
## Strategies to manage manpower and reduce turnover in Healthcare Practice

In Singapore, manpower shortage and staff turnover can be especially challenging for healthcare practices due to the country's low unemployment rate and high demand for healthcare professionals. Here are some strategies that you can explore to manage these issues

### 1. Attract talent and tap on available government initiatives

Singapore has a highly educated workforce and attracts talent from around the world. According to the Ministry of Manpower, the unemployment rate in Singapore as of September 2021 is 2.1%, which is relatively low. Therefore, it's important to tap into the pool of international talent and utilize job fairs and recruitment agencies to find qualified candidates. Additionally, Singapore has a high proportion of Singaporeans returning from overseas, recruitment agencies and government initiatives such as the Career Support Program can assist in tapping into this group of candidates.

### 2. Review compensation and tap on available support schemes

Retention can be improved by offering competitive salaries and benefits, as well as opportunities for career advancement. The government also provides various incentives for companies to retain and upgrade their local workforce. The Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme provides training and wage support for low-wage workers, while the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) helps workers to upgrade their skills and switch to new industries.

### 3. Introduce flexibility working arrangements

With the rise of telemedicine and virtual consultations, offering flexible working arrangements such as telecommuting can be an attractive option for healthcare professionals. As of 2020, the government introduced "Work-Life Grant" which helps employers to implement flexible work arrangements, including telecommuting and part-time work. This would however require some careful planning, and might not be as applicable for the ground staff at the clinics.

### 4. Encourage open communication

Encourage open communication and regular feedback to ensure that staff members feel valued and heard. Address any issues or concerns that arise promptly, and take steps to resolve them. Employee engagement surveys and regular team meetings can be useful tools for fostering open communication.

### 5. Streamline processes and leverage on technology

Singapore is known for its advanced healthcare system and technology. Utilise technology to streamline operations, reduce workload and improve efficiency, such as Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Telemedicine. The government also provides various initiatives to support the adoption of technology in healthcare, with the most recent [Clinical Innovation and Adoption Initiative](https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/grant-launched-to-boost-adoption-of-new-health-tech-in-singapore) providing funding for technology solutions in the healthcare sector.

### 6. Invest in training, learning and development

Invest in training and development programs to upskill your staff and ensure they have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their roles. The government also provide various training and development subsidies and schemes for employers, such as the Adapt and Grow initiative, which provides funding and support for training and re-skilling of employees.

By choosing to implement a variation of these strategies, healthcare practices in Singapore can certainly attract and retain qualified professionals, improve efficiency and reduce workload, ultimately able to tide through periods of manpower crunch and still continue to provide high-quality care to patients.

---

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## Back to basics: Wondering how to boost your online presence and win patients over to your clinc?

As a healthcare provider, it is important to make sure that your patients feel comfortable and confident when they visit your practice. In the age of the internet, this means having an online presence that is welcoming and informative. Here are a few tips on how to win over patients online.

1. Create an Easy-to-Navigate Website
1. Utilize Social Media
1. Establish a Professional Online Presence

### 1. Win Patients Over: Create an Easy-to-Navigate Website

An easy-to-navigate website is essential for making sure that your patients can easily find the information they need. Make sure to include a clear and simple navigation menu, as well as a page for contact information and any other necessary pages. Having a seamless online booking module with a [Practice Management System (CMS)](https://gethelm.io/#features) will help patients to take immediate action too.

### 2. Win Patients Over: Utilize Social Media

Social media can be a great way to engage with patients, keep them informed, and build trust. Make sure to post helpful content that is relevant to your practice and engage with your followers by responding to comments and messages. Building relationships with the patients go a long way, extending to the areas outside of the physical premises.

### 3. Win Patients Over: Establish a Professional Online Presence

In order to build trust with your patients, it is important that you have a professional online presence. Make sure to use appropriate language and visuals in all of your communications, and provide accurate and up-to-date information about your practice.

## Conclusion

To sum this all up, winning patients over online requires having an easy-to-navigate website, utilising social media, and having a professional online presence. By following these tips, you can ensure that your patients feel comfortable and confident when they visit your practice.

---

## Thank you for reading, and let's connect!

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## Back to basics: Wondering how to increase patients' loyalty and increase your retention rate?

