Keep Your Business Healthy by Encouraging Vacations

Pop quiz: Which physician is better for your business—the one who can’t wait to start his much-anticipated trip to Tuscany, or the one who is going to forego a vacation because she thinks the practice can’t live without her for 2 weeks? If you chose the world traveler, you have a good chance of keeping your patient satisfaction scores up—and maybe even avoiding med errors and resultant lawsuits. Project: Time Off reports that 55% of Americans did not use all their vacation time in 2015. At the same time, data show a 16% decrease in patient satisfaction scores and an 11% increase in medical errors that tracked back to burned out physicians. In addition, burnout increased turnover among clinical and nonclinical staff. With the cost of replacing just one physician estimated to be in the $150,000–$300,000 range, it seems good economic sense to ensure your doctors have the latitude to actually take the time off they’re offered when they sign on.