Closing (or not closing) your practice for inclement weather
Whether or not you should close your practice when winter weather gets extreme is one of those questions that every practice must figure out on their own. I've heard close/not close policy explanations from practice clients of all stripes that range from "when the roads are bad we'll always err on the side of safety, not just for our employees but our patients, too" to "if McDonald's is open and serving people coffee, why can't we be there to help our patients?" Guiding principles are useful, but there likely are considerations beyond the philosophical when it comes to closing up shop for a snow day. Local attitudes toward snowy conditions may matter. In New England, where I'm from, it takes a lot of snow and ice to keep people off the roads. But in southern states, the prevailing attitude is probably more cautious. If you're in a place where people are less comfortable driving in snow and ice, should you keep the office open? (Is it worth it to go the extra mile and keep your doors open for patients when you're not sure your patients will even show up?) Your specialty likely matters a lot, too. A patient with asthma and the flu (or the parent of said patient) may be desperate to keep their pediatric appointment, even if it means driving behind the snowplow. On the other hand, patients booked for a monthly mid-pregnancy check or regular visit with their endocrinologist might be happy to reschedule to avoid messy roads. The bottom line is you'll need to consider a lot of factors when deciding whether or not to close your doors. There's no automatic right or wrong answer. Do keep in mind, though, that the decision may be bigger than it seems. Above all, closing up shop for weather is something you should plan ahead for, so that if the need to close arises, the process will be efficient and you'll minimize the impact on the business and your patients. Know your potential revenue loss--and how you'll offset it A costly mistake practices sometimes make is underestimating the