Operating a GP practice that provides surgical services can come with a wide range of expenses. Between keeping staff adequately paid and covering the cost of utilities and other essential services, the average GP surgery faces quite a bit of financial pressure. The amount of expensive equipment and technology used by these practices also makes them some of the costliest public medical facilities to operate. Fortunately, there are at least three reliable ways to reduce expenditure at any GP surgery.
1. Find the Cheapest Energy Provider
As you know, most medical practices are often open for at least 10 hours out of each business day and are routinely performing energy-intensive processes due to the need to utilise technology in many medical processes. As a result, the electricity bill can become one of the most burdensome monthly expenses at most GP surgeries. UK-based practices can use a platform called Utility Bidder to compare quotes and rates from the top local electricity providers. By conducting a thorough comparison and choosing the most cost-effective option, you could cut your practice’s utility bills by up to 20% or more in some scenarios.
2. Utilise Technology
Technology is making life easier in a lot of industries, and the medical sector is no different. See if you can make more use of automation to cut back on costs. For example, is there any software that would make a good investment to ease the admin workload? Can you make use of an online appointment booking system? Perhaps digital dictation will help save time too? Also, a little-known fact that may prove useful is that using laptops rather than plugged in PCs can save you around 85% on your electricity bill over their lifetime!
3. Reduce Labour Costs
Paying an excessive number of employees to sit around and do nothing most of the time is obviously a waste of payroll. On the other hand, you never want to be short-staffed either, so many practices make the mistake of over-staffing to avoid that possibility. Having extra staff members on-call and sticking to a more minimal schedule is a wiser approach. That way, if you need help unexpectedly, you’d have a few nurses or clerical workers that you could call upon. Consolidating multiple jobs into fewer positions is another way to reduce overhead at a GP surgery.
Poor Planning Leads to Unnecessarily High Expenses
Many surgeons and GP surgery owners are in a fairly comfortable financial situation, so they’re not worried about over-spending when they are setting generous initial budgets. However, this lackadaisical approach will only serve to create extra expenses that could have been avoided altogether. Instead of rushing into an assortment of monthly financial commitments and bills, be selective in deciding which products, services, and people you truly need to keep the practice running successful. By heeding the three tips given above, most GP surgeries will be able to reduce their overall overheads significantly with just a few logical adjustments. See how much you can save!