#89 - Who Wags the Tail? Leading Change and Owning the Billing Conversation

Who really drives change in a general practice?

In this episode, Ami and Zac tackle one of the biggest leadership challenges facing healthcare businesses: when does listening to your team become allowing your team to dictate the direction of the practice? (or the tail wag the dog)!!

They explore the balance between supporting staff and doctors through change and recognising when ongoing resistance begins to hold the business back. How much time should leaders invest in bringing everyone along before making the decision to move forward regardless?

The conversation then takes an unexpected turn into one of general practice's most debated topics: who should discuss fees with patients?

Should GPs confidently explain their billing decisions as part of the consultation, or is it more efficient to leave those conversations to an experienced administration team?

Ami argues that doctors should focus on medicine, while trained support staff handle the financial discussions to create a smoother patient experience. Zac believes doctors need to become more comfortable having transparent billing conversations and that avoiding them ultimately undermines private billing success. 

It's a passionate debate with strong arguments on both sides.

Key Topics

•  Who really drives change within a medical practice? 
•  How long should leaders tolerate resistance before making difficult decisions? 
•  Should doctors discuss fees directly with patients? 
•  The impact of billing confidence on private practice success 
•  The role of reception and administration teams in financial conversations 
•  Creating a consistent patient experience around billing 

We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Should doctors confidently discuss their fees with patients, or should those conversations be handled by the practice support team?

Join the conversation by connecting with Practice Partners on LinkedIn or Facebook, or send us your thoughts. Your feedback might even feature in a future episode.