This document discusses strategies for physician practices to remain independent in the face of financial pressures. It outlines challenges practices face including declining reimbursement, increased overhead costs, and quality pressures. The document then provides recommendations for practices to conduct internal reviews, engage in strategic planning aligned with operational improvements, and develop integration and contracting strategies. It describes the author's approach to helping practices with strategic planning, continuous improvement, and change management.

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Survive The Storm
By
Remaining An Independent Physician Practice

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Physicians Are Feeling the Pain
Financially Squeezed
Decline in reimbursement and loss of income
Overhead, malpractice insurance and working capital
requirements
Quality pressures
Difficulty hiring “sophisticated” support staff
Inability to recruit; succession planning
Quality of life
Increasingly complex government oversight
Healthcare reform
Changing payment models

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How to Thrive
 Conduct an Internal Review
 Get Back to Basics – The Old Fashioned Practice Assessment
 No such thing as the “perfect” medical practice
 Strategic Planning – The Key to Future Success
 Align Strategy with Lean Operational Improvement
 Have an Integration Strategy
 Small Medical Practices
 Large Medical Practices
 Have a Contracting Strategy
 Third Party Payers
 ACO Contracting

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Our Approach
Strategic Planning
Continuous
Improvement
Internal Review
The Practice
Assessment
Communications
Management
Integrate &
Review Planning
Strategy
Implementation
Human Resource
Management
Recognize &
Reward
 Detail review of the numbers
 Revenue Cycle
 Managed Care/ Payor
Assessment
 Overhead Analysis
 Workflow/Process Analysis
 Create Focus with Value
 Understand Strengths,
Weakness, Opportunities, &
Threats
 Develop Purposeful Action
Plans linked with Metrics
 Align Strategy with
Operational Improvements
 Mission, Vision, and Values
 Understand Voice of the Patient
 Understand Cost of Care Delivery
 Staff Review/Recruiting
 Assessment of Referral Service
 EHR & Workflow Analysis
 Leverage Continuous
Improvement Activities
 Align & Integrate Accountable
Action Plans with Staff
 Leverage Lean
Improvement Methods to
Identify & Solve Problems
 Develop Tools that Engage
Staff
 Develop New & Existing Talent
 Develop Process Standard
Work
 Create Cross Functional
Knowledge
 Identify Stakeholders
 Plan Communication
 Distribute Information
 Manage Stakeholder
Expectations
 Report Performance
 Monthly Progress Review
 Creating Countermeasures if
Required
 Risk Analysis
 Plan Risk Response
 Recognize and Reward
 Performance
 Behavior
 Stay on Message with Strategy
and Continuous Improvement
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Our approach to performance improvement
• Align organizational
values to well defined
principles with desired
behaviors
• Identify work systems
that drive behavior
indicators that
accelerate culture
transformation
• Craft a winning strategy
that with goal planning
linked with desired
results
• Build an employee
engagement system
that is aligned with
strategy
• Conduct kick-off
• Conduct interviews
• Perform process
walkthroughs for
workflow analysis
• Develop findings and
recommendations
• Benchmark performance
• Analyze gaps between
current state and
leading practices
• Draft business case for
performance
improvement
• Validate findings and
recommendations with
key stakeholders
• Provide Lean
assessment scores
• Financial analysis and
impact
• Resource
recommendations
• Define future state
vision
• Perform Value Steam
Analysis
• Conduct facilitated
sessions
• Update project plan
• Agree on timing and
resource allocation of
performance
improvement initiatives
• Select executive
sponsor, project
sponsor, steering
committee members
• Develop
communication plan
and stakeholder
analysis
• Identify potential
technology solutions
• Coach and mentor at all
levels (Leaders,
Managers and
Associates)
• Train the trainer (build
internal process
improvement
knowledge)
• Provide facilitative
leadership meetings,
projects, improvement
events
• Facilitate knowledge
transfer from The
Kensei Group team to
client
• Provide driver-based
performance
management tools such
as Lean, Six Sigma, and
Theory of Constraints to
measure performance
• Optimize technology
with efficient process
workflow
• Communicate a cultural
importance of
continuous
improvement
• Perform regular
assessments to
benchmark continual
improvement
Technology Solutions
Driver-based Performance Management
Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management & Change Management
Assessment
Design
Transformation
Strategy
Implementation
Coach &
Facilitate
Sustain with
Lean Six Sigma

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Our Clients
Maximized economy of scale
through the development of an
internal Management Service
Organization (MSO) that's shared
by all physician partners
Reduce overhead by 15%
Rightsized staff through cross
functional job structure
Improved patient experience
by 10 points
Leveraged single EMR system
Reduce staff turnover by 25%
Ability to add physician’s
without adding overhead