Clackamas Dental Consultant | Dental Practice Solutions | Dental Consultant Near Me

Can We Alternate Periodontal Maintenance With a Prophy?

By: admin

March 12, 2020

There is a common question asked by dental professionals and it’s also a question we get from our dental patients.

The question is, “Can we alternate periodontal maintenance with a prophy?”

Read this blog to know the truth and what you really need to do when your patient has completed periodontal therapy – Scaling and Root Planing.

The purpose of this information is to help dental professionals communicate the value of oral disease and inflammation which can contribute to other systemic diseases.

There has been an important paradigm shift in the last 20 yrs. Have you caught the wave? What’s new is that dental hygienists are no longer “cleaning teeth.”

Today’s most successful dental practices are treating the whole body not “just” the mouth. We can help our patients live a longer and healthier life.

Why Periodontal Maintenance?

According the American Dental Association, “Periodontal maintenance is instituted following periodontal therapy and continues at varying intervals, determined by the clinical evaluation of the dentist, for the life of the dentition or any implant replacements. It includes removal of bacterial plaque and calculus from supragingival and subgingival regions, site specific scaling and root planing where indicated, and polishing the teeth. If new or recurring periodontal disease appears, additional diagnostic and treatment procedures must be considered.”

Notice these important phrases as you read this description of Periodontal Maintenance.

instituted following periodontal therapy.
for the life of the dentition.
If new or recurring periodontal disease appears, additional diagnostic and treatment must be considered.

Some insurance companies don’t cover periodontal maintenance. Are you in the business of providing your patients only what their insurance will pay for?

If you said “Yes,” think again.

What if your patient asked you, “Dental hygienist, is cleaning my teeth when you told me my gums are bleeding, the best service you have to offer me?”

What would you say?

Can you honestly answer that a “cleaning” will put a halt to periodontal disease?

Think again. Do your research. There are thousands of journal articles to support the mouth-body connection and how to put a halt to systemic disease and periodontitis. If you have not read this information, I assure you, putting a halt to inflammation does not include “cleaning teeth.”

Prophylaxis Does Not Address Inflammation and Halt Progression of Disease

According to the American Dental Association, Prophylaxis includes the following, “Removal of plaque, calculus and stains from the tooth structures in the permanent and transitional dentition. It is intended to control local irritational factors.”

As you read the above two descriptions, Periodontal Maintenance and Prophylaxis, notice the clear distinctions between these two dental hygiene services.

Periodontal Maintenance is after periodontal therapy.
Prophylaxis is intended to control irritational factors.

Periodontal Maintenance includes site specific scaling where indicated and Prophylaxis is intended for irritational factors.

When a dental office offers adjunctive services such as localized antimicrobial antibiotics and/or soft-tissue diode laser, these can be included in the Periodontal Maintenance service however, Prophylaxis is indicated for a healthy patient and these adjunctive services are not a part of treating a healthy patient.

What Your Patients May Think

Your patients may only think that Periodontal Maintenance is more expensive, and they don’t want to return for this service when their insurance won’t pay for it.

Dental hygienists and all clinicians must show patients and help them understand what is happening in their mouth.

Super important that during the exam process to engage your patient. Before you lay your patient back in the chair, before you begin and services, explain to your patient what you will do during today’s appointment.

Ask them to listen and participate during the exam process. If you are completing a comprehensive periodontal exam (CPE), explain the numbers you will call and let your patient know what these numbers mean. For example, “4 mm’s means inflammation. If you hear a 5 or higher, that means active infection and we will put a plan together, so you don’t have infection in the near future. Let your patient know that you will ask them what the highest and lowest number they when you are completing your CPE. This is engaging your patient in their treatment.

When you have completed all of your wellness exams, with doctor and the patient, you can now make a diagnosis. It is super important that once you complete your wellness exams when you see anything abnormal, show your patient what you see. Include your patient by asking them what numbers they heard and ask them to look at what you see by showing them intra-oral pictures, x-rays and your CPE. Help your patient to take ownership of their disease.

Once patients truly understand the disease process and the cascade of events that can occur with their systemic health when active gum disease is left untreated, you will find it much easier for patients to pay and schedule treatment for preventive maintenance (AKA: Periodontal Maintenance).

