Hiring quality employees is not unlike providing quality dentistry. It requires planning, use of the right tools, and a methodical process. Establishing well polished hiring procedures from day one will save new dentists a career of regrettable hiring decisions.

It all begins with a little thought. Take 15 minutes and consider what you want this person to do. Once you’ve done that, update or write a job description for the job tailored to attract the employee you need. Include the job title, job summary, and specific duties. This is a simple yet critical tool in the hiring process. It clarifies what skills the applicant must possess and explains what duties they would perform.

When advertising, include salary range, location, hours, and importance of the position in your wording. Promote the advantages of your practice, “new technology, flexible hours, friendly and progressive environment.” Advertise in a variety of media, including employment websites, etc.  And encourage applicants to email resumes to expedite the process.

When reviewing resumes, look for those that explain skills and detail work experience chronology. Don’t assume that experience translates into good employees. Keep an eye out for resume red flags, e.g. only listing years rather than specific employment dates such as 2009-2011.

When you’ve narrowed your list to the top five, pre-screen potential candidates by phone. You want to use the conversation to address your most pressing concerns immediately, such as gaps in work history, salary expectations, etc.

During the face-to-face interview, ask the applicant to specifically explain past responsibilities. Be sure to ask open-ended questions such as, “How would you describe your previous employer?” Test for the best. Take advantage of Internet testing tools that are now available to dentists. Such testing has been used in the business sector for years to help companies identify the better candidates for specific positions. And finally, check references.

Still looking for more resources on how to hire the best employee? Go Here Need help with new employee testing? Click Here

Are you getting the most out of your hygiene department? Many new dentists aren’t sure how to measure the effectiveness of their hygiene departments. Establishing performance measurements and identifying a few fundamental expectations can make a big difference.

Consider these:

• If the hygienist receives a guaranteed salary regardless of production the expectation must be that s/he produces three times her/his salary.
• In addition to a base salary, consider paying hygienists a commission for achieving additional production.
• Schedule the hygienist to produce at 3x her/his daily wage.
• Evaluate fees and determine if they are too low. Look at the procedures conducted in an hour to determine the production per hour costs. If the hygienist is paid $40 per hour and the cost for the prophy, not including the dentist’s exam, is $80, the hygienist is making 50 cents on the dollar.
• The hygiene salary should be less than 33% of her/his production, not including the doctor’s exam fee.
• Insist on periodontal assessment. One-third of hygiene production should be in interceptive periodontal therapy. Require the hygienist measure the total number of dollars produced in the 4,000 code and divide it by his/her total production. Report that once per month at the monthly meeting.
• Customize the time per patient based on patient need not on a standard one-hour allocation for each patient.
• Provide hygiene hours in the evening if patients are requesting late appointments.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of pre-scheduling. Practices using six month scheduling achieve only 76% patient retention and have a nearly 50% higher loss of patients than similar-sized practices that do not pre-appoint.

Establish expectations and performance measurements for hygiene and watch this department become a full contributor to your practice profits.

Still looking for pointers on effectively managing your Hygiene Department? Go Here

Your training may be excellent, your techniques may be superior, and your compassion may be unsurpassed. But if patients are rejecting treatment or not following up on your recommendations it’s critical you consider why that is happening.

Many new dentists struggle with treatment acceptance because they haven’t considered the barriers that many patients have to overcome to actually say “yes.”

Consider these suggestions to improve your treatment acceptance among patients in your growing practice.

• Present treatment plans to patients as if the person were a member of your family.
  

• Present the plan that you honestly feel the patient needs, not just what you think the patient can afford.
  

• Communicate to the patient clearly and in lay terms what this plan consists of.
  Many doctors talk way over the patient’s head.

• Put yourself in your patients’ shoes. If you went through the very same procedures in your own practice would you accept treatment or would you walk out?

• Consider using a trained treatment coordinator.

Professionally trained treatment coordinators are expected to achieve an 85% rate of treatment acceptance. This person is responsible for answering the many questions that patients have but often don’t want to bother the doctor with. Such as, “Why does the doctor think it needs to be done now? How much is the treatment going to cost me? Can I make payments? How many appointments am I going to need? Is the procedure going to be painful? What happens if I just wait a while?” and the list goes on.