Patient loyalty is essential to the success of any healthcare organisation. By implementing strategies to increase patient loyalty, healthcare organisations can improve patient satisfaction, reduce costs, and increase patient retention. In this blog post, we explore three key strategies for increasing patient loyalty.

1. Create a Positive Patient Experience
1. Implement Technology
1. Offer Patient Loyalty Programs

### 1. Increase Patient Loyalty: Create a Positive Patient Experience

Creating a positive patient experience is an important factor in increasing patient loyalty. Patients should feel welcomed and respected when they enter a healthcare facility. Healthcare organisations can create a positive patient experience by providing helpful, courteous staff and engaging with patients to understand their needs. Furthermore, providing quality healthcare services and timely feedback can help improve patient loyalty.

### 2. Increase Patient Loyalty: Implement Technology

Implementing technology can help healthcare organisations increase patient loyalty. Healthcare facilities can use technology to streamline operations, reduce wait times, and provide a better patient experience. Additionally, healthcare facilities can use technology to communicate with patients, provide patient portals, and offer online appointment scheduling.

### 3. Increase Patient Loyalty: Offer Patient Loyalty Programs

Offering patient loyalty programs is an effective way to increase patient loyalty. Loyalty programs can provide incentives such as discounts, promotions, or rewards for patients who remain loyal. Additionally, loyalty programs can help healthcare organisations gather data and insights about their patients, which can be used to improve the patient experience.

## Conclusion

Increasing patient loyalty is essential for the success of any healthcare organisation. By creating a positive patient experience, implementing technology, and offering patient loyalty programs, healthcare organisations can increase patient satisfaction, reduce costs, and retain loyal patients.

---

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## Opening a dental clinic in Singapore (Part 1): Your guide on prevailing laws and regulations, business planning and financing

Are you thinking of open up your own dental clinic? After several years of practicing dentistry in a group clinic or hospital setting, you might consider branching out on your own to set up your own clinic.

From having greater flexibility and autonomy over working hours, larger decision-making power, to higher earning potential and greater control over patient care, there are clear benefits to starting your clinic. But much like any business, it requires a lot of work and can be a challenge. Dental clinic owners need to juggle patient care with the demands of running a business. As a business owner, you must oversee operations, financials, marketing, and more.

**How to get started on opening a dental clinic in Singapore**

Building a good foundation is critical for long-term success. Regardless of it being just early research or you have made up your mind, doing extensive research will help you understand what the journey entails and prepare you for the road ahead as a clinic owner. Like a health screening, it is essential to do your due diligence and read up thoroughly, talk to other dentists, professionals, colleagues and friends in the industry, and perhaps even attend a few online business classes.

This article aims to provide information on prevailing laws and regulations, business planning, and financing.

### 1. Relevant and applicable laws and regulations to the dental clinic

**Registering a business**

Dentists must register their dental clinic as a business entity with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). There are four main types of business structure to choose from – sole proprietorship, limited partnership, limited liability partnership and company. Carefully consider which of these business structures best suit your needs. Consider your business needs, financing plan, preferred working style and risk appetite. Read more about the comparisons between the different business structures [here](https://www.acra.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/how-to-guides/before-you-start/comparisons-of-business-entities-13apr22.pdf).

**Applying for approvals and licenses**

Dental clinics in Singapore are required to hold a Dental Clinic License. Applicants must be registered members of The Singapore Dental Council (SDC). You will need to pass a MOH inspection to obtain your clinic license and open your new clinic. MOH has advised owners to submit their license application at least two months before the intended commencement date. The license fee is $360 for a standard 2-year license. The documents you will need to apply for a clinic license include your ACRA profile, SCFD fire safety certificate and clinic floor plan. Check out the MOH guide [here](<https://www-moh-gov-sg-admin.cwp.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/eguides/new-clinic-application_20190422-(1).pdf>).

A new [Healthcare Services Act (HCSA)](https://www.moh.gov.sg/hcsa/about-hcsa) took effect from 3 January 2022, and is implemented progressively to replace the current [Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act (PHMCA)](https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PHMCA1980). Phase 1 was implemented on 3 January 2022. Phase 2, which Dental Clinics requirements fall under, will be implemented in March 2023. Separately, the [Dental Registration Act](https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/DRA1999?WholeDoc=1) provides legislation on the registration of dentists and dentistry practice in Singapore. It is recommended to read these legislations in detail.

