In busy clinics we often lose sight of the fact that although in theory “everyone’s time is equally as valuable,” the doctor’s time is actually worth the most (financially). If the doctor is not moving and being productive, the practice is not producing. Think about it, how often are you performing tasks that did not require you to go to podiatry school or residency? Are you setting up procedures, casting/scanning for orthotics, cleaning rooms, pressing “Crl, Alt, Del” when the front desk computer is acting up, or evaluating patients from scratch and getting stuck in the treatment room for way longer than necessary?

If the answer to any of those examples is yes, maybe it’s time to take stock of how you are spending your time and make a plan to spend it wiser.

Start by making a list of the daily tasks you are performing that are “below your pay grade” (no matter how small) and carve out time to train key staff members to perform them (have them take notes and create formal training materials that can be used in the future- or better yet, use my resource library).

Sounds easy, right? Not so much if you are a control freak (like me). So, the next time you find yourself saying “I’ll just do it, it will be faster” stop and think about the long term consequences before you act.

You’ll thank me later.