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Dental Practice Profits: What Does Obama Care Have in Our Future?

By: admin

September 6, 2013

Hint: YOU can create your own economy!

Dental offices have felt an economic decline for over 3 years. How can a dental practice owner create their own economy in what looks like a gloomy crisis in our economy today?

Should you really blame it on the economy? AND what is in your future as a dental practice owner with Obama Care around the corner? It begins in January 2014. This article outlines what you can expect and a few suggestions from a top dental practice management consultant (According to Dentistry Today) about what you can do to create your own economy.

It is the 4^th quarter of 2013 so let’s plan to finish out with a profitable year!

How can you secure success and profits in the 1^st week of 2014?

If you have never had a plan that is ok – -But you can no longer go without a plan. You must now track and evaluate everything from this point on.

The good news is – –In the US there will be more children with dental benefits than ever before and more potential for dentists, and especially those who are affiliated with dental plans (i.e. PPO dentists).

It is expected that 5.3 million additional children will have dental coverage – — primarily through public programs.

But now the bad news—many adults will be drop their dental coverage (for financial reasons) in order to obtain mandated pediatric dental benefits. This is an estimate from the National Association of Dental Plans survey.

So here is WHY you need to promote your dental services and talk to your patients about WHY they need to continue preventive care.

Patients will tell you they can’t afford to come back in 3 mos or 6 mos.

I hear this all the time soI need to ask you: “What you are saying to your patients when they refuse or casually tell you they can’t schedule their next appointment?”

Do you allow your patients to dictate their preventive care intervals?

Here are just a few suggestions that may shift what is currently happening in your office and how you can change this pattern with your patients.

What can a dental hygiene appointment do to create patients who return for routine care?

Use Visual Aids
Pre-book 98% (this is a good goal) of hygiene patients next visit
Talk Prevention
Stop saying “You are coming in for a cleaning!”
What else can you do? (If you need more suggestions – -let’s talk!)

Visual tools to Paint A Picture and Educate Patients

Intraoral camera
Videos (in treatment room and reception area)
Laminated posters to use for explanation
Brochures to highlight and educate (Patients leave with these)

When the hygienist uses the Dental Practice Solutions down to a science schedule there is a dedicated time to share this information with your patients. This is how it is not overlooked.

Offices who are not on board with educating their patients about the “WHY” for their important treatment are missing out on healthy patients and a profitable practice.

Speak to your patients in a language they understand – speak at their level.

“People don’t care how much you know but care about how much you care”

It is the dental professional’s ethical responsibility to be proactive and talk to patients about their health. This is not a sales conversation but a care conversation.

Make this paradigm shift today!

When patients understand you care it is what makes you stand out among others in your community. Show patients how they can pay for their care. People will always buy what they want so make certain they want total health and the valuable services you offer.

Be prepared to monitor and track your #s to stop the financial hemorrhaging and improve your business flow.

You have 3 months to prepare and create your own economy. There is no one else to blame.

When you don’t follow the plan to maintain your current patient flow, patients will begin to come in for emergency visits only.

When you don’t have your plan patients misinterpret the importance of consistent dental preventative care.

Tell your patients that you want them to be proactive to insure their total health. Educate your patients about the value of creating a health bank account. They are going to buy coffee at Starbucks, (probably every day)they are walking around with expensive cell phones, they pay for cable tv, the drive the best car even if they can afford it — – so why not have a personal health bank account that each day adds money to pay for preventive care – aka: dental hygiene appts.

How do you stop the financial hemorrhaging in your dental practice?
What is your plan?

If you don’t have a plan — you have seriously planed to fail!

I would like to hear what your plans are for a successful year end.
What types of visuals do you use to educate your patients?
Tell me your success plan for 2014. What does that look like?
What does your financial monitor include? What are you measuring for success?

Please tell me about this in the comments section below.

ABOUT DEBBIE

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS, is founder of Dental Practice Solutions and for over 20 years she has been committed to creating a dental hygiene departments that work in harmony

to create a team that works like a well-oiled machine and is consistently profitable.

In 1984 Debbie graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelors degree in Dental Hygiene. She then worked in clinical dental hygiene and also as a clinical assistant professor at USC teaching the dental hygiene students. She also co-taught practice management to the senior dental students at USC prior to the school began Problem Based Learning.

In 2007 she wrote the accreditation for a new dental hygiene program in Portland, Oregon where she managed a 2 Million Dollar budget – which included building the school and hiring the instructors.

Debbie now works with dental offices throughout the world creating sustainable dental practices that consistently increase profits. She is named for the 8th year in a row, one of Dentistrys Top Consultants by Dentistry Today.

You can download her latest 7 day Dental Hygiene Department Profits Program at no-charge here: 7 Day DH Profits Program

The Dental Office CEO: 5 Tips to a Sustainable and Profitable Dental Practice

By: admin

August 30, 2013

THE DENTAL CEO

As a DentalPractice Management Consultant I discover inefficiencies in the dental practice and turn them around into sustainable and profitable systems that benefit your patients and provide motivation and enthusiasm for the entire team. There are many ways to create an efficient dental practice that consistently increases profits. There are over one hundred ways the CEO of a dental practice can unknowingly create failure for their dental practice.

In this article I list five ways to create a top performing and profitable dental practice.

1. Leadership (TOP PRIORITY!)

Dentists had a dream of becoming a dentist and living a great life. Few, had a desire to become a dentist because they wanted to be a business owner.

As a Dental Practice Management Consultant most of the dentists we have worked with wanted to come in at the time of the 1^st patient appointment and they leave before the last patient has left the office. Our dental business philosophy creates leaders in the practice owner. We educate and support the dentist – The CEO of their business to lead their team and create other leaders within their team to carry out the day-to-day tasks for improved patient care and consistent strategies to increase practice growth and profits.

2. Make Timely Decisions

As the CEO of your business, there will always be challenging situations that only you can create solutions. Of course you can enroll your team members to strategize but some of the decisions you will need to make are when to terminate an employee, when to add another treatment room and how you will deal with conflict. You will set the tone and office culture through your decision making process. How timely you can make these decisions will also create your own economy. What is your process to solve challenging situations? How do you stop a challenge from becoming a problem?

3. Create a Strategic Plan with Attainable Goals

If you don’t have a plan, you have planned to fail. I am writing this during the last half of 2013 and now is the best time to plan for your team annual strategy session. This is a time to review your office systems; what has worked this year, what is not working and what systems need to be created. At your team strategy session talk about production, collections, insurance issues and goals that are attainable for the next year. How many days do you need to work in 2014 to accomplish these goals? Bring a calendar and plan your perfect schedule for 2014.

Clearly communicate to your dental team what they need to do to accomplish the goals. Clearly define how they will do what needs to be done. Every team member’s contribution to accomplish the goals is crucial.

Always define the why you are doing what you do and the why these goals need to be accomplished.

4. Define Your Philosophy of Care

Does every team member understand the philosophy of patient care for your dental practice?

When I recently led a workshop I talked about philosophy of care for the periodontal patient. I realized a few hours into the workshop that the dentists, hygienists and assistants in the course, did not understand how to develop a philosophy of care. They had never addressed their office philosophy of care for the various types of services they offered.

In the afternoon of that workshop we took a step back and began to set up their very own philosophy of care. It was enlightening for all and a lot of fun to work through this process.

How do you create a philosophy of patient care?

