I’ve been in leadership roles in a variety of settings for more than twenty years. I’ve been an owner and partner in a private practice, a co-founder in another and served in corporate, community practice and academic healthcare systems. Efficiency and the bottom line were the only name of the game for years in a pre-pandemic healthcare environment. In the post-pandemic landscape, the added degree of difficulty comes in blending efficient, lean-based practices with a supportive, compassionate culture that emphasizes the team’s work-life balance and overall well-being. Evolving with the changing needs of the workforce is critical to our department’s long-term success. Leading an orthopedic practice comes with unique challenges, particularly in an era where efficiency, resourcefulness and data collection are paramount, while also trying to foster a supportive, compassionate culture for physicians and staff. Leaders need to address these twin elements, creating workflows and structures to streamline services and increase patient volume and throughput to optimize resource use. At the same time, they are charged with ensuring the highest levels of quality in care and service delivery.
