How Employed Physicians Can Make an Impact in Their Organizations

One of the most common questions I receive from physicians after they read my book is, "I am an employee of the organization. How can I have access to the reports and become a stronger leader?" I will not deny that it can be challenging for an employed physician to gain access to the financial reports outlined in my book. However, the steps outlined below will help you take a step in the proper direction.

1. Take a leadership role. If you step up and take a leadership position, specific roles and responsibilities will be granted to you. With obligations come rights. You should have a right to see the data by which your performance will be judged. That data will come in many forms, most often as performance and financial data. If you aren't afforded such a right, then how can you be sure the evaluation of your performance will be fair? Before you take on any new leadership role, carefully consider how your success will be defined and measured. Then negotiate those responsibilities and rights for yourself.
2. Ask for financial data. Remember, financial data is a product of the organization's performance. It's just a metric, a ruler. There are other data points we use when evaluating a business's success. In my opinion, financial data is no different from operational data. The number of patients seen per day is equally important as the cost per patient or the revenue per patient. To have a complete picture, both operational and financial metrics must be used together.
3. Ask for operational data. Though not as comprehensive as financial data, operational data can give you insight and help you guesstimate the financial metrics. Industry standards can be used to extrapolate the financial information. It's better than nothing.
4. Make an impact. Being an employee doesn't mean you're stuck in the dark. In fact, most employers, especially those who are smart, what informed employees. They want employees who know the business well and can make a meaningful impact. It can be argued that a positively impactful employee-only exists when fully informed. I've seen first hand how uninformed employees negatively impact an organization. Often, the only difference between the positive and negative affects is how informed the employee is.
5. Negotiate for the information. With the arguments outlined above, approach your employer with a plan to improve the organization. Lay out the reasons why you want the information. More importantly, explain why they (the employer) needs for you to have the information. When done properly, they will conclude it's in their best interest to provide this critical information.

Once you've stepped into those leadership roles, accepted responsibility, work to be impactful, you will gain great insight into the stability and future of the organization in which you work.