What it is all about
The healthcare industry is constantly changing. From rapid advances in medical technology to new legal frameworks and patient expectations, it is essential for medical practices to be future-proof. But what does that actually mean?
Future-proofing is a concept that goes far beyond what we traditionally expect from a medical practice. The following aspects are important here:
Technological adaptability
Nowadays, technological integration is no longer optional. A future-proof practice digitises and automates all processes suitable for this purpose in order to increase the efficiency of the work, i.e. to realise the desired medical care of the patients with the lowest possible use of resources (personnel, time, money).
Quality of medical care
The quality of medical care naturally remains the central point of work. In order to guarantee it, progressive practice teams will in future rely even more than today on
- on the acquisition of up-to-date specialist knowledge, but also on
- systematic and continuous training in complementary areas that are relevant to their work but not primarily medical, as well as
- a strong network of specialists and other medical institutions.
Patient orientation
Patients already expect more than just medical care; they are interested in comprehensive individual care and service. This can include personalised treatment concepts, nutritional advice, help with prevention or telemonitoring.
Economic stability
A sustainable practice must also be economically sound. This includes sound financial planning, including budgeting for future investments and emergencies.
Legal compliance
Healthcare is highly regulated and legislation is constantly changing. The ability to adapt to new legal frameworks is crucial.
Staff management
Good staff are the backbone of any practice. Future sustainability requires a strong human resources strategy that encompasses training, staff satisfaction and career development.
Sustainability
Sustainability concerns both the environmental and social responsibility of a practice. This is increasingly important for image and can even lead to improved patient retention.
Strategic thinking and innovation skills
The ability to think ahead and to recognise, evaluate and successfully implement new things is another key characteristic. This can be new treatment methods, but also completely new approaches in practice management or patient care.
Networking
A broad, interdisciplinary network not only enables better treatment options, but also creates opportunities for cooperation and partnerships that can give the practice additional stability.
A best practice practice management as a basis
Sustainable medical practices are characterised by practice management that follows the validated guideline of the best practice standard. It takes into account all regulations, instruments and behavioural patterns that are essential for smoothly functioning work even under changing demands.
Efficiency as a principle of action
Sustainability is always oriented towards the efficiency of action, i.e. the defined practice goals are implemented with the minimum possible effort in order to, as already described, use resources such as time, personnel or capital sparingly and economically.
Conclusion
The sustainability of a medical practice is a multi-layered construct that goes far beyond mere medical care. It encompasses the integration of technology, high-quality medical care, patient orientation, economic and legal stability, human resource management, sustainability, innovation capacity and networking. At the same time, it is based on best practice-oriented practice management and follows the action principle of efficiency. Only when all these factors are taken into account can a practice be described as truly fit for the future.
Modern medicine is facing a truly revolutionary turning point: the digital transformation of healthcare. General practitioners and specialists must now decide how to respond to this rapid development by designing their operations, because it is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Challenge of digitalisation
At its core, future viability means working in a digitally supported way. However, digitalisation already offers an almost unmanageable wealth of opportunities to improve the quality of medical care, optimise patient service and increase the efficiency of workflows. Without a clear digitisation strategy tailored to the individual needs of one’s own practice, chaos and demotivation are pre-programmed during the transition to the digital world. It prevents negative experiences and facilitates the transition so that practice teams and their patients benefit from the advantages in the long term.
The guidebook: “Digitalisation Strategies – Best Practices for the Development and Content Design for General Practitioners and Specialists” provides practice owners with clear and comprehensive guidance in the context of building the future viability of their businesses on how to systematically develop a well-thought-out digitalisation strategy geared to their personal requirements. It also takes into account that digitisation should not be considered solely as a technical issue, but above all from an organisational and management perspective. The guide accompanies the reader through the relevant aspects that must be taken into account when developing a digitisation strategy, starting with the analysis of the current practice processes and the selection of the right digital solutions through to the implementation and training of the team.
R2049 