Weaknesses..We All Got Em

As important as understanding our strenghts is to growing your healthcare organization, understanding your weaknesses is just as critical. These are the basics of growing referrals, admissions, and census. This is the stretching out before running. The aiming before firing. (throw in your favorite cliche here) Lets look at three reasons why understanding your weaknesses is so important to increasing admissions, referralls and census.

1)Creating Bad Experiences For Referral Sources & Consumers. Damage control and negative experiences are challenging to overcome in this competitive environment! Do you do woundcare? Can you take weekend referrals? Do you take all insurances? Do you have a Speech Therapist? Do you have experience with Alzheimers patients? If yes you better nail it, and provide the services and quality care you say you can provide. Whether you are providing clinical or non clinical care, knowing who you are and what you do exceptionally well is key. Otherwise, you may be moving backwards instead of progressing forward in the relationship with the referral sources and your patients/clients.

2)Clear Expectations. You are a problem solver as you know, for caregivers, seniors, social workers, wellness directors, case managers etc. They rely on you to SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS. Thats the key, make my job easy please. WIFM (Whats in it for me) You need to be clear and descisive about the things you can and can not do.

3)Competitive Advantage. One of my objectives often through the years while in healthcare sales was to be in the "right place at the right time." If I wasnt in a leader position, or didnt have the market share in a particular market, I would never totally give up. I would rank according to potential, and would always make some calls at these referral locations because it was only a matter of time before someone messed up. Often it was an operational issue and the proverbial ball was dropped. I was always happy to help pick up the ball and SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS, and assist where the competition failed that day. (It happens to us all)

In summary we need to know what we do well, and not so well, and take action based on our strengths. Focus on your strengths, and minimize, be upfront about, and at times work to overcome, some of those weaknesses.

Heres to SOLID and SUSTAINABLE growth.

Your Guide & Partner

Steve