Keeping you guessing

Dentistry is a business and in order to continue to make it sustainable long term, there are bills to be paid and livelihoods to be protected. When I was giving a lecture in Calgary about business systems that support dental implants, at break I was approached by one of the doctors who brought his entire … Read more

Accurate inventory control is essential to managing and controlling your overhead expenses. You need to have a control system that is maintained and updated at all times. The budget for clinical consumable supplies (excluding lab) should not exceed 5% of gross production per month. As productivity increases, the budget should adjust accordingly. A clinical staff … Read more

The term “discount” makes me extremely uncomfortable especially when it is used in dentistry. Many dentists will explain that they give discounts to patients who pay in advance or to senior citizens. Giving senior citizens a “professional courtesy” is a nice thing to do, especially when seniors are, in many cases, living on fixed incomes … Read more

Dental insurance is changing and within the next few years dental offices will not be allowed to accept assignment, even if they want to. Insurance companies want to deal with the subscriber only and will reimburse the patient regardless of whether or not you accept assignment. Looking even further into the future, dental insurance could … Read more

Standardized daily operating policies and procedures help your dental team to align production goals with the daily activities that support the goals. They provide structure and support for the day to day activities as well as training guidelines for new staff. When you construct internal policies and procedures, and share a ‘big picture’ view of … Read more

Do you dread staff meetings or avoid them altogether? The reason that staff meetings can be doomed to fail is because they are not focused, there is no accountability and they rarely achieve results.  Most importantly, the meeting isn’t followed with a time bound action plan that makes attendees accountable for producing results.  Regularly scheduled … Read more

Do implants play an important role in the growth of your general practice? Do you have an action plan to reach your objectives?  How many of your patients are completely or partially edentulous? These are the first questions to ask yourself when determining whether or not you have the business support systems in place to … Read more

  In the dental profession, it is generally understood that dental benefits are merely a subsidy intended to defray the costs of treatment. Yet the terms and parameters of a benefits plan can have a strong influence on a patient’s treatment decisions. How often do you hear the question, “Is this going to be covered … Read more

Labour  Pains  What can you do now that will increase the value of your practice?  Implement a fair but firm Human Resources Management System that includes job descriptions, performance reviews, and employment contracts..  As you know, your human resource is your most valuable resource, and that is why it is most fitting on Labour Day … Read more

Why Do Patients Complain? Studies suggest that only 4% of patients will complain, and 96% of patients may never tell you if there is a problem.  Research suggests that unhappy patients don’t bother to complain if they are unhappy, they just don’t come back.  It takes courage to complain, especially to your dentist.     … Read more

You may not think it is happening at your office, and hopefully it’s not, but based on the calls that I receive from doctors , as well as analysis of my current and past client base, I have discovered that approximately 50% of dentists who have contacted me have experienced,  or are currently experiencing, some … Read more

Do you need a Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) in your dental office?  The answer is that it depends on the number of employees that are in your office.   If you have 4 employees or less, you do not require a Health and Safety Representative or a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). When … Read more

Do you remember fire drills in school?  Compliance with the Ministry of Labour’s Health and Safety Standards includes having an evacuation plan and it must be practiced.  Hopefully an emergency situation won’t occur in your office, but you need to be prepared if one does.  Dental office teams need to know what to do if … Read more

  Did you ever wonder why treatment recommendations falls between the cracks? Is it because there isn’t effective follow-up?  When a doctor reaches a diagnosis and prescribes treatment it is because the patient has a visible clinical condition that requires treatment. Dental office staff have said to me, “I don’t want to ‘pester’ the patient. … Read more

Accounting systems and financial statements provide you with valuable information about the financial health of your practice.  It is important to know what the numbers mean, how they affect your practice and what you can do to make improvements .Numbers with context, meaning and action plans are the keys to long term sustainable success.  Erosion … Read more

Remote Access There is little doubt that dentists find their professional lives very busy in the modern world. With the advent of many new technology systems, there is more and more information that needs to be processed on a daily basis. While many of these systems were designed to make our lives easier and more … Read more

STAFF BONUSES VS. BENEFITS Hiring “the right people” can be tough, but it is arguably the most important function you will ever perform. You must have a top performing team in place to give you the peace of mind that your patients are being well taken care of and that you are able to do … Read more

Hiring and Firing is Risky Business! Human resources management should be a mandatory subject that is taught in dental school. After all, it is the staff that really controls the practice while the dentist is busy doing what he/she does best, being a dentist. I have found that many dentists do not have employment agreements … Read more

There’s Something Fishy in Customer Service in Dentistry Whenever I teach Transformational Customer Service in Dentistry, I show a video called Fish! Fish is about a fish market where the energy is so infectious, business people spend their lunch hour just watching the action and absorbing the energy. The purpose of including this is to … Read more