A New Year in Audiology
Have you kept your new year’s resolutions? Here are three actionable steps for a better perspective in the new year.
New year's eve. A time to pause and reflect on the past, plan and dream for the future, and an excuse to drink champagne and celebrate! But as we know all too well, new year's celebrations rarely live up to our expectations of glamour and fun, and resolutions rarely stick. McDonald's literally banks on this fact when they mail out coupons the first week of January.
During my undergraduate degree, my roommates and I decided that New Year's Eve is never as fun as you think it's going to be. We figured this is mainly because of the pressure that's involved on that one night. So, we created "Fake New Year's Eve," which we celebrated later in January. This became our biggest and most fun annual celebration. Why? Because the key ingredients to enjoying any celebration or committing to any resolution, are perspective and expectations.
As an audiologist, I know you are well aware of the threats and changes that are facing our profession. Navigating the world of third party payers, PSAPs, and internet sales, can be dizzying (and not in a way that can be measured on a VNG!). So where do we go from here. How do we gain perspective, and find ways to refresh and push forward in the new year?
The landscape of audiology may be changing, but there is still so much potential for growth and expansion. We need to change our expectations! The status quo is not good enough. All professions are facing constant disruption in this age of technological advancements, it's how you choose to react to these changes that will cause you to sink or swim.
So rather than setting more resolutions than the one's you've probably already broken, let's set some intentions, goals and plans for the new year! Here are some ideas of changes you can implement today in your practice. You don't need to do them all at once, and some may not apply depending on your practice setting. But I encourage you to read this list, then take a moment to reflect and write down 3 changes you can make right away to make this your best year in audiology yet!
1. Keep track of your key performance indicators (KPI)
If you're a clinic owner or manager, you are likely already doing this. If you're an employee, you too, should already be doing this! However, I know many audiologists and practices who aren't. Starting tomorrow, talk to your management about how you can measure your KPIs. Typically, many are tracked through your electronic medical record system. There's no better way to change your perspective and expectations for your services, then actually seeing the numbers.
KPI tell you about how you are performing in the clinic. How many hearing tests are converted to hearing aid evaluations (HAE), how many HAE are converted to hearing aid fittings, return rate, binaural rate, etc. You can also collect KPI on support staff to determine if phone calls are turning into appointments, and which marketing materials are drawing in patients and converting to fittings. This is all extremely important information, not to make your staff more pushy or "salesy," but if we genuinely want to help patients hear better, then we need to brush up our practices and procedures to ensure patients are pursuing appropriate treatment.
If you don't have access to your clinic's record information, a quick way to get started, is to go through your schedule from the past year and calculate some of your KPI manually. An important and simple one to start with is your "conversion rate" or "help rate." Look at all your past HAE appointments, and keep a spreadsheet of the number of patients you saw, the number who were recommended devices, the number who pursued devices. Another KPI to track is the number of returns. These numbers will provide you with a percentage which you can then compare to the industry standard of 50%. Are at least 50% of patients who are eligible for hearing aids pursuing devices? Are they keeping them? Knowing your numbers can give you insight into what you're doing well and what you can improve on. With this information, you can now modify your clinical procedures, counseling, or follow-up protocol, and see how this changes your conversion rate.
By turning your "gut feelings" about your practices into measurable numbers, you can gain perspective and start to take actionable steps to improving your patient outcomes.
2. Make the most of your existing database
Two years ago, I moved to a new city, and saw a new optometrist despite being loyal to my previous optometrist for 15 years. This new optometrist has not reached out to me once to remind me about a retest or to order new contact lenses. Meanwhile an online provider that I once ordered contacts from has e-mailed me twice this month! All I can think is, "what a lost opportunity." It's as simple as this: if you don't value your patients, keep in touch, and keep them informed, then they will forget about you and find help elsewhere.
The most financially responsible way to advertise is to existing patients. Find ways to turn visitors to your office in to patients for life. Call patients to remind them of their annual hearing test. Regularly ask people for referrals, and make it intentional by creating a referral card or giving them a business card to share with their friends and family. If a musician comes in to get custom ear plugs, recommend they schedule a baseline hearing test, and ask them to refer their bandmates. Send a friendly letter to patients who were recommended but did not pursue amplification to thank them for seeing you, and invite them back for a demonstration.
The more ways you reach out to your existing database, the less legwork you have to do through traditional advertisement avenues. Find ways to create a community that your patients are happy to be part of, and you'll find your own fulfillment and satisfaction will improve as well.
3. Schedule more regular follow-ups with patients
As each patient leaves an appointment, schedule their next appointment! This can not be stressed enough. When you leave your dentist, your next appointment is scheduled, and we should do the same.
We all know the pain of explaining how to change a wax guard for the 20th time, and the patient says "I've never been shown this before!" *groan* Well, it's really not their fault. You may have counseled them on this previously, but typically patients have a steep learning curve with new devices, and wax filters are changed so infrequently that they forget, or perhaps they have dexterity issues and are unable to do it. If so, schedule them more often to re-instruct or do it for them.
As a student and audiologist I've had the opportunity to observe and work in more than 15 different clinics in a variety of clinical settings, from private practice to ENT to hospital. I found the most concerning part was how many clinics were "too busy" to schedule regular follow-ups, so patients would just come in as needed. Any audiologist can tell you that patients are not always aware when their aids aren't up to snuff. We need to take the onus off of them, and be their hearing care provider. By scheduling more regular cleanings, like every 3 to 6 months, you will see a drastic change in your patient satisfaction. If this means hiring a technician or assistant, then do it! Billable hours are important, but satisfied patients that lead to repeat customers will increase your bottom line significantly.
In the end, the more ways you keep in touch with patients in a friendly manner, the more you will solidify your position as their primary provider for hearing healthcare. Keeping patients happy and loyal will also reduce your stress and burnout as a provider, which can ultimately change your perspective in your practice. So Happy Fake New Years, scrap those failed resolutions, and let's get planning for a new and improved future of audiology!
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