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WHO MOVED MY CHEESE IN PRACTICE AND LIFE?
by Brandy Brimhall
Hopefully, you have read the book Who Moved My Cheese.
Never has there been a time in history you needed to read and heed its
messages. At Homecoming 2021, we will give you the playbook to find new
and even better cheese, while others are crying over their losses and
waiting, and waiting and waiting...
Brandy has written a very informative spin on the book and concepts that
will help you immediately. Her experience in Chiropractic and Health
Care will help every doctor and every office. Do not miss Homecoming or
this article.
Dr John
Healthcare in general is an industry in constant evolution.
Chiropractic and multi-discipline are certainly not exceptions to the
rule. Regardless of your practice type, the procedures you render or
products you offer to your patients, you are going to find that change
is inevitable. When by choice, change is welcomed, exciting and easier
to prepare for– but, it’s the unexpected and uninvited change that
catches us by surprise and contributes to frustration and uncertainty in
our practices, with the ripple effect of coding, billing, collections
(patient and payers) and communications (patients, teammates, payers)
obstacles.
Let’s look at just a few common occurrences –
- New procedure(s) implemented into your practice that you have discovered are not well payable or payable at all by 3rd party payers
- Increase of limits on patient coverage or capitated plan policies that restricted your expected cash flow
- Discovery
that payment plans or programs offered by your practice are not
permitted by your state in the manner that you offer them
- Change
in your local demographics resulting in more insurance patients or
self-pay (non-insurance) patients coming through your door
- Restrictions to your normal business operations due to Covid19 and local legislation
- Billing related problems resulting in rejections, denials and accumulating aged accounts receivables
- New business opening nearby that may have competitive products or services
- …and the list goes on….
Believe
it or not, for each of these items above, as well as other obstacles we
encounter, there is at least a manageable and beneficial response; and
in many cases, a productive solution. Perhaps one that could even be
better for you and your practice than you might expect. Resisting or
avoiding the reality of any of these elements increases provider
vulnerability from various avenues. Bending or breaking the rules
(Federal, state, payer, etc) is not really a viable option either
-after all, we want to be operating in the best position to get paid
properly for what we do and to be able to keep that money once it’s been paid (from our patients and our payers).
So, what is the answer to the ongoing change taking place in our industry and our practices? Adaptation.
Note that adaptation doesn’t mean surrender and acceptance. It means
you’re recognizing and understanding the details of your current
situation, identifying challenge(s) that you’re now faced with, and then
taking immediate action steps to plan, prepare and adapt moving
forward.
Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean we have to agree with the situation – we
can certainly be proactive in other ways to make changes that could
improve our current scenario. But at the same time, we shouldn’t hold
ourselves and practices hostage by resisting necessary steps of
adaptation. By doing so, you could be effectively sabotaging your
business, yourself and your team. The same applies to any team member
in your practice who may be unwilling to make necessary changes to
better perform in their role, or perhaps resists providing information
or giving/accepting assistance that could be helpful to the team or
practice as a whole.
You may be familiar with the book, Who Moved My Cheese, by Dr. Spencer
Johnson? This short story presents a profound message that is
invaluable to us in our practices. The story is about 4 characters that
had settled in comfortably and developed daily routines surrounding a
station of cheese they had discovered. Day after day, the characters
would go from their homes to the cheese, always with the expectation
that the cheese would always be there just exactly as it had been the
day before. One day, they arrived to discover the cheese was completely
gone.
While each of these characters was in shock at the empty cheese station
before them, two of the characters immediately understood that change
was necessary. They promptly left this comfort zone in search of new
cheese.
A third character became angry and bitter. Upset that his cheese was
gone, he continued to go back to the cheese station each day, expecting
that it be returned exactly as it once was. Yet, each new day, as there
was no cheese, his anger and frustration increased. When it was
suggested to him to go in search of new cheese, he became more
frustrated and more adamant that he was not going anywhere but rather
would insist that the cheese must be immediately replaced, exactly as it
was before. Even as he became weak, tired and hungry, his perspective
didn’t waiver.
A fourth character was upset and confused for a little while. He
continued each day to come to an empty cheese station, wondering what
happened to the cheese and why. Over time, when he was weak, hungry
and afraid, he came to the conclusion that the cheese would not reappear
as it was before at that cheese station. He decided that if he were to
survive and prosper, he would have to leave in search of new cheese.
He pondered his past and realized that he should have seen that the
cheese was getting old and lesser in supply. He pondered his future and
envisioned new cheese and opportunity that may lie before him. The
story goes on to describe the uncertainties, adventure, building of
confidence and eventual prosperity that this character had in his
journey. It shares the steps he took to adapt to his circumstance, his
discovery of a new cheese station, with more cheese and even better
cheese than before.
The underlying message in this story is in that many changes that take
place can be recognized fairly quickly if we don’t get too stuck in our
routines and expectations – by keeping a finger on the pulse of our
businesses. Next, when inevitable changes do occur, we can minimize our
own suffering and strife by taking the reins more quickly and choosing
our own path forward, making plans and executing the steps necessary.
Ultimately, while we may not always be in control of a change that has
occurred and impacted our practices, we are in control of our own
response to it – and the benefits to our businesses could be far better
than we realize.
If you’re struggling to determine a path forward for your practice, keep in mind - There are
answers to your questions and concerns. You don’t have to figure it
all out on your own. Stagnancy is part of the recipe for stress and
struggle. It’s really never too late to step out of your comfort zone.
Brandy can be contacted by email at Brandy Brimhall
[email protected], or call her at:
719-301-4648
She has lots of Cheese ideas for YOU.
Yours in Health and Wellness,
John W Brimhall, DC, BA, BS, FIAMA, DIBAK
1.
Alonso-Pedrero L, et al. “Ultra-processed food consumption and the risk
of short telomeres in an elderly population of the Seguimiento
Universidad de Navarra (SUN) Project.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 111, Issue 6, June 2020, Pages 1259–1266.
2. Furumoto K. et al. “Age-dependent telomere shortening is slowed down
by enrichment of intracellular vitamin C via suppression of oxidative
stress.” Life Science 1998, vol. 63, no. 11 pp. 935-48.
3. Shen J, et al. “Telomere length, oxidative damage, antioxidants and breast cancer risk.” Int J Cancer. 2009 Apr 1; 124(7):1637-43.
4. Xu Q, et al. “Multivitamin use and telomere length in women.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun;89(6):1721
Health Professionals, You're Invited To
OHS - Brimhall Homecoming 2021
I CAN - The Innovative Care And Nutrition Biohacking Weekend
for You & Your Clinic!
January 7-10, 2021
Arizona Grand Resort & Spa, Phoenix, AZ
(Only registered customers can rate)
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