Outpatient medicine in Germany: The appearance of efficiency vs. the reality of practice management

The elegant ship as a symbol of perfection

On the cover picture we see two contrasting images: On the one hand, an elegant, snow-white passenger ship on a sales brochure and, on the other, a run-down, oily ship’s engine. The ship represents the appearance of perfection and efficiency. It stands for the image that many German doctors have or would like to have of their practice – clean, smoothly functioning and attractive to patients.

The engine room as a metaphor for practice management

The run-down ship’s engine, on the other hand, symbolizes the “engine room” of the medical practice, namely the practice management. Here, the gap between the external appearance and the internal reality becomes clear. Many practices present themselves to the outside world as being well positioned, while in the background, in practice management, often only half of the best practice standard is implemented. This validated guideline describes all the regulations, instruments and behaviors that are essential for smooth and efficient work. The radiant external image also includes the self-portrayal of doctors and employees as a team, but in reality, it is usually only groups that work there that do not realize synergies in the sense of “real” teamwork.

The appearance of efficiency

Practice owners often rely solely on their gut feeling to assess the efficiency of their businesses and develop a “brochure feeling” of security and satisfaction. However, this is only based on subjective perceptions and overestimations of patient satisfaction, but less on objective data and facts.

The reality of practice management

The reality of everyday working life looks completely different. The run-down engine makes it clear that practice management in German GP and specialist practices is severely neglected in the form of inefficient processes and structures in need of improvement. These weaknesses are being identified because hardly any analyses are carried out. But an engine without regular monitoring is not able to function sustainably. The deficits have a long-term effect on the overall performance of the practice and gradually lead to further deterioration. If problems are directly noticeable, their causes are externalized or they are explained away by the fact that the situation in other practices is no different, i.e. they must be accepted as inherent in the system, so to speak.

The importance of an objective analysis

In order to really understand the state of the “engine room” of the practice, an objective analysis is essential. Practice management benchmarking offers a comprehensive solution for this. By systematically recording and evaluating all relevant aspects of practice management, the actual level of efficiency can be determined. The results of this analysis also reveal the unused potential and hidden risk factors that cannot be captured by subjective perception alone. The tool has been around for years, but only a few practice owners use it.

Conclusion

The image of the sleek ship and the oily engine illustrates the discrepancy between the appearance of efficiency and the actual reality of practice management. Doctors should not rely solely on their gut feeling, but should instead focus on objective analyses in order to increase the efficiency of their practice and be successful in the long term.