Published in Non-Clinical

Holistic Practice Management (HPM): Repository

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5 min read

Here are more tips on Holistic Practice Management. This article highlights Repository and how it can be used to improve your practice.

Holistic Practice Management (HPM): Repository

Welcome back to the second article in the series of Holistic Practice Management (HPM).

In the first article I addressed CONOPS (Concepts of Operational Strategies). That article was addressed more for the clinical side of practice management.

The topic of repositories will address how the two nodes of practice management (clinical and optical) can be coupled together to address this model.

My methodology of repository is still addressing the practice as a whole and every decision you make within your practice affects all areas. HPM is key to your practice and following this type of methodology will ensure you strategically maximize all areas of your practice.

Repository can be an ambiguous word.

In the dictionary (Dictionary, 2015), a repository is defined as a receptacle or place where things are deposited, stored or offered for sale; an abundant source of supply; storehouse.
As you see in the definition, a repository is a tangible item.
Repositories in HPM are intangible items that can be converted from intangible to tangible and vice versa.

Holistically what repositories do is mitigate the risk you are taking regarding any and all practice decisions you make.

After understanding the basis of a repository, now you can establish one in your practice and can strategically take advantage of all the benefits it entails.

Always remember this is a living repository, so the ones you newly establish will change and grow with your practice.

Establishing a meta-framework is the first step in the process.

Within that meta-framework you have hierarchical rows and functional columns.
In the functional columns you assign them as your strategic objective holistically for your practice within that category.
For Example: One column would be practice education management. In those columns you would have industry specific articles for your human capital and your providers, continuing education, practice management, etc. The rows give you at what importance you place the items/topics within your practice.
You can have High, Mid, and Low levels of importance within your practice.
Having these levels place importance within that living document/idea so you have actionable items that you can address based on their level. Also within the cells of the rows and columns, you have interchangeability based upon your practice needs.
Normally, you have a maximum of six columns and a maximum three rows. This will help you stream line all your classifications within your practice.

I know it can be tough to consolidate your practice into six columns but that is key because it provides distinct perspectives that are analogous to your providers, managers, and support staff.

Let’s address the example I gave in the previous paragraph to give you some structure to this meta-framework.

Let’s say I am the only owner/provider for my practice.
I recently read an article about some new refractive techniques that could help increase the patient’s eye health and strategically place my practice in a better position within the marketplace. I know this is an item that I need my human capital (support staff and managers) to read and adopt within a specified time frame.
I place the article in the practice education management column with high importance.
Your human capital will be able to see the importance of this article and its value because of the repository that you have established for your practice. They can easily adopt this new technique within the time frame you have laid out.
You can also continually address this technique in the practice weekly strategic meetings because it is in the high level row and you placed a mandate that you always address topics/techniques weekly that are in the High level. This is much better than just sending out an email saying to your staff this is an important technique that needs to be addressed now, and having no place to go back to that technique other than the initial email you sent.
Also the repository places that item in the high level so you can always locate and address that item whenever you see fit.
No more items/topics/techniques that you laid out will fall through the cracks. You have a linear progression of them laid out in your practice repository.
Since this is living, it will change over time and you can always look back on how you approached different areas within your practice throughout the years. This will again help mitigate the wrong decisions within your practice and improve the overall placement within your marketplace.

I have attached a basic template for you to use in your practice.

https://covalentcareers3.s3.amazonaws.com/media/original_images/Repository-Template-768x231.jpeg
This template gives you the initial meta-framework for your repository.
You assign names to the six columns and you place them in three rows to the level of importance from High, Mid, and Low.
Your initial repository will be a tough task to accomplish.
The reason for that is because you want to lay out what is most important to your practice within the marketplace. Knowing this helps solidify the mission and vision statement you laid out in the initial strategic meeting you had at the start of the year.
Do not dismiss this as something that needs to be done quickly! Really sit down and think about this repository and how can it help out your practice holistically. If you do that then you will achieve HPM and be better placed in the marketplace for yourself, staff, and most importantly your patients.
Bibliography:
Dictionary. (2015, 01 01). Dictionary. Dictionary. NA, NA, NA.
Sean Carranco, MBA
About Sean Carranco, MBA

Sean Carranco is the owner of Carranco Lunettes which is a consulting firm that helps independent practices in the marketplace. A versatile professional with over 15 plus years of executive operational, financial, marketing and retail experience, creating company guidelines and protocols to preside over your practice environment. He has a B.S. from The University of Texas and an Executive M.B.A from The University of Texas at El Paso.

Sean Carranco, MBA
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