Boost Your Practice Productivity in 2022: Tips and Strategies

A new year—and a more efficient you?

Chances are, you’ve decided to ring in the New Year with a resolution or two in mind. There’s nothing quite like a blank slate and a fresh start to make you feel like you’ve got the world at your fingertips.

If greater efficiency is something you’re striving for in 2022, you’re not alone. A large majority of New Year’s resolutions revolve around making better use of one’s time—whether at home or in the office. According to data from YouGovAmerica quoted in an article by Forbes, about a quarter of Americans will make resolutions, with 20% realistically believing they will actually accomplish them.

“Despite their big plans though, only 8% of people will achieve their New Year’s resolutions,” the article states. However, it all starts with having a realistic plan. “Being honest with yourself about your current condition and the distance to your preferred situation is key to improvement. And being intentional about how you want to grow and develop will help you achieve results.”

When it comes to seeking greater efficiency in your medical practice, the first step should revolve around acknowledging its current state—the good and the bad. Then focus on the steps you can start taking today to reach your desired situation.

Here are a few pointers to help you keep your eye on productivity throughout 2022:

Streamline Your Systems

It’s a solution that may seem like Business 101, but synchronizing your systems to all work together will simplify your practice—and your life—by leaps and bounds. Integrating your EHR with your online calendar, for instance, will allow patients to access your availability in real time, thereby eliminating the need for your staff to constantly relay the information.

As an article in Chief Healthcare Executive explains, healthcare professionals deal with huge chunks of data every day that all but beg for optimal organization. It’s time to ditch the outdated approach to data collection, storage and usage in favor of smarter data management.

“Ambiguity creates confusion in healthcare,” the article states. “It can arise from large institutional acquisitions or when implementing new software. On a smaller scale, calendar merges, duplicate information and chaotic contact databases also create ambiguity that significantly hampers workflows.”

To effectively unhamper the workflows of your everyday, the article suggests proper integration and synchronization. “Seeing all data in one place and being able to control it with a few clicks brings order and timeliness. Software optimization also adds a layer of security, which is a fundamental aspect when handling healthcare data.”

Invest in a Virtual Scribe

Offloading the responsibility of EHR documentation is one of the most powerful ways to gain productivity. This need is fueling the dynamic rise in use of medial scribes—particularly Virtual Scribe services that capitalize on the efficiencies of remote professionals and secure technology.

Studies show that using a Virtual Scribe can free up an extra 10 hours per week, on average. That goes a long way to increasing medical practice productivity.

But beyond the time they’re saving, the benefits of Virtual Scribes can also extend to your overall well-being. They’re helping to decrease burnout and deliver a better work-life balance for clinicians of all types. Moreover, as their popularity grows, the range of scribe services available is also expanding.

Take the Time to Train

Although it may be tempting to ask your newly hired employees to dive in with both feet—particularly these days when most medical offices are short-handed—doing so will only hurt you in the long run. By taking the time to properly train your staff up front, you’re setting up your employee—and therefore yourself—for long lasting success.

Take it from an article by Indeed: “Training is important because it represents a good opportunity for employees to grow their knowledge base and improve their job skills to become more effective in the workplace. Despite the cost of training for employees, the return on investment is immense if it is consistent.”

Among the benefits that the article lists are: Improving skills and knowledge, preparing employees for higher responsibilities, showing employees that they are valued and improving IT and computer skills. Taking the time to properly train will also cut down on the amount of time that you will need to devote to new employees and accelerate their contribution to better productivity.

“Though training employees should not totally eliminate the need for supervision, it can significantly reduce the need for excessive supervision in the workplace,” the article states.

Prioritize Your People

Another important rule of thumb is that an employee who feels appreciated will always feel more inclined to put forth their best effort. In turn, this means greater efficiency for your practice across the board.

Staying consistent with staff meetings and encouraging team-building can work wonders for morale and peak productivity. According to an article by the American Medical Association, “Focus, frequency and format are meeting essentials. Time of day, duration and frequency are up to you and your team, but meet regularly and at a consistent time. Setting dedicated time aside for team meetings tells the team that their contributions, and the collaborative improvement process team meetings facilitate, are valued.”

Communication between all levels of staff is also key. As an article by Fresh Books explains, workplace productivity grows when employees learn better communication. For many practices, that begins with team-building.

“Team-building can improve the flow of information within your organization,” the article states. “You can also incorporate activities that improve physical and mental health. Healthy employees take fewer sick days and are more productive. Team building activities are a fun way to boost employee morale and improve engagement.”

With the first few work weeks of 2022 now officially behind us, there’s no time like the present to start increasing the efficiency of your everyday. Just think—in a year from now, you’ll proudly be ringing in 2023 with a big check mark next to this year’s resolution.

Physicians Angels is the industry’s first Virtual Scribe company, providing real-time documentation directly into the physician’s EMR, along with Virtual Back Office services. Our services save the physician an average of 10 hours per week, thereby improving patient throughput and contributing to a better work/life balance for the physician and office staff. To learn more, visit physiciansangels.com or contact us.