### 2. Business planning for the dental clinic

The long-term success of any dental clinic requires a plan. You may know what you want to set out to do but to translate it into a successful endeavour, you would need a road map for your business. A well-considered business plan can be a critical 'north star' that assists with making sound business decisions and guides you to look objectively at your business. In addition, it forces you to sit down and think about the crucial aspect of running your own business that you rarely think about as a dentist in a hospital or a dental group clinic, such as operations, finances, and competitors.

In addition, your business plan can also provide a strategic framework for your clinic's future growth and expansion. At some point, you would probably consider seeking external funding to scale up your business. As a result, your business plan could be an important document that investors and bankers will ask for as part of their evaluation process.

While the business plan should be well-thought, it does not need to be highly comprehensive at the beginning but should include some key sections. Furthermore, the document should be a working document that you update over time as you achieve new milestones, change strategy, or adapt to the market landscape.

Your business plan should include:

- A mission statement
- Business summary (including services offered) and description
- Operational strategy
- Financials
- Ideal customer profile
- Industry analysis

Putting together the plan might be time-consuming, but it is a worthwhile endeavour. After the initial planning is completed, you will have a clearer understanding of the gaps and opportunities in the industry, your customers' needs, and your clinic's unique proposition – which helps you think of your clinic as a business. As a result, you will understand your dental clinic's vision and growth and build a strong foundation for its long-term success.

### 3. Financial aspects of the dental clinic

Starting a new dental clinic will require significant initial capital costs, and it might not be financially wise for you to pay for everything upfront, depending on your personal circumstances. Therefore, understanding how to finance the initial capital costs of the dental clinic is important when starting out.

You will need to consider your financing options – how will you finance your dental clinic? Assess how much capital you have, how much more capital do you require, what liabilities you are prepared to assume and what risks you are prepared to take.

Some of the financing options available are:

- Bank loan (such as a general upfront starter loan to cover set-up costs, property loan, equipment loan)
- Joint ventures with other dentists
- Raising funds from family and friends

**Know the costs and expenses**

Starting your own clinic requires substantial capital investment. The big-ticket items include rental (set aside 6 – 12 months’ worth), renovation costs, staff compensation, equipment and medicine purchases. You need to set aside some money for relevant licensing fees, marketing, daily operating expenses and IT infrastructure (eg. server costs, or a subscription for a suitable practice management system). Understanding the costs and expenses of starting and running your clinic will enable you to prepare a break-even analysis. This can help you make informed financial decisions and operate your clinic more efficiently and profitably.

**Cashflow management**

In addition, you will need to determine how much you need for operating expenses and a float to ensure healthy operating cashflow. Cashflow is important because it enables a business to meet its existing financial obligations and plan ahead for the future. Like many businesses, maintaining a healthy cashflow is the lifeblood of a dental clinic. Payment delays can be as fatal to a business as a stoppage in a person's blood flow. Similarly, unexpected high-value outflow can be deadly for the business. Therefore, it is crucial to properly manage cash flow for your clinic's long-term financial health.

The top three cashflow challenges that dental clinics typically face are:

- High overhead and unexpected costs
- Infrequent visits and late payments
- Slow and delayed insurance payouts

Stay tuned for more information as we share more considerations that a prospective dental clinic owner should be aware of.

---

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## Growing and scaling up your Practice

There will come a time when you start thinking about growing your practice. Is your current clinic doing well and is ready for growth? Or perhaps, you are managing a group of clinics and want to scale it up further? Let us take a look at two approaches toward growth and the strategies to grow your clinic quickly and efficiently.

Growing your practice would not be all rosy and easy. More clinics may translate to greater revenue, but alongside comes more people to manage, more patients to serve, and more problems to solve. You will struggle to be in two places at the same time, let alone three or more. Many moving pieces are operating independently of each other which can be overwhelming to manage.

It is also crucial to get things right from the start as legacy issues, left unresolved, may also manifest in the new clinics. For example, inefficient clinical care processes can impede workflow efficiency, resulting in an increase in operational costs. Growth, when done correctly, gives rise to increase in revenue whilst also keeping incremental costs at a lower rate, ultimately achieving increased overall profits.

