Practice Management

It never fails to amaze me how many dentists have purchased “stuff” for their practice, only to have an important piece of “must-have” technology gathering dust several weeks (or months) later for lack of use. Even in this challenging economy technology purchases are still being made, although many dentists and teams appear much more cynical when it comes to silver bullet promises or fairy tale hopes for results.

The history of the public's perception of dentistry may be viewed as consisting of three waves. I like to describe the first wave with the term "Feel Well Dentistry."  During this wave, dentists were perceived as first and foremost who to call to get you out of tooth pain. 

January 2010 | Dental Products Report 10 questions: Rich Hirschland Q +A: Rich Hirschland President, Dental Systems Group for Carestream Health Inc.   Photo: President Dental Systems Group for Carestream Health Inc. 01 What sets PracticeWorks, a division of Carestream Health, apart from the rest of the industry?

With the economic prosperity of the eighties, and advances in esthetic dentistry and technology, many dentists became of the opinion that treating new patient emergencies was a waste of the dentist’s and team’s time. Symptomatic of this is what one heard when calling such a dental practice after hours: “If you are a patient of record with an extreme dental emergency you may call xxx-yyy-zzzz.” New patients were deliberately discouraged from calling.

Pulling teeth by day and devising inventions by night.

Information provided by Patterson With a focus on increasing everyday efficiency, Eaglesoft 16 Practice Management Software was created based on customer feedback and is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, giving each member of the dental team the power to do more in less time. Patterson Dental’s latest version of its integrated dental software comes with a new look, greater functionality and enhanced adaptability.

Amy Morgan is CEO of the Pride Institute. With Pride since 1993, she is a sought-after educator who still consults one-on-one with practices.

Small-headed handpieces are nothing new. I’m guessing most of us have owned one at some point in our careers. We’ve been enamored by their compact size but underwhelmed by their ability to cut tooth structure.

There may be a “cool factor” that gets some people excited about new technologies, but CAD/CAM systems are business tools designed to make dental labs more efficient and productive. Taking something once done physically and moving it into a virtual environment can offer practical benefits to many labs. But if you aren’t marketing around your new capabilities and efficiencies, you’re not going to be maximizing your investment.

2009 was a year filled with opportunity and challenge (more of the latter than some may have preferred).  As the pace of change continues to accelerate, we should expect no shortage of challenge and opportunity in 2010. Much of this opportunity for growth will continue to be found online, specifically, in the area of reputation management. The challenge will lay largely in trying to keep up without being distracted from what you find fulfilling and profitable.

It seems as though just a few years ago, business banking was pretty simple and straightforward. The typical dental practice had checking and savings accounts, and patients paid by cash, check or insurance. Then along came a dizzying array of bank offerings – credit products, online banking, cash sweeps and a myriad of other services.

Ina Pockrass, Co-Founder of the Eco-Dentistry Association, will join the Whole Tooth blog radio show on March 20 to discuss how dentists can make their dental practices green.   Click here for more information.

The dental profession certainly knows what goodwill is and what the general understanding of its value means to the dental practice and its owner. Most experts allocate high percentages of the value of the dental practice as a whole to goodwill, compared to equipment, supplies and other items in the sales agreement or valuation report. Goodwill is a method of choice for allocation when a seller looks at tax implications from his or her sale compared to other sources of designation of assets or service and administrative charges for their sale.

Whatever role you play in your practice-doctor, front desk team member, the assistant, the hygienist, or another valuable job within the practice-your communication and interaction with the patients directly impacts their relationship with the practice. In order for the patient to feel they are receiving individualized care, it becomes essential for all team members to be aware of each patient’s needs. Each team member is critical to setting and managing the patients’ expectations for care and service.

Even if you have the best relationship with a committed patient, sometimes in the “real world” you will get an objection. The good news is, there are tools to navigate around the stop sign. Here are five we recommend and what you can say when a patient tells you "If my insurance won't cover it, I can't afford to see the hygienist every three months": Active listening: “Sounds like you have some concerns regarding affordability?”

When hygienist Nikki Hayes called out “You guys have all gotta get down here and see this,” over the headset intercom system used by the staff at DPR Technology Editor Dr. John Flucke’s Lee’s Summit, Mo. practice, it sent everyone running. What they saw did not disappoint.

It comes as no surprise that people living in lower income areas don't often visit the dentist or receive preventative care because health care is less accessible and health insurance is not always available to those with low wage jobs. From educational attainment to safety to public health, residents in America's poorest neighborhoods are so often found to be at a disadvantage. And now according to a new study, they're also much more likely to be in physical pain.

It’s difficult to discuss dental franchises or corporately managed dental practices without inciting passionate opinions from all sides. The independent, sole practitioner model seems so ingrained in the dental industry psyche that those offering alternative models are often subject to, at worst, demonization as dental “mills” focused on profits instead of patients.

According to economists, who know these things, the RECESSION IS OVER! Yet, we still are getting massive feedback from dental practices regarding concerns about:

Learn.com®, the Knowledge Platform(TM) company, today announced that PracticeWorks Systems, LLC, headquartered in  Atlanta, Georgia, the exclusive maker of KODAK Dental Systems for dental professionals nationwide, has selected the company's knowledge platform to provide product training to their customers and deploy learning and development curriculums for their internal staff.

Both Integra® Dental Casework and Artizan® Dental Furniture provide designs that meet ergonomic workflow, infection control, technology integration and unique storage requirements. Artizan Dental Furniture offers flexibility with a wide variety of standard product configurations and the capability to provide custom product solutions in design, size and color.

Has this ever happened to you? The other day I was watching TV and eating some pistachios, and before I knew it, I had eaten nearly half the bag. I realized that if I didn’t stop I might not be hungry for dinner, so I decided to have one last nut. I fished one out, cracked the shell, bit down and immediately my mouth was filled with a harsh, bitter flavor. I realized the nut I had grabbed was burnt and overdone, and the taste was so bad I had to run to the kitchen just to rinse my mouth. After that, I didn’t even want to look at the bag of pistachios.

Don’t ditch your marketing plan Saving money is always important, especially in today’s economic climate, but remember, a good marketing plan can make you money in the long run.

In our last Issue, we introduced and discussed the components of a successful direct mail campaign, included a Planning Checklist, and shared some of the more profitable target audiences, going into some detail about the pros and cons of targeting new residents.

Value Defined? We all want and deserve to receive value for our investment. Value can mean different things to different people. One might value getting his or her website up and running quickly, while another might be more exacting and patient. One practice might value appearance more highly than function. Still another might prefer quantity over quality of website visitors. Whatever your preferences, know what constitutes reasonable expectations, not only from your finished* product, but also from the process.

Online access to more than 280 frequently updated, multimedia patient education presentations through a standard Internet connection. Presentations that feature 3D animation, full-motion video, voice narration and colorful images.

I recently attended a Transitions Seminar presented by a well known dental advisor. The presenter was an attorney and has spent a significant number of years dealing with dentists as well as with other professionals advising them on wealth management, practice management and transition strategies.

It’s just a matter of time really. Eventually everything in your practice will come due for update or replacement. But, whether you’re a tech junkie who goes for the latest gadgets, or someone who prefers to stick with a trusted and well-used tool, the equipment and technology in your practice can still have a useful life after you have found its replacement.