Clinic Midlevels and Associates Wanting Fridays off

[Neurologo]

I have been running tele neurology clinic and now opening up an in-person clinic with 2 midlevels. Eventually planning to add 2 more neurologists in clinic. Now, midlevels are wanting Fridays "off' meaning no clinic visits. I do see other clinics having Fridays either off or half day and calling it "notes catch up day." How can I make this just as productive with no negative impact to overall revenue? How and why are other clinics that already do this handling this?

My perspective and concerns: Total expenses (staff salary, rents) remain unchanged for opening the clinic for 4 or 4.5 days instead of 5 days and yet revenue is decreased by seeing less patients. If we expand the hours during Mon-Thurs to make it total 40 hours, I will have to have the office staff also off on Fri while making no change to their monthly salary.

[ENT Doc]

You run the show how you think it needs to be run, consistent with your foundational principles and profit concerns. Not doing ANY clinic on a given day is a recipe for another business coming along and displacing you IMO. Your profit is on the margin, and I can think of no worse thing than to handcuff yourself by eliminating a clinic day.

[Random1]

Patients usually don't get sick on Fridays, so no worries.

Are you going to be there seeing patients with the mid levels or are they flying solo ? If you are staffing the office, but are not going to be there physically yourself why wouldn't you want to increase the revenue.

[Neurologo]

So two votes for no free Fridays. I honestly don't understand why some clinics are not seeing patients on Fridays. It does not make sense for patients satisfaction and revenue, although revenue may be the same if we extend the hours of Mon-Thurs to make it 40 hours total.

I see all new patients with them and they follow up alone with me getting involved when there is a change in treatment plan or once every other visits or so. This task of supervision will be done by a new physician that will be hired as I will need to focus on inpatient hospital coverage.

[Sampter]

If you are not seeing patients, then you are not generating revenue.

That being said, I don't see patients on Friday's anymore. It is beyond amazing.

[pierre]

Are people asking for less work and the same pay? Just tell them they can’t have their cake and eat it too.

[Hoopoe]

You could have one off on Friday, another off on a Monday and pay them 80% as much, potentially brining on another position. Or add on some hours to each clinic day so each is doing a 10 hour day x 4 days a week. Everything is negotiable. Getting paid more for less work is usually not a recipe for success from an employer standpoint. The 4 day workweek can be huge for job satisfaction and many would gladly work more hours per day to accomplish that. From an Emergency Medicine standpoint it seems like all PA, NPs these days are looking for 9-10 hour shifts. More hours, more pay and potentially more days off (plus in CA they get overtime rates above 8 hours so this increases their effective earned hourly). It's impossible to hire for 8 hour shifts. Not sure how this works in the clinic world.

[Tim]

Reduced hours vs reduced days is not linear.
A day is worth more from and employee perspective.

From a service business perspective, the customer probably values a day of availability more. Realistically, 10-2 7 days a week is only 28 hours.

Just to illustrate, your staff would quit but the patients would find it convenient.

Sell 5 days as patient service if that is what the business needs.

[FibroBlast]

You are the boss...set the hours that work for you, the patients, and the business.

The boss does not have the hours he will be open dictated by employees.

[Lordosis]

Have you considered Saturday hours?

[Neurologo]

Saturdays? Fridays off but Saturdays open? Some working patients may like that, but office staff?

[FIREshrink]

You could have one off on Friday, another off on a Monday and pay them 80% as much, potentially brining on another position. Or add on some hours to each clinic day so each is doing a 10 hour day x 4 days a week. Everything is negotiable. Getting paid more for less work is usually not a recipe for success from an employer standpoint. The 4 day workweek can be huge for job satisfaction and many would gladly work more hours per day to accomplish that. From an Emergency Medicine standpoint it seems like all PA, NPs these days are looking for 9-10 hour shifts. More hours, more pay and potentially more days off (plus in CA they get overtime rates above 8 hours so this increases their effective earned hourly). It's impossible to hire for 8 hour shifts. Not sure how this works in the clinic world.

Right 4*10 with each mid level having a different day off. Remember you're also in a very competitive market for quality mid-level so you can say no and take the risk you end up with no one.

[Lordosis]

Saturdays? Fridays off but Saturdays open? Some working patients may like that, but office staff?

Well I meant it as a joke but now that I think about it some people do like working weekends if it means an extra mid week day off.

[abds]

I would consider closing at noon on Fridays. Or if you want to be open Friday afternoons, perhaps you could offer alternating Fridays off to your 2 midlevels. Tell them that either option will be accompanied by a corresponding 10% pay cut. Report back with their responses.

[Hank]

They’re welcome to have Fridays off (if they pick up Saturdays and Sundays).