Skills shortage: The myth of salary as the main motivator in outpatient medicine

What it’s all about

The discussion about the shortage of skilled labour in German medical practices mainly focuses on salary as the key factor in solving the problem. It is often argued that higher salaries are the main means of retaining staff in practices and attracting new specialists. However, recent studies and research findings refute this assumption and show that other factors play a far greater role in employee motivation and retention.

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Outpatient medicine in Germany: GPs and specialists show a pronounced resistance to counselling when it comes to improvements in practice management

What it’s all about

General practitioners and specialists in Germany face a variety of challenges in managing their practices. However, despite a noticeable increase in work pressure, practice owners do not implement around half of the regulations, tools and behaviours that are essential for a smoothly functioning practice, even under changing circumstances. They have had to inflict the resulting effects on themselves, their staff and their patients on a daily basis and are resistant to external advice. There are various reasons for this rejection, which are rooted in both personal and structural factors.

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Digitalization in German medical practices: Often built on sand

What it’s all about

Practice management comparisons show that German GPs and specialists who introduce digital solutions in their practices are dissatisfied with the effects. Some even complain that, contrary to expectations, this even leads to a permanent increase in workload. The reason for this is the under-appreciated phenomenon of the digital readiness gap.

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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.

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How ecophobia is hindering the development of outpatient medicine in Germany

What it’s all about

The German healthcare system, particularly in the area of doctors in private practice, is undergoing rapid change, driven by digitalisation, regulatory changes and changing patient expectations. Against this backdrop, GPs and specialists are faced with the question of how they can align their practice management with change in the short, medium and long term in such a way that they retain active control over the organisation of their practice work and do not become “victims” of the changes. The strategy required for this is entrepreneurial practice management in the form of professionally implemented best practice practice management. However, the reality of implementing this approach in German medical practices has so far been very limited; one even has to speak of a kind of “ecophobia”, a fear or strong aversion to dealing with economic and management issues of one’s own practice management.

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Outpatient medicine in Germany: GPs and specialists forgo the inspiring and activating effects of practice management KPIs

What it’s all about

The knowledge and use of key performance indicators (KPIs) is of central importance for efficient and sustainably flexible practice management. However, many doctors in private practice in Germany fail to deal with these key performance indicators and, as a result, miss out on numerous inspiring and activating effects.

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Digitalization of outpatient medicine in Germany: Digital dissenters among GPs and specialists do not take these facts into account

What it’s all about

The digitalization of the healthcare system has gained rapid momentum in recent years, and patients increasingly expect doctors in private practice to offer professional digital solutions for their diagnostic and therapeutic options as well as service offerings. This expectation is not just a result of technological advances, but is deeply rooted in human psychology, a fact that the digital dissenters among practice owners do not take into account.

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The consequences of the metricnorance of German GPs and specialists

What it’s all about

GPs and specialists in Germany traditionally have a distanced or even hostile attitude towards business management methods and instruments. In this context, there is also talk of “metricnorance”, formed from the words “metric” and “ignorance”. The term refers to the ignorance or deliberate disregard of important metrics that provide insights into what is happening in practice. In doing so, they overlook the immense potential for analysis and organisation that they are foregoing and which could help them to drastically improve not only the quality of their patient care, but also their own working conditions. The following example describes what practice owners are foregoing with a metricnorance mindset.

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Outpatient medicine in Germany and the psychology of opportunity costs

What it is about

The concept of opportunity costs is often understood as a purely economic principle that forms the basis for economic decisions through calculations and comparisons. However, a deeper look shows that it is also a basic mental attitude that extends far beyond the field of business administration and is deeply embedded in the psychology of human decision-making behaviour.

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Leaderwreck instead of leadership: The 5 key mistakes German GPs and specialists make in their role as team leaders

What it’s all about

The results of benchmarking studies on practice management show clear deficits among German GPs and specialists when it comes to leading their staff. This article highlights the five most common mistakes and explains the underlying psychological mechanisms.

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