What It’s About
Measuring efficiency in a medical practice often presents complex challenges for practitioners. The multifaceted nature of service delivery in medical practices makes it difficult to determine a simple measure of efficiency. Various factors such as the quality of patient care, waiting and processing times, employee qualifications, resource utilization, and patient satisfaction play a role and must be taken into account. A purely quantitative assessment falls short, as qualitative aspects like treatment quality and patient well-being are also significant.
The Best Practice Standard as a Solution
Despite this complexity, there is an approach that allows for the determination of the degree of efficiency and the potential for unused efficiency opportunities in practice management: the Best-Practice Score (BPS), determined through systematic practice management benchmarking. This benchmarking compares the management of a medical practice with the validated Best-Practice Standard, which describes all regulations, tools, and behaviors
- that in the areas of action in practice management, from planning through market research, organization, leadership, patient care, and marketing to controlling,
- are essential for work to function smoothly, even under changing requirements.
A Measure for Efficiency Orientation
The Best-Practice Score thus offers a comprehensive perspective on practice management by not only looking at individual efficiency aspects but by drawing a holistic picture of practice performance. A high Best-Practice Score signals that a practice has implemented most of the necessary best practices and thus operates more efficiently than businesses characterized by a lower score, which automatically indicates significant potential for improvement.
The Ambulatory Best Practice Deficiency
The urgency of reviewing the Best Practice alignment for general practitioners and specialists is highlighted by one figure: on average, German medical practices implement just over half of this guideline. This explains many of the problems faced daily by doctors, medical assistants, and patients. Moreover, the Best Practice deficiency provides a particularly poor foundation for implementing digital solutions, which, in such an environment, contrary to the actual objective, can even exacerbate the inefficiency of work.
Indicator Before Changes
The special feature of practice management benchmarking and the resulting Best-Practice Score is that it simultaneously identifies specific starting points with which practice management can be optimized. It helps identify strengths and weaknesses in one’s practice management and provides a solid basis for targeted improvement measures. For example, processes can be structured, resources better utilized, and patient care improved, ultimately leading to higher patient satisfaction and more efficient practice management.
Conclusion
In summary, while measuring efficiency in medical practice management is complex, the Best-Practice Score offers a valuable method to identify both the current degree of efficiency and untapped potentials. By comparing with Best-Practice Standards, practitioners can make targeted improvements that not only enhance the efficiency of their practice but also improve the quality of patient care.
R2049 