Embrace the opportunity that emergency patients bring and watch them become your greatest and most loyal fans. If you don’t already have one, create an emergency patient experience protocol. Obviously, this goes beyond triaging the patient to address the immediate oral health problem. This protocol also addresses how the patient is to be managed throughout the visit. Certainly, the priority is to get the person out of pain, but it is also a huge opportunity to provide a truly excellent patient experience that the patient will not only remember fondly, but will happily share with others. In addition, it’s the opportunity to educate the patient on what your practice can do for them so that they don’t find themselves in a similar situation in the future.  
 

The objective is to ensure that the emergency patient feels that the employees are understanding and helpful – not punitive – even when staff are under pressure. Pay attention to cues the patient gives. Does the patient appear anxious or fearful? Is the person concerned about the cost of the treatment or the pain or the time the procedure is going to require? Is the patient apologizing because it’s been such a long time since their last appointment? Has this person had a negative dental experience in the past? Does the patient appear angry or frustrated?  
 
Listening closely to the patient’s concerns will help you identify possible objections they may have to pursuing comprehensive care. Knowing these enables you to break them down with appropriate educational tools. Making the effort to understand patient concerns and show sincere kindness and compassion will enable you to convert far more emergency patients to comprehensive exams.

How many minutes do you lose every day on unproductive tasks that should be handled by someone else? Thirty? Sixty? Ninety? Most likely, you don’t keep track. If you did, it would be entirely too depressing. Consider for a moment what you are doing when you are most productive. I bet it’s what you enjoy doing the most – the dentistry. When you are least productive you are probably handling all of the issues that come with running a practice – e.g. hiring employees, explaining procedures, managing conflict, responding to concerns with patients, paying bills, explaining fees, answering the common everyday questions, and the list goes on.

Certainly, all of the aforementioned duties are part of daily life in a busy dental practice. The problem is that many dentists begin their careers doing various jobs and wearing several hats. Over time, the majority of these responsibilities need to be delegated and managed more effectively by others. But work hoarding is a problem for many practitioners. The consequence is valuable minutes and hours frittered away on …

Revolving door hiring practices - Employees come and go on a regular basis.
Team Trainer – You take it upon yourself to “train” new hires.
In-office IT Expert – You like to “tinker with technology.” When there is a problem with the computers, you believe you must be the information technology expert.
Firefighter –You are continually putting out fires, i.e. dealing with the daily problems, situations, and crises that arise.

Shore up your management systems and you’ll spend far more time and energies on those productive activities that you enjoy the most and will take your practice the furthest.

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For additional assistance please visit our New Dentist Resources page under Practice Management at http://www.thenewdentist.net/resources.htm

What many newer dentists don’t consider is that those seemingly insignificant expenditures and special purchases here and there can quickly bury them in unnecessary debt, particularly during difficult economic times. Worse yet, it can set the stage for serious monetary struggles throughout their careers.

The key to avoiding financial troubles is to implement a strategy to control overhead from day one. New equipment purchases should not be made unless they will increase production and revenue flow immediately. Staff salaries cannot be increased unless the practice is on solid financial footing. Patients must be given financing options that encourage them to pursue treatment promptly. And specific budget targets must be established to help the office reach the overhead benchmark of 55% of collections in the coming year, specifically:

Dental supplies – 5%

Office supplies – 2%

Rent – 5%

Laboratory – 10%

Payroll – 20%

Payroll taxes and benefits - 3%

Miscellaneous - 10%

Unfortunately, setting the goal to achieve the budget targets is the easy part. Reaching it is the challenge, as many dentists struggle to develop the systems that will enable them to realize those benchmarks. Don’t go it alone, seek help.

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For additional assistance please visit our New Dentist resources page under Practice Management at http://www.thenewdentist.net/resources.htm

It’s nice to know when you’ve made a good decision, and your decision to go into dentistry was perhaps among your best. According to U.S. News you have chosen not only a great profession but one of the very best.

U.S. News ranks the top 100 jobs every year to help job seekers in determining their best moves. Practicing dentists have long touted the profession as being the very best, but how did U.S. News come to the decision it was the number 1 job in America?

