Acquiring management tools in a health center allows you to improve decision-making, improve effective delegation, and enhance teamwork.

ING. SANDRA FELSENSTEIN

“After climbing a big hill, one finds only that there are many more hills to climb.” (Nelson Mandela). And this largely symbolizes what happens to us on a day-to-day basis when running our companies, whether it be health centers or any other industry... Constant challenges, and situations in which the leader continually finds himself facing decisions to lead the work team during the great journey of climbing the obstacles that arise.

Continuing with this metaphor, just as the mountaineer must have the necessary references that guide his course, every leader needs a strategy that marks the north, a plan that defines how the goals set will be achieved through objectives aligned with the strategy.

In this way, it is essential to have management tools, such as control boards that reflect the day-to-day reality of the company, demonstrate how the company is developing in comparison with pre-established objectives, that help efficient decision-making and achieve effective delegation.

For a health venture to be successful, the entrepreneurial doctor must have the ability to deploy various skills, both professional and personal. It will be essential to achieve good teamwork and select your collaborators very well, to then be able to delegate day-to-day responsibilities to them and concentrate on your role as doctor - businessman.

At DINKA, the consulting firm for SME entrepreneurs that I direct, we are very used to working with professionals from the world of medicine; The nature of the training of these professionals means that they are accustomed to the perfect development of their activities as such, ensuring the health and well-being of their patients. In any case, we must not lose sight of the fact that when these projects begin to grow, it is inevitably necessary to pay attention to other factors that promote their proper functioning, growth and development. Solid tools to promote more professional projects, with a greater possibility of success in the market and more sustainable from an economic point of view. At the same time, they allow us to offer better patient experiences and quality of service, for example in the reduction of waiting times, both for obtaining appointments and once in the office.

Goals that motivate

It is common for us to find businessmen and entrepreneurs who when asked “what is your sales objective?”, the answer is “sell as much as possible.” And given this type of response, in my mind I imagine a marathon runner starting from the starting point, but without having a specific arrival point, trying to run “as much as possible”… And how difficult that situation would be!

The same thing happens within health centers: “To serve the greatest number of patients,” “to be a reference in the matter,” “to make patients feel satisfied,” “to make the center's professionals feel committed,” “to make sure patients do not wait too long to be treated”… But how much is a lot, how much is enough, how much is little? Like the marathon runner who needs a specific arrival point, every undertaking, project or company, regardless of its size and structure, must set clear and well-defined objectives. Therefore, it is essential, first of all, to be clear about where we are, how far we want to go and in how long and depending on the answer to these questions, we can take the appropriate steps in that direction.

It is also of utmost importance that this growth can be measured appropriately, that is, that there are quantifiable parameters that act as sensors of the company's results, without which we will not be able to know if we are going in the right direction.

The paradigm shift of control through objectives, instead of control by tasks, gives rise to more efficient and more sustainable companies from an economic point of view, that is, with greater profitability. At the same time, it promotes effective delegation within organizations, an essential factor to enhance and professionalize any undertaking.

But how to establish objectives within a medical center? What can be measured? When we talk about measurements and objectives, the first thing that usually comes to mind are factors such as profitability, expenses, billing, etc., that is, parameters that we are used to observing and analyzing numerically. However, at DINKA we always emphasize that almost all aspects could be feasible for measurement and based on each of them, objectives could be established. The challenge is to find these parameters even in aspects that are apparently soft. For example, effort, motivation and commitment are not measurable in the traditional way of measurement, that is, they cannot be measured quantitatively, but they can be measured through their impact on the results obtained.

An example of the great usefulness of these indicators is that they can show us the diverse development of the members of the work team. Daily operational tasks can be monitored, evaluating, for example, productivity by area, by doctor or by service. That is, it allows us to clearly understand the weaknesses and strengths of each unit and quickly implement actions to resolve the problems detected.

The motivation of the work group is a very important factor, since it directly translates into the energy and effort applied towards achieving the company's objectives. The objectives must represent a challenge and an innovation and should be linked to an incentive system, to encourage the enthusiasm and commitment of team members.

In addition to the importance of establishing concrete and perfectly viable goals, it is essential that they be communicated clearly and aimed at aligning the efforts of each and every member of the group. Internal communication must be clear and fluid with a precise assignment of responsibilities and must also be carried out periodically, to keep everyone properly informed. Not only is it important to communicate the objectives to be met and the strategies to follow, but it is also key to transmit and share the achievements that are being achieved and both personal and group recognition, thus maintaining the sustained motivation of the team.

Effective delegation

When working with entrepreneurs, business owners or managers, it is very common for them to express the feeling of “no one does things the way I do them within the organization” or “it is easier for me to do things directly than to teach someone else” and this truncates the possibility of achieving effective delegation.

But it is important that, once the objectives and goals to be achieved have been clearly established, effective delegation can be achieved within the organization. This fundamental step is not always easy for various reasons. Not finding the right person to place new responsibilities on, not having time to train said person, citing financial problems to hire someone to do it. In short, all kinds of barriers or excuses that necessarily delay the possibility of professionalization and growth of the company. A clear example in health centers are the doctors, owners of the clinics, who in parallel care for their patients, perform administrative tasks, communicate in their networks, operational tasks, etc.

Effective delegation is nothing more than providing the people who run a company with the possibility of being able to concentrate on activities that, in general due to lack of material time, are neglected and postponed: allowing its leaders to transition from carrying out operational tasks to dedicating their time to strategic definitions. The generation of new services, the control of projects in execution and the study and evaluation of new projects are some examples of actions that often cannot be undertaken, due to an overload of operational tasks that could undoubtedly be delegated.

Along with a clear definition of the objectives, it is essential to be able to easily and efficiently monitor the situation and progress of the different sectors of the company, through appropriate management control boards and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators or Key Performance Indicators Performance). These dashboards allow you to measure and visualize key areas, evaluate situations and make quick and effective decisions, such as in the case of detecting maneuvers or actions that could go against the outlined objectives. In the case of a medical center, we can mention as examples, in addition to the profitability trend, the fluctuation in the frequency of patient attendance for certain services, margin by type of service/practice, etc.

Many times the anxiety of professionals leads them to want to immediately improve work processes, but doing so as an independent action makes no sense if adequate tools are not implemented that allow control and monitoring of operation and ensure their continuity over time.

As we have seen, there are many alternatives to improve the management of a company, regardless of its size or activity. It is simply a matter of making the decision and putting them into practice.

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it is determination and absolute commitment to achieving your goal that will allow you to achieve the success you seek.” – Mario Andretti.

Ing. Sandra Felsenstein

Industrial Engineer graduated from UBA. Director and founder of DINKA Consulting, advising entrepreneurs and SMEs. CFO of An Essay for Me. Speaker, trainer. Email: sfelsen@dinka.com.ar