as your contract employee should you have the need to implement a new initiative or conduct a special project. Projects such as practice performance surveys, staff surveys, annual review processes are good examples. Your staff may simply not have the time to conduct these projects, or may not know just how to get started. Consultants can help you in these environments.

Fee structures for consultants vary, but generally fall into one, or a combination, of these structures:

• Hourly rate
• Project rate
• Retainer

Hourly rates are good if you need is simple and need only a few hours time. Project rates work well if you a sure of a specific project you want to conduct, e.g., practice performance survey. Lastly, the retainer affords you the best option. With a retainer, you can use the consultant as much or as little without the worry or inconvenience of frequent billings. Retainers can also be budgeted much more easily. And I would suggest you discuss any fee questions with your consultant prior to any commitments. As a final note regarding fees, there are a lot of consultants who will talk with you about your issue at no charge. Take advantage of that.

At Primoro, Inc. our philosophy is "thought medical practice consulting." We are here to assist you where we can and to offer solutions or other resources where needed. Be assured that at your consultation, Primoro, Inc. will have your best interest at heart.

Leadership and the Grocery Store

My wife and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary yesterday by having lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. On the way home, we stopped by a local grocery to pick up a few things and my wife said, "I hate this store." Of course, I was curious and asked why. She went on to tell me they have very poor customer service and the employees are not very friendly. She finished her story by saying, "I am not sure why this is, other grocery stores are much friendlier." As you might imagine, being a consultant, I have an answer.

Clear and simple, poor customer service is the result of poor leadership. For years customers of a leading computer manufacturer enjoyed some of the best customer service; that is, until the founder retired. Sadly, today, this company is struggling because their product quality has slipped and their customer service is poor. But, how does this happen?

As I stated, poor customer service is the result of poor leadership. Simply put, if the owner or senior management doesn't put customer service as a priority, nobody else in the organization will. And, it goes further. Simply stating the goal does not make it so. Owners and senior managers have to live it! You have to know what is going on in your business - Inspect What You Expect!

Living and breathing excellence in customer service is everyone's responsibility, but it begins with the owner. Make sure you are delivering your very best every day. Train your staff properly. Inspect what you expect. Conduct a practice performance survey to find your weak areas and improve them. Enhance and broaden those aspects of your practice's customer service that already excels. Think about the businesses you like doing business with and emulate their level of customer service.

Delivering good customer service to your patients should be an expectation. Believe me, your patients expect it.

Writing a Blog Is Not Hard - Think Simple

Many of you are interested in setting up a blog for your practice, and now, you are wondering "How do I write a blog?" My experience shows that it should not be an arduous task; instead it should be simple. When I work with clients in setting up their social networking/blog project, I generally also offer some critique on a few of their initial blogs. For doctors, I always have the same critique - KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Doctors are smart people, but too often they let their knowledge on their area of expertise get in the way of good communication with their patient. I always tell doctors to keep it simple and in terms their patients, and prospective patients, can understand. In the case of a plastic surgeon I have worked with, I had to tell him to be cautious about how he described the liposuction process. In his blog, he continued to reference liposuction as a "de-bulking" procedure. While technically correct, I know few patients who would want to be considered "bulky."

There are some wonderful blogs on how to write effective blogs. I am particularly fond of the ProBlogger at www.problogger.net. Here you will find some very straight forward talk about what makes a good blog, and how to make yours better. Check it out.

On a second note, you may have heard that Twitter crashed today. While inconvenient, it does demonstrate the overall utilization of social networking sites. Get involved - TODAY!