What Are Your Reports Really Telling You?
Jul 23, 2025
Let me ask you something:
When you pull a report—production, collections, accounts receivable, overhead—do you trust what you’re looking at?
Because if you don’t, you’ve got a serious problem.
Bad data is worse than no data. At least when you have no data, you know you’re guessing. When you have bad data, you think you’re making informed decisions—until the wheels fall off.
One of my clients recently showed me three versions of their Accounts Receivable report from the same software. One report showed they were elite—almost no money owed. Another showed they were average. The third one? It looked like a financial disaster.
Same software. Three different outcomes.
So I asked, “Which one do you believe?”
The answer: “I don’t know.”
That right there is the problem. And it’s more common than you think.
This is one of the first things I diagnose when working with a new business:
✅ Are you tracking the right metrics?
✅ Are you running the reports the right way?
✅ Can you actually trust what you see?
If not, your strategy is built on sand. And I don’t care how hard you work—if your foundation is garbage, your results will be too.
1. Know the Industry Standards
This is your baseline. If you don’t know what “good” looks like, you’ll never know when something’s off.
What’s the ideal overhead percentage?
What’s the benchmark for collections vs. production?
How much A/R is acceptable at 30, 60, 90 days?
Without this, you’re grading your own homework. And that never ends well.
2. Verify the Data in Your Reports
Just because a report exists doesn’t mean it’s accurate.
Too many people pull reports without knowing what filters are applied—or worse, they rely on outdated templates that no longer reflect the way the business runs.
I’ve seen payment processing issues where one unchecked box completely skews your reports. If the data entry is wrong, the output is wrong. Period.
Solution: Spend time with your practice management software. Learn how to run reports correctly. Better yet—create standardized templates with clearly defined parameters.
3. Systematize the Reporting Process
If it’s not scheduled, it’s not happening.
You need weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports. Same format. Same day. Every time. This creates visibility. You’ll start to see patterns. And when something’s off—you’ll catch it before it becomes a fire.
Make reporting part of your operating rhythm, not something you do when you “have time.”
4. Involve Your Team
Most businesses keep data at the top. The doctor sees it. The owner sees it. The manager sees it. But the people responsible for influencing the numbers? They’re left in the dark.
Bring your team into the numbers. Help them understand how their actions affect the outcome. If your front desk doesn’t know how their follow-up calls impact collections, don’t be surprised when collections slip.
People respect what you inspect. But first—they need to know what they’re aiming for.
Final Thought:
If you don’t trust your data, you can’t trust your decisions.
And if you can’t trust your decisions, you’re not leading—you’re reacting.
It’s time to stop managing by gut feeling. It’s time to manage by facts.
