This month, from June 27 to 30, PTs from across the nation will converge in Denver for the annual conference and expo of the American Physical Therapy Association. The theme for this year's conference is appropriately named "Reaching New Heights." With increased competition from physician-owned physical therapy services and other health care providers, and issues such as tighter reimbursement, PTs need to strive to continuously reach new heights with their skill set and knowledge.

The theme of the conference resonates with the Japanese concept of Kaizen, which was first introduced to me to by Andre van Commencee, PT, who wrote an article for Physical Therapy Products about using Kaizen to implement evidence-based practice in his facility (read the article from our September 2006 issue, "Evidence Matters").

The Kaizen method of continuous incremental improvements is an originally Japanese management concept for gradual, continuous change. Kaizen is actually a way-of-life philosophy, assuming that every aspect of our life deserves to be constantly improved. The foundation of the Kaizen method consists of five founding elements: teamwork, personal discipline, improved morale, quality circles, and suggestions for improvement.

Consider how this relates to your current job and practice protocols as a PT. Are you constantly seeking to improve the teamwork within your practice, create more efficient front-office processes, and boost positive morale? Or, are you simply bogged down with the pressures and hurdles of running a profitable practice with no time to concentrate on the bigger picture? The beauty of Kaizen is that it emphasizes incremental improvement. Did a staff PT perform his or her duties with exceptional skill this week? Reinforce the behavior with positive feedback—it takes just 5 minutes and will help you develop talented and dedicated staff.

While concentrating on improving the business aspects of your practice, you must remember that all of the changes for the better are focused toward one ultimate goal—to provide the highest-quality care for your patients. Examine all of the areas of your practice that focus directly on patient interaction. How can each of these areas be improved to create better-quality circles? Inspect your patient waiting area—does the practice décor reflect the mood and patient comfort level you want to create? Listen to and observe closely the communication skills of your front-office staff—do they encourage warmth and open interaction with patients? Perhaps create a quality-assurance checklist that can be reviewed on a regular basis by management and staff to stay on track of these goals.

If you are attending the conference in Denver, think about how every colleague, mentor, student, and vendor that you meet and speak with can help you find ways to improve your skills. If you are not attending the conference, consider the interactions in your workplace with your coworkers and patients as a daily opportunity to find area of improvement. In his practice, Commencee states that Kaizen "is about acquiring the best technology possible, recruiting the best people and developing the team, doing a better job in marketing, and giving the best patient service." This captures the concept perfectly.

While attending the conference in Denver, I'll be sure to gather information I see and hear on new technology and best practices for PTs to improve and advance in their skills. In the meantime, let me know what incremental improvements you've put into place and how they positively affected your practice.

Arati Murti