New Dentist Management Blog

Crack the No-Show Code

Sally McKenzie — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:00:27 +0000

The clock on the wall says 2:10. The patient was scheduled for a 2 p.m. appointment. It’s “dead time” in the dental office. Mid-afternoon for many practices sees production slow to a trickle. These tend to be some of the most difficult times to fill and the most likely to generate no-shows and cancellations.

Take steps to keep the schedule full and patients in the chair. Educate patients about the impact on the practice of last minute cancellations and no-shows. Many are completely oblivious to the fact that the appointment time has been set aside specifically for them, or that the doctor and/or the hygienist have prepared specifically for this patient’s procedure, and that someone else also in need of dental care could have taken advantage of that appointment, if they had been given the opportunity.

In addition, politely remind patients of the practice’s cancellation policy on a regular basis. It should be printed on appointment cards, mentioned in conversations, as well as included in text messages and emails. And patients who are 10 minutes late for their scheduled appointment should be called promptly to confirm that they are on their way.

You might say for example: “Hello Mr. Frank. This is Abigail from Dr. Adams’ office. We were expecting you for your appointment at 2:00, and I was concerned because you had not arrived yet.” Listen carefully to the patient’s response. He may be on the way and stuck in traffic. He might have had a legitimate emergency arise. Life does happen, and it’s important for staff to be sensitive to that when contacting patients. However, it’s also critical to document all no-shows and last minute cancellations into the patient’s record to track if situations such as this are occasional or common.

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HEY! Have you had some really crazy excuses from late patients? Have you forgotten to call your patients? Feel free to share your experience right here on our blog! We do have hundreds of visitors who may want to hear from you too!

Make Emergency Patients Your Biggest Fans

Sally McKenzie — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:00:06 +0000

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.

Do New Patients Want You?

Sally McKenzie — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:11:57 +0000

It’s likely that in your community there are multiple dentists that could expertly address the oral health needs of any and every new patient. There are a host of reasons why one practice scores low and another scores high on new patient appeal. For example, convenient hours and/or practice location, reputation for excellence, offering a variety of services and treatment options, affordable payment plans, friendly staff are just a few of the essentials on the prospective new patient score card.

If your goal is to increase numbers of new patients, consider the work and lifestyle habits of the patient population you want to attract. If you practice in a bedroom community where most people commute into the city and work 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., providing appointments in the evenings or on Saturdays may be necessary. If you are in a major metropolitan area, staggering the lunch hour or adjusting the workday, so that your practice is fully staffed and prepared to offer more lunchtime appointments as well as early morning appointments may be essential to attracting new patients.

In addition to considering whether your hours encourage or discourage new patients, evaluate how accommodating your current scheduling structure is. When prospective new patients call, is there room in your schedule to appointment them within the next week? New patients are calling because they want your services now, not next month.

Are You ‘Work Hording’?

Sally McKenzie — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:10:28 +0000

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

Hygiene: Priority #1

Sally McKenzie — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:57:26 +0000

When it comes to ensuring the schedule is full and production goals are met, filling open appointment times in the hygiene schedule must be a priority for the business staff. If there is less than ½ day notice of a cancellation, move an existing, scheduled patient from another day into that time. If a patient gives more than ½ day notice, contact patients listed on the recall report that need appointments. Those patients who are overdue for recall should be given priority because they are the most likely not to return unless the practice is diligent in contacting them and makes an ongoing effort to emphasize the importance of regularly scheduled oral health care appointments.

Retaining existing patients is as important to the continued growth of the practice as is recruiting new patients. And keeping the hygiene schedule full is a key element in maintaining a solid patient base. It is essential to establish patient retention goals as well as new patient goals based on the office’s past performance. For example, let’s say your practice goal is to increase patient numbers by 50% annually. The practice averages 200 recall patients per month and retains 90%, 180 patient are retained and 20 are not. Therefore, the practice needs to see 40 new patients each month to reach the goal.

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

Tax Saving Strategies Part II

Sally McKenzie — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:10:03 +0000

In continuation from our previous Tax Saving Strategies post, Dental CPA Ken Rubin has shared with the New Dentist™ some additional insights about business profitability maximization.

Ken says your CPA can also do the following for you:
• Select the best choice of business entity and retirement plan for you
• Advise you on whether to purchase or lease equipment and cars
• Claim tax credits for disabled access, crown manufacturing, employee health insurance, new hires, etc.
• Set up medical expenses reimbursement plans, HSAs, and cost segregation studies
• Train you and your staff on QuickBooks™
• Analyze various loan options available
• Monitor your practice’s key performance indicators, business metrics, and your profit and loss statements
• Update you on developments affecting the business side of dentistry and changes in tax law
• Keep you in compliance with the taxing authorities and give you advice to operate more profitably and efficiently

IRS auditors acknowledge that “it takes money to make money.” Basically, anytime you spend money in order to help your business, the expenditure is tax deductible. Sometimes the connection is not obvious.

Read more on Tax Strategies for The New Dentist at

http://www.thenewdentist.net/magazinelibrary/spring_2013.htm?startid=6

Ken Rubin & Company, Dental CPAs has been providing proactive tax, accounting, and business consulting services to dentists since 1984. Ken is the co-founder of the Academy of Dental CPAs (ADCPA). He is committed to improving the quality of his clients’ lives and can be reached at www.CaliforniaDentalCPAs.com or (619) 299-6161.

Tax-Saving Strategies

Sally McKenzie — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:50:41 +0000

Dental CPA Ken Rubin has shared with the New Dentist™ his tax saving insights.

Ken says that early in your career, you should spend time with your CPA learning the following basic items to prepare and save money for tax season:

• Proper record-keeping needed to survive an IRS audit
• Tax-deductible automobile business mileage
• Business car deduction – for your spouse
• Tax-deductible meals and how to handle the record-keeping
• Tax-Deductible Trips
• Lock in a home office deduction
• Maximum tax deductions for charitable contributions
• Legally put your kids on the company payroll

Read more on Tax Strategies for The New Dentist at

http://www.thenewdentist.net/magazinelibrary/spring_2013.htm?startid=6

Remember, It ALL Adds Up

Sally McKenzie — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 14:30:18 +0000

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

Dentistry Ranks #1 Top Jobs

GradStudent — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:30:50 +0000

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

Create a ‘CEO Mentality’

Sally McKenzie — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:30:04 +0000

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.