Answer: Reverse engineer the patient care your provide. Write down each of the services you provide and what type of patient will receive this service.

For example you will write down “Philosophy of Care for the Periodontal Patient” (Or you will insert the correct patient type, i.e. Implant Patient or Care for the Patient at High Risk for Caries, etc.)

Step 1 is to write down the ultimate goal for providing this service to your patient

Step 2 is to write down the steps to accomplish your end goal

Step 3 is to research your products, technologies involved in the services necessary to provide patient care

Step 4 is to research the appropriate fees and insurance billing. (UCR/ insurance contract, etc.)

Step 5 is to discuss as a team patient barriers to accepting your care

Step 6 is CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES!

5. Be Open to Others Ideas and Feedback

Great leaders are open to the ideas of others. Be open to receiving feedback from the team and especially your patients. Encourage your team and patients to speak openly about any topic –let their voice be heard.

Listening to the feedback of others is a great way to find that missing piece of the puzzle. Always be open to making the best decisions based on your business goals, the benefits to your patients and team members.

CONCLUSION

As a Dental Practice Management Consultant these are only a few of the ways I have found to create a consistently sustainable and profitable team. These are only a few suggestions to gain raving fans and a team that is motivated and enthusiastic about coming to the office and working as a cohesive team.

We are entering into the last quarter of this year – 2013- plan to end with more success than ever before. You have about 90 days to plan your end of 2013 and create.

I would like to hear from you. Do you feel “heard” at your dental office? Does your office have a plan? How are things going this year in your office?

ABOUT DEBBIE

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS, is founder of Dental Practice Solutions and for over 20 years she has been committed to creating a dental hygiene department that works enthusiastically, creating a high performance teams, improving patients’ total health and consistent profits to the dental practice.

She is an author for journals such as Dentistry Today, HygieneTown and RDH. Debbie speaks internationally about systems and services in the dental hygiene department to create a team that works like a well-oiled machine, improving the total health of patients’, utilizing the most recent science to prevent disease and consistently increase profits.In 1984 she graduated from USC in Los Angeles in with a Bachelors Degree in Dental Hygiene. She is a former clinical assistant professor from USC. In 2000-2002 Debbie co-taught the practice management course for the dental students. Debbie is also a former dental hygiene program director for a school in Portland, Oregon where she wrote the accreditation, hired the instructors, purchased all the equipment, worked with project managers on the building of the school while managing a 2 million dollar budget.

Debbie works with dental practices throughout the world and is considered a leader in creating consistent profits to a dental practice through services and systems in the dental hygiene department. You can read more about her new 30 Day Dental Hygiene Profits Program to get a taste of what she has to offer. This is only a small sample of the value her programs bring to a dental practice!

Dental Patients Enroll in Preventive Therapy: How To Create Healthy Patients and Healthy Practice Profits

By: admin

August 20, 2013

Dentists want healthy profits in their dental practice as well as provide exceptional dental care. Dental Hygienists want to create health for their patients and contribute to the dental practice.

And our patients, they want to save money and spend less time in the dental office. How can we create a positive result for patients and the dental practice today?

How can we enroll dental patients in Preventive Therapy? With the current research we now have tools to provide optimal health for our patients and in return, our dental practice will have health profits. Read on for tips from one of Dentistry Today’s Top Dental Practice Management Consultants.

The Dental Patient and Our Challenge as Dental Professionals

As a dental practice management consultant, our team at DPS assesses the dental practice’s current patient records.

What we always discover is that for many years patients have presented to their dental hygiene appointment with 4m,5mm and even 6mm (or deeper) pocket depths. Last week in an office the dental practice we assessed had patients with not only periodontal pocket depths in excess of 6mm’s but many patients had generalized BOP with furcation involvement, furcation involvement and mobility.

The dentist – The CEO of the dental practice, believes since his/her patients have been accustomed to this process of care, there is no need to “upset the apple cart.” –No need to make any changes to what the patient was used to coming into the dental hygiene appointment to have completed—“only a cleaning.”

The reality is, while there are many patients who may exist as a patient in your dental practice with greater than 3mm pocket depths, do they have generalized bleeding? Is the this BOP or only when they brush their teeth? Are they a chronic tobacco user? What are their risk factors for disease? (Oral and systemic disease)

Dental Patients Enroll in Preventive Therapy

When a patient seated in your treatment room is scheduled for a prophy and you discover bleeding on probing, pocket depths over 4mms and this patient has risk factors that are associated with oral and systemic disease, what is your treatment plan for this patient?

Do you believe that you have an obligation to complete “what the treatment your patient thinks they came in for?” Do you follow the plan on your schedule for the day? OR do you assess for risk and disease, then speak with your patient (co-diagnosis) about what you both (You – -the dental professional and the patient) see in their oral cavity?

Think to yourself:

“What is my purpose for treating a patient?”
“What is my legal and ethical obligation to a dental patient I treat?”
“How will my patient feel when a few years from now this tooth with mobility falls out of their mouth and I never mentioned periodontal therapy?”
“How will it feel to our dental team to hear our patient died from systemic complications because of compromised oral health?”

AND

Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time for patient care?
Are you always running on a treadmill?
Are profits down in your dental hygiene department?
Are less than 20% of your adult patients only enrolled in Prophy appointments?

Yes, these are all legitimate questions and unfortunately they have all occurred—recently with a dental patient in the office of one of our clients. It happens all the time.

Creating the Paradigm Shift in Your Dental Practice

First, let’s look at the most recent ADA Periodontal Disease Classifications:

Type I Gingivitis: No loss of attachment. Bleeding on probing (BOP) may be present.

Type II Early Periodontitis: Pocket depth or attachment loss: 3-4mms, BOP may be present, localized areas of gingival recession, possible Grade I furcation involvement.

Type III Moderate Periodontitis: Pocket depths or attachment loss of 4-6mms, BOP, Grade II or II furcation involvement, Class II or III mobility.

Type IV Advanced Periodontitis: Pocket depths or attachment loss > 6mms, BOP, Grade II or III involvement, Class II or III mobility.

Type V: Refractory and Juvenile Periodontitis: Periodontitis not responding to conventional therapy or which recurs soon after treatment, Juvenile forms of periodontitis.

When you read the above definitions, how would you classify the patient in your treatment room?

Doctor is concerned about overhead and getting paid for the patient appointment.
The hygienist is concerned with the patient’s happiness, doesn’t want to scare the patient but wants to get her/his patients teeth cleaned.

How can everyone be happy with the end result of this patient appointment?

What is the best treatment plan for your patient?

What will provide profits to the patient and a satisfied patient who returns to your office?

Today’s dentistry is about total health not just treating a tooth or cleaning teeth. This is also how we can add consistent profits to the dental practice. If you build trusting relationships with your patients, (Trust begins with the 1^st phone call a patient makes to your office.) they are most likely to view your diagnosis as the Gospel Truth and say “YES” to any treatment plan you present to them.

Communication with Your Dental Patient

Telling your patient the hard facts about what you see (Not what you found. The vernacular is another topic of discussion!) is usually not a fun topic of conversation. On the flip side, how will your patient feel when they lose a tooth and you (The dental expert) never told them this was about to happen to them?!