The report is based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The initial search is for jobs with the greatest hiring demand from now until 2020. Then U.S. News scores each of these jobs based on the following criteria: 10-year growth volume, 10-year growth percentage, median salary, employment rate, future job prospects, stress level, and work-life balance.

As you might expect, dentistry ranks high in all of these categories. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment growth of 21% for dentists between 2010 and 2020. This is good news for new dentists as well as dental students.

Here are the Top Ten of 100 Jobs on this list:

#1 Dentist
#2 Registered Nurse
#3 Pharmacist
#4 Computer Systems Analyst
#5 Physician
#6 Database Administrator
#7 Software Developer
#8 Physical Therapist
#9 Web Developer
#10 Dental Hygienist

As any practice owner knows all too well, being solely responsible for ensuring that every aspect of the business is running as it should be is a job of Herculean proportions. Even for the most detail-oriented perfectionist, effectively diagnosing and delivering treatment as well as managing every other aspect of the practice from collections, to scheduling, to hygiene, to hiring, and the list goes on, is virtually impossible.

But if the employees are thinking like CEOs, if they are trained and understand how the systems are supposed to work, they are in a perfect place to spot problems before they become crises. Oftentimes, when given the opportunity, employees can be your best source for innovative solutions to increasing efficiency, improving customer service, and reducing costs.

As the “CEOs” of their specific practice systems, employees can be a tremendously valuable resource to and a major factor in total practice success. Part of creating a “CEO mentality” is seeking input from those on your team. Oftentimes, given the opportunity, employees can be a powerful resource in identifying better ways to do things as well as where to save money.

Your Dental Practice’s financial reports give you a much clearer picture of your financial situation.

Make sure you check the following regularly:

The Accounts Receivable Aging Report should include all credit balances and all debit balances. It is vital to understand how many dollars are outstanding 30, 60, and 90+ days. This report should be printed monthly.

The Outstanding Insurance Claims Report identifies how many dollars in outstanding claims there are in each category: current, 30, 60 and over-90 days. This report is crucial because the longer dollars remain outstanding in claims, the more costly it is to the practice. Print this report monthly. Many of today’s software systems allow you to track the numbers daily.

The Accountant Earnings Report details exactly how many dollars are being written off in each category: accounting adjustments, insurance plan adjustments, professional courtesies, pre-payment courtesies, etc. Monitor it daily and monthly.

The Production by Provider Report allows you to track individual provider production for each dentist and hygienist. It is important to track individual production numbers to determine productivity. Typically, hygiene production should produce approximately 30% of the total production in an office. However, if doctor exams are not included, the number tends to be lower.

The Production by Code Report tracks the frequency of specific procedures. This can be used to determine productivity, treatment acceptance rates, and much more. Also, if the practice is utilizing special techniques, tracking the production by code will help to determine effectiveness, i.e.; tooth whitening, periodontal aides, crowns, bridges, and implants.

The Treatment Plan Report identifies how many dollars are being presented to patients. Utilizing this report effectively can identify your success rate in treatment acceptance. The formula for this is: Dollars recommended divided by dollars accepted equals case acceptance rate. Your case acceptance percentage should be at least 85%.

Establish ground rules. Too often meetings get derailed because there is no code of conduct and they degenerate into a free for all. You have the dominators who absolutely must express their opinions. The silent sulkers cannot get a word in, so they simply shut down until after the meeting when they share their true thoughts. Then there are the “side conversationists” who are whispering away and “multi-taskers” who are checking email or cruising Facebook on their smartphones, and the list goes on. With the team, establish the ground rules for your meetings.

For example:

• Meetings start and end at the designated time.
• Agenda items are addressed one item at a time.
• Everyone comes to the meeting prepared and arrives on time.
• Opinions and viewpoints are expressed politely and by all.
• One person speaks at a time.
• Everyone listens with respect.
• Cell phones and laptops are turned off.
• Relevant information is shared freely.
• Questions are welcomed to better understand issues and points of view.
• When necessary, reasoning behind opinions is explained.
• Disagreements and differing opinions are welcomed as an opportunity to learn more about an issue and ultimately make a more informed decision.
• Meeting notes are to be sent within one week of the meeting.

