The underestimated barriers to digitalisation in German medical practices

What it’s all about

Digitalisation in the German healthcare system offers considerable potential for increasing the efficiency and quality of patient care. Nevertheless, the transformation is only progressing slowly, especially in medical practices. This is why there is an intensive debate on how the benefits of digital solutions for outpatient care can be quickly and systematically realised by GPs and specialists. The central starting point here is to overcome the scepticism and reluctance of practice owners by providing targeted information and concrete use cases. However, this attitude is only the tip of the iceberg. However, two fundamental problems remain largely unnoticed, which are an extreme obstacle to effective digitalisation: inadequate organisational and organisational structures and a lack of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge among doctors.

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Outpatient medicine in Germany: The medieval pillory in modern medical practices

What it’s all about

The results from the employee surveys of our practice management comparisons show that around 25% of German GP and specialist practices have a system that is reminiscent of the medieval pillory: practice owners publicly reprimand their employees in front of colleagues and patients when they make mistakes. The reasons for such open criticism may be factually justified, but the procedure is completely unsuitable as a disciplinary measure.

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The telephone imposition: Why doctors need to rethink

What it’s all about

At a time when digital innovations form the backbone of efficient business management, the German healthcare system, especially in medical practice communication, often falls short of its potential. A particularly pressing problem is the “telephone imposition” – a significant burden for both patients and practice staff, which manifests itself in endless queues and the expectation of callbacks.

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Digitalisation of the healthcare system in Germany: Practice management is the key to success

What it’s all about

Like all other players in the healthcare system in Germany, GPs and specialists are also facing a major challenge: digitalisation. However, the widespread reluctance of many practice owners to embrace this transformation is often misinterpreted. It’s not primarily about a rejection of the technology itself, but about a deeper, often unconscious realisation for doctors: current practice management models are reaching their limits and a comprehensive redesign of management is unavoidable.

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How the development of the future viability of management in German medical practices is impaired by the changejection trap

What it’s all about

One of the aspects analysed as part of our practice management benchmarking is whether the GP and specialist practices surveyed run as “learning practices”, i.e. whether they are continuously and actively working to systematically develop the quality of their work. The response rate is alarming not only with regard to sustainability: only just over 10% of practice owners confirm the description for their practice.

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The Challenge of Efficiency Measurement in Medical Practices

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.

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Practice management: The relationship between people management, productivity, efficiency and effectiveness

❓What it’s all about

The concepts of productivity, efficiency and effectiveness are of great importance in the context of practice management and specifically in the employee management of physicians in private practice. They influence not only the operational process, but also the quality of patient care and ultimately the economic success of the practice.

➡️ Effectiveness

Effectiveness refers to the extent to which set goals are actually achieved. In a medical practice, this could be improving patient satisfaction or reducing waiting times, for example.

Effectiveness means managing staff in such a way that practice teams are successful in achieving their goals. This requires clear communication of what needs to be accomplished, regular feedback on implementation, and any adjustments to the work process.

➡️ productivity

Productivity describes the ratio of output to input in a given time frame. In a doctor’s office, the output could be the number of patients treated, while the input includes the resources used to do so, such as time, personnel and materials.

For staff management, high productivity means deploying staff in a way that makes the best use of resources. Training, clear work instructions and, of course, unambiguous communication all help to keep productivity on target.

➡️ Efficiency

Efficiency is the term used when a goal is achieved with a minimum use of resources. Thus, it is a specific form of productivity that is concerned with how well inputs are converted into outputs.

Efficiency in people management means that teams are organized in such a way that they can accomplish the given tasks in optimal time and quality. This can be achieved through good planning, proper selection and training of staff, and the use of best practices to ensure that misalignments don’t get in the way of the work.

🔄 Implementation

Productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness are closely related concepts that play a key role in employee management. By applying them correctly and monitoring them on an ongoing basis, physicians in private practice can optimize practice operations, improve patient care, and ensure financial success.

Integrating these concepts into practice management, for example through practice management benchmarking with ratios, can be a useful method is the appropriate method for this purpose. It uses the validated guideline of the Best Practice Standard for this purpose. It describes all the regulations, instruments and behaviors that are essential in the action areas of practice management, from planning to market research, organization, leadership, patient care and marketing to controlling, for work that functions smoothly even under changing requirements.

Efficient practice management: The importance of a feedback culture 🏥👨‍⚕️👩‍⚕️

What it’s all about 📜

In the modern workplace, an effective feedback culture is essential, and this naturally applies to the medical environment as well. Practice owners have a key role to play in creating a positive feedback culture in this context. The term “culture” plays a crucial role here, as it lays the foundation for the way feedback is given and received in the working environment of a medical practice. 🌐

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Risk aversion in DiGA prescriptions: More aversion than risk

❓What it’s all about.

Digital health applications (DiGA) have become increasingly important in recent years. They offer a variety of ways to complement therapies and help patients manage their conditions. Despite the potential inherent in these technologies, many physicians in private practice are hesitant to prescribe them to their patients. One of the main arguments is often the perceived lack of data or experience with these applications. But this risk aversion not only slows down medical progress, it also contains a helpful support.

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