As you are explaining “active gum disease” to your patient, sit with them knee-to-knee and eye-to-eye showing them what you see. Ask your patient questions as you look together at their x-rays, their comprehensive periodontal exam (CPE) and intra-oral pictures, etc.

An example of what you will explain to your patient:

“Mr. Patient, during your gum maintenance appointment (AKA: Periodontal maintenance) I will remove bacteria and plaque buildup below the gumline (AKA: hard and soft deposits).

Two years ago (Or say the last time they had SRP/Perio Therapy), we treated you for active infection and inflammation. As we have talked about before, inflammation and gum disease contribute to systemic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, etc., etc.

I will be using these special instruments to remove bacteria, soft plaque and hard deposits below and above your gumline. (If you use a soft tissue laser you will explain the following) Each time you return for your gum maintenance I will re-treat these areas with my laser which we have previously treated for gum disease This will regenerate the fibers that hold your gums in place and our laser is FDA approved (If you have Millennium Laser) to regenerate bone that was lost during active gum disease.

Gum disease is episodic and at times we need to retreated these areas. At times the disease can become active disease, with infection and inflammation. Just like sometimes you may have the flu and other years you are perfectly healthy, it’s the same thing with gum disease.”

Once your patients understand the value of periodontal maintenance (“gum maintenance” or preventive care”) and when they know that putting a halt to inflammation, infection and active gum disease, will help them live a longer and healthier life, they will be more comfortable paying for the correct service.

I have yet to meet a patient who did not want to live a longer and healthier life, have you?

I sure hope not!

Let’s share this message about optimal oral health and how this relates to living a longer and healthier life!

Will you help me conquer this disease process?

ABOUT DEBBIE SEIDEL-BITTKE, RDH, BS

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS is founder and CEO of Dental Practice Solutions. Debbie is also a former dental hygiene program director. Her expertise is optimizing the hygiene department by taking a total team approach; including the doctor as the leader.

Please check out the FREE RESOURCE on treating the gingivitis patient which also leads to a CE Course on Gingivitis (2 CE Credits). Grab a FREE RESOURCE here today because when you do, you will be one of the first to know about our FREE Training RE: Treating the Gingivitis Patient.

Take your hygiene department to the next level. Enroll in our course.

Does Your Dental Hygiene Schedule Include a Black Hole?

By: admin

June 20, 2019

Holes in the dental appointment schedule are a huge challenge in today’s world of dentistry.

How much does one hole in your schedule each day cost your dental practice over the next year?

The truth is that is costs your dental practice hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars over a year, if you have just one hole in your schedule.

Does your dental hygiene schedule include a black hole?

Does your dental hygiene appointment include a black hole?

How many times does a dental patient call your office to change their appointment and they tell you they will “Call you back when they have more time?”

In the video I share today, you may think, “this is not our office!.” Your’e saying to yourself we never let patients leave or change an appointment without scheduling their next appointment!

We hear this statement all the time.

THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE

Our team of consultants and dental coaches currently evaluates dental practice key performance indicators (important measurements of success in a dental practice) and I can tell you that it is all too common that we see a huge, long list of patients who left the office without scheduling a next appointment.

Until you look at your numbers, it may appear that you are scheduling every patient with a next dental appointment.

The administrative team is responsible for most of the patient schedule. It’s important that every team member who will schedule a patient appointment understands the dental practice system for scheduling patients.

Working together as a team to have strategic systems and protocols are a key component of every successful dental practice.

The best way a dental hygienist can help reduce the holes in your dental practice schedule is to create value around what is completed at a dental hygiene appointment.

● What does your scheduling system look like?

● Does your team know what is included in your scheduling system?

● What do you say when a patient does need to change their dental appointment?

● How can you reduce the number of patients who call to change a dental appointment?

Much of this relies on your verbal skills, the words you use to add value to the dental services your provide.

Words like “teeth cleaning,” scaling and root planing and even the word decay,” do not add the same value as words such as, “preventive care appointment, gum therapy or gum treatment and cavities or hole in your tooth.” Try using Portland Pothole or just the word “Pothole” next time you see a cavity.

Patients can relate to these words.

One important point to make is this, until your patients say, “Do NOT call me anymore,” continue to follow-up.

