Spring Cleaning Your Practice: What Should You Keep, Toss, or Change?

Spring has sprung, which means that it’s time for your practice’s annual spring cleaning. What should you keep? What should you toss? What should you invest in? Our practice marketing pros have all the answers.

Update your menu of services

By Wendy Lewis

Springtime sparks newness. So, if you haven’t enhanced your menu of services since the early days of COVID-19, you are likely missing out on some uber-profitable opportunities. Patients searching for the latest technology or new treatment touted by influencers may go elsewhere if you aren’t at least up to speed on it. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to jump on everything if you don’t think it is safe, effective, or adds value. On the contrary, your wisdom as a leader in your field is surely one of the reasons patients flock to your practice.

However, in today’s fickle universe of patients, it is wise to feature treatments that meet the needs of your primary target audience, without alienating other patient groups, and with an eye to attracting a new demographic. Think of it this way: You can promote new services to existing clients without necessarily having to increase your marketing spend. To do so, you need to let them know about it via your social channels, website, e-blasts, text messaging, videos, working with media, and shouting it from the rooftops.

Marketing your aesthetic practice the same way year after year doesn’t work. Our industry is moving fast in 2022, so it’s important to expand your strategy to increase your reach. While you are reviewing what to bring in and what to part with, add staffing to the list. If your people are working extra hours to keep up with patient demand, consider showing them that you appreciate their dedication and reward them so they don’t quit and go to your top competitor. Good people are in high demand in this market, and there are not enough of them to fill all the openings that pop up on LinkedIn daily.

Casting a wider net may mean that you need to upgrade your technology for something faster, better, portable, or that takes up less space. For example, cellulite is having a moment with new treatment options. Acne therapies are also in demand, especially with new devices in the hopper that can bypass the need for systemic drugs. If you are late to the RF microneedling party, get on board! This modality has picked up a lot of steam across all patient groups. Similarly, not offering a minimally invasive body shaping technology is not an option for most practices because patients are surely asking for it.

This field is constantly evolving, which is what makes it so attractive to so many practitioners and patients. Expanding your menu is a reasonably achievable way to increase revenue providing that you do your homework. So, just don’t add something because it’s trending on TikTok.

Out with the old

By Jay A. Shorr, BA, MBM-C, CAC XIV, and Mara Shorr, BS, CAC XIV

Congratulations! You made it through the hardest part of the 2021 winter season and hopefully weathered the hardest part of the 2020/2021 pandemic and are now preparing for spring cleaning.

Now is the time to just make it happen. Say goodbye to:

• Old capital equipment. You’ve had a laser and equipment graveyard for years. Let’s create more space and get rid of them this season. You may not be happy with what you can sell them for, but it’s more money than the old relics are generating, and now you may even have more space.
• Expired medical supplies. Have you checked your medical supplies for expiration dates? Consider donating them to local medical societies that often ship them to impoverished countries for mission trips.
• Old marketing schemes. Conduct your quarterly review of your marketing efforts and dispose of the non-profitable ones and step up those that consistently make you money.

Covid-19 Policy Check-up

By Allyson Avila, JD

This spring every employer will face new legal challenges, which could include possible revisions to the US Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) labor laws and required pay for sick leave. Employers should review their current employee handbook, throw away old policies and procedures that no longer comply with the current laws, and implement new policies.

Although we are all sick and tired of hearing about COVID- 19, unfortunately, it does not seem like the pandemic and its aftermath are going away any time soon. For example, do you have a policy on booster shots? Vaccines? Testing? What about employees refusing to be vaccinated? All employers should have a system-wide policy in place that complies with new laws and ensures that all employees are treated equally.

Of particular importance is “off-the-clock work.” Be sure employees and managers are aware of the need to accurately track hourly employees’ work time. If an hourly employee is working (whether it’s making phone calls or posting social media tweets) on behalf of the employer, they are entitled to pay. Many employers lose sight of this and can face labor law penalties and fines for failing to compensate employees for that time. Also, there must be a policy in place where employees can report instances where they believe they were not paid accurately.

Are you properly classifying your employees as employees (W2) rather than independent contractors (1099)? This issue comes up time and time again, and the employer must be aware of the differences. The DOL actively pursues cases where it believes that an employer has misclassified a worker and failed to pay the proper withholding taxes. alary thresholds for exempt employees may also be on the rise. All employers must check with their state and local municipalities to determine if they must adjust the salary threshold.

Over the recent past, there has been a significant rise in employers seeking to enforce non-compete and non-solicitation clauses. Employers have had enough of training employees and giving them access to confidential information only for the employee to leave and take the employer’s clientele. Many times, the employee is using the employer’s resources (computer, database, social media accounts) to start their own business or move to a competitor. All employers must have a policy in place regarding ownership of social media, no right to privacy in using the employer’s computer, and returning all equipment and employer resources to the employer upon termination of employment. Employees (old and new) should be fully informed of the consequences for violating a restrictive covenant or using/taking an employer’s confidential information.

As laws and circumstances are continually changing, employers should closely monitor or hire a professional to closely monitor all updates and policy changes that pertain to any employment laws and workplace processes and incorporate changes as necessary.