Not many I would venture to guess.

In fact, if we’re telling the truth I would bet that not one reader of these words can honestly say that they’ve never been kicked and down — possibly nearly out.

There’s a big difference between being down and being out though, and the difference I would argue – especially within healthcare – can be found in your mission.   Your mission, or your practice’s reason for being, should light the way in good times and bad, helping you make decisions that support your existence, even when the world wants to do otherwise.

When things are going well, your mission helps you to grow in the right direction, maximize opportunity, and sow the seeds that will cast deep roots for your practice’s legacy.  And when things aren’t going well — you’ve lost a key member of your staff, or have come to realize that your bottom line isn’t as hefty as you had planned — your mission is equally (if not more) important. 

I cannot think of another industry in which reliance on a mission is as critical as it is in healthcare.  By nature of the services we provide, things will not always go well.  We will have patients for which we care deeply, die.  We will not always have the resources necessary to provide care in exactly the manner that we would like.  We won’t always go home at the end of the day feeling refreshed and alive.  Sometimes, we’ll be kicked, and sometimes we’ll be down.

I was down recently due to a transaction that didn’t unfold as well as I had planned.  Whether I looked at the situation from an emotional, fiscal, or operational level, it was tough to deal with, and I felt kicked and down.  And after sitting on the pity pot for just long enough to know I didn’t like it there, I went back to our mission.

We — Vantage Clinical Solutions — are here to improve healthcare through entrepreneurship.  That’s all we’re about.  Sure, we work to be fiscally sound, enjoy what we’re doing, and on and on…but really, we’re here to improve healthcare, and we do it by weaving entrepreneurship into the minds, practices, and lives of practice owners.  As soon as this became once again my focus, I quickly lost sight of the pity, jumped back on my horse, and again felt the rush of inspiration that got me here in the first place.

Now, I would like to disclaim that it might not be that every scenario will turn as quickly around as the one I described.  The key though, is that scenarios can turn around, and often times this can be achieve by relying on your core — your mission.

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Tannus Quatre PT, MBA is a practice consultant and principal with Vantage Clinical Solutions, Inc., a national healthcare consulting and management firm based in Oregon and Colorado.  Tannus can be reached through the Vantage Clinical Solutions website by clicking here.

It was ironic that the healthcare organization that I worked for, that I ultimately left due to dissatsifaction with my long-term prospects, also taught me to be vision driven and mission essential – the characteristics that helped me realize that I needed to leave.

The first time I heard the term “mission essential” was from one of our executives, in a strategy meeting in which the feasibility of a new program was being discussed.  The program wasn’t a money maker, and in a time of increasing pressures to maintain margins, this type of discussion didn’t often fare well for non bread-winning propositions.  It wasn’t until the executive made a statement, with confidence, that the program was “mission essential” and consistent with the organization’s long term vision for service to the community, that the program was given the consideration it needed to stay alive.  After a few simple, yet powerful words from the executive as to the mission and vision basis for the program, buy-in from the team was granted and the program stayed.

For me, this was a poignant moment in my career.  I’ve always had a fair business sense, and feel like my balance between the clinical and business sides of healthcare has allowed me a unique perspective on the industry; but to see the essence of a healthcare organization’s mission override the bottom line of an unprofitable program cemented my understanding of the importance of the mission and vision of our businesses, especially in the healthcare industry.

We, of course, must stay profitable in order to survive, but having a solid and unwavering mission that guides us will allow us to provide mission essential care to those that would otherwise go without, even if it must sometimes be done at a loss.  If allowed to work in this way, this type of mission essential and vision driven philosophy will form strong impetus for the creation of the profit centers we need to keep our doors open in order to fulfill the missions and visions we set forth.

There is a lot to be learned from a client of mine who is starting up a practice.  She is really doing things right.  When developing her business concept she knew early on that she wanted her practice to be different, and truly wanted to enjoy the way she spent her time each and every day.  She began with a mission and vision for her practice model, and has crafted everything else around it.  From brand position, to information systems, to software selection, to interior design, to financial modeling, she has built a practice that all ties back to her mission and vision.  This is the first step in creating a business that lasts.

There are some very practical things she is doing right as well.  She is putting a great team of business advisors and experts around her and has allowed us all to provide her with direction and guidance.  She realizes that this is a team effort, and the better the team, the better the end result.  Financially she is sound, and has secured the necessary operating capital to get her through several months of operations based on “worst-case” scenarios.  And regarding her patient clientele, she is pounding the pavement in order to build up her caseload months before the doors even open.  She will be successful for the long term, and it’s because she’s acting not only like a clinician, but also like an entrepreneur.

I read an article today that started me thinking about the client above, and it was about an entrepreneurship forum in Kansas in which business owners were learning about how to plan for success for the long haul.  Interestingly, one of the speakers at the entrepreneurship forum was a founder of a medical group.  This is exciting to me, as I believe that entrepreneurship within healthcare is the answer to many the problems that befall us in this industry.  Private practice owners need to become entrepreneurial in their approach to business practices in order to make significant shifts in payment models, service offerings, and cost reduction.  I’m really glad to see that entrepreneurship in healthcare is being used to educate others through this healthcare panelist, and I especially love to see it within the clients I work with day to day.

Three successful Wichita service-based entrepreneurs told a story of faith Thursday at Wichita State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

Have a business idea, believe in it, find people who complement your talents and establish a brand, said business owners in medicine, advertising and investment.

Joseph Galichia, founder of Galichia Medical Group; Sonia Greteman, chief executive of Greteman Group; and Corporate Lodging Consultants founder Barry Downing were the speakers at WSU’s final spring entrepreneurship forum.

The advice-oriented session focused on what makes a service-based business go, something the three panelists largely agreed on.