IS YOUR PRACTICE BEING RUN EFFICIENTLY?

I like to think dentists fall into one of two groups. The first group focuses on dentistry and oral health – training themselves to be experts in the medical aspects of their jobs. The other consists of dentists who are more entrepreneurial – those who are not trying to be world-renowned specialists, but want a financially successful franchise of dental clinics.

But the reality is, the majority of dentists fall somewhere in between. These dentists and their practices are stuck in the middle trying to juggle a bit of each without consistency – which is rarely successful. The fact is, owning and running an efficient dental clinic is stressful and can be overwhelming, which is why so many dentists struggle. However, when done well, it yields pride, vigor, and a sense of accomplishment.

So, to get your practice running as efficiently as possible, we must first assess where it currently stands. In this assessment, I will walk you through ten important aspects of your dental clinic, and provide suggestions and areas of focus as we go along. Let’s get started.

Step 1/21: Start

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1. Is your hygiene department as booked as you’d like it to be?

Yes

Unsure

You are doing an amazing job! To maintain a good balance between hygienist salaries and production, I recommend a metric of production to be equal or greater than 3 times salary. This metric can be both individual and departmental.

You should review your re-care processes and ensure that you are able to get existing patient booking while attracting new patients. Hygiene department production should be, as a whole, 3 times (or more), larger than hygienist salaries.

Your honesty is appreciated. You should review your hygiene production (as soon as possible - know your numbers). Things to take into consideration:

How many active patients do you have? Active patients are patients who have had any type of billing within the last 12 months.
Out of these active patients, how many have a future re-care appointment with a hygienist?
Are your hygienists booking the patients’ next appointment while they are in the chair?
Does your team have lists of patients to call and book for re-care? Do they always know who to call next?

2. What percentage of all production is Hygiene?

Unsure

Below 20%

20%-30%

Over 30%

Thanks for your honesty. Knowing your numbers is the first step towards feeling in control and therefore less stressed. You should look into your reports sooner rather than later. The key to seeing results is data driven activities. Feel free to return to this assessment once you have knowledge of the percentage.

This is a fairly low percentage. In GP offices you should be just over 30% for hygiene out of all production. Some investigation is required to determine if the dental is high or not enough hygiene is done.

You are doing well, but can always improve. Having hygiene at just over 30% is a great step towards having a profitable and well run clinic. You should review the re-care processes and determine what is needed to increase the percentage: bringing in new patients or bringing existing ones back.

You are doing great! That’s exactly where you should be. One thing to consider, given that we are dealing with percentages, is to make sure that the percentage is not high because there is little dental treatment amount being performed.

3. Are all dentists as booked as you’d like them to be?

Yes

Unsure

You are at a great place and ahead of the curve. Now, keep your eyes on the prize and ensure your collections are at a good place as well.

Here are some of the things you can do right away to increase dental bookings: ensure you are performing a full mouth exam at the end of every re-care appointment, ensure your team is on top of insurance approvals and that your team is trained on how to get patients booked for their dental treatment.

Thanks for your honesty! You should always be in the know of where your clinic is at with regards to your hygiene department, dental bookings and collections. If you discover your dental team is not fully booked, try the following: ensure you are performing a full mouth exam at the end of every re-care appointment, ensure your team is on top of insurance approvals, and ensure your team is trained on how to get patients booked for their dental treatment.

4. Is there a full mouth exam performed on all patients after their hygiene appointment?

Yes

Not always. Only When needed.

Unsure

Awesome! Ensure proper documentation is done, including additional options for treatment (including non-treatment).

It is of benefit to both you and the patient to have a full mouth exam. The patient receives better oral care, as conditions are found and diagnosed early on, while you are adhering to your oath and ensuring patient education is provided and record keeping is adhered to. I highly recommend performing a full mouth exam, even if the patient decides not to pay for it.

Your honesty is appreciated! It is of benefit to both you and the patient to have a full mouth exam. The patient receives better oral care, as conditions are found and diagnosed early on, while you are adhering to your oath and ensuring patient education is provided and record keeping is adhered to. I highly recommend performing a full mouth exam, even if the patient decides not to pay for it.

5. What percentage of your active patients have a future re-care appointment?

About half or less

Around 75%

Over 75%

Unfortunately, you are “behind the 8-ball”. It is extremely important for all active patients to have a future re-care appointment. 2 professional cleanings a year reduces the probability of oral cancer and other oral diseases. It is imperative that you and your team have a process in place to ensure a patient does not leave the office without a future re-care appointment.