Solutions to the Not-so-fun-topic of Conversation

Before you pick up a probe hand your patient a mirror to view their mouth along side of you.
Ask you patient before you begin your perio exam, to listen when you call out the numbers. Ask your patient to remember the highest and lowest number you will call out. (Important that you have another auxiliary present to write down the numbers recorded during a perio exam. This not only involves patients in the process but saves valuable time that can be used for education, communication, treatment planning and doctor exam time, etc.)
Sit your patient upright after the periodontal exam to discuss what you (Patient and hygienist) see in the patient’s oral cavity.
Involve your patient in the treatment planning process by asking open-ended questions and setting realistic goals
Use visuals (brochures, diagrams, photos, intra-oral camera, etc.)
Be enthusiastic about their outcome, providing hope for total health

How Do Your Involve Your Patient In the Treatment Planning Process?

Your dental patients will enroll in perio therapy when you understand how to build trusting patient relationships. They are a patient in your office because they really do want to be healthy.

How many times have you spoken to someone who said they don’t want to live a longer – healthy life?

We have the research at our fingertips. Thousands of research articles about the oral-health/systemic-health link. It is our ethical, legal responsibility to understand the specific ways in which we can deliver the message of total health.

Insurance is only a benefit – -it is not the solution to a health patient and practice!

Understanding how to deliver your message to treat patients at the highest level may take some work to become more successful but in the end – — wouldn’t you agree that it is worth the time to get to these results?

Healthy Patient’s = Health Dental Practice Profits

ABOUT DEBBIE SEIDEL-BITTKE, RDH, BS

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS is founder of Dental Practice Solutions, and has successfully designed efficient dental hygiene departments that result in high performance dental teams for over 13 years. Her focus is providing optimal patient health while consistently increasing profits for the dental practice.

Debbie is an accomplished author who speaks internationally about her signature systems and services for the dental hygiene department. She utilizes the most recent science and research to prevent disease while increasing the teams’ enthusiasm and guiding the dental team to consistently increase profits.

In 1984 she graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California with a Bachelors Degree in Dental Hygiene. She is a former clinical assistant professor from USC in Los Angeles, CA. In 2000-2002 Debbie co-taught the practice management course for the dental students at USC. Debbie is also a former dental hygiene program director for a school in Portland, Oregon where she wrote the accreditation, hired the teachers, purchased equipment and managed a 2 million dollar budget.

Debbie works with dental practices throughout the world implementing her signature dental hygiene systems and is considered one of the Top Leaders in Consulting for Dentistry Today. She can be reached at: www.https://dentalpracticesolutions.com, support@dentalpracticesolutions.com or call: 888-816-1511.

Treatment Planning Creates Your Own Economy

By: admin

August 13, 2013

In today’s world of dentistry there seems to be a focus on what to present to patients and how to present it to patients. As a Dental Practice Management Consultant I am consistently asked “Debbie, how can I get more patients to…?” Today I will write about treatment planning and how to create your own economy.

Here is a small list to explain why dentists call to speak to me:

Dentists ask me about treatment planning and improving case acceptance.

Dentists ask how they can get an increase production numbers without working more
Dentists ask me how to get overdue hygiene patients back on the schedule
Dentists ask me now to get more patients to say YES to treatment plans
And so many more questions to keep their dental practice alive in today’s challenging economy!

Recently I posted this quote on Facebook. Not sure where I found it:

“Those who believe they can move mountains DO! Those who believe they can’t cannot. Belief triggers the power to do so. PERIOD.”

It is what I believe and what has come true in my life. PERIOD!
I hear dentists say “This economy…” My response to this is “Create your own economy.”

Treatment Planning Creates Your Own Economy

Let me preface this by telling you a story I recently heard about in the media.
This is a story about Oprah Winfrey. Many of you may not know who Oprah Winfrey is so let me explain briefly. Oprah Winfrey is s an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She is also African American. Last year she made 77 Million! (USD) YES! That much!

What does Oprah Winfrey have to do with treatment planning? Well…she was recently in the media because she attended Tina Turners wedding in Zurich, Switzerland. While she was in Switzerland she walked into a shop where a beautiful handbag caught her eye.

The handbag just happens to cost $40,000. When Oprah asked to see the handbag the clerk in the store told her “I am sorry but that handbag is too expensive for you.”

One more time she tried to ask the lady to see the handbag “No, really I just want to see that one.” The shop keeper told her “I don’t want to hurt your feelings” Oprah kindly and very politely told the shop keeper “You’re right, I can’t afford it.” Then she walked out of the shop.

So how does this relate to treatment planning? You may be asking “Why are you talking about this woman Oprah Winfrey?!”

My reason is because so many offices prior to working with me and/or my team, only talked to their patients about treatment they “thought” their patients could “afford”.

You may have read my story about this before. This is a fact: Many years ago I worked for a dentist (As a dental assistant) who looked out the window of one of the treatment rooms and he would check out what type of car the new patient arrived in. Then he would prepare what type of treatment plan he could present according to what type of car they were driving. Would he discuss a $200 (USD) treatment plan? Or would he present a $20,000 (USD) treatment plan? Well, I can tell you that most patients only heard about the $200 treatment plan.

This Oprah Winfrey story reminded me of this situation. AND today, I still hear dentists say “It is the economy that doesn’t allow me to present comprehensive care to my patients.”

I need to ask you:

Is it fair for you to pre-determine what type of care you will offer your patients?
Is it fair to base your treatment plan on what you “think” they can afford or what their response may possibly be?”
Can you honestly pre-determine what answer your patient will give you before you show them what is happening in their mouth?
What would your patients think if you didn’t tell them the truth about their disease or oral condition that may affect their health and enhance their appearance?
Is it fair to your patient to “look the other way” when you see disease, BOP, a missing tooth, etc?

Tell Them the Truth

Have you ever thought of NOT telling a patient about a necessary implant or veneer because you knew their insurance would not pay for it? What if you thought your patient could not afford the treatment you know needs to be completed – would you neglect telling them what they really need?

Maybe you told your patient you could do a 4 or 5 surface restoration instead of a crown thinking, “I know their insurance won’t pay for this so blah, blah, blah..”

Would you present the realy picture for a perfect smile and improved health if you knew it was your mother, your wife, your husband..? Why would you offer your patient something less?

I do hear these stories all the time!

How do you decide on a treatment plan?
Do you think that “This economic crisis is so bad I will only diagnose for single tooth dentistry?”

I know some of you will answer “YES” to this question. You believe that due to this economy you must go easy on your patients.

We do have an ethical obligation to tell our patients the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

That shop keeper didn’t believe Oprah Winfrey could afford a $40,000 handbag because of her appearance.

We must provide our patients with options. As healthcare providers we have a legal and ethical obligation. Please…leave the final decision up to tyour patient.

Let them decide what they can or can’t afford.

Most long-term patients establish great trust in their dentist. This is why your patients will say “YES” to your care. This is why you must tell them what really exits in their oral cavity.

Your patients are depending on you to tell them what they really need. They deserve to hear all their options.

When they buy a car I promise you they want to know if the sun roof is included and they will decide for themself if they want to Sirus Audio System included. And many will pay extra for it!

What Can We Learn From Oprah Winfrey?

You see, this was not the first time a shop keeper turned Oprah Winfrey away. The first person many years ago flat out told her they would not sell to her because her skin was black.

In Switzerland, most people have never heard of Oprah Winfrey and the shop keeper, who told her she didn’t want to hurt her feelings but she couldn’t afford that handbag, obviously didn’t know who Oprah was!

And how do you think that shop keeper feels now knowing that the billionaire woman was refused service in her shop? There has been an official apology as well as the Swiss government apologizing.

