I am Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits.

When building a profitable practice, you may ask yourself, how do I become more innovative in my business? Small practice owners move through each day with a long to-do list. One such item is to be continually innovative. They understand that if they stop creating, tweaking, and producing, their practice is in jeopardy. If you are a practice owner, you know this. Yet, how can you be more innovative with all you have to do? The key is to stop trying to do it all and take full advantage of your available assets.

Suggestions to increase the innovation in your practice: Start looking at innovation as a regular function of your practice — like accounts receivable, marketing, and productivity. This will help you put the steps into place to create products and services that keep you competitive. Now that you have a new way of thinking in place, use these steps to increase your practice’s innovation:

1. Invite other physiatrists to share their ideas. Your fellow physiatrists work daily elbow-deep in the details of their own practices. They talk with patients and administrators, work on EMRs, and may even create software. The result is a group of people who have different insights into your patients and healthcare community needs. Those ideas become opportunities. You do not have time to do it all, so don’t. Build and invite your team of physiatrists to join you in the innovation process.

2. Provide a platform for idea gathering. Once you get your team of physiatrists on board, you need to give them a place to put all their ideas. This can be a brainstorming wall where ideas are written, a discord group, Facebook group, mastermind group, Slack group, or some other platform that fosters community and sharing of ideas online. Some companies use software for collection and voting, while you might even use a Google Doc or jot form, depending on the size of your physiatry team. Your goal is to have a landing pad that works for you.

3. Encourage physiatrists to collaborate and try ideas. Innovation requires some risk; and most physicians are risk averse. This aversion to risk sometimes robs us of the opportunity to pursue practices that have higher earning potential and autonomy, just for the false sense of security provided by employed positions. Encourage your physiatry team to vet ideas, and then try them out. This is the best way to learn what will work, what will not, and what needs tweaking.

4. Reward creative thinking. One component of innovation is thinking outside the box. Be generous with kudos and encourage continual momentum. When some ideas are not very good, push your team to improve upon them. You can also produce a reward system. People are motivated when they are encouraged and recognized for their skillset and contributions.

5. Consider stand up meetings. When gathering for brainstorming meetings, have everyone stand. You will all sense a change in the room’s energy as more people become engaged. Sitting in the same position for prolonged periods of time, especially during meetings, can stunt productivity and the brain’s flow of innovative ideas. Have your team stand and even move their body around to get the creative juices flowing.

Release the burden of being the sole innovator in your community and practice. Instead, make it a team effort and see the innovation explode for your practice.

Are you a lone ranger physiatrist? Check out our blog here, and take the quiz to find out.

I am Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/contractnegotiations to pick up the free guide to help you negotiate the contract of your dreams.

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