Let your patients know you miss them, that you care about them and that a healthy mouth more likely means a healthy body.

No one I know has ever complained because I told them I cared about them.

I must ask, what is your scheduling and change of appointment system?

Does a dental hygiene appointment ever go into a black hole?!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DEBBIE SEDIEL-BITTKE, RDH, BS

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS is founder and CEO of Dental Practice Solutions. Debbie is also a former dental hygiene program director. Her expertise is optimizing the hygiene department by taking a total team approach; including the doctor as the leader.

Check out the Dental Practice University intended for dentists and the entire team.

The university has training video modules, forms and scripts for each department in your dental practice.

The video modules are created for doctor(s) and include information to create a culture to bring in new patients, keep your dental team (employees) the life-time of your dental practice, as well as re-create or create your vision and mission. Doctors receive a 90-Day goal setting journal.

The hygienists have their own training video modules that cover time management, caries risk, treating the gingivitis and perio-patient.

The front office has video modules on phone calls, new patient calls, we provide job descriptions and a lot of information for hiring and keeping employees long-term.

You receive 24 AGD CE Credits. Try the University for FREE the first 2 weeks. Then you pay $97.00 a month indefinitely. You are locked in at $97/month!

The training includes 24 AGD CE Credits over a 12 month time for one person. You can use the training for your entire team but for individual log-ins and the additional AGD CE Credits you pay $20/month for each additional employee.

Learn more about the Dental Practice University here.

Dental Practice Consultant | Use it or Lose it!

By: admin

August 14, 2018

It’s hard to believe but the end of 2018 is near.

This is the best time of year to contact your patients about their unscheduled dental treatment and/or dental hygiene appointment.

Your message to your patients’ needs to say, “Use it, or lose it!”

Why now?

I am certain if you work in the front office of your dental practice, you have a long list of “to-dos’” every day and this only compounds your work!

The reason August is an important month to send out this message is because your patients will possibly not be able to schedule their appointment until September.

Calling overdue hygiene patients can mean there is a lot of work for them to schedule and time is running out!

For your patients who do have insurance benefits, these benefits typically run out on December 31^st. This means if they can’t get their treatment completed by December 31^st they will lose their benefits this year.

Last week our I wrote in the blog about texting your overdue hygiene patients to come in for their appointment.

You may want to refer back to this blog for more information about this topic.

As a dental consultant, it is my goal to bring out clients and the dental profession, new and up-to-date information.

I wrote about a system I created called the R2R.

What is R2R?

R2R means Reason to Return.

Why did your patient leave the office without scheduling their important restorative care?

Now that you have run your report of patients with outstanding treatment, I recommend that you send a text message.

Your Text Message.

Your 1st text message must only say, “Please call our office about your dental appointment.”

When you only text this message it does peak a patients’ curiosity. Most patients will call your office and they will be curious about this message since they know they don’t have a dental appointment.

What to do when the patient calls your office.

Once you answer the phone and you identify this is a patient responding to your text message, place the patient on a very short hold (maybe 10 seconds) letting them know you want to check their patient record.
Check what happened at their last appointment and what they need to schedule an appointment for.
1. It is possible the patient not only needs restorative care but also, they now need a hygiene appointment.
  1. In this scenario schedule the patient for a hygiene appointment with x-rays and exam as appropriate.
  2. It is possible this patient needs a new exam because the area of concern (area that needs restorative care) may need more extensive care than when first diagnosed.

Explain this to the patient so they understand, it’s been too long to schedule for the same treatment they need X months ago. At this point, you don’t know exactly what is needed until the hygienist and doctor re-examine this area in need of care.

Once these patients do return begin to write your R2R.
1. Ex: Mr. Williams had large decay (MOB) on the upper left first molar (Tooth #14) at his appointment eight months ago.
2. He comes in for his hygiene appointment and the hygienist completes new x-rays (Last x-rays were over 12 mos. ago) and doctor completes an exam.
  1. The x-rays show this upper left first molar (Tooth #14) needs an onlay and the hygienist completed a gingivitis treatment today.
  2. The patient also has high blood pressure.