And how many of your patients have you neglected to tell exactly what type of dentistry they needed?

Did you tell them their options for that missing tooth? Did you allow your patient to decide which is best for their pocketbook?

Build trust with your new dental patients — at their first appointment

“Customer is king”

Treat every patient the same (provide a specific level of care for all patients of record.

“Every patient deserves to know what is going on inside their mouth and the various options that can create health and even a more beautiful smile”

Allow all patients to know the types of dental treatment options you can offer patients
Allow patients to know and truly understand that you care about their well-being

” People don’t care how much you know but they do want to know how much you care”

Tell patients what you see in their mouth

“Many patients believe the dentist will FIND something. Change this into a conversation of “co-diagnosis”. This means that your patient participates looking with you. (use a hand mirror or intra-oral camera) Show patients what you see and tell them “This is what we see in this area on your lower right area.” (Identify where you are looking in their mouth – especially when using an intra-oral camera)

Provide patients with options to create health and a longer life (And many want to look more beautiful as they age)

“Most people do want to live a longer and healthier life!”

People Buy What They Want

I can tell you that people really do buy what they want.
If you present a benefit for placing an implant over a removable appliance or doing nothing, at least you have left the choice up to your patient.
If you position yourself, speak with a certain (Caring, etc.) tone and in a manner that you know are comfortable with your patient, they are more likely to trust you and believe that you have their best interest in mind.
When people know how much you care and when they trust that you have their best interest in mind, the decision to say “YES” and accept your treatment plan becomes so much easier for everyone.

Recently, I spent some time in Palm Desert, California. It is summer time and the snow birds (The retired people) have returned to their other home. This beautiful desert location was still filled with a lot of people. They temperatures were triple digits. (Temperature in Fahrenheit) There were so many families in the desert vacationing with their families. These families didn’t drive in old beat up cars but nice, big, expensive cars. The families were in the restaurants’ and shops.

I also noticed that the car dealerships were plentiful. I saw dealerships for such automobiles like: Bentley, Jaguar, Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac, etc., etc.

There were dental offices on every corner. And the dental offices I visited were very upscale.

In Conclusion

I know for sure that people are spending money. I spoke to a retired lady I know today about this. She constantly tells me she needs to watch her money. But when I asked her if she would stop spending the thousands of dollars each year on her face creams she quickly told me “Absolutely not!”

I know that if you understand how to effectively communicate with your patients and if you know when to be quiet and listen, if you understand how to build trust with your patients – You will have many more patients say “YES” to your care.

I am interested to hear how you create a treatment plan in today’s world. I want to know what type of economy you are creating for yourself.

How do you create your own economy? What are you doing during the dental patient appointment to build trust? How do you explain all the options to your patients? How do you know you don’t have an “Oprah Winfrey” sitting in your dental chair?

I would like to hear about your experience with treatment planning and how you deliver your message today. Do you discuss single tooth dentistry or comprehensive dental care options?

What you believe really is what you create. The words that come out of your mouth do become YOUR reality.

Tell me more about your world – your economy – in the comment section below.

About Debbie

Dental Practice Management Consultant Takes Team from Good to Great!

By: admin

August 6, 2013

As a Dental Practice Management Consultant I see various types of dental practices.

It is the sad truth but most of the dentists who contact my office are usually at a sink or swim stage and it can be a daunting task to even pick up the phone and talk, let alone try to make a decision about hiring a dental practice management consultant.

(And this article will explain the ROI on hiring a consultant.– IF you read between the lines regarding their BIG results!)

It usually takes a dentist 3 months to make a decision to hire a new consultant and by this time the office numbers have plummeted to where doctor is not able to sleep at night.

Does this sound like you? Are you one of these dentists thinking that you must do something but you fear change or worse, you fear nothing will ever change no matter what you do!

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~ Albert Einstein

Maybe you have tried various new dental business systems or other practice management programs and nothing seems to work.

Let me put your mind at ease and begin to share a recent client of ours: (Read on and you can calculate for yourself the doctors ROI on hiring a Dental Practice Management Consultant)

In order to create consistent profitability for doctors desired outcome I needed to research and analyse their current numbers. I looked at their list of services, fees, production and collection numbers, P & L, etc., before we began to dive into the consulting process. We were able to set realistic goals after sitting down to research and strategize together.

Years ago, I learned that it is extremely important to identify the practices’ obstacles and road blocks, to reach where they want to be. Once I have the attention of doctor and the team I can place my full attention, together, with my passion, enthusiasm and keen insight, to dig into the necessary work that needs to be done. We create a step-by-step process to work smarter and not so hard. It really doesn’t not mean that working with a Dental Practice Management Consultant is stressful or creates more work. It is just the opposite. Together; doctor, the entire team and I, roll up our sleeves and dig deep into the barriers that broke down the success of the office.

Big Results

The team at “Dr. XYZ” in Portland, Oregon, has shown big improvements in less than 5 months of hygiene department coaching. When I first met with doctor she showed me the hygiene schedules. Each hygienist (2 hygienists) had at least 2 openings each day. The office has seven days of hygiene patients each week. Originally these days were not booked with patients but just sitting open.

The entire team changed many of the words that they used with their patients. The front office scheduling coordinator no longer calls and asks patients to return a confirmation call. She is confirming patients appointments about 4 days in advance of their appointment. All patients are now aked if they prefer to be contacted via email, text message or phone call.

(Some of the words they changed were “Cleaning” as well as asking patients when THEY wanted to return vs. suggesting an appointment date and time. They took control of the schedule. AND they increased the percentage of pre-scheduled hygiene patients.)

Many of the patients now request an email to confirm their appointment. The email says something like this:

“Dear Mary,

I am writing to let you know that Doctor XYZ and Holly, (Most know HOLLY is their hygienist) are looking forward to seeing you for your preventive care appointment. Dr. XYZ will review your x-rays and complete a visual exam. Holly will also complete an oral cancer screening exam using our new technology called Vizilite with can detect any early signs of oral cancer. She will also evaluate the health of your gums for inflammation, disease, check any restorations, remove plaque, calculus and stains as necessary. We look forward to seeing you on Friday August 9th at 8 am.”

In good health,

Megan Ridgley
Scheduling Coordinator at Dr. XYZ

Here are the BOTTOM LINE Results the office has received from the Dental Practice Management Consulting Process:

The office of XYZ has decreased their cancellations and open holes in the hygiene schedule, down to no more than 1 each week.
The team began role-play exercises to more effectively communicate non-surgical perio treatment. We also worked together (role-play) on overcoming many of the barriers and obstacles for patients accepting aesthetic and restorative treatment.
The original percentage of adult patients treated for periodontal disease went from 18 – 45% in the past five months.
The hygienists now have a 90% acceptance rate for using the Vizilite which has contributed to an increase in production.
The team learned how to assess and categorize patients for Caries Risk using the most recent CAMBRA protocols. (found in California Dental Journal 2011) This provided another $3,000 production to the practice without creating more patient time in the chair and didn’t increase the practice’s overhead. This is pure profit!
This increased hygiene production as well without adding more chair time or hiring more employees to work in the office.

One Team Challenge Existed

The one challenge they were still having at the end of July was keeping the hygienists on time so we were able to implement our “Down to a Science” strategy which seems to be helping with time management.

