Five steps to help you avoid “neglected office syndrome.”

Patients and visitors judge your office ambiance on a daily basis. It sets a tone and leaves an impression that reflect on your whole practice. For patient satisfaction purposes, prioritizing how your office “speaks” to them can be equally important as providing excellent patient care.

Patients can’t always determine if your clinical techniques are better than those of another physician, but they know how to judge the environment you provide. And it can subtly slip below acceptable standards if no one pays close attention.

Does your office space interior give the impression that you are organized, tidy, up to date, progressive and caring? Or does it project someone who is gloomy, outdated and ambivalent about patient care? Worn carpeting, head stains on the wall behind waiting room chairs (we’ve seen this and worse) and dirt in exam lane corners can develop over time without you noticing.

You can decorate to suit your own style. But, the choice between high-tech, progressive, contemporary or antique styles won’t matter as long as that choice is based in freshness. The minor costs involved will be paid back many times in practice performance, patient tenure and referral behavior.

Follow these steps to avoid “neglected office syndrome.”

1. ASSIGN RESPONSIBILITY

Make one person in charge of the overall office image. It can be an owner, owner’s spouse, administrator or a manager. The main focus of this assignment is to pay close attention to current signs of wear, uncleanliness, clutter, disorganization and general dreariness. Select a person who exhibits the ability to care about details and notices small changes.

2. SET DETAILED EXPECTATIONS

Walk through the office, jotting notes about your impressions. Ask a few managers or key staff to do the same. From those notes, create a master checklist of items to be reviewed on a biweekly basis. Items could include:

• Patient entrance. Flowers blooming or manicured shrubs, beds weeded, clear signage, no trash on ground
• Lobby. Chairs and carpeting clean and unstained, practice information and educational materials available and organized neatly, pleasant artwork, no dust or fingerprints on glass and furniture, fresh plants, comfortable and ample seating
• Front desk. Neat and uncluttered, no boxes piled high, no food in view of patients, no messy paper signs, limited wiring and cords in sight, minimal, friendly signage
• Hallway. Uncluttered, clean
• Exam lanes. Clean, uncluttered, electronic wires tucked away neatly, equipment shining and clean, pleasant wall-hung pictures to view, organized equipment and supplies
• Bathrooms. Very clean, bright, no broken tiles or chipped countertops, welcoming feeling.

3. PROVIDE FACILITY UPDATES

Schedule a quarterly report to present to the board or managing partner. It should include planned maintenance and anticipated purchases for the office.

When the time comes that you just can’t keep the office fresh and sparkling looking anymore, renovating and refurbishing the office becomes necessary.

4. ALLOCATE RESOURCES

To prevent the discomfort of unexpected expenses, budget the appropriate amounts for all-around maintenance and eventual furniture replacement. Determine, in advance, the image you want your office to project. Some practices prefer a slow image conversion in which they paint or replace carpet one year and upgrade furniture or equipment the next year, paying from cash flow. Others prefer a total image makeover all at once, which may require financing. Both options require planning and budgeting in advance.

As a practice owner, you should be happy with your environment. This is important — consider how much time you spend in the office versus at home. If having only the highest quality materials in your home is standard, then consider doing the same in your office.

As a business owner, you can choose to design your office to be a reflection of yourself, if that would make you happier each day. Consider this aspect of office living. We have had clients who thought they preferred to save money by limiting the resources for these items but regretted the results: patient defection, demoralized staff and a less-than-inspiring place to work.

5. PLAN FOR A RENOVATION OR REFURBISHMENT

Before taking your practice’s appearance up a notch, ask a few questions:

• What is your plan of action? Decide on your goals, and share the details in writing. Poor communication during this process can derail success and increase your costs.
• Who will handle the myriad details? Assign a leader and create a task force, which could include your administrator, doctors, managers and staff. Getting input from many representatives in the practice will provide a complete picture of needs.
• Do you want to limit replacement to existing items for a clean, fresh look or go for a complete makeover?
• Are you satisfied with the way the office functions and flows? If you want to add new services, will that require additional space? Can you reorganize existing space and create new efficiencies to avoid physical space expansion?
• Will you plan for patient flow changes that increase productivity and revenue? Does this include new equipment or personnel expertise?
• How will you finance the project?
• Is increased staff-comfort a goal? Small improvements, such as better chairs or a bigger refrigerator for lunch storage, improve employee morale.

Asking questions like these will clarify the scope and goals of your office enhancement project.

MAKE A GREAT IMPRESSION

It can be false economy to restrict spending on practice aesthetics. Follow your own comfort level on the continuum of simple to extravagant.

Regardless of how you decorate the office, the important message to send to your patients is that “We are meticulously careful and caring about the all the details that impact you as a patient.” OM

Corinne Z. Wohl, MHSA, COE, is president of C. Wohl & Associates, Inc., a practice management consulting firm. Corinne earned her Master of Health Services Administration degree at The George Washington University and has over 30 years of hospital and physician practice management experience. She can be reached at czwohl@gmail.com or 609-410-2932.

John Pinto is president of J. Pinto & Associates, Inc., an ophthalmic practice management consulting firm established in 1979. He is the leading author in America on the business of ophthalmology. His latest book, “Simple: The Inner Game of Ophthalmic Practice Success,” is now available at www.asoa.org . He can be reached at pintoinc@aol.com or 619-223-2233.