Many healthcare providers are not leveraging their time in the best way possible. They see themselves as being busy and feel that they're doing a lot, but at the end of the day, they wonder why their practice isn't growing.
You have to take a step back and ask yourself what you really want out of this business.
Are you looking to grow your patient base? If so, then it's time for you to stop thinking about all of those repetitive tasks that can be done by someone else. It's time for you to start focusing on things only you can do as an owner.
It is a common misconception that providers are too busy to focus on the business. The truth is that many (if not all) providers have time for both and it's up to them how they choose to spend their time.
If you want your business to grow, then you need to find a way to properly leverage your time so that others can do the day-to-day tasks while you focus on growing your business.
The key is to find a balance. You need enough time in the day for your daily tasks, but you also have some specific areas of expertise and focus that only you can do as an owner.
The first step is accepting that someone else can take care of other parts of running your business better than you can. If you aren't an organized person, then hire someone that is. If you don't like dealing with finances, find a CPA who can help out on the financial side of your business and focus more time on those things only you are best suited to do as the owner.
The big vision stuff like setting a direction for your business, deciding who you want to serve, exploring partnerships, and figuring out new and better ways to serve them.
Remember, business is constantly changing and if you're not innovating, then you're going to get left behind.
The second step will be deciding what areas need more attention, and which ones should have less of your focus. Whether someone else can do it better or you simply don't like doing those tasks, get them off your plate.
One of the biggest leverage points for business owners is doubling down on the things you're good at. Don't keep putting time and energy into getting better at things you don't like or don't do well.
There are so many things that we can do to better leverage our time. I'll leave you with a few examples of ideas worth focusing on.
What big crazy idea do you have that could change your industry?
What's one thing that my patients desperately want but aren't able to get right now?
What's the single most important thing I can do to turn my patients into raving fans of my business?
And of course, is there something I'm doing right now that I shouldn't be doing?
Hope this helps.
-Jason Duprat, MBA, MSA, CRNA