The Dental Practice Management Consulting Process

Each month I have at least one phone call with doctor to discuss the successes and challenges that may still exist. We are able to work together to create a systematic approach to solve these challenges as they occur.
Every sixty days myself or one of my team coaches is in their office for about 1 1/2 days of hands-on training, team meetings, role-playing and strategy sessions so discover solutions to any challenges.

The fact that the team has an expert there to guide them through a step-by-step process is a much easier way to create their next stage of success.
I have to add that the office administrator is great to work with and we spend a lot of time working together each week.

As of August 5, 2014 the office production numbers are at $628,000 with the hygiene department up by $65,000 and aesthetic/restorative case acceptance has increased by $110,000 this year so far.
The total production and collections is estimated to be up by approximately 30% from 2012.

More Big Team Results

The team has gained a new enthusiasm for working together. They told me that they feel like a family and have their friends (their patients) come to visit daily.

Recently, doctor had a pizza party after hours and each team member played a role in calling overdue hygiene patients. This was one more solutions we came up with through our research and strategy sessions together.

The team also receives a bonus when they achieve their new collection goals which appears to have limited team morale.

Would you like to be our next success story? There are so many options today. The one roadblock I see holding offices back is the attitude “It’s this economy that holds us back!” I want to say to you “Creaate your own economy!” People really are finding many ways to buy what they really want. Do your patients understand the wonderful menu of services you offer?

Does you team educate your patients about doctors extensive specialty courses he/she has completed?
Let your patients know about the research on oral health and it’s relationship to total health. I do believe most of your patients want to live a longer health status.

Let’s schedule a time to talk about your next level of success: support@dentalpracticesolutions.com or 888-816-1511
Maybe you want to take a test drive of what our team offers. Here is a simple and a simple step-by-step guide to get your started:
30 Day Dental Hygiene Profits Program

ABOUT DEBBIE

Are you looking to improve profits in your dental hygiene department? Debbie has an innovative and successful way to educate you and your team to create the small tweaks mentioned in this blog. Debbie has been in the trenches of the dental office over 30 years. She is a former Dental Hygiene Program Director, an assistant professor from the University of Southern California and even co-taught the practice management course for the senior dental students at USC.

Check our her services section on the website to find one that meets your needs. Consider getting your team involved in her 12 week Case Acceptance Program. You won’t need to stop your day of work at the office or pay for a consultant to travel to your office. The program is at your fingertips 24/7 indefinitely.

Debbie speaks at most of the major dental conferences in the world. She is recognized for the past 8 years as “One of Dentistry Today’s Top Consultants.”

She will also be featured on the cover of Hygiene Today in September 2013. (Published alongside Dentistry Today)

Many of her clients span from not only the United States but Brazil, Australia, India and the UK, just to mention a few.

5 Time Saving Tips to Work Smarter During Your Dental Hygiene Appointments

By: admin

July 30, 2013

Time management is one stressor no matter what your occupation is. You can be a stay-at-home mom: a domestic engineer, and yet managing your time during the day is one thing we all need to manage.

Then, to make matters more challenging, you work in a dental office and you need to complete patient services in a very timely manner. I’m certain that you want your dental patients to feel a high level of customer satisfaction, so you blood pressure and pulse tend to run a bit higher than they would on a weekend at home with your family.

This week I want to offer a few more tips to keep you running like a well-oiled machine daily during your dental hygiene appointments.

1. YOUR PERCEPTION IS YOUR REALITY

“Set realistic expectations of yourself and others.”

Mostly likely, you have set very high expectations for yourself. Dentists, hygienists and the other auxiliaries tend to put pressure on themselves to get it perfect. We want to get the job done at the very best level of quality and patient satisfaction. This is just how we are!

Take time to strategize and plan out your day in the dental office. Know who needs to be where and when. How can you eliminate those bottlenecks during your day? What else can you create success and distress?

What can you do to schedule a successful and stress-free day in your dental office?

2. USE YOUR TECHNOLOGY EFFECTIVELY

“Less is more”

Many of us hygienists who were educated many years ago, didn’t receive a lot of education on the use of ultrasonic’s and/or lasers. If you were educated in an era where these technologies were not as effective as they are today, take a course to learn the latest – most up to date clinical skills to utilize these technologies and save time during your day.

Today’s dental hygiene appointments need to include 80% ultrasonic’s and 20% hand scaling. This is not only a time-saver but creates improved health for your patients.

Saving your clinical treatment time means more time for education. Maybe you need to educate your patient about the oral systemic link, or the initial diagnosis you just made. It may be possible that you patient have an outstanding treatment plan and if you can find extra time in that hygiene appointment, you can educate your patient. The end result is a happier – healthier patient, less scaling at future appointments and most likely more profits to the practice.

3. PICTURES PAINT A THOUSAND WORDS

I know I have said this before, and as a Dental Practice Management Consultant, I can not stress enough that use of the intraoral camera is one technology dentists tell me, their hygienist doesn’t use enough.

Do you use the intraoral camera but large populations of your patients do not accept your treatment plans?

Try explaining treatment options, procedures, etc., by using brochures, posters, and even CASEY or an iPad with videos.

If you do step out of the treatment room for a minute, the videos are a great time for education tools like CASEY, the iPad a beautiful photo album of past treatment doctor has completed. (Doctor’s before and after photos)

4. DOWN TO A SCIENCE DOCTOR/DENTAL HYGIENE EXAMS

The biggest stress relief I can not mention again is that doctor needs to complete the exam after the hygienist has completed his/her initial co-diagnosis.

Last week’s blog included a diagram outlining the 3 parts of the hygiene appointment.

Breakdown the dental hygiene appointment into 3 areas:

Data Collection – This includes the review of medical history, Xerostomia, Malodor assessments, blood pressure, oral cancer and antioxidant screenings, etc. Annually you will complete a six-point periodontal screening exam, radiographs and even a TMD exam.

Always, before you begin the hygiene clinical procedures, re-evaluate any previous areas of concern: CAMBRA (Caries risk) or Periodontal Areas of concern, etc.

Case Presentation – This is the “co-diagnosis.” The exact time the dental hygienist sits their patient up in the chair to discuss and communicate with the patient, what they see in their mouth during the data collection stage of the hygiene appointment.

At this point in time – approximately 24 minutes into the hygiene appointment, doctor should be able to enter and complete the patient exam.

Clinical Patient Care – At this point in the dental hygiene appointment you will proceed with your clinical care which may also include homecare/post-op instructions.

You have approximately 36 minutes remaining for the patient’s clinical care. During this period of time and not more than 15 minutes before the end of the patient’s appointment (the doctor should enter to complete the exam between 36 and 45 minutes into the hygiene appointment.

5. SMOOTH OPERATOR

When doctor does enter to begin the patient exam, the dental hygienist will be seated in their chair and should be providing patient care. The hygienist will move from her/his chair and over to the other side of the patient to interact with doctor during the exam.

There are numerous suggestions for saving time during the dental hygiene appointment as well as other services in the dental office performed daily.

Does your day in the dental office run smoothly or do you hit bumps in the road? I hope you will share your answers below in the comments section.

If you want to take a deeper dive into any of these topics please consider participating in our 30 Day Dental Hygiene Profits Program. This is 30 Days of dental hygiene department services, systems and distressing to create more time in your day, harmony in your working and personal relationships. This turn-key program is increasing dental hygiene department profits by 25-37% over the next 6-12 months. The more you implement from the program, the greater your results will be!