This is a good rate to be at. Make sure that it is combined with a fully booked hygiene schedule to ensure optimal production.

You are doing amazing! Make sure that this rate is combined with a fully booked hygiene schedule to ensure optimal production.

6. Do you feel that everyone on your team (including yourself) knows what to do at any given time?

Yes

Sometimes. But, often I wonder if it could be better.

We could definitely use more guidance.

Feeling in control is the first step to success. Congrats on achieving the feeling of control. The next step would be to use accurate data to determine how to reach the next level.

You are correct, anything and everything can be improved upon at any point in time. Recognizing that is already half way to improvement. The next step would be to use accurate data to determine how to reach the next level. Also, ensuring that there is one person who is approachable that can guide people when they have doubt would increase the productivity of your team substantially.

Self-reflection, assessment and evaluation are the pillars of improvement. Feel free to reach out to me and I will do my best to guide you through the trenches of leadership.

7. Do you feel you are overpaying for all your sundries and equipment?

Yes. It seems that everyone else has better prices.

Unsure

No. We have the best prices.

You are not wrong. Big suppliers have higher prices for single clinics than for group practices. Volume of purchases plays a key role in regular price variation. If you are interested, feel free to reach out and join my buying group of more than 300 clinics across North America.

Comparing prices with your colleagues is a fast and easy way to see how much you are paying. Keep in mind that if they are all the same size of clinic, it is most likely their price is closer to yours. If you would like, feel free to reach out and explore joining my buying group of more than 300 clinics across North America. The bigger the buying power, the lower the prices.

You are doing amazing. It is a rare occasion in today’s world of group practices that a clinic that is getting the lowest prices. Having said that, if you are curious to put your answer to the test, feel free to reach out and we can compare prices with my buying group of over 300 clinics across North America.

8. Do you find that your team struggles with collecting money from patients and/or insurance companies?

No. My team is very strong in collecting what is owed.

I believe they are doing a great job. But, we can always improve.

Yes, we lack training on how to properly collect money.

That’s great. Once all the treatment is done, it is important to ensure that your team has the tools and processes in place to collect what is owed to the clinic. That is the sole way to ensure sustainability and profitability. This is especially true if you pay your associates a percentage of production (and not collections).

If you are feeling that your team can do better, you are probably seeing some high numbers in your A/Rs. In this case, some training on how to collect from both patients and insurance companies is in order. Feel free to reach out and I’d be happy to chat and discuss further.

Thanks for your honesty. Collections is an art on its own. It cannot be mastered without proper training from an experienced professional. Feel free to reach out and I’d be happy to discuss some proven methods of collecting from both patients and insurance companies.

9. Do you have a continuously updated staff handbook?

Yes

We have one, but it is not continuously updated.

You are definitely ahead of the curve. A constantly and continuously updated staff handbook, is a clear indicator of an office team that is on top of regulations, legislations and best practices.

Having a staff handbook puts you in a good spot when it comes to best practices. The reality is that regulation, legislation and even best practices change, and your staff handbook as well as your team’s training should always be up to date. It would be advisable to refresh your handbook using the most up to date processes and functionalities.

A staff handbook is a necessity in a dental clinic. It outlines expected staff behaviour throughout the day-to-day operations. Also, it is a place to document the office’s policies in areas such as privacy and sterilization. I recommend taking immediate steps to create, or at least benchmark, a staff handbook. Feel free to reach out and I’d be happy to advise on its creation as well.

10. Do you have metrics built into the agreements/contracts you have with your clinical staff?

We have contracts, but without metrics.

Yes

We do not have clinician contracts in our office.

Having contracts in place is very good. There is distinct value in incorporating metrics into your contracts for clinicians. Metrics are important to ensure that the clinicians are working effectively and efficiently. The metrics are not determined based on maximizing profitability, but rather about optimizing patient care. Feel free to reach out to me and I’d be happy to discuss ways to establish proper metrics for your clinicians.

It is great that you have this in place. It is important that you ensure that the metrics that are set are realistic and are about optimizing patient care and not maximizing profitability.

Having professionally authored contracts for your clinicians is a crucial component in your risk management. I would recommend consulting your lawyer and determining the best verbiage for your contracts (Associate Agreements, as they are often called) for both your associates and your hygienists.

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