How to Create a Winning Company Culture in Your Medical Practice

Maybe it’s not the people…

Do you have a position (scheduling clerk, billing coordinator, etc) in your office that seems to be a revolving door, in constant need of replacement? Is employee turnover a continuing challenge for you as you try to run a successful medical practice?

Maybe it’s not the people that you’re hiring for these positions; maybe; just maybe, it’s your office culture.

Having worked with a number of small to medium sized private practices over the years, I have found the following rule to be true more often than not:

If you put the right person in the wrong culture – the culture wins every time.

The culture of your organization is a powerful thing, regardless of your size, structure or specialty. Oftentimes a practice will have 2 separate cultures that they operate within:

The documented culture – the mission and vision statement that are hung on the wall best describes the desired state that the organization wants to be known for. This can also include the practice’s policies and rules as to how best operate.
The culture the organization actually runs on – Are there subversive, social “clicks” that quietly drive your organization? What are the unwritten rules that can drive new employees out the door?

Changing a culture is difficult, and takes time. I find it analogous to an aircraft carrier out to sea that has to turn around. If the ship turns hard port or hard starboard it takes a full 60 nautical miles to completely change direction. Uncovering these two cultures within your organization is the first step to changing your direction and ensuring that you are creating the type of organization you want to be.

At Clinic Service, we have worked extremely hard at establishing a culture of responsibility, accountability, and an environment where our team members feel free to make decisions in difficult situations. Due to our efforts in this area, our medical billing results are far above the industry standard, and our voluntary turnover is minimal. Great people like to work within a great culture. Furthermore, our efforts were rewarded when we were recognized by the Denver Post as one of the Top Places to Work in Denver. We are extremely proud of this recognition as it is earned by survey results and comments submitted by the people that work here.

So before you try to find the right person for that job position yet again, take a look at the culture they will be working in, to ensure it’s one that will work for them.

Michael D. Kuehn
Vice President, Clinic Service Corporation