There is one industry buzzword right now that reminds me of one of my favorite lines from The Princess Bride. Every time I hear “efficiency” I think of Vizzini: “Inconceivable!” and Inigo Montoya saying: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Our industry keeps using this term and I do not think it means what you think it means.
So, this, my friends, warrants a closer look at the definition of efficiency. Allow me to do the research for you. Efficiency: noun, the state or quality of being able to accomplish something with the least waste of time and effort; competency in performance. Great, totally on board with minimal waste of time and effort, and competency. But I feel like efficiency gets defined as achieving more with less. And there is a whole lot of pressure on the veterinary industry to rush down that path.
I have skepticism about that. First and foremost, the “improve practice efficiency” mandate may discredit the uniqueness of veterinary practice – a hub of distinct people, skills, and priorities. Perhaps, doing more with less is not one of those priorities.
Perhaps your veterinarian cannot squeeze in more cases within a single day.
Perhaps your office team cannot cram more tasks into their work schedule.
Perhaps (wait for it…) they do not need to!
I get so frustrated with blanket buzz phrases that ignore the big question: What is our goal here? For example, if people skills are the issue at hand that needs to be addressed, trying to do more with less will get that practice nowhere. The key is to assess the goals and key metrics of your unique practice and to turn a blind eye to the buzzword trends.
VHMA will soon be launching a new Organizational Diagnosis and Design Toolkit to hone in on the issues that are relevant to your veterinary practice. The toolkit uses an Organizational Systems Model which gives us the flexibility to identify and assess the macro and micro challenges that we are facing and determine how we can address them. No buzz words, no blanket phrases, just our own unique stuff. I am really excited about taking a deep dive into the toolkit to use in my practice. I know there are areas we can improve on, but I doubt efficiency will make the top of the list.
Don’t miss the VHMA’s Organizational Diagnosis and Design Toolkit launch on May 23rd.
Until next month, have fun storming the castle!
Sincerely,
Jessica Speas, CVPM, SPHR, PHR-ca, SHRM-SCP, CCFP
VHMA President