In the R2R the hygienist writes in the notes (Last line of the notes) R2R: Pt now has high blood pressure and he also has gingivitis today. Doctor and I are concerned about this inflammation in his mouth creating the inflammation in his body—i.e. high blood pressure. Very important to have pt return in two to four weeks to re-evaluate the oral inflammation and if this is improved I will complete a prophy appointment. Pt wants to preserve his teeth, so doctor recommended he schedule for the tooth to be prepped for the onlay at the time of the next hygiene appointment in about two to four weeks.

Value of using the R2R.

This R2R serves numerous purposes. It supports a conversation that will need to be addressed when patient schedules his next appointments and needs to know his financial obligations. Should Mr. Williams not want to “NOW” spend the money to reduce the oral inflammation and preserve his teeth, the financial coordinator will refer to these notes as discussed with the hygienist and doctor.

Most offices we talk to have at least one patient call each day to cancel their appointment and unfortunately, this is a patient calling last minute to change their appointment on the day of their appointment.

Whenever a patient does call about an appointment: Making an appointment or changing an appointment, once your clinicians are documenting the R2R, the person answering these calls will always refer to these notes to understand exactly why the patient needs to schedule.

If the patient is calling to change their appointment, referring to the R2R is very helpful when you refer to these notes and address the value of completing treatment sooner than later and when you know what is valuable to your patient (money, time or fear), you can turn this patient objection into a reason to keep their appointment.

Ex. Of turning around their objection to spending money would be that Mr. Williams would save money if he doesn’t wait to restore a filing. Currently, he can no longer have a filling but will need an onlay, if he waits longer this could mean an infection in his tooth. An infection in his tooth also means this infection goes into his bloodstream causing other health-systemic challenges beyond the high blood pressure.

Talk about how treatment now will save money (and improve their health) now when they complete they keep their appointment.

Mr. Williams is an example of someone who did not understand how keeping his original appointment for a filling would cost less than waiting and in the meantime the decay (Words patient may be more likely to relate to: cavity, hole in the tooth, etc.), became larger and needed more extensive treatment, which costs a lot more money.

Your Words.

When speaking to patients always break-down the dental words into works that your patients can easily understand.

For example:

Periodontal disease say, gum disease

Tooth decay say cavity or actually show the patient the black hole in their mouth and/or on an x-ray

Scaling and root planing say gum treatment

Recall or recare say preventive care or hygiene appointment

Also use pictures as much as possible. If you have the opportunity to take intra-oral pictures, take the pictures. Sit your patient upright in the chair and show them. Ask your patient if they see what you see. Engage them and make them part of this decision-making process.

Your Plan.

When patients do leave your office without scheduling a next appointment, always let them know that you will be contacting them to scheduling later that week.

Urgency is key when scheduling dental appointments.

We should all care enough about our patient’s total health, reducing inflammation and infection in their mouth and body, that we will not allow our patients to not schedule preventive care.

What you are all saying as a team with your patients, while they are in your office, will make or break, the opportunity for patients to pay and schedule before they leave their current dental appointment.

Would you like to learn more about the value of using the R2R for your office? This has been a huge benefit to our clients who use this system.

Let us know how we can help your team to improve your case acceptance and reduce those last-minute changes to your patient appointments.

Drop us a line or email/call our office to schedule a training for your entire team! We offer AGD CE Credits for Virtual or in-office training.

This year all of our clients will make not less than $125,000 more in production and without working harder or more days.

Let us help you be the next dental practice get this type of success.

To schedule a call, it costs doctor nothing except 30 minutes of your time.

How can we help you be the next success story in 2018?

Call us to find out how to get training virtually or in-office. We are here to help!

Your team will receive AGD CE Credits with any training we complete for you. Contact us today. Email: admin@dentalpracticesolutions.com or call our office: 949-351-8741

Need help implementing the R2R or any other systems?

We are here to help you! Call us to find out how to get training virtually or in-office. We are here to help!

Your team will receive AGD CE Credits with any training we complete for you. Contact us today. Email: admin@dentalpracticesolutions.com or call our office: 949-351-8741

ABOUT DEBBIE SEIDEL-BITTKE, RDH, BS

Debbie Seidel-Bittke is the CEO of Dental Practice Solutions and has over 15 years of business and consulting experience, as well as 30 plus years of working knowledge as a dental professional.

