Independent of the Affordable Care Act or any upcoming changes in health care, the focus of an ObGyn practice remains paramount: the patient comes first.
The “recipe” for creating patient satisfaction and service excellence is predicated upon the mission of your practice and creating a shared vision with your employees. An action plan that is created and “visited/revisited”on a regular basis will serve to keep all abreast of the latest information to enhance the quality of patient care. It goes without saying, the ObGyn must first “lead by example” and always strive for satisfied patients who will tell their friends about your practice.
Start with the right tools
To organize a practice well, you need the right tools, which ideally include mission and vision statements and an action plan with goals and objectives.
Mission statement
A mission statement can be developed by the ObGyn(s) in your office or in concert with your staff. It should include:
- the “here and now” focus on the current approach to patient care
- why the practice exists (Develop a brief description of your practice, including the desired patient population.)
- the products and services offered and why and how those services are provided.
Here is an example of a mission statement for an ObGyn practice: “Our mission is to provide excellent, exceptional, personalized care for women of all ages in a warm and friendly environment. We incorporate leading-edge technology in our practice and continue to be a leader in obstetrics and gynecology.”
Vision statement
A vision statement should be developed in concert with your staff. It should include:
- the “then and there” focus on the historic perspective of your practice
- the ObGyn(s) and staff vision of the future
- what the ObGyn(s) and staff want to create.
The vision statement should energize and excite your personnel, create a shared and meaningful purpose, inspire passion and interest, and convey the values you want to share in your practice.
Here is an example of a vision statement for an ObGyn practice: “We aim to become the premier obstetrics and gynecology pro-vider to residents of (location) community.”
Action plan: Setting goals
To succeed, an ObGyn practice needs to:
- develop targets and challenges reflecting periodic (quarterly) meetings with staff and new entity development in the practice
- establish benchmarks and measurable parameters (How do you compare with other local practices? Set criteria/metrics to assess your progress.)
- ensure that the objectives support the goals (Develop goals and objectives over a defined period of time.)
- revisit the goals (Have they have been met? Do they need revision?)
Goals and objectives are essential for the continued health of your practice. This is all predicated upon developing a competitive advantage and then maintaining it.
Read about how to make a positive first impression on a new patient.