October 2002

Bob Levoy’s success file
What Are the Core Values of Your Practice?

The focus of new employee training usually centers on the details of tasks that need to be performed each day. What’s also needed is an understanding of the core values of your practice.

“Core values are an organization’s essential and enduring tenets - a small set of general guiding principles; not to be confused with specific operational practices; not to compromised for financial gain or short-term expediency,” according to James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, authors of “Built To Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” (HarperBusiness, 1997).

Core values represent what’s important in your practice. They establish the “culture” of your practice, shape its image, and give it a distinctive character.

If everyone in your practice is not abiding by the same core values and not behaving in a consistent way, it confuses the issue; sends mixed messages to patients; and results in a loss of cooperative energy in achieving the goals of the practice.

Action step: Give some thought to the core values of your practice. Decide the important principles by which people should govern themselves.

To start, consider the following answers given by workshop participants about their practices. Add others of your own choosing. Then schedule a staff meeting to discuss the options and reach a consensus.

• “Quality is paramount. The quality of care and service we provide to our patients is the single, most important task for everyone in the practice. We want to astonish patients with our thoroughness, attention to detail, and genuine caring for their comfort and well-being.”

• “Patient confidentiality is essential. This means that information entrusted to staff members regarding patients, doctors, co-workers, or any office matter must be treated as completely confidential. All of us are legally responsible for guarding privileged information, and can be subject to legal action if we divulge it.”

• “Patients do us a favor by deciding to come to us - not the other way around.”

• “Patients come to the office in a variety of moods. It’s our job to be upbeat, friendly, and patient, even if at times, patients are impatient with us.”

• “Teamwork isn’t optional - it’s essential.”

• “Participate in staff meetings. They serve as a forum for sharing, learning, and problem-solving.”

• “Continuing education is part of the culture of this practice. Attending seminars, conferences and C.E. programs fosters personal, professional, and practice growth.”

• “Impressions count. Staff members do more than just represent the practice. In many people’s minds, they are the practice. All interactions with patients, patients’ family members, sales representatives, referring physicians, and other professionals must reflect a professional demeanor at all times. Careless or flippant language or behavior are detrimental to the image of the practice and erode positive feelings that others have about the practice.”

This list is by no means exhaustive. It’s intended to help you think about what’s important in your practice - what you want employees to know. There are no “right answers,” as such. Much depends on your philosophy of practice, management style, and professional goals.

To make sure everyone in your practice is “on the same page,” include the completed list in your office manual and make sure the person in charge of training carefully reviews it with each new employee. One of the most important aspects of developing a list of core values for your practice is to ensure that every employee understands, respects, and upholds those values.

Mr. Levoy, a management consultant based in Roslyn, N.Y., has conducted more than 2,500 seminars for health-care professionals. Those seminars have included programs for the American and Canadian chiropractic associations and numerous state and provincial chiropractic associations.