Managing Remote Employees at Your Physical Therapy Practice

How many private practice owners go into practice for themselves and think about how amazing it is to not have any vacation days or saving up of paid time off?! You now have the freedom and flexibility to be able to take off whenever you want or need to. The only downfall is that that usually doesn’t come for quite some time after opening your doors! The first couple years you may end up a slave to your practice; working more than 40 hours a week, barely taking any time off.

Once you get going enough to be able to hire a therapist to take your place, it can be tough to take time off as well. You’re left wondering if they need your help. Your practice is your baby after all. How can you step away but still have peace of mind that everything is running the same way it would be if you were present in the office? Well here a a few tips for giving you that reassurance:

1. Cameras

Set them up throughout your practice (not in private treatment rooms of course) and you can access them from your cell phone anywhere. You may not look at them ever, but just knowing that they are there if you need to, it’s a great option.

I’ve had to use my cameras to pull back footage from particular patient treatments; a patient complained and I was able to verify false accusations. That was a huge lifesaver to me! I also occasionally will pull up the camera to see if its a good or bad time to call in to my receptionist. It’s just really handy to have.

2. A Solid Right Hand

If you don’t have a great right-hand man (or woman), you’re missing out. Finding that hard-working, motivated and humble admin or office manager-type person is key. Fostering the growth of an employee and trusting them to think and act like you will help to give you piece of mind when you’re away from the clinic. This isn’t always easy, and you may have to go through multiple people before you find the right one; in the end it’s worth it.

3. Data Generating Software

Auto-generated reports and stats can keep you connected even while you’re away. If you’re relying on excel spreadsheets, quick books and your staff inputting data to be able to view productivity, or your cancel and no-show rate, or your sales, you are not going to be free to leave! You need to incorporate an all-encompassing practice management system, such as HENO, to be able to view and track your analytics from your cell phone at any moment in the day.

Isn’t the goal to be able to step away one day? Or at the very least be able to take a week off without having to come back to a clinic in shambles. #1 and #3 should be easy to implement and #2 is going to take a little more training and growth, but you’ll get there if you know what you’re looking for!