The holiday season can be a time to relax and reconnect for some, but for business owners— especially those in healthcare—they can feel like a test of endurance. If you’re like most practice owners, every year you’re probably wrestling with questions like, What happens if something urgent comes up? What if patients can’t reach us? How do we make sure things don’t fall apart while the office is closed?
If your practice is unable to function without you or some other key individual, a few key measures are needed to make operations smooth and scalable. The holidays offer a unique opportunity to test the strength of your systems, your team, and especially your communication strategy. Are you ready for the season, or will it come with a side of phone calls, confusion, and stress?
Practices often fall into two camps—those that wing it, hope for the best, and spend their holidays in panic mode, and those that plan ahead, spend time thinking about a strategy, and unplug with confidence. Don’t aim to be perfect here, just aim to be prepared.
1. Treat Communication Like a Priority
In healthcare, preparation and planning can be make-or-break—especially when it comes to the holidays. Too many practices struggle with holiday closures, not because they don’t care but because they don’t plan early enough or at all!
Don’t wait until the last minute to communicate your holiday schedule. Whatever feels early, start even earlier than that! Post your office closure dates everywhere patients look: emails, texts, your website, even a simple sign at the front desk or on the front door. A website banner might take 10 minutes to set up with verbiage like, “We’ll be closed from [date] to [date]. For urgent assistance, please contact [phone number],” but it will save countless headaches for your staff and patients.
Your team needs the same clarity. Talk about the upcoming schedule in meetings, confirm expectations and roles, and make sure everyone knows what’s happening and who will be available before, during, and after the break. External vendors, like medical supply companies, lab partners, or IT teams also need a heads-up, too. No one likes surprises, especially when it impacts their work.
2. Address the Back-End Before the Break
The back-end of your practice—billing, paperwork, admin tasks—is the backbone of operations. If you leave loose ends untied in the lead up to the holidays, they’ll be waiting for you in force come January.
Make sure any outstanding claims are submitted or resubmitted, document statuses, and try to automate as much as possible like claim submissions, payment posting, or patient reminders. Plus, set up calendar reminders for tasks that will need immediate attention when you’re back.
Give your team time to handle end-of-year administrative tasks in the week leading up to the office closure. Create a checklist to ensure everything is in order—outstanding claims submitted, reports finalized, workflows queued. The clearer the slate when you leave, the smoother your return will be.
3. Plan Ahead for the “What Ifs”
No matter how much you prepare, people will still try to reach you while the office is closed and will be upset if they can’t reach you. Set up temporary out-of-office messages for both email and phone. A clear, simple auto-response like, “Thank you for contacting [your practice]. We’re closed for the holidays and will reopen on [date]. For urgent assistance, please call [phone number],” will reassure your patients while keeping them informed.
Consider setting up a chatbot on your website that can announce your office closure, convey important details to patients, and answer questions and concerns that might arise like how to get prescription refills or how to reschedule an appointment.
If your practice offers after-hours or emergency care, direct calls to the appropriate provider or phone line. If not, include instructions for finding local urgent care or addressing common concerns.
The Holiday Season is a Stress Test of Your Systems
The holidays can be a stress test for your practice, and you don’t want to find out the hard way if something is going to break. If you’re worried about what might happen while you’re gone, that’s a sign your systems and communication need work. Challenge yourself and your team to do more than just take a break—use the time to see how well your systems perform without you. If everything runs smoothly, you’re in a good spot. If there are hiccups, you’ll know exactly where to focus your energy in the new year.
With a little preparation, stepping away from the office can be a stepping stone to a stronger, more efficient and independent practice. And when you come back, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.
Andrew Speight
Andrew Speight is Chief Marketing Officer at RXNT.
