In most clinics and care homes I’ve seen, the same few problems come up again and again. Here’s how I’d usually approach each one. Every business is different, so treat this as a starting point, not a diagnosis.
Medicine charts on paper, bills in a separate software.
Medicines are charted on paper, bills live in a separate software, and someone has to make the two agree.
Why it usually happens. This usually happens because the chart and the bill were never connected. The nurse records the dose, and someone else later reads it and types it in again. Every retyping is a chance for something to slip.
What I’d look at first. I’d start at the bedside and the nurses’ station, watching how a dose is recorded today and how it finds its way to billing. If the nurses already have a routine that works, the system should follow it, not replace it.
What fixed looks like. A nurse gives a dose and records it once, where they already do. The bill and the stock catch up from that same entry, and nobody at the front desk has to chase the chart.
The Operations System
Families calling the front desk for updates.
The front desk spends much of the day answering families who want to know how their person is doing.
Why it usually happens. Families usually call because they have no other way to know. It isn’t the front desk doing anything wrong. The updates simply aren’t reaching families on their own.
What I’d look at first. I’d sit with the front desk for a while and note what families actually ask. Most calls usually fall into a few kinds, like visiting times, bills and a call-back from the doctor, and those are the ones a simple update can answer.
What fixed looks like. Family members the patient has agreed to get short updates on WhatsApp, like visiting times or a bill that’s ready. Medical details stay with your staff, and the phone rings far less.
The Operations System
Medicines that run out, or expire, before anyone notices.
Medicines run out, or expire on the shelf, before anyone notices.
Why it usually happens. This usually happens when stock is counted in one place and used in another, and the two only meet at the end of the month.
What I’d look at first. I’d look at how stock is counted on each floor today. Often the nurses already have a routine that works, like regular counts and a replacement book, and the system should follow that routine rather than ask them to learn a new one.
What fixed looks like. Each morning, whoever is in charge sees one clear list of what’s running low on each floor and what expires soon. Orders go out before anything runs out.
The Operations System
Shift handovers that depend on memory.
Shift handovers depend on what people remember to say.
Why it usually happens. Handovers are usually verbal because the day’s work isn’t written down anywhere the next shift can easily see. Tired people forget things, and that’s nobody’s fault.
What I’d look at first. I’d watch a real shift change and see what gets passed on, what gets written, and what gets lost between the two.
What fixed looks like. The next shift opens a record and sees what was given, done and noted during the day, in order, without anyone having to remember to say it.
The Operations System
Insurance claims delayed or rejected for missing papers.
Insurance claims come back or get delayed because a paper is missing.
Why it usually happens. Usually the documents a claim needs are spread across the admission, the ward and the billing desk, and they’re only gathered at discharge, when it’s hardest to find them.
What I’d look at first. I’d follow one recent claim from admission to discharge, see which papers were needed, where each one lived, and which one held it up.
What fixed looks like. The documents a claim needs are gathered against the admission as you go, so by discharge the claim is ready to send without a last-minute hunt.
The Operations System
Admission enquiries that go cold.
People enquire about admission and then go quiet, and nobody is sure who was meant to call back.
Why it usually happens. This usually happens when enquiries arrive through many doors, a call, the website, a referral, and each one depends on whoever happened to pick it up.
What I’d look at first. I’d check where your last few months of enquiries actually came from, and compare that with who was followed up. Often what the tools report and what really happened are quite different.
What fixed looks like. Every enquiry lands in one list with a next step, whichever door it came through, and families hear back from you without anyone having to remember.
The Growth System
Families can’t see how good your care is.
Families can’t see from your website how good your care really is.
Why it usually happens. Usually the care is good, but what’s online was made quickly, or long ago, and doesn’t show the rooms, the staff or a real day.
What I’d look at first. I’d ask what families say when they visit, and what surprised them in a good way. That’s usually what the photos and film need to show.
What fixed looks like. A family deciding between care homes sees your real rooms, your staff and a real day, with only residents who agree on camera, and feels they already know you.
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If this sounds like your clinic or care home, message me on WhatsApp with a line about how you work today. I’ll tell you honestly whether I can help.