ABOUT DEBBIE

In 1984 she graduated from USC in Los Angeles in with a Bachelors Degree in Dental Hygiene. She is a former clinical assistant professor from USC. In 2000-2002 Debbie co-taught the practice management course for the dental students. Debbie is also a former dental hygiene program director for a school in Portland, Oregon where she wrote the accreditation, hired the instructors, purchased all the equipment, worked with project managers on the building of the school while managing a 2 million dollar budget.
Debbie works with dental practices throughout the world and is considered a leader in creating consistent profits to a dental practice through services and systems in the dental hygiene department.

7 Tips for Dental Hygiene Appointment Success: Staying on Time, Keep it Down to a Science

By: admin

July 24, 2013

Let’s face it, working in a dental office and managing to stay on time for your patients can be a stressful event!

The dental office team members need to take charge and manage the daily schedule.

How can your dental team take charge and reduce the potential threat of stress of “Staying on Time”?

The dental hygiene appointment can be stress-free is you follow these 7 tips.

Step 1 Set Goals

Break down your goals according the each department, and each treatment room in your dental office. For example, a typical dental hygiene appointment should provide profits to the dental practice not a loss leader.

If you plan accordingly the profit potential can happen with the feeling of stress. Waiting for doctor to examine the patient is often a huge stressor. Even patients become anxious waiting for doctor to arrive. Have you had patients who had to wait for the doctor exam and they became impatient? Read on for some more tips to stay on time.

Step 2 Time Your Procedures

I am almost positive that you have a good idea how long each procedure will take. Time your procedures; doctor / hygiene exams, assistant time, fluoride treatments, sealants, even doctor prep time, on and on. Write down a list of services you provide patients. Write them down, include the treatment room available for the procedure (Maybe you can move a patient who needs impressions, etc., after the routine hygiene procedures) write down available rooms, which can additionally provide this service. (Within their scope of practice) This will help you gather a lot of information about how to schedule more productively and with less stress.

Have you taken time to “time” your procedures? If you have not done so, schedule a monthly team “timing meeting.” Your timing can become easily disrupting with various factors. Some of these factors are employee turnover, what to do in the case of a late patient, how do you make up for time if patient anesthesia is a challenge, etc? There are so many more topics regarding timing so sit down and create a success plan around this topic.

Step 3 Break Down the Time

Break down each appointment into primary, secondary or doctor/assistant time. When you schedule around the primary providers time, your practice will drive a health level of revenue.

I want to ask that you write down and share what type of dental procedures you enjoy providing. Include the entire team: dental hygienists and assistants as well. As a dental hygienist, I have enjoyed treating the periodontal patients. Many of my dental practice management clients have a hygienist that prefers to see the periodontal patients. In many offices one hygienist will see a large majority of the pediatric patients or the new patients. Another hygienist is best at treating the more difficult patients; stressed out patients and more difficult periodontal cases. Discover which services each provider enjoys most and then schedule in “special” times for these types of services in each provider’s schedule.

Block your schedule in 10-minute increments. If you choose 15 minutes, you will lose thousands of dollars over a year of appointments. It just doesn’t round up when you have 15 minute increments of time in your daily schedule.

Here are a few examples:

Scaling and Root Planing (SRP) – 2 quadrants. This may take only 90 minutes. There will be 3 – ten minute increments of time left after this block of time.

A patient who is at moderate to extremely high risk for caries will be returning to your office every three to four months for about 10= 20 minutes of time. (CAMBRA – CARIES MANAGEMENT BY RISK ASSESSMENT guidelines)

If you have a 90-minute block of time for two quadrants of SRP, the block of time after this service is a great time to schedule an appointment for a patient at moderate to high risk for caries. (Fluoride Varnish, homcare instructions, etc.)

Possibly a small child can be seen for a prophy/fluoride appointment. Sealants or impressions for night guards or bleach trays can fit in these thirty minutes of time as well. When you strategize and look over the doctor’s schedule, you may have the prep of a crown scheduled for 80 minutes. The doctor’s time should be blocked off during the exact time he/she must be in the room. (Examples: anesthesia time, preparing the crown, seat time, etc.)

Think outside the box of purely blocking patient dental hygiene appointments for exactly 60 minutes for a hygiene appointment. Block out the assistant time as well in this situation.

Many offices are implementing assisted hygiene, (Not to be confused with Accelerated Hygiene!) and I enjoy guiding teams through the process of creating a stress-free, success schedule of time with assisted hygiene. Always block for doctor, assistant time and hygienist time.

Step 4 Use a Schedule with Blocked Templates

Once you have established your daily production goal for each treatment room, work with your team to create and visually layout a best schedule to create quality dentistry, delivering impeccable care and that personal touch.

Do you prefer to see your high-end aesthetic cases in the morning? Do you want children in the office early morning? Block out these times exactly when you want them to be in your schedule.

I always requested that my patient appointments for scaling and root-planing be scheduled in the morning. Occasionally, I would have one after lunch but I definitely enjoyed seeing the more difficult cases in the mornings when I was fresh.

Step 5 Decide Who Will Schedule Next Appointments

The success of a full schedule really has a lot to do with the clinical team. If you have a couple of administrative team members at the front desk, you may want to have one of them in charge of scheduling doctors’ appointments.

The hygienist (or someone on the hygiene team) is the very best person to schedule future hygiene appointments. I have found over the years as a clinical hygienist and working with my clients, that the hygienist is in a good position to educate patients about their need for specific types of appointments and the necessary intervals to maintain optimal health. This is in line with how communication works best. It also eliminates patients going to the front desk with any confusion about why they need a next visit for “x, y, or z.”

The one time it is not efficient for the hygienist (or someone on the hygiene team) is when the patient needs multiple appointments scheduled. An example of this is a patient who was diagnosed today for four quadrants of scaling and root planing and will need to return for 4 appointments plus a perio maintenance appointment, four to six weeks later.

It can be a good idea to have one person at the front desk also is in charge of the hygiene schedule. This is one person who can make follow up calls to overdue hygiene patients as well as schedule these multiple appointments as necessary.

Step 6 Hygiene Exams

It works best for everyone, (patient, doctor and team members) if doctor enters the hygiene treatment room to complete the exam after the hygienist has completed her/his assessments and before the last 10 minutes of the hygiene appointment. I will share a diagram at the top of this blog and below is an explanation of how this should flow.

**See the photo at the top of this blog for a break-down and science of time management. Doctor should come into the hygiene room to complete the patient exam after 2nd interval – (See the time management pie chart) which is the hygienist’s initial case presentation. The hygienist completes his/her assessments and then presents his/her findings in an initial case presentation. This is a couple of minutes to explain what the hygienist and patient saw in the patient’s mouth. Doctor should not enter the hygiene room to begin the exam later than 15 minutes before the hygiene appointment is supposed to end.

Step 7 Communication Saves Time

Many offices today use radio devices, communication lights in the treatment room, or instant messaging on their computer software to communicate if a patient has arrived to the office.

Many sports teams have a high level of communication skills, moving from one play to another. This is the same level of communication you will want to have in your dental office.

One More Stress relief Management Tool

Imagine your time management skills as rewarding and stress free.

Understanding the value of your time, how it can be used and a commitment to effective communication are your keys to manifesting your goals and increasing profits in your practice!

Do you have a time stressor during your day in the dental office? What might that be? I would enjoy hearing about your time stressor.