## Growing your Practice: Different approaches

Let us first take a look at the various ways to grow – vertical and horizontal growth (also known in certain situations as vertical and horizontal integration). Vertical growth, a traditional strategy for many new businesses, means scaling your services within the existing line of business. This comes in various forms, from offering new services, to grooming your existing clients to be more receptive towards treatments that have higher profit margins. On the other hand, horizontal growth strategy looks at growing the sheer number of customers, number of employees, and also more physical clinics.

Apart from these two types of growth, we would also want to keep in mind the concept of [scaling](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/418591). When it comes to scaling, the key highlight here is efficiency. How does a clinic operate more efficiently? How do you increase revenue as efficiently as possible with lower incremental cost? Regardless of whether you’re pursuing vertical growth or horizontal growth, expanding efficiently enables you to achieve greater profit margins.

## Growing your Practice: Improve operational efficiency

Growing your practice will inevitably be about improving operations. After all, it is the backend operations that drive and move your services, thereby allowing you to deliver quality, timely healthcare service to your patients. To do so, many practice owners have taken the decision to invest in technology to automate daily tasks and operations as much as possible. It is highly recommended that you use technology to handle the routine, repetitive low-value tasks, so that your people can focus on the more high-value tasks and quality patient care.

[Technological investments](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/transforming-healthcare-with-ai) let you scale up operations across your clinics with much less effort. For example, sending automated reminders to all patients ahead of appointments, or automated submissions of the CHAS claims immediately after the appointment. Your staff can maintain quality patient care even as the number of patients grows, and you can be assured of standardisation of top-notch patient service across your clinics.

## Growing your Practice: Identify competitive edge

Knowing your strengths is a great way to kickstart your growth journey. But to do that, you need data and insights! Log into your practice management system and have a look under the hood at several facets of your clinic.

Firstly, revenue. Which service generates the most revenue? Which segment of your customers does the majority of revenue primarily come from? Secondly, services. Which healthcare services are the most popular? Thirdly, operations. Which time of the day do you get the most patients? How should you plan, coordinate and schedule your clinic assistants based on patient volume trends?

Harnessing insights from the data will not only give you an edge and allow you to [outperform your competition](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2022/01/07/whats-the-value-of-becoming-a-data-driven-business/?sh=54b035583776), but they also enable sound [critical business decisions](https://www.harvardonline.harvard.edu/how-data-science-can-benefit-your-business-decisions) to be made to drive your vertical and horizontal growth strategies.

## Growing your Practice: Getting practice management right

Ultimately, growth of your Practice is not a destination, it is a journey. Being cost-effective and insights-driven in your decision making are key levers that will foster greater revenue growth in your clinics. These strategies can be applied to most healthcare practices, including GPs, dental clinics, chiropractic clinics and more. If you keep these factors in mind when expanding your practice, you will certainly be able to do so more efficiently.

---

## Thank you for reading, and let's connect!

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## Technological Improvements in Heathcare Software

Industry challenges, the advancement of new-fangled technologies and acceleration in digital transformation brought forth by the pandemic have pushed many healthcare providers to invest in new technologies and deliver superior patient care.

What are the benefits of a great Practice Management System? Clinic owners can use cutting-edge technology to improve patient experience, enhance employee engagement and reduce overhead expenses.

Key benefits of a best-in-class Practice Management System (also known as a Clinic Management Software):

1. Enhance patient experience
1. Electronic patient records
1. Improve clinic productivity

### 1. Enhance patient experience

The way clinics engage with patients must be catered towards patients’ busy lives and online habits. In today’s world of hyper convenience, facetime and same-day e-commerce deliveries, we expect convenience in most aspects of our lives, and healthcare delivery should be no different.

This means that clinics need to enhance patient engagement – both in and outside the clinic. With the right technology, data, process integrations between patient records, billing, medication systems, and insurance, clinics can streamline how they schedule appointments, verify patient insurance, track recovery progress, and more.

The upside for patients? A more connected, informed way to manage all aspects of their care. Ensuring that the whole process, from appointment setting to consultation and billing, is seamless and smooth will enhance patient satisfaction and create positive overall experience. If the patient is well taken care of during the entire journey, they are far more likely to feel comfortable coming back to the same clinic.

