2015 has brought many changes to your healthcare practice. From Obama care to ICD-10, your practice has been challenged to comply with regulations and improve your practice revenue in order to keep it alive and thriving.

But those dollars your practice makes can only stretch so far and your innovation of practice personnel and tools can only be improved so much. How do you take your practice to the next level for IT upgrades, better analysis, controlling fixed costs and improving analytics while transitioning to value based care, team based and tele-health care?

The issues of cost, flexibility, compliance, expertise and improving results are mandates for the future. How well your practice continues to grow and thrive in the “change” environment is dependent upon leadership. Leadership can and will take your practice to the next level.

How do you take your practice to the next level for IT upgrades, better analysis, controlling fixed costs and improving analytics while transitioning to value based care, team based and tele-health care?

Outsource. Smart leadership must consider outsourcing as a viable alternative to remain relevant. But where do you begin? How do you know what pieces of your practice need the boost that outsourcing will bring? How do you evaluate outsourcing companies for the best value and expertise?

A gap analysis of your practice will help you to discover what area needs the most help and what will bring the best value.

You probably did a GAP analysis to prepare for ICD-10. By carefully looking at each process and system and paper you discovered what is effected by codes and where the emphasis of your readiness for ICD-10 must be placed. In the same way, your practice would benefit from a GAP analysis.

What do you know about the demands of 2016 and beyond?

• IT upgrades will continue to dominate healthcare
• Data analysis, especially data blending for optimal analysis imperative
• Compliance continues to be a priority
• Expertise in telehealth and inter-professional healthcare needed
• Cybersecurity necessary to protect patients
• Team based healthcare will benefit your practice and patients
• Evidence based analysis requires careful compilation of necessary data elements

Is your practice ready for these changes? Where are the gaps? Do you need to outsource to incorporate new technology into practice while boosting improvements in revenue cycles?

As you consider year-end numbers and the needs of 2016; it may be time to ask hard questions about your practices ability to do it all internally. Intelligent leadership understands the time for outsourcing is BEFORE your practice is bleeding money and can no longer afford to continue.

Take stock. Do a complete GAP analysis of people, systems, tools, providers and policies. Where would outsourcing make a difference?