Practice Management Alert

Question:Our practice will be going through a lot of change in the next few months due to changes in job functions and an EMR implementation. Some employees are welcoming this change and going forward with positive attitudes, but others are not. What can I do as practice manager to help?

Arkansas Subscriber

Answer: Change is inevitable in any organization. So is resistance to change.

As a supervisor, you should expect that some of your employees will welcome change, and others will fight it intensely. Therefore, it is always best to prepare yourself for anything. That’s why you need to set up a solid action plan for the change you are about to implement.

Admittedly, some organizational changes may be out of your control. Your superiors and the physicians will handle some changes such as an increase in benefits pricing, layoffs, or sale of the practice. In those cases, you can simply be there to listen to your employees, and try to understand what they’re going through. But for those times when you lead the change, there are some things you can do ahead of time to ensure a more successful transition. When faced with implementing a change in your department, follow these suggestions to lessen employee resistance:

• Summarize to your employees both the short-and long-term benefits of this change, as well as the short- and long-term consequences of not implementing this change.
• Schedule a department meeting, and provide your employees the opportunity to discuss the new change in an open forum.
• Involve your employees any way you can. This will make them feel more connected to the change and in control, rather than helpless about the impending change.
• Stand firm. When you have many employees who resist the same change, you should resist the urge to silence them. Speak to the group and address the issues one-by-one as best you can.
• Provide your employees with the resources that are necessary for the change to occur.
• Communicate the change clearly to everyone who will be affected by this change, in one forum. This will eliminate information leaking out through the grapevine.