The holiday season is upon us, bringing a unique blend of busyness, patient needs, and year-end administrative tasks. For medical practices, this time of year can be both rewarding and challenging. With the right planning, you can maintain smooth operations, support your staff, keep patients informed, and finish the year strong.

Here are key steps to help your medical practice prepare for the holidays:

1. Finalize Your Holiday Schedule Early

Holiday hours and on-call rotations can become stressful if not addressed in advance.

• Confirm provider PTO and staff time-off requests.
• Establish coverage needs for high-demand days.
• Communicate your finalized schedule internally and externally as early as possible.

Sharing schedule updates through your website, social channels, patient portal, and voicemail ensures patients know what to expect.

2. Communicate with Patients Clearly and Consistently

Patients need timely reminders—especially around the holidays when routines are disrupted.

• Send announcements about shortened hours or closures.
• Remind patients to refill prescriptions before office closures.
• Notify dialysis or chronic-care patients about any schedule adjustments well in advance.

Clear communication builds trust and helps avoid last-minute issues.

3. Streamline Administrative & Billing Tasks Before Year-End

The end of the year brings deadlines—don't let them pile up.

• Review outstanding claims and insurance verifications.
• Ensure billing staff is supported with proper coverage.
• Reconcile accounts, update credentialing documents, and monitor expiring authorizations.

Tower Physician Solutions can assist with revenue cycle management to keep your practice financially strong heading into the new year.

4. Support Your Staff During a Busy Season

The holidays can be stressful for healthcare teams.

• Offer flexible schedules where possible.
• Plan a small celebration or token of appreciation.
• Ensure staffing levels are adequate so no one feels overwhelmed.

A supported team provides better patient care.

5. Manage Inventory and Supplies

Supply chain delays can hit harder during the holidays.

• Check inventory for medical supplies and dialysis essentials.
• Reorder critical items early to avoid shortages.
• Ensure equipment maintenance is up-to-date before vendor availability decreases.

6. Plan for Increased Patient Volume

Some practices experience a pre-holiday surge as patients try to fit in appointments before the new year.

• Anticipate higher demand for labs, follow-ups, and preventative care.
• Consider extended hours or optimized scheduling blocks to accommodate additional visits.

7. Leverage Technology for Efficiency

Use tools that reduce manual work and keep communication seamless:

• Automated appointment reminders
• Online check-in
• Patient portals for messages, refill requests, and test results
• Reporting dashboards for year-end reviews

Tower Physician Solutions provides operational support and practice management tools to help streamline workflows so you can focus on delivering exceptional patient care.

Finish the Year Strong With the Right Support

Preparing your practice for the holiday season doesn't have to be overwhelming. With proactive planning and operational support, you can maintain high-quality care, reduce stress, and enter the new year organized and confident.

Tower Physician Solutions is here to support nephrology practices with administrative expertise, revenue cycle management, and practice operations—every step of the way.