Know Thyself

I moved from Chicago to Michigan in the early 2000s. In Chicago, roads are laid out thoughtfully in a grid. Streets that run North and South are named. Roads that run East and West are numbered. If you want to go to 159th and South Park Avenue, you drive to South Park Avenue and head further south until the numbers climb to 159. It’s literally that easy. In Michigan, the same road might have three names and run North/South AND East/West. I relied heavily on GPS for the first few years I lived here. GPS was in its infancy, and it took a minute or two to lock onto satellites before it was willing to offer directions. But the comfort of knowing my actual location was worth the wait. 

Frequently in the summer, I attend barbecues and overeat. The following Monday morning, knowing full well that I outpaced my caloric allocation for the weekend, I get on the scale and assess the damage. From that point forward? I plan what I should eat differently that week to make up the difference (which usually lasts at least until I get to Starbucks). 

Getting into PT school was no joke. It was highly competitive and grade oriented. After each exam, grades were posted. Back in the 1900s, grades were written on a sheet of paper and taped up in the hallway. A miniature crowd would stand on their tiptoes around it to make sure the performance met expectations and to verify there was still a chance of being accepted into the school. 

In all these cases, whether I knew it or not, I was pursuing measurable improvement. Improvement in time to get where I was going, improvement in dietary habits or physical health, and improvement in academic performance or professional achievement all have a common element. To know where I was going, it was critically important to measure where I was. 

As Physical Therapists, the initial evaluation is absolutely filled with objective measurements and assessments. We use outcome tools and goniometers. We use special tests designed to provoke pain just so we can get a piece of binary information. We even objectify people’s experience of pain by asking them to tell us “what number” of pain they’re experiencing. 

So why is it, after all the measuring we’re willing to do for ourselves and others, that we reflexively flinch at the notion of being measured? Why do we recoil at the thought of our productivity being posted? Why is it taboo to discuss profitability in the healthcare industry? There are even harder questions. If we say we prioritize patient care, why don’t we agree to be paid on outcomes? Why do we reject the idea of being incentivized based on patient satisfaction scores? We’ll explore these ideas more in our next post. The task now is simpler. 

The first step in the process is getting on the scale. It’s patiently locking onto the satellites for navigation. It’s knowing your GPA. To start down an honest road of embracing data-driven improvement, the first step isn’t just accepting the notion of being measured. At this moment, if you want to improve in a measurable way, you must know where you are and how that was measured. 

Your EMR may have tools that you’re not using that will give you a fundamental understanding of your current performance. We’re not talking about setting targets yet. We’re not talking about rational and reasonable goals. We’re not talking about bias or circumstance. But to have the conversation at all? We need to start somewhere. And the best place to start? Don’t let your mind leap ahead to what you can or can’t do. Just get a good, clear idea of where you are right now. 

AgileEMR is set up in a way that makes being a physical therapist more efficient and effective. The customizable templates within AgileEMR make tracking each patient’s progress as unique and customizable as they are. Giving every patient access to their history to see their growth is an important part of the physical therapy experience. Within AgileEMR there are many easy-to-use tools that make printing or emailing patient records, tasks, and exercises quick and simple. If you’re looking for more information on EMR systems or the features within our EMR program, look no further. Since launching, AgileEMR has been used in more than 1 million patient cases by all kinds of providers in the outpatient physical therapy and hospital rehabilitation fields. We’re confident that our program can meet all your practice needs and can help streamline documentation at your physical therapy practice.  

Read here for more information on what features you should look for in an EMR system.