Making resolutions for the new year doesn’t have to be focused on personal development alone. You can also set professional goals to improve your health center in 2020. Even if you believed 2019 was a banner year, making a few minor tweaks to the way you operate your health center can yield incredible results. Don’t know where to start? Here are four suggestions to help make this year your best year yet.
We live in the digital era where convenience and efficiency rule. This is no different in the healthcare field. Providing your patients with a web portal where they can schedule appointments, access their records and communicate with your office is vital in our modern society. If you already have a web portal implemented, try to find ways to make improvements to make it even easier to access and navigate. Your patients will thank you.
Going to a health center can be quite stressful for patients, so having a well-trained, friendly staff should be at the top of your list for 2020. Your staff should be well versed in all your protocols, understand how to use the technology leveraged by your office and always be courteous to patients. If you believe you are lacking in one of these areas, provide training to make improvements. It will help deliver a better patient experience and can also reduce stress on your staff.
The revenue cycle for health centers is an ever-evolving process that can be downright complicated. Unfortunately, this means you are probably not taking advantage of your revenue potential. If you believe your revenue isn’t optimized it’s time to refocus your efforts in 2020 and make the necessary changes to reach your goals. You can make improvements in areas such as daily claim filing, payment posting, patient statement processing and even fix credentialing issues. Revenue optimization isn’t an easy task, so if your health center doesn’t have the expertise or the time, consider partnering with a reputable third-party company that can help you reach your full potential.
No matter which goals you choose to set for this year make them measurable. Creating goals that can’t be quantified makes tracking progress nearly impossible. For instance, the first suggestion involved improving patient access. You can measure how long it takes for a patient to access the web portal and schedule an appointment. Possibly one of your goals is to have a friendlier staff. Offer your patients the means to provide feedback utilizing a numerical scale to grade their experience dealing with your employees. Setting clear, measurable goals will make it easier for everyone to work toward meeting and possibly even exceeding your benchmarks.
Regardless of the goals you want to achieve this year, if you and your staff work hard at reaching them, 2020 will be a year to remember.
