General practitioners and specialists in Germany: The valve function of employee surveys

What it’s all about

When GPs or specialists carry out a practice management comparison that includes an employee survey, a remarkable phenomenon is repeatedly revealed: if the practice owners are sceptical before the survey begins that there will be any responses at all and assume that staff participation will be low, exactly the opposite occurs: The workforce always participates fully and, what’s more, individual employees submit an average of five pages of suggestions for change. This behaviour reflects deep psychological mechanisms associated with frustration, anger and the feeling of not being heard. The following article explores the deep psychological underpinnings of this behaviour and the psychological profile of practice owners that foster such dynamics.

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Change Aversity: Why German GPs and specialists ignore their employees’ suggestions for change

What it’s all about

In the healthcare sector, the interaction between doctors and their staff plays a central role in the success of a practice. Nevertheless, the results of practice management comparisons show that the majority of German doctors in private practice ignore their employees’ suggestions for change or give them little commitment. This behaviour, known as “change aversion”, is deeply rooted in the psychological structures and dynamics that operate in the professional environment.

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The vicious circle of externalisation in German outpatient care

What it’s all about

In outpatient care in Germany, the trend has manifested itself of attributing problems that affect general practitioners and specialists in private practice monocausally to external factors such as bureaucratisation, digitalisation or a shortage of specialists. This externalisation of problem solutions, often accompanied by a monocausal argument, has numerous negative effects on the development of progress in outpatient patient care.

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Risky: 2/3 of German GPs and specialists work without practice management KPI

What it’s all about

The German healthcare system is a complex, constantly changing system that presents practice owners with a variety of challenges. In this context, key performance indicators (KPIs) for practice management provide essential guidance for managing a practice efficiently, safely, purposefully and successfully in the long term. However, the frequent neglect of these important tools in German medical practices – only a third of practices use KPIs for practice management – harbours a number of significant risks that can have a considerable impact on both practice performance and patient care.

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Staff communication in German medical practices: Phrases that drive staff up the wall

What it’s all about

Clear and respectful communication is the backbone of every successful medical practice. Choosing the right words plays a crucial role for practice owners. However, there are certain phrases that practice owners use time and time again when communicating with staff that have the exact opposite effect, leading to misunderstandings and creating frustration and a negative working environment.

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Practice management: Why German GPs and specialists would be more successful with positivity

What it’s all about

One aspect of the development opportunities for practice management in German medical practices remains almost unnoticed: positivity. Its absence as a practice value leads to a multitude of barriers that limit the performance potential that can be activated in every respect.

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Listen, learn and change: Three underutilised principles of patient-centricity in the German healthcare system

What it’s all about

If the statements on websites and in social media are to be believed, the various players in the German healthcare system are doing everything they can to provide their patients with the best possible care and support within the scope of the services they offer. However, patient surveys often paint a very different picture of the reality.

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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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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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