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Greg Stanley

Greg Stanley, President of Whitehall Management Services, Inc., graduated from Arizona State University in 1975 with a B.S. degree in accounting. Greg has been consulting with doctors, teaching seminars, and speaking for local, state, and national practice organizations since 1980. Since Whitehall's inception, he has spoken to over 18,000 health care professionals and consulted personally with thousands of doctors on the problems that arise out of their accumulation and practice development efforts.

Today, Greg heads a consulting team based out of Phoenix, Arizona that provides "Strategic Practice Planning" services for doctors throughout the U.S. He continues to be actively involved in producing educational video and audio programs and has had numerous articles regarding personal and business finances published in various professional periodicals. Whitehall's seminar presentations cover topics from debt reduction and conservative money management to maximizing practice capacity and productivity.

For more information contact:
Whitehall Management Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 23482
Phoenix, AZ 85063
Phone: 602-934-2108
Fax: 602-934-6902

Upcoming Lecture Schedule:

January 24, 1998
San Francisco, CA
Financial Freedom

February 14, 1998
Maui, HI
Advanced Seminar

March 6 & 7, 1998
Phoenix, AZ
DDS Boot Camp

April 25, 1998
Orlando, FL
Financial Freedom

May 9, 1998
Chicago, IL
Financial Freedom

June 6, 1998
Boston, MA
Financial Freedom

July 31, 1998
San Diego, CA
DDS Boot Camp

Rigid Flexibility

When I discuss a doctor's successes and failures at increasing practice production, I often find that the practice has failed with a concept with which others have prospered. Although there are many reasons for this outcome one is not only common but especially frustrating.

An office may attempt to implement a new billing system or a new patient scheduling system. As they begin to make the changes associated with the new system, they find one or several cases that don't fit the normal activity profile. The doctor or staff person then concludes that the system is flawed because every permutation of possible outcomes did not fit neatly into the system.

The trait needed to successfully deal with these inconsistencies I refer to as "Rigid Flexibility" -- the ability to continue with a new practice system regardless of the existence of cases that don't fit neatly into it. Many times the new system is not implemented correctly or is not followed accurately. For example, there are scripts for patient interaction that must be not only given word for word but they must also include pauses and phonemic emphasis to insure a positive outcome. It is not unusual to find that doctors or staff have paraphrased or approximated the script and then are disappointed when the patient doesn't react as predicted.

I believe the most common application of this phenomenon occurs when attempting to maintain a template scheduling system, where specific times are required for specific classes of treatment. A patient fails to fit into the new blocked schedule and the practice is inconvenienced or the staff person is reproached for the patient's having gotten their way at the cost of the new scheduling system. The system is then quietly abandoned and the practice is in many ways worse off for their efforts.

Rigid flexibility is the ability to be flexible enough to handle the noncompliance cases but still maintain the system for the patients that will let you control the schedule. If you continue your efforts at blocking the schedule you will soon feel the confidence that comes from knowing that most of the patients will work around your system.

It seems that anytime an office attempts to improve their productivity they are immediately challenged, if not overwhelmed, by exceptions to the rules. When the office fails to display rigid flexibility you find yourself either giving up on growth or walking away from the one true solution -- to go in search of a more effective but nonexistent approach to solving the problem.

Some patients possess personalities that refuse to fit into preset molds. They have to order off the menu at restaurants, they need specially made clothing and they expect their doctor to open early or stay late on their behalf. The ability to accommodate these demanding characters and still maintain the overall integrity of your scheduling system is the true test of rigid flexibility.

If a staff person can deal with this type of inconsistency and still find fulfillment in her position, you have a valuable person in your employ. This ability to deal with conflict and inconsistency can be taught by patient doctors to loyal staff. Do not let your efforts to increase the productive capacity of the practice be thwarted by patients who fail to comply with your practice systems. There is an uncomfortable period that must be endured as a new system is fitted to the practice.




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