Strukturion of Future Thinking
Benchmarking analyses of practice management show that only 10% of German doctors have a professional goal agreement system. This alarmingly low level illustrates the considerable discrepancy between the requirements of effective practice management and the reality in many medical practices. But what are the concrete disadvantages for doctors in private practice who do not agree targets with their employees?
Work overload, insufficient remuneration, non-functioning digitalisation, nonsensical health policy regulations and bureaucratisation dominate the complaints of doctors in private practice about their work. They convey the image of a profession that is suffering under its burden. However, a look at the reality of practice operations shows that this need not be the case, as numerous unused optimisation opportunities in practice management often remain unconsidered. This article examines the causes and consequences of this neglect and poses the provocative question of whether doctors in private practice may have masochistic tendencies.
Continue reading “Are german general practitioners and specialists masochists?”
The medical landscape in Germany is facing fundamental change. While some medical practices have already recognised the signs of the times and are proactively approaching the future, many others are still stuck in traditional structures. Around 20 % of German GP and specialist practices can be categorised as progressive, 30 % are in a transitional stage and 50 % are still operating traditionally. The difference between these groups can be attributed to three key aspects: entrepreneurial practice management, the targeted use of digitalisation and the development of soft skills.
Continue reading “Rather low: The future orientation of medical practices in Germany”
A characteristic feature of German practice owners is the evaluation of the quality of their practice management based on subjective assessments instead of objective data. This inevitably leads to serious misjudgements that have a negative impact on the overall service provision and quality of practice operations, a situation that can be identified time and again in practice management comparisons.
Patient satisfaction plays a key role in the success of GP and specialist practices. Practice management comparisons show that doctors and medical assistants overestimate patient satisfaction by an average of 30%. This discrepancy can be explained by various psychological mechanisms.
The results of practice management comparisons and the associated employee surveys in German general practitioner and specialist practices show: In many medical practices, the personal initiative of medical assistants is not welcomed and is even consistently discouraged. There are various reasons for this behaviour on the part of practice owners, including both practical and psychological aspects. This article highlights the most important reasons and outlines the consequences.
Continue reading “Efficiency barriers in German medical practices: Personal initiative? No thanks!”
In the search for development opportunities and future prospects for outpatient healthcare, one central starting point and design parameter is usually ignored: practice management. But its quality is currently poor. This white paper describes why practice management is so important and what GPs and specialists can do about their insufficiency.
When reviewing the results from cross-sectional analyses of our studies as part of practice management benchmarking, I repeatedly notice outstanding individual aspects that are already symptomatic in the individual analyses, but whose implications for the healthcare system only really become clear in their aggregated totality. An example of this is the best practice implementation, or rather: non-implementation (“LeadNeglection”) in the practice management action area “Employee management”.
Due to an incorrect methodology, the “classic” patient survey used in most German medical practices is unable to provide GPs and specialists with realistic insights into the satisfaction of their practice visitors. As a consequence, this leads to necessary change measures not being discovered at all.
Practice management is the transmitter of the medical expertise of practice owners and the resources used in practice operations into patient care. The better the management works, the higher the quality of patient care. A validated, easy-to-implement guideline, the so-called best practice standard, exists for the adequate organisation of practice management. Yet these are only partially applied. This has a strong negative impact on the care of practice visitors, on the efficiency of the work, the motivation of the staff and ultimately also on the economic results of the practice.
Continue reading “German healthcare system: Why does the best practice standard often go unused?”
R2049 