The Lean Practice Coach

All of us would like to build our referral base. One idea for that is to have a “Wall of Fame”. It seems to me that this would encourage current referrers, and perhaps encourage those who have not yet referred. It certainly acts as a reward program for those who do refer. The picture below shows one office’s “Wall of Fame”. This wall of fame is located in an alcove in the waiting room where patients can see it easily. This doctor adds a new member of the wall of fame each month. The doctor is happy with the increase of referrals from the program. The doctor also reports that there have been a number of positive comments about the wall. The negative comment was that one of the most prolific patient-referrers was disappointed that they weren’t first on the wall.

It’s a process, not an event. Dating is a process. So is losing weight and building a practice. On the other hand, putting up a trade show booth is an event. So are making an appointment and having surgery. Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about. Processes build results for the long haul. Lean focuses on processes, putting in place a framework of continuous improvement to ensure efficiency and effectiveness over the long run. All, of course, aimed at and oriented to customer/patient satisfaction and quality improvement. Lean is process improvement.