(Lake Oswego, OR)
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Q: Why did you initially contact Silkin Consultants?
A: I'd had a very successful successful practice in another state. I sold it and moved my family to Oregon, which is where we wanted to live. I'd heard good things about Silkin Management Group prior to moving and so I contacted them soon after I arrived. Initially they helped me evaluate the practices I was considering purchasing. After working for awhile in my new practice I realized I was working with a completely different set of circumstances than I had worked with in my previous practice. I felt I needed an external point of view - someone from the outside to be able to look in and guide me. Since I had heard good things about Silkin and had a good experience working with them initially, I contacted them again and we began working together. I liked their approach and felt by working with them I'd have a better chance of building a successful practice under these circumstances that were new to me.
Q: What did you intend to accomplish with management consulting?
A: The practice I bought was unorganized and, as I mentioned, I felt I needed a guide. It is important to note that this practice is located in one of the top markets in the country for managed health care plans. Approximately 92% of commercial businesses in this area have their employees on some kind of managed health care programs. Being a new practitioner in the area, I found myself excluded from virtually all of these programs. I could see that I was not going to be getting a lot of new patients from these managed plans. In school I was trained to be a doctor, not a businessperson. Although I had built a very successful practice before, I wasn't prepared to enter this type of market and I really couldn't afford to fail. So I hired Silkin and was confident they could help.
Q: Why did you chose Silkin over other consulting firms?
A: I found that Silkin really excels in the area of follow-up. They stay with you as long as needed and they do what is needed to get the results you want. From my point of view, that's really the job of a consultant: to see that you actually implement the plans and programs that take you where you need and want to go with your practice. And that's where they do a superior job over other firms I've looked into. They didn't just give me a few good ideas and then leave it up to me to do something with them. They didn't suggest anything that was merely a temporary solution. They gave me specific, concrete "nuts and bolts" actions to implement and followed through with us until each one was done.
I was impressed that a significant focus of the Silkin program is on training both the doctor and the doctor's staff in management techniques that really work. The staff become part of the "management team" and it doesn't just fall on the doctor's shoulders. This gives the doctor, with full staff back-up, the know-how to continue successfully managing the practice whether he's working with a consultant or not. I found that Silkin actually prides itself on working itself out of a job with a client. They know when they've done that, they've accomplished their purpose. That is, the doctor can effectively manage his practice and handle whatever might come up. That impressed me.
Q: How does the Silkin program work and how is it implemented into your office?
A: It's a step-by-step approach. I definitely didn't implement the entire program all at one time. We completed the program a little bit at a time so as not to overwhelm either myself or the staff. With each step of implementation, the confusion in the office became less and less and things gradually improved. We had a lot that needed improvement. We were working on general organization which included writing up office policies, working with statistics and using job descriptions for each position in the practice. We also had programs for marketing, promotion and advertising. My consultant also helped me with a financial plan. We were working on all of these, but going about it at a pace that was comfortable and gradually improving all the areas.
Silkin really works with the individual practitioner. While every practice has the same basic needs, each practice and each practitioner are unique. Silkin recognizes this and works out what is best for your specific practice, implements the program steps on the proper gradient and closely monitors how well it is working. I talk to my consultant as much as needed and he monitors my key statistics on a weekly basis. This approach has worked well for me and my staff. It's very hard for anything to slip through the cracks. As we moved along on implementing the program the production was increasing and the stress level was decreasing. You find yourself one day walking into the practice and realizing how much has been accomplished, just making these improvements one at a time. You see it all coming together and it's rewarding for everyone who has been involved.
Q: What kind of results did you experience?
A: The results have been excellent. The practice became more organized and efficient, which helped to reduce the stress level. My net increased as well. The managed health care plans are a big barrier and the most impressive result I've experienced is that the practice has grown each year for the past 3 years despite it. You have to realize that due to the managed health care situation, the majority of the population of the city has not been accessible to me. And even with that set of circumstances, we are still growing and have grown every year. The common agreement in this area for private practitioners within the metropolitan association is that it's virtually impossible for a new person to begin a practice without being on the managed care plans - they won't survive. I've not only survived, but am growing.
