“Getting you better quicker”

In these 4 small words the whole vision and purpose of Alliance Physical Therapy is captured.

While the words are individually short and simple once they are strung together they communicate something quite profound and counter cultural in the healthcare industry.

Going against the flow

In the current culture of healthcare medical professionals are paid for “doing”. We are paid for doing tests, doing procedures and doing surgeries. In fact the more we do, the more we get paid. In many settings the emphasis is placed on that “doing”. If doing is our business then our business metrics will focus on that doing. We will evaluate success or failure based on how much we do because how much we do will directly affect our bottom line. The main metrics revolve around “how many patients did you see”, “how many tests did you order” and “how many procedures did you perform”. Our profitability, our growth and our success becomes focused on, in my opinion, the wrong thing.

This does not mean that the healthcare industry is bad or that those working in it do not care about their patients, but it does means we are suffering a loss of direction. A loss of soul and a loss of true north. On the other hand neither does this mean that I think healthcare should be free or charitable. As with any other industry we have to be profitable. Profit allows me to employee people and it helps me be here to keep serving my patients in the future.

It is my belief that we can regain our soul. That we can focus on the patient.

Getting the right focus

But when the focus, the metrics and the culture are centered on doing, the patient loses out. The patient can get caught up in a whirlwind of activity and before they know it they have high bills and little true health improvement to show for it.

It is my belief that we can regain our soul. That we can focus on the patient. That we can focus on their health outcome as the key metric for our success. I believe that we can be profitable by putting the patient first.

Clear positioning

Over the last few years as I prepared for this clinic, I was greatly impacted and inspired by Jim Collins book, “Good to great”. In it he writes about the characteristics of what makes a great company. One of his key points was that to create a great company there has to be a clear “hedgehog concept” and to have clear insight into the “economic denominator” by which you can measure your success.

This book was a key catalyst for me in developing my hedgehog concept for Alliance Physical Therapy and “Getting you better quicker” became that concept. It was that perfect expression that equally portrayed the three main components necessary in a hedgehog concept. Those three components are, knowing, “what you are passionate about”, “what you can be best in the world at” and “what drives your economic engine”.

That simple phrase captures and fuels my passion as a physical therapist and I am convinced that along with my very talented team within the clinic, at Pinnacle Rehabilitation Network and with the help of many others around me that we can be the best in the world of Portland, ME at “getting you better quicker”.

Thinking long term

That leaves the final component, ‘knowing your economic engine” or your economic denominator. You might think that in this current healthcare culture where we get paid for doing, then doing less would be financial suicide. It is true that there is a degree of risk with this hedgehog concept. Because for a time we will appear to be less successful financially.

But this is where it all comes together. If we, at Alliance PT, can help you get maximal improvement from minimal intervention – in our case, less visits then we would have helped you reach your goals while saving you time and money. Most importantly we would have treated you with the respect and dignity you deserve. You see, although we get paid for the visits the fallacy most practices make is to focus on getting more visit from less patients. Instead, at Alliance PT, our focus is helping more people, more patients while each of them individually have less visits.

There’s no telling if we will achieve all this, but I can guarantee you we, at Alliance PT are focused on “getting you better quicker” and we will aim for the highest heights. So here’s to your wellbeing, your time and your money.