At the Institute of Podiatric Excellence and Development (IPED), the start of the New Year is an excellent time to take your mission statement out of the drawer, dust if off, and see how it measures up to your actual practice results. If you don’t have a mission statement, now is the time to formulate one. Your mission statement is like a “bull’s eye” that you would like to be hitting for your practice. Your mission statement should answer questions such as where you plan to be in 10 years, what your practice goals are, the patient population you’d like to treat, specialties you want to offer patients and what makes your practice stand out from others. Below are some ways to review your mission statement effectively.

• Compare your mission statement to what’s actually happening in your practice. For instance, if your mission was to provide excellent service to geriatric patients, evaluate your patient base. If you discover more of your patients are younger and sports injuries comprise a large percentage of your work, it’s time to ask if you need to change your mission or your marketing. • Do the logistics of your practice (location, number of employees, on-site testing equipment) make it more or less feasible to reach your goals?
• Observe your practice as a patient for a few days. What is the atmosphere when they enter the office? How does staff interact with patients? How long a wait does the average patient have to be seen? These “actuals” can help show where adjustments might be needed in achieving your mission.
• Involve your entire team in the mission statement review. Those in the trenches will often have insights you as the practitioner might miss. Consider posting your mission statement somewhere all your staff can see to help you stay on it.

At IPED, we offer our members a wealth of information on practice management, field advances and life/work balance. To learn more about how we can benefit you and your practice, contact our Executive Director, Ruth Ann Donahue by calling: 978-296-7634.