I've seen other kinds of results too. I'm much happier in my practice and I have more free time to do other things that I want to do. I like having time to spend with my family and it makes a difference to them that I'm not feeling as much stress as I used to feel.
Q: Has the Silkin program been useful for your office staff?
A: The staff love it. The reason they think it's so great is because it makes so much sense; it's a very logical way of going about building and running a practice. They see they are judged on their performance and not on somebody's subjective opinion or upon someone's good or bad mood. Their stress level has been reduced greatly too. Most of my staff have worked in other offices and so they can compare our work environment to others they've been in. I hear often from them that they like the procedures and like the organization we've created and that they find it far less confusing than other offices they've been in. Silkin involves the entire staff in the program and offers them training courses and management workshops. This helps to develop teamwork and increases a staff's contribution and responsibility for the well-being of the practice.
I've been in situations before where there is a lot of staff turnover. I don't have that problem in my practice anymore. Silkin not only helped me hire the right people, they continued to be involved by making sure each person had a job description and was trained for their position. As a doctor and a practice owner it is so nice to have the staff feeling confident about their work and wanting to take as much responsibility for the practice as I do. It makes my life much, much easier.
Q: Have the changes in your office improved your patient care and quality of service?
A: Let me put it this way: Having an efficient, well organized office allows me to do my job well and thoroughly and then turn the patient over to my staff who in turn do their jobs well and thoroughly. That means that the next patient I am seeing has my full attention. I'm not dealing with one patient and having my attention on the one I just finished seeing. I know my staff is taking care of them in a professional manner and giving them the quality of care and service I want them to have. Our quality of service wasn't bad before. But it has been improved and this results in people coming back. This practice is a recall and referral based practice. If we didn't provide top quality care and see those patients returning, we'd be gone in the flick of an eye. Our patients perceive that they are receiving high quality care. They want to return and they refer others to us. Our recall system works as well as it does because the office is efficient and well organized. All this allows me to see more patients while delivering very high quality service.
Q: Would you recommend Silkin to others?
A: Yes, without a doubt. Silkin has taught me and my staff the technical aspect of management - and there is a technology to it just like there is a technology for practicing optometry. Let's face it, nobody ever taught us how to properly hire and train staff, what should be in a job description, what office policies must exist so the office runs smoothly, what documentation needs to be maintained to protect you from the "bad apple" employee, the most successful financial policies to use with patients, what the most effective collection procedures are, what the best recall system is, how to market externally without wasting money, how to market internally and save marketing dollars, how to make a good team out of individual staff members, how to evaluate office efficiency, increase your net and on and on. These things are just not taught to you in school and yet they are vital things to know. It doesn't take a long time to learn them either.
We read journals all the time that tell us it would be a wise business decision to purchase the latest equipment because it will increase the level of care and your profitability. I won't argue that point. But the return on your investment is going to be far greater if you truly know how to manage your practice. A new machine won't do that for you. My advice to doctors is that the correct sequence is to get your practice well organized, decrease your stress level, increase your income level and then go buy any equipment you need. Your return on any investment is going to be far greater that way.
Q: Anything else you'd like to add?
A: Working with Silkin has been a very positive experience for me and I know of many, many other doctors who feel the same way. Now I wonder how I was able to practice without the management technology taught by Silkin. I wouldn't even attempt it in today's environment. It has been a very positive experience and I'm happy and pleased to have been associated with Silkin Management Group. I'd recommend to anyone reading this to take some time and find out more about the Silkin program. I think it would be a beneficial use of their time and a smart move in the long run. The staff at Silkin takes pride in getting results for their clients and from my experience, it is a well founded pride.