Hospitals are among the most important facilities that we need in order to live a comfortable, healthy and secure lifestyle. Everyone will have visited a hospital in their life at some point and it’s one of the safest places that you can be. Patients have a right to feel comfortable in the walls of a hospital and staff are trained to be incredibly passionate and empathetic. Because hospitals play such an important role in the communities that they’re in, it’s not uncommon to see entrepreneurs set up large hospitals of their own for the sake of serving the community and turning a profit.
But before you embark on a journey to start your own medical business, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t be starting a hospital just for the sake of money. It’s obviously a very profitable business venture, but it’s also something that requires a lot of passion if you want it to stand out. You’re creating a business that will serve the interests of the public, hence why you need to separate yourself from the money if you really want to create an outstanding medical facility.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the successful traits that the country’s top hospitals have and how you can emulate them.
Staying up to date with the technology that you use
The medical industry is much like any other industry in that it’s constantly being driven by technological advances. Whether it’s the technology used to directly treat patients or the backend systems that help to run everything behind the scenes, modern hospitals utilize many different technologies.
This is not unlike any other business in the world. You need to use the latest technologies in order to grow your company and serve more customers in the most efficient way. However, you also need to be wary of becoming an early adopter of technologies that may or may not be effective for your business.
Be open to changing your workflow
It’s worth talking about the changes that you need to make in order to adopt new technologies and processes. When changing your workflow, there needs to be a tangible change that gives an overall net positive for both employees and your patients. Changing the workflow of a hospital is difficult because you always need to consider the patients that are already in your care. This is why it takes a lot of planning and consideration if you want to change the way things work.
However, rejecting changes in the way your business works can also be a detriment. We understand that it can be daunting to change the basic processes that you’ve established since day one, but you need to embrace the idea of altering your workflow based on feedback from both patients and existing staff.
Recruit talented people, but don’t forget to train newcomers as well
Another trait of successful hospitals is to not just recruit talented people but also consider training newcomers as well. This is common in the medical industry because internships are one of the best ways for medical students to learn on the job. However, it’s also extremely important as it gives hospitals a way to train staff that will stay with them for life.
In other words, you need to focus on both training new staff while also having veteran staff that are willing to educate their juniors. Your hospital needs to be a place where interns can train and eventually become the next surgeons, seniors and even executives. While hiring can work at the beginning, you ultimately need to establish a system for training as well.
Think from the perspective of a patient
Thinking like a customer is one of the oldest yet most helpful pieces of advice that you can give someone who is starting their first business. The medical industry is no different. In order to succeed, you need to think from the perspective of a patient and you need to try and understand what they’re thinking. You need to be able to alter your services so that you give your patients the best service possible.
We’ve all stepped foot into a hospital before so there’s a good chance that you already have some ideas on how you want to approach certain aspects of your hospital. This could mean anything from more comfortable seats to VIP rooms and luxury amenities for patients that are willing to pay for a more bespoke service. The more you think like a patient, the more ideas you’ll get to help differentiate your hospital.
Always listen to feedback from patients and staff
Another common business trait that leads to successful businesses is the ability to listen to patients and staff for feedback. At the end of the day, you can only do so much in terms of calling the shots and guiding your business to success. Sooner or later, you need to hear from your staff and patients to get a better idea of how your business is doing. You can rely on data and statistics, to establish a great business, but you also need to consider the emotions and thoughts of the people that actually work in your hospital and use it.
Setting up a proper way to accept feedback is one of the first things you need to consider. Don’t hesitate to give your patients and staff a simple way to contact you or senior members of the hospital who will take the feedback and act on it.
Be transparent about your pricing
Pricing transparency is yet another trait that successful hospitals follow. Hospital pricing helps your patients understand what they’ll be paying for, but also why they’re paying for it. Accessible pricing makes it easy for someone to look at your services and pick what suits them the best. Having it on display on your website or at your hospital is a great help and will make people more likely to choose you as their hospital of choice because you’re being upfront and transparent.
This is a great way to establish a sense of trust before patients and your staff. If you’re willing to offer consumer-friendly pricing structures and actually display that information publicly, then you’ll gain a lot of trust. Even if your prices are considered high versus local competitors, being upfront will earn you the respect that a hospital needs to be successful.
Look after your staff and ensure a great quality of life for them
Don’t forget that hospital staff can suffer from immense mental and physical health problems as a result of long hours at the hospital. Although medical staff are indeed very adamant about offering the best service and ensuring that every patient gets the care that they deserve, you need to give them time to relax, unwind and recover themselves.
In addition to caring about their health, you also need to treat them with respect when they’re in the workplace. This could be as simple as getting them quality Cherokee scrubs from Uniform Advantage instead of cheaper clothes, or even setting up a comfortable staff lounge where they can relax or even take a nap between shifts. The better you treat your staff, the more likely they’ll enjoy working at your hospital. This ultimately leads to better employee retention and will help them establish a sense of purpose.
Get to know your community and engage with them
Hospitals ultimately exist to serve their communities. After all, it’s mainly locals that are going to be using your services and coming to your hospital. It’s very unlikely that you’re going to serve people out of town because it’s just not practical to go to another hospital that is so far away. As such, it’s a good idea to actually get to know your community and engage with them at every opportunity possible. This ultimately means showing your face around the community and being approachable.
Hospitals can also work together with local communities as part of charity events or even to set up meetings with locals to discuss various topics and concerns. Just remember that a hospital lives to serve its community and you need to be humble in your approach. Communicate with locals, set up events to engage with them, and be the face of your hospital instead of a corporate official sitting in an office on the top floor.
As you can see, many of these successful traits can be applied to businesses in general and it’s not exclusive to just hospitals. While you can certainly think like a typical business owner and see great success in the medical world, you do need to adjust some of the habits that you might have as an entrepreneur and fit them into your new position. At the end of the day, hospitals can be a great investment if you’re looking to make money, but it’s about a lot more than just profit. It’s about serving locals, treating people with respect, and saving lives.
