The 10 principles of practice efficiency
Time-saving routines to manage the “psychology of waiting” and set a game plan for each day
You might also consider including a place in your charts to record personal notes about the patient, such as a hobby or pet. Exhibit care and concern for your patients, and they will be relaxed and ready to begin the encounter.
To start the exam efficiently, and avoid having the patient withhold important questions until the end of the visit, direct the conversation as follows: “Ms. Jones, I see that you’re here because of painful cramps. Is there anything else that you would like for us to address today?”
If the patient raises an issue that can’t be managed in the time allotted for the visit, tell her the issue is so important you’ll need to schedule another visit in order to address it adequately.
Using the patient’s chief complaint and any other issues that have been raised as a starting point, commence the exam. Make eye contact with the patient whenever possible and keep her informed about your actions during the physical exam.
8. Do the documentation immediately
When the exam is completed, document the encounter. Consider dictating in front of your patient. This strategy can be advantageous because the patient will hear your advice repeated and will be able to provide any clarification needed. You can also document that the note was “dictated in the presence of the patient” this notation is a good way to reduce medicolegal risk. Finally, completing the record before you move on to the next patient means you won’t end up spending extra time at the end of the day recalling that encounter along with all the others.
9. Multitask between patients
Ask your clinical assistant to bring you any outstanding messages and test results so you can review them between patients. Processing work on a real-time basis means less work will be waiting for you at the end of the day. It will save staff time from constantly sorting and re-prioritizing an ever-higher number of messages and tasks accumulating as the day wears on.
The problem with batching
If you batch work until the end of the day, your staff is forced to constantly reorganize the workflow throughout the day, as well as manage all incoming communication from patients. If patients could be counted on to call only once and patiently wait for your response, batching would be more palatable. But when their messages remain unaddressed until the end of the day, chances are that some number of anxious patients will call back.
Batching these communications also increases the odds that your staff’s return calls will be missed. If it seems that your staff is in the phone room most of the day instead of helping you in the clinic, batched communications may be the culprit.
Performing tasks as time permits helps you avoid confronting a big stack of work at the end of the day. This stack is often left to the next day, which means that your team begins every day working in the past. They will try to handle at least some of those messages in the morning hours, which makes it very likely that today’s clinic will fall behind schedule before it even starts.
Avoid batching work by conscientiously reviewing the day’s work as it develops. Tell staff members what they can do to help manage the work, such as completing the administrative portions of Family and Medical Leave Act forms before passing them along to you. Order inked stamps that bear the information you find yourself writing repeatedly. Consider taking a speed-reading course to help you review documents efficiently and effectively.
10. Count your steps
Put a pedometer on your belt during your next clinic, and you’ll be amazed to discover how much walking you do. Although the exercise is wonderful, unnecessary steps reduce your efficiency.
Pay attention to where you walk in the exam room and why. If you have to walk to reach the trash can, put it where you can dispose of garbage without walking. If you have to walk to reach equipment, place those tools nearby. If you have to walk to your office to dictate, invest in a portable machine or a shelf in the hallway that can be used as a workstation.
Watch your steps; saving even 3 or 4 steps per patient will, over the course of the day, improve your efficiency.
Why efficiency matters
The operations of an ObGyn practice are undoubtedly complex; don’t let this complexity overwhelm your efforts to improve efficiency. Even small improvements can quickly add up to a major savings of time.
