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February 17, 2009 Products that put money in your pocket
But simultaneously, you may be bringing benefits to your practice that you are not even aware of. Some products—aside from providing the obvious in time savings and efficiency—also can put more money in your pockets. KaVo Dental Corp.’s DIAGNOdent is one such product, while digital x-ray, lasers and even intraoral and digital cameras are examples of technologies that deliver similarly pleasant results. The biggest plus from these types of additions to your practice come in the form of internal marketing and word of mouth.
Case in point Cynthia Mattson, a Utah dental CPA, said one practice gained several new patients because parents and children like the sound that emits from the DIAGNOdent caries-detection aide as it notifies patients of potential problem areas. “We call it the woo-woo machine, because if it has decay it goes ‘woo-woo,’ “ Mattson said “It makes that noise and the little kids love it. It saves so much time in that the parent says, ‘Oh what’s that? That means they have a cavity. Oh well let’s fix it.’ “ This practice happens to be in an area where a major employer deals with a high-tech industry, Mattson said, and so many patients are into technology. “One patient was an applied physicist with a Master’s in applied physics and where he works they make cruise rocket motors,” she said. “He went back to work and told his colleagues about it (DIAGNOdent) and over a few months probably 10 co-workers called and said, ‘Now your office is the one that has the woo-woo machine, right?’ It was wonderful. They loved the technology.”
Dr. Lorne Lavine, founder and president of Dental Technology Consultants, said the best thing about digital x-ray is its time savings. But word of mouth also is critical, so clinicians need to make sure their patients are aware of benefits such as reduced radiation exposure and improved diagnostics, as well as the reduced time they need to sit in the chair. “Where we found that it’s very profitable for offices is this whole marketing thing,” Dr. Lavine said of digital radiography. “We found that externally patients were telling their friends and family about how the office is high-tech, you know that it’s a modern-type of practice. And we start finding that they’re seeing increased new patients from word of mouth because of the technology, and of course internally as well.” Dr. Lavine said staff members should be well aware of all the practice’s technology and benefits, and should make a point of keeping patients up to speed as well. “There’s no doubt that in my experience, where the true profit margins lie is No. 1 to market the practice, and then some of the diagnostic tools like the DIAGNOdent, like digital x-rays, where you get into the whole concept of co-diagnosis,” Dr. Lavine said. “You’re involving patients in a process that in the past they didn’t understand. Now that doesn’t mean that when you show them a big digital x-ray on the screen they’ll understand everything they’re seeing, but when they see a huge black area in the middle of the tooth they know that’s bad.” This can lead to offices seeing much higher treatment plan acceptance rates, Dr. Lavine said, because patients can now see what clinicians couldn’t show them in the past.
Clinicians can make more money by expanding the capabilities of technology they already own, Dr. Lavine said. He’s worked with several practices that have strong practice management software systems and patient education systems, but don’t use them to their fullest. Economical products such as intraoral cameras and digital cameras also can pay big dividends. “The one tool that’s often overlooked that in my mind has the longest, quickest and best return on investment is the intraoral camera,” Dr. Lavine said. “Even though they’ve been around for 20 years or so, they don’t get the press that cone beam would get or some of the other new technology.” Most offices see a return on investment they can measure in days. The first time a patient sees a broken filling or a crack, and that leads to a case that you sell, it pretty much pays for itself. When it comes to patient education and practice management software, your practice can benefit plenty in terms of improved efficiency and increased patient acceptance. Just make sure to take advantage of all the features available with your systems, Dr. Lavine said.
Marketing, improved efficiency and better patient care are wonderful. But if adding a new product or technology improves the way you view your job and inspires you to take on new tasks, you can’t put a price tag on such a benefit. “It has to help you give better dentistry,” Mattson said of new technology. “Sometimes it’s attitude, you know it’s just that your mental attitude is better because it’s kind of a new fun thing.” So better, faster, easier, more fun…if adding something to your practice does a combination of those, then go for it. You may be surprised about what happens to your bottom line as well.
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