The treatment coordinator also makes sure the patient is scheduled. If the patient doesn’t schedule that day, it is the treatment coordinator who follows up. They break down the barriers that prevent patients from pursuing recommended care. They offer reassurance and unlimited assistance to the patient in helping them fully understand the treatment, the need for it, and the benefits of pursuing it.

Over the last 12 months an entire year slipped by. For some the close of 2011 saw productivity and team cohesiveness stronger than ever. For others it was yet another year of more of the same. Inadequate systems that managed to shuffle through ‘11 will limp into ‘12. Productivity will continue to teeter between the “sorely lacking” and the “barely good enough” levels – not because the doctor isn’t working his/her hardest or individual team members aren’t committed to the cause. Rather it’s typically because the primary focus is on dealing with whatever problem has to be managed right now and not on addressing what caused that problem and what can be done to prevent it in the future.

Ironically, a mere 24 hours over the next year could transform a practice locked in a seemingly perpetual state of crisis management or lackluster success into one of superior efficiency and productivity. Monthly business meetings that are given just two hours of dedicated, uninterrupted doctor and staff time could be most cost-effective, production efficient step you’ll take to achieve your practice’s full potential in the coming year. The key: designate every member of the team a contributor. Here’s how:

1. Block off two hours each month over the next 12 months. These are the 24-hours that you commit to continuously improving your practice during the next year.
2. Develop an agenda with input from the entire team.
3. Include all areas that impact the profitability/success of the practice. For example: numbers of new patients, recall patients, collections, treatment acceptance, production, accounts receivables, unscheduled time units for doctor and hygiene, uncollected insurance revenues over 60 days, overhead, etc.
4. Distribute the agenda at least two days in advance of the meeting.
5. Assign each member of the team to report on the area for which they are responsible. For example, the scheduling coordinator reports on the monthly production as compared to the goal, the number of unscheduled time units for the doctor, and the doctor’s daily average production.
6. Encourage team members to come prepared to discuss topics on the agenda. For example, if the doctor has a higher number of unscheduled time units than desired, the team can discuss contacting patients with unscheduled treatment, encouraging hygiene patients with unscheduled treatment to move forward on recommended care, identifying patients with unused insurance benefits, etc.
7. Seek input from everyone by asking questions such as, “What is your reaction to that?” “As the patient, how would you react?” “What are the advantages of this approach? What are the potential disadvantages?”
8. Delegate responsibilities and establish deadlines for completing tasks identified during the staff meetings. For example, if hygiene cancellations are high and the group has developed a plan to reduce the cancellations the person responsible, probably the hygiene coordinator, needs to know she is accountable for implementing the changes and should be prepared to report on the effects of those changes at the next monthly meeting.
9. Share ideas during staff meetings for improving the work environment, the patient experience, and the efficiency of the practice.
10. Designate the amount of time you will spend discussing each issue and avoid getting bogged down on unrelated topics.
11. Discuss only what is on the agenda.
12. Hold staff meetings off-site in a conference room with a conference table. Many local libraries, community colleges, and other public facilities have public meeting rooms available for use.
13. Eliminate outside interruptions.
14. Seek consensus from the staff as to the best time to hold staff meetings; meetings scheduled outside normal work hours should be paid.
15. Hold meetings at least once per month, more frequently if you are implementing several changes.

Meetings are meant to be designated times in which you can focus all of your energy and team resources on addressing key management issues and problems that arise as a part of operating a small business. Run correctly, they are the most effective means to identify and solve problems, establish policies, share information, motivate each other, define areas of responsibility, and exchange ideas. Use them to your practice’s full advantage.

Shoot HIGH for 2012!

Sally

**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

“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.

I recently graduated from dental school in Nevada. I moved to California and have a California dental license, but I cannot find a job. I am looking for a position either part-time or full-time as an employee or associate. I have searched for a job in virtually every California city for almost two months. I’ve looked at CareerBuilder.com, Craigslist, The Dental Trader, and other websites, but I can’t find anything. At this point, I’ll work as a hygienist if I have to… can you help?

-Newly Graduated DMD