New Dentist Management Blog
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.
Whiter Image Dental Poised as Next Major Teeth Whitening Player in the Dental Industry with Superior Results, Branding, Service and Pricing
Whiter Image definitely has the female’s perspective in mind with the Chic Flic Whitener and lip plumper. What woman doesn’t want whiter teeth and plumper lips? It’s the size of standard lipstick plus it has a mirror and the whitening light all built into one clever design. How do they manage this for under $15 each? It’s easy to use, easy to carry, affordable and it actually works! It makes sense that this could be sold at the dentist or a spa for the feeling and results of a professional treatment. I’m thinking about giving these to my staff as a thank you!
http://www.whiterimagedental.com/product.html
“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.
Whether you just graduated from dental school, finished a residency program or specialty training, the majority of young dentists begin their careers as associates. The road to becoming an associate is full of variables, and knowing the ‘lay of the land’ can help you make wise decisions. The journey begins with choosing the practice that is right for you.
If you want to join a practice as a full-time associate and have adequate patient volume for yourself, you need to join a practice that is “saturated.” Saturation means that the owner is working at optimum speed, practicing optimum hours, is scheduled fully, six to eight weeks in advance, and has more new patients in the practice than can be cared for.
By joining a “saturated” practice, you have an immediate opportunity to gain clinical experience and enhance your income. Additionally, saturated practices afford greater opportunities to build a patient base. A saturated practice may also offer long-term opportunity in the form of an equity interest or potential buy-out.
Usually, general practices with more than 1,700 active patients are at the saturation point. An active patient is one who visits the practice at least once during the past 18 months for a recare visit. The degree of saturation, or the number of excess patients in a practice, will determine the actual opportunity for you to work as a full-time or part-time associate. For example, an efficient and skilled owner who is servicing 1,700 patients with a full-time workload may want to reduce hours and transfer patients to a part–time associate. Generally, practices with 2,500 or more patients present excellent full-time opportunities for new associates.
Therefore, if you are considering a full-time associateship, be sure to inquire about the size of the active patient base.
Snyder, DMD, MBA, Tom (2009, Summer). Becoming an Associate…What You Need to Know. the NEW DENTIST™ Magazine, 20-21.
Today 3M ESPE and Straumann announce their collaboration to develop a streamlined digital workflow for restorative dentistry:
Expecting to see good things from these companies.
• Companies plan to connect 3MTM ESPETM LavaTM Chairside Oral Scanner C.O.S. to the Straumann® CARES® digital platform for restoration of Straumann implants.
• Companies plan to offer new 3M ESPE CAD/CAM Restorative materials through Straumann CARES, improving the workflow from both companies.
• Collaboration builds upon their effort to drive the adoption of Dental Wings Open Software (DWOSTM) into the leading open global standard software platform for dental applications.
Smile Brands Inc. to open as many as 40 new offices in 2011
Company aims to increase number of offices by 12.4 percent, totaling up to 362 offices nationwide
March 2, 2011 • Irvine, Calif., — Smile Brands Inc., the nation’s top provider of business support services to dental groups in the United States, today announced its plans to open at least 30 and as many as 40 new offices this year. By the end of 2011 Smile Brands plans to have up to 362 affiliated dental offices nationwide operating under the Bright Now Dental, Monarch Dental and Castle Dental brand names, including other local brands.
The 2011 openings continue the growth and mission of Smile Brands Inc. which is to provide “Smiles for Everyone®!” by bringing quality, affordable dental care to local neighborhoods. Their patient-centered care model continues to set them apart as an industry leader throughout the United States.
Following its acquisitions of Monarch Dental in February 2003 and Castle Dental in June 2004, Smile Brands Inc. has been growing steadily, increasing its total number of affiliated dental offices by 116 percent in seven years. During 2010, Smile Brands Inc. opened 23 new offices and ended the year with a total of 322 affiliated dental offices nationwide.
The first new affiliated dental offices to join Smile Brands’ growing roster in 2011 include a Castle Dental office in Houston, Texas, and a Bright Now Dental office in Fountain Valley, California. Both offices are scheduled to open on March 4, 2011. This will mark the 36th office in the Houston market and the 50th office in the Southern California market.
For more information on Smile Brands Inc., and to find a location in your region, visit www.smilebrands.com.
Hello New Dentists – If you are interested in getting your Free Sample, ChemFil Rock Restorative visit the www.chemfilrock.com website, click on the request a sample button, and fill in the information. The website is also a great resource for a lot of information on the product. Enjoy!
ASCR LUMINEERS Destination Education is sponsoring an event this April in Orlando and May in Las Vegas. It’s a very exciting CE event featuring Dr. Bill Dorfman as Keynote Speaker and a very strong line-up of educators and teaching clinicians. As a new dentist, it is the perfect opportunity to not only be exposed to some of the top thought leaders in the profession, but also to learn leading edge clinical technologies and procedures.
Dr Bill Dorfman, “America’s Dentist,” featured dentist on ABC’s Extreme Makeover and founder of Discus Dental, will headline the LUMINEERS Destination Education program this April in Orlando and again over the Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas. He will address the challenges facing today’s general practitioner, offer insight and suggestions based on what’s worked in his highly successful practice, and highlight the role that transformational products like Snap-On Smile can play in achieving new levels of success.
The Orlando program is set for April 8-10 at Walt Disney World’s Swan & Dolphin Hotel and the Las Vegas event takes place over the Memorial Day Weekend, May-27-29, at the Aria Hotel and Casino. To register or for further information, call 800-445-0345 or go to www.ascredu.org.
I started my practice from scratch about five years ago. Right now, I have two days of hygiene per week and I want to build this to four days. I also want to increase my new patients. I used to get about 18-20 new patients a month, that’s dropped to about 14. Thankfully, I don’t think I’m losing my existing patients. But how do I know? I’m starting to worry. Midwest DMD
Hey Sally,
I was very impressed with your New Dentist publication, especially the aspect of establishing a “green” office. One thing that even the green movement does not realize yet is the aspect of mercury vapor hygiene in the dental office. I am the vice president of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (www.iaomt.org). We have been advocating proper office ventilation with filtration and personal protection for patients and employees for 25 years. OSHA has a maximum PEL limitation exposure of 50 micrograms of mercury per cubic meter of air in an eight hour day and 100 micrograms in a single exposure. When my assistant opens up the back of the dental chair to clean out the trap we have measured mercury vapor levels as high as 600 micrograms in the air. I use a Jerome mercury analyzer which can detect levels as low as 3 micrograms in the air, much like a Geiger counter. We also use an air filter with carbon filtering masks to reduce employee exposure. We are hopeful that the allopathic dentists will begin to realize this danger and then all offices can become more green. In addition we advocate the use of mercury separators in order to reduce dumping it into the environment. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Thanks…Dr. Matt Young