Guidance on developing a practice strategy

Developing a practice strategy might seem like a daunting endeavour, but it holds significant importance – Cain Hunt gives his top tips

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Guerilla GP

It starts by avoiding careless actions that generate immediate gains while ultimately undermining your organisation (referred to as short-termism). The intriguing aspect involves uncovering your unique strengths and leveraging them, leading to remarkable outcomes.

Mitigate Unwise Choices

The challenge with short-termism is its apparent rationality. Balancing the budget may prompt you to consider letting go of skilled staff to ensure financial alignment. You might assume that hiring locums or agency workers for temporary coverage wouldn’t create recurring costs. This illusion allows you to ignore them in your projections for the following year. However, it’s crucial to cast aside wishful thinking and assess how to optimise care within your budget.

Identify Critical Practice Risks

Certain scenarios must be avoided at all costs, such as running out of funds and being unable to compensate staff. Neglecting patient care and causing harm is unacceptable. Compliance with legal regulations is imperative, especially considering potential repercussions. Factors like lack of insurance, tax evasion, or being struck off should be steered clear of. While pursuing long-term objectives, some difficult short-term decisions might be necessary to ensure business sustainability. These could involve pay cuts or personnel reductions, but transparency regarding the rationale is essential. Acknowledge these measures as necessary evils and work to minimize their negative impact.

Selective Focus on Beneficial Endeavours

Invest your time wisely by prioritising activities that genuinely aid your practice. Meetings, audits, emails, and other requests should only be entertained if they contribute positively. Even when beneficial, discard those that demand excessive effort in relation to their value.

Streamline internal processes and protocols, aiming for simplicity while retaining their efficacy. Reserve efforts for revising protocols only when they prove to be incorrect.

Discover Your Strengths

Every practice possesses unique attributes that enhance its effectiveness. Identifying these attributes enables you to harness their potential for optimal outcomes. It could be a proficient reception team, charismatic partners, a special patient demographic, or unconventional revenue sources. The specific attribute matters less than the mindset of exploiting advantages. Even initial attempts that don’t succeed shouldn’t deter you from persistently seeking advantageous strategies.

Harness Your Strengths for Maximum Impact

Leveraging involves optimising your identified strengths to their fullest potential. Whenever contemplating changes, ensure they align with your strengths. Furthermore, assess whether your strengths yield the expected outcomes. It’s crucial to acknowledge that assumptions might be incorrect and be willing to discard ineffective strategies.

Effectiveness of Leveraging Continuity

Hunt aimed to facilitate continuity by empowering patients to book appointments with their preferred clinicians. He also encouraged doctors to specify the “usual doctor” in his clinical system for effective coordination. While others adopted demand management strategies, Hunt’s practice stuck to named clinician appointments. The data analysis, encompassing all clinical contacts, revealed that patient self-care remained robust, even during the pandemic. This strategy upheld continuity and trust with patients.

Accumulation of Long-term Benefits

The concept of “overnight success taking 20 years” underlines the value of sustained efforts. Immediate outcomes and “low-hanging fruit” might be tempting, but resisting such allure allows long-term benefits to accumulate. Continuous commitment to the right strategies yields gradual yet impactful advantages. Effective organisations acknowledge that their achievements build on foundations laid by predecessors.

Persevere for Excellence

Persistently practising excellence transforms it into a habit. Embrace the wisdom in resisting easy wins that hinder long-term progress. Cultivate an environment where long-term gains shape your practice’s growth and survival. Remember, success often emerges from consistent dedication rather than instant gratification.