You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Archive Select Blog- Originally Published January 23, 2020

Do you ever have errors in your patient demographic data? Do you ever have a claim rejected because something was not submitted or was submitted incorrectly? Has a patient ever shown up for a delivery, but the device was not ready? Is there anything in your practice that you would like to do better? 

If you answered yes to any of these, read on. If you said no, please reach out to me because I need your help teaching! 

Few would argue that one of the most significant, positive forces in O&P was the overhaul and implementation of the ABC Facility Accreditation standards in the early 1990’s. The next big thing was the creation of the OPIE Leadership program in 2012 in the Dominican Republic, where some of the best minds in the profession came together and committed to working in concert to understand and improve their practices. 

That body of leaders grew to represent practices all across the country and the positive changes in their practices have been astounding. The value they have created in their practices is beyond their wildest dreams. This group of leaders cooperatively developed a scientific approach to practice management for O&P. We covered change management, business philosophy, how to hold family members accountable, and many more difficult topics. 

On Saturday January 18, 2020 a new era in O&P practice management began. Twenty-eight of your peers participated in the first Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification course designed specifically for O&P practices. We started the leadership program with similar numbers and it blossomed. The potential that comes with the Lean Six Sigma approach combined with the business intelligence our leader members now have is incredible. 

I hear from people quite frequently that they are privately struggling with practice management. Some even seem desperate. There is so much to keep straight and all we really want to do is take care of patients. We have figured it out, but the Devil is in the details. If you truly want to create that awesome environment, your peers have figured it out. What is clear after working these problems for over a decade is that you must put forth the effort to make the changes. There needs to be a strategy and a plan. 

At OPIE, we believe your practice is too important to leave change to chance. Lean Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology that combines “Lean” and “Six Sigma” concepts together to help identify errors, mistakes, inefficiencies (like double entry of data) and then create systems to reduce or eliminate these issues. It also has processes to help you prioritize what you need to pay attention to. It is very easy to get overwhelmed in these projects and lose the imperative. 

You can do it on your own but we encourage you to send your staff to bootcamps, or participate in our regular education. This is a small profession that is getting smaller. As an independent, you have fewer and fewer true peers. OPIE brings you together to share and learn. Come, participate with us..