Acquiring management tools in a health center improves 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 symbolizes to a large extent what happens to us on a day-to-day basis when running our companies., whether in the case of health centers or any other industry… Constant challenges, and situations in which the leader continually finds himself facing decisions to lead the work team through the great journey of scaling the obstacles that arise.
Continuing with this metaphor, just as the mountaineer must have the necessary references that mark the course, every leader needs a strategy that marks the north, a plan that defines how the goals set through objectives aligned with the strategy will be achieved.
Thus, Management tools are essential., for example, dashboards that reflect the day-to-day reality of the company, demonstrate how the company is performing compared to pre-set targets, that help efficient decision-making and achieve effective delegation.
For a health venture to be successful, the enterprising physician must have the ability to deploy various skills, whether professional or personal. It will be essential to achieve good teamwork and select your collaborators very well, in order to later be able to delegate day-to-day responsibilities to them and concentrate on their role as doctor-entrepreneur.
From 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 makes them accustomed to the perfect development of their activities as such, ensuring the health and well-being of their patients. Anyway, we must not lose sight of the fact that when these projects begin to grow, unfailingly it is necessary to pay attention to other factors that promote proper functioning, their growth and development. Solid tools to promote more professional projects, and with greater possibility of success in the market and more sustainable from the economic point of view. At the same time, they allow us to offer better experiences to patients and quality of service., for example in the reduction in waiting times, both to obtain shifts and once already 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 to this type of response, in my mind I imagine a marathon runner starting from the starting point, but without having a concrete point of arrival, trying to run "as much as possible"... And how difficult would that situation be!
The same thing happens in health centers.: “Serve the largest number of patients”, “become a benchmark in the field”, “that patients feel satisfied”, "That the center's professionals feel committed", "That patients do not wait 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 finishing point, all entrepreneurship, project or company, Regardless of size and structure, must set clear and well-defined goals. Therefore, it is essential in the first place, be clear where we are, How far do we want to go and in how much time and depending on the answer to these questions, we will be able to take the appropriate steps in that direction.
It is also of paramount importance that this growth can be measured appropriately., that is, 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 task control, it gives rise to more efficient and more sustainable companies from the economic point of view, namely, with higher profitability. At the same time, promotes effective delegation within organizations, essential factor to promote and professionalize any enterprise.
But how to set goals within a medical center? What can be measured? When we talk about measurements and goals, The first thing that usually comes to mind are factors such as profitability, Expenses, The Billing, and more, that is, parameters that we are used to observing and analyzing numerically. However, We at DINKA always emphasize that almost all aspects could be feasible to measure and based on each one of them, objectives could be established.. The challenge is to find these parameters even in aspects that appear to be soft. For example the effort, motivation and engagement are not measurable in the traditional measurement way, that is, they cannot be measured quantitatively, but yes through its impact on the results obtained.
An example of the great utility 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, evaluate, for example, productivity by area, per doctor or per 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, as it translates directly into the energy and effort applied towards achieving company goals. The objectives must represent a challenge and an innovation and should be linked to an incentive system, to foster the enthusiasm and commitment of team members.
In addition to the importance of establishing concrete and perfectly feasible goals, it is essential that they be communicated clearly and aimed at aligning the efforts of each and every one of the members 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 duly informed. Not only is it important to communicate the objectives to be met and the strategies to be followed, 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 us to express the feeling that "nobody does things the way I do 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 in whom to place new responsibilities, lack of time to train said person, allege financial problems to hire someone to do it. A fine, 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 doctors, clinic owners, who simultaneously care for their patients, perform administrative tasks, communication in their networks, Operative tasks, etc.
Effective delegation is nothing more than making it easier for the people who run a company, the possibility of being able to concentrate on activities that, generally due to lack of material time, are neglected and neglected: enable your leaders to transition from performing operational tasks to devoting 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 certainly be delegated.
Along with a clear definition of the objectives, it is essential to be able to monitor in a simple and efficient way the situation and progress of the different sectors of the company, through adequate management control boards and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators or Key Performance Indicators Performance). These boards allow you to measure and visualize the key areas, evaluate situations and make quick and effective decisions as in the case of detecting maneuvers or actions that could threaten 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 assistance of patients to certain benefits, margin by type of service/practice, etc.
Many times the anxiety of professionals leads them to want to immediately improve work processes, but doing it as an independent action makes no sense, if adequate tools are not implemented that allow the control and monitoring of the operation and ensure their continuity over time.
as we have seen, there are many alternatives to improve the management of a company, no matter your 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 the determination and absolute commitment to achieve your goal that will allow you to achieve the success you seek.” – Mario Andretti.
Eng. Sandra Felsenstein
Industrial Engineer graduated from UBA. Director and founder of the DINKA Consulting, Advice to Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs of SMEs. CFO of An Essay for Me. Speaker, trainer. Email Address: sfelsen@dinka.com.ar