### 2. Electronic patient records

To deliver quality patient care and treatment, it is extremely important for healthcare providers to understand the medical history of their patients. How can they diagnose and treat their patients, if they do not have an in-depth understanding of their patients? Best practices ensure a proper system is in place to collect, store, manage, retrieve and secure patient records.

Practice management systems not only provide a single comprehensive view of the patient, it has robust patient records management features. This means that healthcare practitioners and clinical assistants will be able to easily access and capture patients’ medical information – all in an instant, from anywhere, at any time. And with a cloud-based practice management software, information is automatically stored in the cloud.

With proper patient record management, healthcare providers can make informed decisions regarding treatments and medication, and thereby provide first-class patient care.

### 3. Improve clinic productivity

Running a business is tough, but running a healthcare business in today’s uncertain, hyper-fast-paced environment is ten times tougher. And during this difficult period, streamlining workflows and easing workloads of practitioners and assistants will go a long way in improving their productivity and wellbeing. A practice management system with automation features enables staff to automate many of the mundane, repetitive tasks. This minimizes the chances of making mistakes and boosts the team’s productivity.

It also frees up precious time and energy for the staff to focus on other critical activities, such as attending to patients during check-ups. In other works, automation enables higher productivity, fewer mistakes, reduce staffing needs, and lets teams achieve more with fewer resources. All of this translates into lower overhead for the clinic.

---

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## Facing high patient ‘no-show’ rates? Here are five ways to ensure patients show up for their appointments

When a patient misses their appointment again, especially on the busiest day of the week, it could be frustrating for your healthcare practitioners and clinic assistants. No-shows and cancellations affect clinics both financially and operationally. Past research revealed that patient ‘no-shows’ cost the U.S. healthcare industry [US$150 billion annually](https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-news/the-150b-repercussions-of-patient-no-shows-5-statistics.html), and missed appointments consume an average of 14 percent of a clinic’s daily revenue. Regardless of a patient keeping to their appointment, the clinic still has to incur manpower costs and has to cover daily overheads like rent and the cost of equipment.

Aside from financial and operational reasons, the impact on patients is the main ‘cost’ of no-shows as patients do not get the care and consultation they need. High no-show rates can result in poor health outcomes. Furthermore, they can lead to reduced care quality, higher patient attrition rate and missed opportunities to care for other patients.

If clinics can reduce their no-show rates, they have increased opportunities to improve patient care and consequently reduce cost of lost revenue.

## What are the reasons for no-shows?

It is inevitable to have no-shows in your clinic. Recent studies have shown that on average, [one in four patients](https://www.ihis.com.sg/Awards/Pages/2018%20NHITEA/Cat-D-No-Show-Predictive-Model.aspx) in Singapore do not show up for their appointments. There are many reasons why a patient might miss their consultation. The number one reason is simply forgetting about it. However, patients have also cited other causes, including transportation issues, arriving late, last-minute errands, emotional barriers, and sometimes it can even be a result of not getting an appointment confirmation.

The time period between the act of booking an appointment and the actual appointment, does have an impact on appointment absenteeism. According to a Canadian study, appointments booked 15 days or more in advance accounted for [nearly a third of no-shows](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7012625/). If an appointment is booked too far in advance, patients are more likely to skip it. They either forget about it, or other obligations emerge as the date approaches.

## What can clinics do to reduce no-show rate?

Here are five ways that you may find helpful in encouraging patients to show up for appointments:

1. Set up appointment reminders
1. Reschedule right away
1. Keep a waitlist
1. Identify chronic no-show patients
1. Have a clearly written policy

### 1. Set up appointment reminders

Appointment reminders are an effective way to get patients to turn up and reduce your no-show rate. Most people simply forget their appointments; they do not intend to miss them. A courtesy call, email or text message might be all that is needed to remind patients to show up for their appointments. Studies have shown that appointment reminders improve no-show rates, wherein one study improved no-show rates by 10 percent.

