0.0. Before you start: Tracking Key Growth Indicators

Growth doesn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of deliberate planning, consistent effort and strategic decision-making. Practices that invest their time, energy, and resources into tracking their progress are far more likely to achieve sustainable growth. In contrast, those that operate without clear direction may grow only by coincidence, not design.

Practice growth starts with measurement

If you're aiming to grow your private practice, don’t start with marketing or operations; start with understanding your baseline.

Consultants who measure their performance are far better placed to scale effectively. Without data, it's guesswork. With the right data, it's strategy.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure

Tracking key metrics helps you:

• Pinpoint what’s working and what’s not
• Allocate time and resources more efficiently
• Build a sustainable, scalable foundation for future growth

Without this, practices risk plateauing, missing red flags, or investing in areas that won’t drive results.

Four areas you should be measuring

1. Patient Insights: Who you’re seeing & how they found you

• Total Patients: Know how many patients you’re treating each month, quarter, and year.
• New vs Returning Patients: Understand acquisition vs retention performance.
• Referrals: Track both professional (GP, physio) and patient referrals.
• Patient Source Channels: Identify which acquisition channels are delivering results e.g. Google, social media or word-of-mouth.
  
  

2. Financial Health: Is your growth sustainable?

• Total Revenue: Monitor revenue trends month-on-month.
• Operational Costs: Know your running costs to keep growth profitable.
• Profitability: Subtract costs from revenue to calculate your margin.
• Revenue Per Patient: Identify your average return per appointment.
• Payor Mix: Track private, insured and NHS patient breakdowns to inform billing and strategy.
  
  

3. Operational Efficiency: How smoothly is your practice running?

• Outpatient vs Inpatient Activity: Assess how your services are divided.
• Procedure Mix: Know your most common treatments. This helps with pricing, staff planning and marketing.
• Cancellation/No-Show Rates: High numbers here could signal patient dissatisfaction or scheduling issues.
• Wait Times: How long are new patients waiting for treatment?
  
  

4. Marketing & Satisfaction: What patients think (and say)

• Net Promoter Score (NPS): A key indicator of patient satisfaction and loyalty.
• Website & Social Media: Monitor engagement, traffic and patient conversions.
• Marketing ROI: Understand which campaigns are paying off and which aren’t.

Start tracking with these steps

• Choose 1–2 Metrics per category
  Start small to build consistency. Track what’s easiest to measure and most meaningful.
  
• Standardise your data collection
  Ensure your data collection process is consistent. Standardising how you enter patient and practice information ensures reliable insights and helps avoid inconsistencies.
  
• Create a monthly review habit
  Set a recurring time to review key data, spot trends and make adjustments.
  
• Set benchmarks and goals
  Compare your current performance to industry averages or your past data. Then set clear targets.
  
• Act on the insights
  Data is only useful if you apply it. Use it to inform decisions around marketing, operations, pricing and patient care.
  
  

Use your practice management software, if you have it

Practice management software doesn’t just provide patients, it can help you run a smarter, more efficient private practice.

Operating systems, such as Medbelle OS, enable consultants to:

• Track patient volume, revenue and outcomes
• Automate reporting and insights
• Identify high-performing marketing channels
• Improve operational workflows

By combining insights with support, the technology used in these systems can help private practices grow with greater confidence and clarity.