7 ways to make the most of Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day is more than a three-day break for practice administrators. It marks the bittersweet transition from spring’s scramble to summer’s sprint: patient volumes can swell with travel injuries and allergy flares just as staff begin disappearing for long-awaited vacations. The holiday also lands near the fiscal year’s midpoint; an ideal time to check whether hiring plans, revenue targets and quality metrics are on track or need a course correction.

Yet the day’s deeper purpose, honoring service members who gave their lives in uniform, reminds administrators that health care’s mission transcends schedules and spreadsheets. The long weekend invites reflection on service in all its forms: military sacrifice, patient care, and the daily acts of support that keep front-office teams, billers and clinicians moving in sync. Practically, it’s one of the few stretches when phones quiet, payers pause audits and vendors slow their email blasts, giving leaders rare, uninterrupted hours to think as strategically as they act.

Use the time wisely and you’ll return Tuesday with sharper plans, a rested mind and a staff that sees you modeling the boundaries you preach. Squander it on inbox triage and you risk starting summer already on fumes. The following seven strategies blend rest, reflection and light preparation so you and your practice can head into the busy season recharged and ready.