With a new year on the horizon, now is the time to reflect on the last twelve months. For small ABA practices, this means evaluating your organization’s health. To effectively plan for growth as we approach 2024, it is imperative you assess the operational health of your practice and identify key areas of needed improvement. Read on to consider a few of the most essential areas of evaluation for scaling your practice.
Assess Your Client Care Outcomes and Satisfaction
Having a solid foundation to drive client success is pivotal to organizational growth. For an ABA organization, a clinical data system is the backbone of the practice. As such, start by evaluating your systems. Consider whether your data collection systems are accurate, consistent, and streamlined to enhance and maximize face-to-face care.
Conduct comprehensive client reviews to evaluate each client’s progress over the last several months. Plan ahead by modifying goals and planning for future treatment plans. Consider whether your communication with caregivers is sufficient in keeping them up-to-date regarding the progression of their child’s care.
Evaluate your organization’s clinical programs. Are you implementing programs that are guided by an effective, research-supported curriculum? Consider areas for curriculum improvement based on the latest behavior analytic research.
Assess the Profitability of Your Practice
Next, evaluate your organization’s profitability. This is a vital piece to the puzzle for scaling your practice. Start by thoroughly examining your financial statements and expenses. Consider whether there are areas of opportunity for reducing expenses. With this information, set clear financial goals for your organization in 2024. Regular analyses will provide vital insights into your practice’s financial health, enabling informed decision-making.
A critical component of financial stability is an organization’s billing and reimbursements. First, consider how accurately and timely your organization submits claims for services rendered. Develop strategies for improving the timeliness of your claims. Additionally, monitor your claims processing. Consider how your organization fairs in key metrics of finanicial success.
Avoid financial surprises for your organization and your clients by thoroughly preparing for the change in benefits in the new year. As most plans reset or change at the start of a new year, make preparations for annual verification of benefits for each client. Obtain up-to-date information, have families complete new intake forms, and update your records so you’re ready to verify benefits on January 2nd.
Assess Your Staff Training & Development
Your practice’s health depends on well-trained and highly competent staff. Conduct competency assessments across your team to identify areas where additional training is necessary. Consider group trainings to address common areas of low performance. Make plans for further supporting your team with ongoing continuing education opportunities. Staying current with the latest research and best practices is essential for an ABA organization.
As your practice grows, planning for staff succession will be vital. Identify staff who exhibit exceptional performance and may be a candidate for growth opportunities. Support this growth with leadership development and mentorship plans.
Assess the Health of Your Practice as you Grow
Embrace the opportunities for growth as we approach the new year. In our checklist, ABA Practice Health Checklist for Growing Small Practices, we dive deeper into five critical areas of operational success. Use our checklist to comprehensively evaluate your practice to ensure your organization is in a healthy place for growth in 2024.
