Physicians Practice - July/August 2008 - (Page 79)

CME PARTNERSHIP DON’T LET PARTNER CONFLICT DESTROY YOUR PRACTICE BY KEN TERRY HOW TO AVOID AND SOLVE PHYSICIAN DISPUTES When the managing partner of a plastic surgery practice informed his colleagues that tough times called for everyone to take a pay cut — except for him — at least two physicians were ready to walk. When the seven older physicians in an orthopedic practice wanted to reduce their call schedule by having their three younger partners cover for them without reciprocating, the junior partners threatened to quit. These examples of partner strife offered by consultants involved in settling the disputes, are typical of physician disputes, most of which revolve around ﬁnancial issues and call schedules. Sadly, such conﬂict among the physicians in a practice are not uncommon, and when discord strikes, everything suffers: job satisfaction, staff attitude, practice productivity, patient satisfaction, and the bottom line all go down in warring practices. Even patient care can suffer. Kenneth Hertz, an MGMA consultant in Alexandria, La., says that when physicians become suspicious of each other and stop cooperating, “the staff picks it up instantly. As a result, [employees] don’t treat their patients [as] well, because they don’t care.” They’d rather go home LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this article, readers will be able to: • Discuss the basic elements of preventing conﬂict in a physician partnership. based on practice size. right at 5 p.m. than try to squeeze in a patient who needs to be seen immediately. Some doctors will even argue within earshot of patients. “Who would want to work in an environment like that?” asks Judy Capko, a consultant in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Nothing like this may have ever happened in your practice. But it certainly could, if you’re not careful. Here are some tips on how to prevent conﬂicts between you and your partners and how to deal with them when they arise. DECLARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS • Create a formal governance structure • Constructively confront fellow partners about areas of conﬂict. WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM The ﬁrst step you should take to avoid strife is to have a frank and open discussion about what you expect from your partners at the beginning. “The reason we have conﬂict is that when we bring in the new partner or form the partnership, we’re not always clear and honest about our expectations,” Hertz says. “For instance, if I bring you into the group, do I expect you to build your new practice? I need to let you know that up-front. What are my expectations of your workload, of what you’re going to produce?” Most partnership agreements don’t specify how many patients a physician will see or the amount of call he’s supposed to take. Because personal and business situations are always changing, it’s impossible to pin down these kinds of things in writing. But Hertz says it’s essential for partners to agree on their JULY/AUGUST 2008 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 79 http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - July/August 2008

Physicians Practice - July/August 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Battle Royale in the EMR Market Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: Hire Right Noteworthy Cover Story: Healthcare Reform: Voting for Change Patient Relations: Dealing with Problem Patients The tech Doctor: Is Self-Service Medicine Inevitable? Technology: Do EMRs Make You a Better Doctor? The Guide Idealab: Cash-Only Care Still Works The Administrators Desk: Who’s in Charge? Ask The Experts What Went Wrong: ‘Why Our Great Idea Didn’t Work’ Coding Start It Up: How to Launch a Practice: Operations Partnership: Don't Let Partner Conflict Destroy Your Practice Appraisals: What’s Your Practice Worth? Getting Advice: How to Hire a Consultant Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - July/August 2008

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