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A Michigan Dentist went from a successful full-time practice to buying a struggling practice with the idea of turning it into a profitable business like the one he had. The problem was that he hired staff from the original practice to help implement their working system but it backfired him. After six months, the new practice was not showing any financial growth, and he had to borrow money from his original practice to pay vendors and the bank.

Another problem was that patients from his original practice started to leave and this impacted the practice financially. The original practice started losing money from a lack of business and also putting money into the second practice. Eventually, the original practice also struggled to pay their vendors and employees.

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 Method used to diagnose and address the problem.

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 Method used to diagnose and address the problem.

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This case started with the consulting team having to build a business case to show the owner that conducting a performance analysis which was their suggestion, would be better than conducting a marketing campaign to attract new patients, which is what the owner wanted. The consulting team educated the owner on the positive impact that a performance analysis would have on his business. They convinced the owner that a performance analysis was the best approach to save his business. This approach was going to pinpoint the reasons why his business model was not working.

They immediately started collecting the data using practice financial statements and management software. They review daily schedules, billing records and processes, patient attrition, accounts receivable, and profit and loss statements. In addition, they interviewed and surveyed the staff members and the owner.

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 The following interventions were implemented in different phases:

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 The following interventions were implemented in different phases:

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Hire an officer manager for the second practice

They put together a team to address billing and collections, and to record treatment plans on the practice management software.

Implemented a daily scheduling template to maximize production

Develop and post a daily performance dashboard to track the number of patients who left without appoitments or refused treatment. These information was used in daily pre-shift meetings ti undestand the causes and to train the staff in methods of handling these situations.

Develop incentive programs for both staff and patients to reward referrals to new patients.

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Results

Within six months, both practices have positive cash flow.

Production in the new practice doubled while production in the second practice increased by 20% during the first year.

The new practice averaged thirty-five new patients per month within six months and the existing practice averaged thirty new patients per month within a year.

Patient attrition for the twelve months following implementation was less than 10 percent at both practices.

Lessons Learned

A business case is an important element in a performance project. Gaining support and demonstrating the effectiveness of the recommended interventions is an essential step of the process.

Sometimes, more than one business case may be necessary. You may have to repeat the process to continue the project that has started.

The durability of the results can be greatly increased by motivating stakeholders to carry out initiatives under the guidance of experts.

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Take aways

What I learned from this case was that is it imperative to recognize the difficulties in implementing changes in an established institution. Ineffective change management can result in opposition and disruptions to operations. You must develop and implement effective change management strategies. Communicate changes transparently, involve key stakeholders, and provide the support needed to guarantee a seamless transition.

Applications to my Human Performance Improvement Project

The difficulties in implementing change throughout the transition may have been a result of inadequate communication and involvement. Something that I can apply to my project is the importance of making good communication a top priority and involving key stakeholders in the HPI initiatives. Staff members must understand the purpose of the improvements and have input to foster a sense of ownership.

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My Aha! moment came when I was reading the chapter on Data Collection Methods. It made me think about how teachers use data-collection techniques in the classroom all the time. By using these techniques, teachers can customize their instruction to each student's needs and make well-informed decisions regarding their instructional approach. Although gathering data is essential for making well-informed decisions, organizing and interpreting the data effectively can be difficult, particularly for educators who have a lot on their plates and limited time. I look at each unit test data to see which questions my students missed the most so perhaps I can re-teach those concepts. Unfortunately, there is very little time to address them because we have a curriculum pacing in place that we need to follow and a lot of other responsibilities going on.