Post these where everyone can see them at every meeting. In addition, ask a member of the team to read them aloud at the start of every meeting, at least early on. Don’t let people slide, gently remind offenders of the rules from day one.

**This post has been added by a new contributor – Mary Fusco – With the joint purpose of finding out more about the shortage and access to dental care. Thank you in advance for your input. We appreciate your time and efforts to contribute to this study.**

I was a dental assistant for 12 years right out of high school and I have maintained an interest in dental workforce issues ever since. After completing my bachelors and masters degrees, I worked in non-profits where I devoted my time to dental workforce issues. I am now working at a dental school and I’m a PhD candidate in the dissertation phase with a topic focused on dental workforce shortages affecting access to care.

I’m interested in finding out if experience with dentistry prior to and during dental school affects how a person feels about their dental skills and abilities, and then finding out if these experiences (such as community outreach) influence practice preference. I believe the results of my study will help with dental admissions processes and with dental clinic recruitment and hiring. I’m focusing on dentists who have graduated between 2006 and 2011 to complete a short (10 minute) survey. I’ll share the results of my research with those who are interested.

Anyone interested in learning more about the research study and taking the survey please go to: https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/mpfusco/142155

Thank you, in advance, for your participation!
Mary Fusco, MA, PhD ABD

Certainly, the last year brought more change than most care to think about, as much of it was not easy.  If you don’t ever again want to face a year like you just did, I strongly suggest you commit to making economic change of your own in the coming months and ensure that regardless of the financial sector’s projections of  boom or bust, you practice is well positioned.

Start with the messages that you and your team regularly communicate to patients. Does your staff convey ordinary or outstanding, state of the art or status quo? Is the excellence of the team and the dentistry routinely conveyed to the patient? And, most importantly, have you even considered the messages you’re sending to your patients in every interaction, from the first phone call, to the emergency appointment, to the routine visit? If not, it’s time to listen up and script your success.

Use a well-crafted script to discourage patients from canceling appointments. When a patient calls to cancel, your business staff should ask for permission to put them on hold, access their file, and use the information to motivate them to keep the appointment. For example: “Mrs. Jones, I’m looking at the doctor’s notes and she emphasized that there is significant decay in that tooth. I know it is very important that you keep the appointment, would you reconsider?” The patient may still cancel, but in some cases, they will be convinced to keep it. Moreover, calling specific attention to the patient’s need for the appointment further underscores the value and importance of pursuing the recommended treatment, and emphasizing the need for care has never been more critical. Particularly since even in the best of economic times, many patients will put off certain procedures for as long as possible. Additionally, ensure that there is an established protocol to follow-up with patients who cancel. In many offices, it is months before anyone follows up on a cancellation.

“Dr. Tom” called me in frustration to discuss the fact that his office manager of 15 years leaves every day at 2 p.m. He is understandably concerned because the office is essentially left unattended for the better part of the afternoon. Moreover, a multitude of essential duties are routinely left undone because when the clock strikes mid-afternoon, “Kim” is out the door.

While the role and specific duties of the office manager may vary from practice to practice, the cornerstone of the job is efficiency. This person should be able to oversee key practice systems to ensure that the office is running efficiently. They may have multiple duties including answering phones, helping with the schedule, running reports, sitting down with the doctors to alert them to issues, and concerns with patients and staff. Whatever shape the role takes, it must be clearly defined to best meet the overall management needs of the practice. And the duties must be spelled out, point by point, in black and white. Additionally, specific goals for the position that compliment overall practice goals must be identified. Performance measurements must be in place to measure the individual’s success as well as necessary tools to help the individual achieve success, such as office manager training.

In the case of Kim, Dr. Tom values her contribution to the practice and emphasizes that she has been a good employee. However, it appears that given her years with the practice she now believes that she is entitled to a “flexible” schedule. Again, Kim needs specific direction from the doctor as to what is expected of her. Once Kim understands clearly what the role of office manager means in this practice, she can choose to accept the job or find other opportunities.