It’s December and the cold and snow are here, and we are getting ready to say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024. It’s a time of personal resolutions and setting business goals. It sounds overwhelming just to write it. We all struggle to keep the balls in the air; to feel good at the end of the day that we did the best we could or if we didn’t, that we will do so tomorrow. A new year is exciting but also scary as the field of ABA is changing every day and it’s a whirlwind of changes and hard to keep up. For some, 2024 is a breakout year where all the work you’ve put into establishing the infrastructure is anticipated to pay off and for others, it’s the year when you decide if you stay in the game or sell and call it a day. And, if you don’t have your business goals set for 2024, you’re late to the party and it is critical to set time to focus on the year ahead and get your business goals on paper.
I think I can personally say that I’ve been on both sides of that equation over my career and can relate to however you are feeling after reading the above. As you launch into 2024, my suggestions are:
- Ensure your Employee Handbook, Client Services Agreement and accompanying policies and procedures have been reviewed and revised. Not only should they ensure compliance with Federal and State laws but also that you are starting the new year with policies and procedures that will enable you to achieve your business goals for 2024.
- Review the metrics/data you are analyzing (or not analyzing and should be). Answer these questions:
- Who – is responsible for gathering the reports or data analytics. Are the “right” people responsible for running reports and escalating the relevant data to the employees who need to know this to do their job effectively? Are your clinical teammates spending more time than they should with what could be an administrative responsibility?
- What – what data are you analyzing? Are they the KPIs that are the key analytics to drive your business goals forward? Are you reviewing enough data to have your pulse on the business? Are you drowned in data?
- When – on what frequency are the data being pulled and analyzed? Is it frequent enough to ensure if you were audited tomorrow you are confident you will get an A++?
- Why – Why are you spending the time to review these data and what is your plan for acting on the metrics?
Given you have the right person(s) pulling the data, reviewing it on the appropriate frequency, the data means nothing until you act on it. For example, if your turnover rate is 55% annualized, what does that tell you and what are you going to do about it? Likewise, if your utilization is anything other than 100%, what is the plan to get it there?
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