Traditionally, staff do phone call reminders manually, which is time-consuming and ineffective – with many calls ending in voicemail. So, the question will inevitably arise: Is there a better way to remind patients about their appointments? Thankfully, this is a routine task that can be automated easily. Patient reminder automation benefits your clinic in several ways:

1. It performs the job quickly and automatically
1. It improves patient satisfaction
1. It reduces the clinic's no-show rates

How it works: You specify when you would like to send the reminders (for example, sending a reminder 1-2 days prior) through the patients' preferred mode of communication (yes, you could also record patients’ preferences), stating the appoiintment details clearly. You could also include an option to reschedule the appointment, which demonstrates flexibility on your part and yet allows you to reduce the possibility of a no-show.

![Reminder](/images/reminder_message.png)
A simple appointment reminder like such could do wonders for improving no-show rates.

You can integrate patient reminder automation into your practice management system as an extension to your current workflow. It is a seamless and smooth experience, from appointment booking to appointment reminder.

### 2. Reschedule right away

When patients do not show up, do not wait to reschedule. Instead, reach out immediately and offer to reschedule to a later timeslot on the same day. [Research](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7012625/) revealed that same-day appointments are effective in getting patients to turn up.

Rescheduling no-show patients demonstrate care for your patients. Furthermore, you reduce patient attrition when you slot in their next appointment.

The quickest and most convenient way to reach patients is by utilising the reschedule feature on your [Practice Management System (CMS)](https://gethelm.io/#features). A CMS is suitable and essential for most types of medical practices, including general practitioner and dental, or the allied health services such as chiropractic and physiotherapy, or even that of aesthetics. A good CMS helps with appointment management and should have a rescheduling functionality that allows you to send an email or text to the patient to reschedule.

### 3. Keep a waitlist

A waitlist allows you to fill appointments when patients cancel at the last minute. If you have a no-show or last-minute cancellation, your staff can refer to this list and attempt to fill the slot quickly.

Waitlists also provide a treasure trove of data on patients' preferred appointment times – information which you would not have if you do not have a waitlist. The insights enable you to make data-driven decisions on doctors' schedules. And if your waitlist gets too long, it might be the right time to open up more slots in the clinic or offer slots at the next nearest clinic.

### 4. Identify chronic no-show patients

Patients who often fail to show up for their appointments without prior notice could be singled out for a tailored approach. After all, it is unnecessary to implement blanket-wide rigid measures when it could be the same few patients who frequently miss their appointments.

For example, the Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) developed a No-Show Predictive Model that uses risk profiling to identify Specialist Outpatient Clinic patients with a high risk of defaulting on their upcoming appointments, for more focused intervention. Patients with higher risk scores can be sent reminders and healthcare staff can further contact them to confirm the appointment, or if there is a need to reschedule the appointment.

Having sufficient data collected from your patient visits (or no-shows) can give you better insights, and allow you to possibly also identify such patients before they cost you further.

### 5. Have a cancellation policy

Have a cancellation and no-show policy clearly written and stated on your communication channels with your patients. State the policy in writing on the appointment booking platform, at the clinic front desk, and in email, phone or SMS appointment reminders. With a written policy in place, patients are clear on their commitment to the appointment, and it holds them accountable if they do need to cancel their appointments.

There is no one single policy that is applicable for everyone, which results in clinics implementing policies of multiple variations. The rule of thumb is to have your policy clearly stated and communicated to your patients prior to effecting any charges on the patients. In this way, the clinic and the practitioners can still be appropriately compensated for the reserved timeslot that could have otherwise been utilised for the treatment of another patient. At the end of the day, the policy is in place to deter no-shows and encourage patients to keep to their appointments.

---

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## Looking to increase productivity in your healthcare practice?

A well-run healthcare practice, whether it is GPs, dental, or other specialized care clinics in Singapore, can ease workloads for healthcare practitioners and [deliver better quality of care](https://gethelm.io/insights/clinic-management-system-delivers-superior-patient-experience) and patient experience. Implemented correctly, it is indeed possible to achieve [greater employee satisfaction](https://greatplacetowork.com.sg/resource/the-link-between-employee-engagement-and-performance/) while improving bottom-line growth for clinic owners.