Having the unique ability to understand dentists’ need, Debbie can help each dental practice grow to be efficient and profitable. The growth occurs by optimizing your dental hygiene department. She has a team of experts that will work in the other areas of your dental practice as necessary. Debbie’s insight allows her to effectively communicate and implement success strategies while strategically addressing productivity challenges in the dental practice.

As a dental hygiene business coach, a former clinician and educator, she is adept at collaborating with dentists and their team to incorporate her expertise to see a dental practice grow to levels beyond their imagination. Debbie and her team of experts will increase the profitability of each dental practice. This year, 2018, no client of Dental Practice Solutions will increase production less than $125,000 and without working more days in the office. Ask us how you can be next to do this!

Call or email our office to schedule for your Free Profit Boosting Session:

Email: admin@dentalpracticesolutions.com or call our office: 949-351-8741

Dental Consultant | Building a Better Team

By: admin

June 28, 2018

Oregon Dental Consultant

Recruiting employees can be a time-consuming, stressful, and sometimes costly endeavor. When you’re looking to build an optimal team, it can be tempting to hold onto old employees for too long and hesitate to hire new ones until you’re confident you’ve found the “perfect” fit. However, both of these common mistakes can be damaging to the efficiency and culture of your business in the long term. Building an ideal team can take time, but keeping the following tips in mind can help ensure your business is able to thrive.

Out with the old…

It can be hard to let go of any employee. Ideally, everyone you bring to your business will become a valuable member of the team. Unfortunately, that’s not always going to be the case. If an employee is displaying any of the following signs, it might be time to consider letting them go:

Bad Attitude: This includes eye-rolling, snide comments, complaints, confrontational tone, and passive-aggressive speech or actions. An employee that disrespects their co-workers won’t have the best interests of the team or the business at heart.
Lack of Engagement: Whether unfocused at work or unresponsive during meetings, an employee that’s not mentally present can’t give their best to their work.
Dishonesty: Whether this involves refusal to accept accountability, blaming others for mistakes, or outright lies, dishonesty is harmful to your business and your team.
Poor Performance: While it’s expected that an employee in a new role may need an adjustment period, if that employee shows an ongoing inability to grow professionally or meet the expectations of their position, it might be a harbinger of even bigger problems down the road.

In with the new…

Whether you’re looking to replace current employees or meet the demands of a growing business, you want to do everything you can to make sure you’re hiring the right people for your team. Here are some tips that can help streamline the hiring process:

There’s No Such Thing as Perfect: When looking to bring in new employees, it can be tempting to wait until you’ve found the “perfect” fit. However, that can unnecessarily slow down the process and cause you to skip over individuals who might become great assets for your team in time. Keep in mind that a good employee is one that grows and performs well, and look for individuals that possess the qualities needed to thrive long-term.
Follow Your Gut: Instincts exist for a reason. If something about a prospective employee isn’t sitting right with you, it could be a sign that there’s a deeper problem you’ll have to address in the future. While you shouldn’t necessarily make quick decisions on feelings alone, it’s worthwhile to take them into account.
Listen to Your Team: The members of your staff will often be able to offer good insights into how the company can grow. Whether a trusted employee is revealing the poor performance of a co-worker or a team is asking for another member to help manage their growing responsibilities, it’s worth seeking their input when making decisions.

Though there’s no exact science to building a successful team, there are proven strategies you can use to help the process be as painless as possible. By holding current employees to a clearer standard and exercising discernment with new and prospective employees, you can make the hiring process operate more smoothly and increase the overall productivity and happiness of your team.

For more advice on building a better team and managing your practice growth, contact our office.

Dental Practice Solutions
(888) 816-1511

Dental Hygienists Role Creating a Successful Schedule

By: admin

October 4, 2017

Every success schedule in the dental office begins with a strategy. Without a strategic plan, you are not able to meet the financial goals to keep your dental practice surviving.

The best plan is to not survive, but thrive.

What is the dental hygienist’s role in keeping doctor’s schedule full?

1^st Step to Doctor’s Success Schedule

The first step for hygienists to help keep doctors schedule full is to have a mindset that they are like an associate to doctor; helping the practice to grow.

2^nd Step to Successful Scheduling

The next step is actually two-pronged. The hygienist needs to audit all patient records before their day at the office begins. This audit serves many purposes but for this blog we will stick to the topic of what a hygienist’s role is for successful scheduling and helping doctor’s schedule stay full all day.

