PRACTICE INSIGHT HIRING AN ASSOCIATE NEEDS TO BE A WIN/WIN FOR BOTH PARTIES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Built for success Making associate agreements work When hiring an associate it is impor-tant to set up a financial formula that you, the owner, would accept if the role was reversed. One of the reasons most associates fail is because one of the parties feels like they are being taken advantage of. For example, senior doc-tors may be getting the prime hours while the associate is left with the less desirable days and hours. A senior doctor not offering a fair split to the associate is another scenario doomed for failure. While there are many factors that determine what the split should be, associates should be receiving any-where from 30 per cent on the low side to 60 per cent on the high side of their income. Factors that determine the percentage split can range from high rent locations, high overhead cost, how new patients are allocated, how much marketing is done, and hours that are allocated, among other things. MATCHING PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY IS PARAMOUNT I by ed lubberdink yourself why you want an associate in the first place. Some may want to hire an associate to reduce their hours yet maintain availability of care for their patients. Others might want to open up extra days and times that are not cur-rently available. Some might be moving into the twilight years of their careers and require an exit strategy. Some might even think associates will make them rich while they work less. The latter is the wrong attitude when hiring an associate as having an associate, or associates, requires more energy, time and money than one might think. Here are some points to consider if or when hiring an associate for your practice. DR. ED LUBBERDINK has been a chiropractor for 36 years. He is now helping other chiropractors negotiate and implement successful associateships through his Associate Resolution Contact Services. He listens to both sides of the situation and works as an arbitrator to create good working solutions for both parties. 20 Canadian Chiropractor February 2018 www.canadianchiropractor.ca Photo: Getty Images n my 36-years in practice I have experienced and gained perspec-tives from all the different sides of running a practice. A lot of time, money and energy go into interviewing, hiring and training an associate. Having been in practice for 36 years, I have been in different sides of this equation: as a solo owner, a practice owner with mul-tiple associates and more recently – and after selling my practice – as an associ-ate. What can you do to increase the likelihood that this business relation-ship between owner and associate would last? We best backtrack a little and ask It is important to hire someone who shares your values in practice – whether you are a subluxation-based, pain-based or rehabilitation-based practi-tioner. It can be frustrating if you are a subluxation/wellness-based doctor and you hire a pain-based graduate. This does not mean that one cannot learn from the other, but expect this to lead to many challenges along the way. It is always best to find someone who is either aligned with or open-minded to grow in the direction that the practice is based on. PATIENT ALLOCATION IS KEY It is very important to determine pa-tient allocation and have it in writing in the contract. This one factor has been at the helm of many associate disputes. New patient allocation is usually determined by what one might call “hot” or “cold” leads. A hot lead would be a new patient referred in by another patient. For example, the front desk staff should first ask, “Which one of our patients can we thank for referring you to our office?” This quickly
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