Here are five ways to improve productivity and efficiency in your clinic:

1. Improving delegation and communication
1. Gathering data and focusing on high-value tasks
1. Using automation to reduce workload
1. Modernising your technology infrastructure
1. Leverage on cloud software solutions

### 1. Increase clinic productivity by improving delegation and communication

During periods with high patient volumes, the clinic assistants and health practitioners, such as doctors and dentists, may be stretched and overwhelmed with the sheer volume of patients and administrative tasks. Miscommunication may occur and tasks fall through the cracks. Creating task lists and delegating tasks within the team can do wonders for productivity growth as it enables the team to have a common source of reference and quickly understand the next actions to be taken by them respectively. Clinic assistants will be cognizant of their specific duties and healthcare practitioners can focus on patient care and thereby be more productive with their time.

### 2. Increase clinic productivity by gathering data and focusing on high-value tasks

Knowing how the team is spending the daily hours at work can offer great insights into increasing productivity. Whilst you might not want to be seen tracking every moment of your employee’s time at work, you might want to ask yourself some of the following simple questions. How much time are they spending on the respective daily tasks at work? Which of the low-value administrative tasks can be possibly automated?

Gathering the data can provide you with insightful information on the efficiency of current processes and allows you to identify areas for optimisation. It will also help you understand the workload and capacity constraints of the team.

### 3. Increase clinic productivity by using automation to reduce workload

More healthcare practices are looking towards adopting technology and automation to allow them to scale and grow. Leveraging on tools can help to improve the speed of work done, reduce bottlenecks and ultimately improve your clinic’s productivity. According to a recent Salesforce survey, 79 percent of respondents said automation tools have increased their productivity. In the healthcare sector, automation will help to enhance a seamless patient experience while simultaneously freeing up the team from tedious, repetitive tasks.

Some of the common tasks to automate in the clinic are:

- Appointment confirmation and reminders
- Patient queue management
- Claims’ processing (eg. insurance, MediClaims, CHAS)
- Payments’ settlement and reconciliation
- Invoices and billing

### 4. Increase clinic productivity by modernising your technology infrastructure

The tools and technology that support your team in their day-to-day work should not impede the workflows. If they do indeed affect work productivity, it may be time to consider modernising your technology infrastructure. As the healthcare industry begins taping on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and new innovations in healthcare delivery, you may consider also equipping your team with similar technologies in your Practice Management System (CMS) and enable them to work smarter.

One of the biggest benefits of an updated healthcare information systems in the market today is interoperability, the ability for systems to exchange and make use of information. Interoperability between health information systems and formats improves productivity by accelerating information sharing. In addition, it enables your team to handle patient data as efficiently as possible and reduces the need to manage duplicated patient data in multiple systems. Helm allows you to manage all your patients’ data and journey in one single place, so that you can focus on delivery the best patient experience.

### 5. Increase clinic productivity by leveraging on cloud software solutions

Healthcare providers are increasingly moving their systems to the cloud to reap the benefits of improved operations workflows and greater computing power at economical costs. With an on-premises practice management system, you run the risk of potential system downtime due to hardware malfunctions. Find out more [here](https://gethelm.io/insights/legacy-vs-cloud-software) about how cloud-based solutions can provide more benefits that would lead to increased customer satisfaction.

## Focus on training the people

At its core, improving productivity and efficiency is about helping the team perform their duties faster and smarter. Attempts to reap productivity improvements hinge on the team’s willingness to adopt and learn new technology and processes. Dedicating time to upskill them guiding them to be more adaptable to system processes and process improvements will go a long way in securing productivity gains.

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## Thank you for reading, and let's connect!

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## Background to Legacy vs Cloud-based Practice Management Software

Back in the good old days, software had to be installed on a physical device, updates are sporadic and manually performed, data was locally stored in the machine. Any issue with the device could mean the loss of all your valuable data. Backup data was usually kept in separate hard disks at best, but still vulnerable to misplacement and theft. Such legacy software is no longer popular with the advancement of technology.

In recent times, software providers have moved to providing cloud solutions - leveraging on the fast connectivity and cheap cloud storage space. Most of the enterprise applications being used daily such as Gmail, Dropbox, Microsoft Office are notable examples.

Keeping up with the trends, providers of Practice Management Software (PMS), often used in clinics, have been also offering cloud versions of such software. If you have yet to adopt any one of them, find out what are the key differences!

