The Pause Button and the "BS" detector.
What happens in January in an allied health business.
In the almost 20 years that I co-owned a Physiotherapy Practice, I cannot remember ever making a profit in January. As I became more experienced as a business owner, I learned not to let it bother me. January was a month to embrace and I looked forward to it eagerly. Being a little less busy, allowed myself and my staff to have a bit of a breather. Leave early, start later, or have a longer lunch. Sometimes when you are always “on” it is difficult to sit comfortably in your business and know that you do not have to react anxiously to the January lull. Gradually I became accustomed to the fluxes and flows of the business and learned that a quieter day or week is not a sign that I necessarily needed to do something about it. By the way, this does not mean being totally ambivalent about the threats to your business all of the time. Our business was highly successful and profitable for the rest of the year.
As I became more aware of my values and the business that I wanted to lead, Christmas and January period was a time, when I particularly stayed true to empowering my patients to assess their own needs. I make it very clear that my role is to help people better understand their injuries/conditions and provide any necessary assistance and guidance for recovery. I ask them, what they are doing, what they are feeling, and if they are confident to achieve their goals. So all of my patients generally tell me what they want and need from me. Sometimes they need some help and guidance and ask for my opinion. It is their body and their injury- not mine! It is also their financial investment. They tell me when they are ready to be discharged. It is extremely important to me as an experienced practitioner who values patient empowerment for this to happen.
I fully believe that patients and clinical staff can see that telling all patients to rebook in January is nothing more than being about money. The “BS” detector will be high. In some cases patients will be lost by this strategy and practices may even lose staff in the longer term if they are instructed to ensure that everyone is booked back in, particularly if there are KPIs attached to this. The objective of getting patients booked back in applies all year round but is magnified by the likelihood of reduced income during January.
I have conversations with patients who are not sure or are clearly on a pathway to recovery about some of the benefits of rebooking but the decision is up to them- always! Whilst practitioners may say that it is always up to the patient anyway because ultimately they will always choose, there is a difference when the control and duration of treatment and discharge are explicitly in the hands of the patient.
I get very annoyed by blogs and comments, I read that say that it is the practitioner who knows what a patient needs. Really? We should be better than that! That is when my “BS” detector is up and I wonder what the conversations in these practices look like. I am not sure that they are very helpful to a profession that prides itself on evidence-based approaches.
Many patients who have been rehabilitating or spending hours working on getting their bodies back to pre-injury level will benefit from hitting the pause button. It is good for them to enjoy time doing their everyday activities with their families and friends. I do not prescribe exercises. “Get out and enjoy yourselves, you have had a tough year. ” Anecdotal evidence tells us that in most situations patients will come back after a break from treatment significantly better. The question is whether we are overestimating our impact on a patient’s recovery.
Personally, January is a time for spending time with my family and friends, enjoying the long summer evenings, sunsets, summer storms, and going to bed late - just being for a while. Any meetings or strategic planning can happen later in January and usually include a staff day. A time for everyone to come together and plan for a successful and productive (Profitable) year ahead.
However you play it and what works for your success and values, I wish you all a restful and enjoyable holiday season.
Love this and I wholeheartedly agree! I would usually say it's your body, your time and your money, you do whatever you feel you need to. Forcing them to rebook in x amount of time increases fear that they will go backwards if they don't miss an appointment. Sure we need to make a living, but you'll get more referrals if you support, empower and give them choice.