Rightsizing

Book excerpt: Rightsizing is the process of determining whether a medical practice has the right number of staff doing the right things at the right time, with the right resources to achieve optimal practice performance. With declining reimbursement and increasing costs, medical practice executives frequently look to staffing as a means of reducing costs. Before taking action, however, they need to know that a higher level of staffing may increase practice revenue. Authors Deborah Walker and David Gans provide the systematic approach to rightsizing staff in the medical practice. They outline a five-step process to benchmark and analyze current staffing, productivity and work processes to realign staffing levels and responsibilities. This book includes a number of tools and resources to help practice executives apply the staff rightsizing process to their organizations. By following the authors' guidelines, practice leaders will realize that rightsizing doesn't always mean downsizing or reducing costs. It means having the right number and right mix of staff to ensure optimal physician productivity and practice efficiency to maximize the practice's financial performance. Book jacket.