### Legacy Practice Management Software

The software is locally installed on a device, typically a computer or a server. Such software usually require a one-time upfront significant payment to the vendor, with possible costs for ongoing support and updates. The piece of software can serve the needs of your clinc, but it might be a struggle if you manage multiple clinics and need access to a common set of underlying data. Collecting bulk of the payment upfront by the vendor, also disincentivises the vendor from providing continuous improvements to keep the customer happy and satisfied.

### Cloud-based Practice Management Software

It has been established that cloud solutions provide many benefits that eventually lead to increased customer satisfaction.

Having the software deployed on the cloud also gives you the ability to be flexible and scalable when you are looking to expand your clinic operations. Data can be accessed securely across multiple locations and this enables you to provide a seamless experience to your patients.

## Key Considerations between Legacy vs Cloud-based Practice Management Software

1. Software Upgrades
1. Security
1. Scalability
1. Storage Backups

### 1. Legacy vs Cloud-based: Software upgrades

Unlike lump-sum payments to legacy software providers, cloud-based software providers typically operate a subscription-based fee model so that customers pay only for as long as they subscribed to the services. This strongly incentivises the software providers to continuously upgrade their software in order to stay competitive and relevant, ultimately to encourage their customers to renew the subscriptions.

In addition, the process to receive software updates for cloud-based software is made seamless over an internet connection. Minimal or no downtime is usually expected, or the update process can be scheduled to be performed during non-operating hours to minimise any disruption to your clinic operations. For example, Helm aims to roll out small bite-size updates regularly to provide you with new or improved features so that you can look forward to an improved product incrementally.

### 2. Legacy vs Cloud-based: Security

The provision of state-of-the-art infrastructure and hardware by the established cloud storage providers such as [Amazon Web Services ("AWS")](https://aws.amazon.com/), [Google Cloud Platform ("GCP")](https://cloud.google.com/) and [Microsoft Cloud Services ("Azure")](https://azure.microsoft.com/). The high cost of setting up and maintaining such infrastructure is being defrayed by the scale of which such cloud storage providers operate, and the use of their services allows you to benefit tremendously at your scale. Helm currently hosts data in multiple data centers and regions managed by AWS, which has been the long trusted cloud storage provider of big organisations like Pfizer, Unilever, Apple, and even the [US Government agencies](https://aws.amazon.com/government-education/government/).

On top of that, having a cloud-based software allows for modifications to a user's access rights to be performed remotely and promptly should there be a lapse or attempted data theft be discovered. Helm takes it one step further - we have algorithms monitoring the logs, and we will send you alerts should we discover possible breaches.

### 3. Legacy vs Cloud-based: Scalability

Scaling up is usually not of an immediate concern when one is setting up the first clinic, but this will become a problem some day when you have an increased number of patients or when you are looking to open more clinics. Legacy software will not be able to provide you with the speed and capabilities of handling an increased volume and expanded geographical presence.

With a cloud-based software, your data can be easily accessed from multiple locations, and allow you to provide a seamless experience for your patients no matter which clinic of yours they show up at. Helm enables you to manage your multiple clinics with ease, regardless of the number of practitioners and staff users you have. To top it off, we have also factored in the relevant accounting considerations should you wish to operate the group as a single entity or multiple entities.

### 4. Legacy vs Cloud-based: Storage Backups

Data is one of the most important aspect in every business, and you would not want to have only one single copy of it in your system. This makes having backup copies of your data a necessity in the daily business operations. While legacy software allows you to make backup copies in separate hard disks, one cannot completely mitigate the risk of such hardware failures. Would you take the chance of your hard disks failing you even if this rate is as low as [reportedly 1.01%](https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-drive-stats-for-2021/)?

Storage backups performed by cloud storage providers typically come with sophisticated mechanisms to ensure that multiple copies of each snapshot have been made and kept in one or more locations, and hence rarely subjected to any one single point of failure. Helm deploys a solution that has backup copies stored in different geographical locations to enable you to sleep peacefully at night even if one of the data centers were taken offline.

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## Thank you for reading, and let's connect!

We hope you have learned something from our post. Feel free to subscribe to our email newsletter and connect on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/gethelm.io) or [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/gethelm)


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