The Most Expensive Employee Is the One Who Can't Fill Your Schedule

I was talking with a client recently about staffing.

The conversation wasn't really about the employee.

It was about the empty appointment slots.

The missed follow-up.

The patients sitting on a waitlist that nobody was actively managing.

The last-minute cancellations that never got filled.

Like many practice owners, the first question was: "Do I really want to spend more money on another team member?"

It's a fair question.

But I think it's often the wrong question.

Most practice owners evaluate employees based on what they cost.

Successful practice owners evaluate employees based on the revenue they protect.

Let's say you hire someone who costs an additional $400 a month.

At first glance, that's an expense.

But what if that person fills two cancelled appointments? Works the waitlist consistently? Follows up with the prospective patient who was thinking about booking but never scheduled?

Suddenly, that $400 isn't an expense at all.

It's an investment protecting thousands of dollars in revenue.

I've seen practices spend months trying to save a few hundred dollars while unknowingly losing thousands because nobody owned the process.

Every practice has leaks.

Patients who don't reschedule. Leads who never get contacted. Openings that go unfilled.

The question isn't whether those leaks exist.

The question is whether someone on your team is responsible for finding them.

As your practice grows, stop asking: "What does this employee cost me?"

Start asking: "What revenue are they protecting?"

Those are two very different conversations. And one of them leads to growth.

Stay Profitable, Dan

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This post first appeared in The Profit Weekly, Dan's Friday email for private-pay and hybrid practice owners. Get The Profit Weekly every Friday.