Maybe it will be another topic here for another week’s blog. It is possible that I have a solution. If you write it in the comment below, you never know, someone else may have a great solution.

Looking forward to supporting you!

ABOUT DEBBIE

Check out her new program for 30 Days of information to increase profits in your dental hygiene department: 30 Days of Profit to Your Dental Hygiene Department

Your Doctor/Hygiene Exam Science Project

By: admin

July 16, 2013

Dentistry has experienced many changes these past ten years. The economy is a lot different and the way we will deliver our treatment recommendations to our patients also needs to change today.

The dental hygienist has a big influence on how and when patients will accept treatment.

In addition, the entire dental team must rely on advanced communication skills to improve case acceptance. The dental hygienist plays a very important role in case acceptance for comprehensive care.

Let’s take this apart and study this system for the doctor/dental hygiene exam and how it can affect case acceptance. Doctor needs to write down how he/she wants this to be streamlined to create highly effective case acceptance. Role-play with your team using scripts and practice this system until you have it down perfectly.

The Doctor/Dental Hygiene Exam

The doctor/dental hygiene exam is highly effective when there is a specific format for delivering the information: 1^st from the hygienist to the patient and 2^nd the delivery from hygienist to doctor while your patient is present in the treatment room.

Often times the doctor enters to complete a patient exam and it is rush-rush. Either the hygienist is running behind, maybe the hygienist has been waiting ten minutes for doctor to complete the exam and in addition, the patient may be stressed because they need to leave to return back to work, etc.

At Dental Practice Solutions we recommend a specific method for determining when doctor will complete an exam. The doctor should never wait until the end of a dental hygiene appointment to complete an exam.

When the doctor enters the treatment room, the computer monitor should show images of the teeth, showing calculus, plaque, BOP, fractured restorations, etc.

The dental hygienist also needs to have the most recent radiographs available for doctor to view when completing the exam.

Here is a scenario of how this exam process will be completed:

The dental hygienist needs to have written notes to herself/himself about what they discovered with the patient. Now the doctor and hygienist will have a specific flow to the exam conversation. (This is your roadmap)

Doctor only needs a quick “Hello, how are you Mr. XYZ?” For a patient of record there does not need to be a lot of conversation. Anything over 2 minutes is too long!

The hygienist can begin reporting to doctor with a quick personal update.

Example:

Hygienist:“Dr. Goodtooth, Mr. Dundee’s son is getting married this summer!”

Doctor: “Congratulations! I remember when Matt was only six years old! How can it be that he is getting married?!”

Hygienist: “Dr. Goodtooth, today I reviewed Mr. XYZ’s health history and there are no changes. I took his blood pressure and it was 100/70. We completed an oral cancer screening with the ORALID®. That was negative. Mr. XYZ told me that he wants to have whiter teeth for his son’s wedding. We talked about completing those implants and before you complete those he wants to do the whitening of his teeth. I told Mr. XYZ that you would like to have the annual x-rays next time we see him in 6 months. His pocket depths were all within normal limits and there was no bleeding today. We talked about him using the Sonicare and he may buy one next time he is here.”

Doctor: Nods in agreement and says something like “Ok, or ah-huh.”

When the hygienist is finished with her/his verbal report doctor can begin to expound on the necessary treatment.

Before the patient leaves the treatment room the hygienist will schedule Mr. XYZ’s next hygiene appointment.

REPETITION IS KEY

Patient’s usually need to hear something new about three times before they are able to fully comprehend their treatment needs. Now they can attempt to make a decision to schedule and pay for treatment.

Imagine we are speaking Greek to them! They have no clue what these funny sounding words mean!

Do not attempt to discuss payment options or schedule the treatment until the patient has confirmed they understand the diagnosis.

Three Verbal Communication Opportunities

When the patient has a new condition that needs treatment it is helpful if you can talk about this three different times during this appointment. The 1^st time is when the hygienist completes her or his assessments and discovers the need for treatment. At this point in time the hygienist will co-diagnose the area(s) of concern with the patient seated upright in the dental chair.

The 2^nd time the patient will hear about the condition in their oral cavity is when the hygienist reports to the doctor.

The 3^rd time with be at the front desk with the treatment coordinator.

STOP AND DO NOT PASS THE FRONT DESK!

Always have patients stop off at the front desk before they leave the dental office. Patient’s should always be escorted to the front desk and the dental hygienist or other auxiliary will report to the treatment coordinator or another auxiliary at the front desk, what was completed at today’s appointment and what will the next appointment be scheduled for. If the patient was scheduled in the back office treatment room, this needs to be reported when the auxiliary is speaking to the treatment coordinator at the front desk.

When patients are left to wander out of the office without a team member escorting them, appointments will many times go unscheduled and/or payment is often not received the day services are rendered.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: REFINEMENT AND DOWN TO A SCIENCE

As a Dental Practice Management Consultant, I always recommend that you create scripts for all communication that routinely occurs. If you are talking to a new patient on the phone or maybe you are talking to a patient of record about a recent diagnosis, script out these various scenarios and role-play with your team. Role-play these various opportunities and create solutions to overcome patient objections and discover how to work in harmony as a team. Effective communication is key!

This should be an ongoing process. Learn how to understand the various ways your different patients communicate and learn how to respond to these various personality and communication styles.

LARGER COMPREHENSIVE TREATMENT PLANS

Not every patient will accept your treatment recommendations the 1^st time a patient is informed of a diagnosis. Many larger cases, above $2,000.00 USD may take three follow up attempts to finally have patient schedule for treatment.

This means that the dental hygienist plays an important role in follow up each time they see the patient.

CONCLUSION

There is a very systematic, scientific way to complete an effective doctor/dental hygiene exam.

This process really does need to be practiced until you have it down to a science.

Write scripts for everything that is said in your office between the team and patients. Always take time to role-play with the team. Practice until you make it perfect.

If you want to dig deeper into this topic Dental Practice Solutions has a one-of-a-kind 30 Day Dental Hygiene Profits Program which spends 3 Days of the 30 days on this topic of the doctor/hygiene exam. You can find more information about this program here: READ MORE

About Debbie

Debbie works with dental practices throughout the world and is considered a leader in creating consistent profits to a dental practice through services and systems in the dental hygiene department.

Caries Risk Assessment: Saving Dollars for Your Dental Patient Adds Profits to Your Dental Practice

By: admin

July 9, 2013

I get excited when a dental office contacts me to be their Dental Practice Management Consultant and recently I had a few offices contact me who were located outside of the United States.

Their reason to call was to have a US Dental Practice Management Consultant implement preventive services for their practice and bring preventive protocols to their practice.

One of the most overlooked areas in a dental practice today is the Caries Risk Assessment. (CAMBRA) It happens a lot that offices do not have a protocol in place to assess and prevent caries. CAMBRA is not new. The California Dental Journal produced two journals dedicated to this topic in October and November 2007 and again in October 2011.

It is very rewarding to be a part of the shift in other countries who have millions upon millions of their population without preventive care services! There are dentists in these countries looking to make a change in their country. Congratulations to these dentists for leading CHANGE!

Caries Risk assessment is one of the areas we can see a huge shift in the underserved populations. With the guidance of a Consultant you will have a turn-key value added system in place to prevent disease and create one more profit center.

(Read below and add your own numbers to see what this means for your practice and profitability.)

What is CAMBRA?

