I had a quirky law school professor who, when the Socratic method was leading the discussion either in circles or to nowhere, fast, would throw up his hands and (almost) yell, “Hey, wait, let me drive the bus!” He’d then recenter the discussion to comport with his vision of the lessons to be learned.
For many medical practices, it appears as if no one is driving the bus. Instead, the practice operates like a runaway bus — yes, the providers are seeing patients, but where is it headed? Instead of a map with a clearly marked final destination, it’s just rolling along.
Whether you’re a solo practitioner or the leader of a 500 person group, your most important job in terms of success isn’t patient care (that’s expected of you as the price of entry); rather, it’s owning the vision of your practice and its business. That is, it’s driving your own bus.
If you don’t take the wheel, your competitors, your employees, the hospital, the government, and the payors, would be happy to drive for you, but I can guaranty you won’t like the destination they have in mind.