CAMBRA assists providers to systematically evaluate caries risk in an individualized manner; children as well as adults.
Tailors a specific preventive therapeutic management plan or “care path”;
Customizes a restorative plan in conjunction with preventive care; and
Supports the dental professional to plan a timely, specific, and appropriate periodicity schedule based on the patients’ caries risk.

To effectively prevent and management the disease of caries, care should begin early, ideally during at age 1 a comprehensive oral exam visit is completed.

Yes, assessment begins very early. Do you tell parents that a child’s first visit is at age 3? NO? Think again.

Here are steps to prevent caries risk:

A caries risk assessment is the first of these critical steps,
Give the provider more information to help them consider the risk and health status of each patient before beginning the exam.
Caries risk assessment provides information pertaining to three specific overarching domains: white spot lesions, decalcification enamel. defects or other obvious decay in the child.

The information obtained from a caries risk assessment allows the care provider to formulate a caries risk profile for the child, and also an adult. This is an essential first step to determining the prevention and treatment plan, as well as the periodicity of patient follow-up/continuing care visit. (one month, three months, six months, or one year).

The CAMBRA-based dental practice will increase the usage of current preventive products. (Another profit center for your dental hygien department) The dental practice needs to have these products available to the patient so they can easily improve self-efficacy and begin using these preventive care products immediately.

CAMBRA-based prevention and nonsurgical caries management should lead to a shift away from restorative procedures to procedures focused on prevention and early intervention; cost analysis and development of financial models should show the economic value change the psychology of the dental professional’s messaging style.

Include attractive literature for patients to read in your reception areas and take home with them to learn more about Caries Prevention.

The new CDT codes for CAMBRA will assist in reimbursement for the patient.

In January 2013 the CDT codes were revised and D 1204 and D1203 are no longer used. For the patient who receives a fluoride varnish the insurance billing code will be: D1206.

For adults and children who receive a fluoride other than a varnish the code for billing used will be: D1208.

What does this mean for the profits to your practice?

For patients who are assessed moderate to extremely high risk they will return every 1-3 months for a short appointment to assess biofilm, review home care and diet, provide a fluoride varnish and if the patient will always use a 1.1% Sodium Fluoride each night.

Here is a breakdown of what this may mean for your dental practice and the patient:

RISK ASSESSED Interval of Service Services CDT Code Fee

Mod – Extremely High 1- 3mos Biofilm eval, F2 Varnish, eval home-care, 1.1% NaF D1206, D09999 $ 65

Low 6 mos Prophy, F2 Varnish D1110, D1206 $135

Most offices will enroll at least 100 patients annually into CAMBRA. This above chart can be used to assess your profit potential. (Average practice is approximately 1500 patients)

CAMBRA strategies are implemented with a focus toward prevention and early intervention. Studies should also determine if there is significant practice growth and case acceptance once the patient oral health is improved.

CAMBRA represents best practices and should become the standard of care in disease prevention and treatment.

ABOUT DEBBIE SEIDEL-BITTKE, RDH, BS

Are you looking to improve profits in your dental hygiene department? Debbie has an innovative and successful way to consistently increase profits in your dental practice.

Many dentists today only need a 1 or 2 day workshop in-office to create the best solutions. Some offices find it valuable to participate in one of our online membership programs. This investment will be your highest ROI .

Check our services section on the website to find one that meets your needs. Consider getting your team involved in our 12 week Case Acceptance Program. You won’t need to stop your day of work at the office or pay for a dental consultant to travel to your office. The program is at your fingertips 24/7 indefinitely.

Debbie writes for many of the major dental conferences in the world. She is recognized for the past 8 years as “One of Dentistry Today’s Top Consultants.”

Many of her clients span from not only the United States but Brazil, Australia, India and the UK, just to mention a few. She has unique and one-of-a-kind learning systems for offices all over the world to participate in as well as in-office workshops and dental hygiene consulting.

Create Raving Fans: Understand the Science of a Solid and Professional Dental Marketing Strategies

By: admin

July 2, 2013

Consumer experts have studied our buying trends and I believe that if we look at the process of how people buy we will see some similarities how this relates to your patients scheduling and paying for your services.

First, let me be straight forward and I want to be clear that I am not asking you to be Salesey and we do not want our dental patients to feel like we are SELLING them a bill of goods.

What is important to take away from this information is that we are in the business of caring for people. We want to offer our patients dental products and services that create optimal overall health and make them feel good about themselves.

Have you ever noticed that when you go to the grocery store you have a list and you check it twice, but yet, when you are actually checking out you notice you have spent a lot more than you anticipated?

And you may be asking what does shopping at the grocery store have to do with dentistry?!

You can create your own economy by offering specific services to your dental patients.

Continue reading this to create Raving Fans, understand the Science of a Solid and Professional Dental Marketing Strategies.

Do your patients know exactly what services you offer?
Do you have a menu of services listed on your website?
Do you educate your patients about the specific types of services you offer them?

AND how can you educate your dental patients about your services in a way that peaks their curiosity and their interest in what you have to offer them?

Have you ever noticed the stand of items next to the check out stand?

You know, that stand you probably thought had nothing you needed?

Did you ever grab something from that stand on your right and you really didn’t need it? What about the gossip magazines on your left of the check out stand?

Ever pick up one of those? I bet you have.

SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES

There is a subliminal message which occurs while you wait to check out. The grocery industry purposefully puts these stands at the check out counter – to your left and to your right. You know you don’t need those items yet, you are looking at them and maybe you pick up those gossip magazines to read. Then you don’t finish the gossip and end up spending another 3-6 dollars.

HOW TO INCREASE PRODUCTION 20-30% in YOUR DENTAL OFFICE

Research states that these grocery stores sell 20-30% more products JUST from people standing in the check out line.

There really can be a subtle and yet value added sale that occurs with every patient who comes to your website, on-hold phone messages and when they are in your dental office.

This is not a marketing approach but a professional and very caring approach.

If you have your approach down to a science then you will have patients accepting more care, they will return to their dental hygiene appointments on-time and you will see an increase in aesthetic cases as well.

Here are some simple tips to Create Raving Fans:

Offer a menu of services on your website
Offer on-hold messages that educate your patients about your special services. (Examples: Forever White™, Free-Whitening, Six-month Smiles, Invisalign, implants, etc)
Show off your home care products offered in a beautiful showcase in your reception area (Examples: Create a beautiful display of Power Toothbrushes, specialty toothpaste and mouth rinses, etc.)
Show off your beautiful photos of before and after treatment on your patients of record. Display these in your reception area and on your website. (Make sure you have authorization to use patients before and after photos. Make sure these are YOUR photos not a generic photo of another person’s before and after treatment.)
Annually, at the dental hygiene appointment, each patient should complete with the hygienist a smile evaluation.

These are all great ideas to improve your production and have a higher number of excited patients who never thought they could enhance their smile until you introduced your menu of services in a professional approach.

It is also very important to have effective communication in place so every team member on your dental team is aware of what they need to say to enhance the value of your services. Next, it is very important to offer flexible payment arrangements. Once patients feel excited about the changes they can make with their smile and total health, offer a way for patients to pay for this desired treatment.

Next time you are in the grocery store check out line, think about how easily it is to let your mind wander to buy things you never thought you needed but just had to have.

What can you do and say to make patients feel they can’t live without your care and special services?

These are a few tips to create more RAVING FANS when you take a professional approach to sharing the good word about all the valuable services you offer.