When auditing the patient’s records look to see what outstanding treatment is necessary. Why does the patient need to schedule this? What is the urgency the hygienist and all the clinicians will speak to this patient about?

For example: Does the patient have a dark spot on their bite-wing x-ray and when you audit the patients record you feel concerned they may very soon have a toothache.

Why did this patient not want to schedule this appointment? It is important to understand the patient’s objection so that when the hygienist has the patient in their chair they can immediately address the patient’s previous objection.

Example: Without even saying; “I know money is a concern,” what you can say is (Have the patient seated upright in the chair with x-rays, and/or intra-oral photos there in front of the patient), “Mrs. Jones, doctor and I are both concerned about this black spot on your x-ray. Let me show you this area. Do you see this black spot? Here is the nerve of your tooth and as you can see this black spot is very close to the nerve which means that once it reaches the nerve it will cause a toothache and also means we probably need to do a root canal and a tooth with a root canal needs a tooth. This means spending a lot more money to keep this tooth.”

Notice how the hygienist in this example address the patients concern before they could even give their objection which they stated at their last appointment and this is the reason the treatment is unscheduled.

It is also very important that hygienists not only think about the gum health of their patients but provide a visual exam.

After the hygienist completes all of their screenings, it is a great time to sit the patient upright in the chair and show them what you see. Look together with the patient. Make the patient part of this process. This means that you look together and ask the patient if they see what you see.

Use words that the patient understands. Saying words like “periodontal disease,” and “tooth decay” probably don’t mean as much to your patient as if the words: gum infection, inflammation, active disease, cavity, black soft spot, etc.”

When you see holes in doctor’s schedule it’s time to take a look at the hygiene patient exam process. It’s a great time to look at patient records who have not scheduled their appointment and discuss as a team what you can do differently so these patients will schedule and pay.

The best way to get patients scheduled and paying for the care you offer is to communicate (your words and actions) in a way that helps the patient to feel and believe they want what they need.

Many of your patients have left your office without committing to schedule and pay for your care. Many of these patients also took very nice vacations this summer, they already plan to buy that new iPhone X, some have spent a lot of money on a really nice car and many have spent thousands of dollars on a sleeve of body of tattoo’s.

Our job? We have a responsibility to help our patients want what they need. Don’t most people want to live a longer and healthier life? This is our overarching message, “Optimal oral health will help you live a longer and healthier life!”

Still have holes in your schedule? Please feel free to reach out to an expert. This is one area that we have created a success strategy around. Our client offices have many patients who now schedule and pay for treatment AND many of their patients pay before their treatment is complete.

Our client offices have a system in place for big cases where patients are currently paying in advance for doctor and hygienist’s services.

Most of the medical cosmetic offices have patients pay in advance and why can’t your patients feel urgency to pay for keeping a healthy mouth?!

It’s all in how you are delivering your message to the patient in your chair.

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS is a dental consultant, coach, speaker and author. She is also CEO of Dental Hygiene Solutions, powered by Dental Practice Solutions. Debbie is a world-class leader in creating profitable hygiene departments. She is well-known as a former clinical assistant professor at USC in Los Angeles and a former hygiene department program director. Dentistry Today recognizes Debbie as a Leader in Dental Consulting.

DENTISTRY TODAY considers her a top dental consultant for the past 16 yrs.

The focus of Dental Practice Solutions is to create healthier, longer lives for your patients while supporting the practice to optimize their hygiene department. The team at Dental Practice Solutions, takes an integrative approach with your team to create an increase in your production and collections without working harder. When you continue to use the systems implemented, you will benefit from production that creates dividends year after year, for the life of your dental practice.

Debbie is also a former Hygiene Program Director and clinical assistant professor for the dental hygiene program at USC in Los Angeles.

Debbie is passionate about supporting dental teams to provide a profitable, patient-centered dental practice through improving systems and efficiencies in the dental hygiene department.

Dental Appointments. Your Patient’s Reason to Return

By: admin

March 29, 2017

Treatment Planning

How do you know what is valuable to your patient?

What is the benefit to your patient if they complete their dental treatment or return for their dental hygiene appointment routinely?

What is your patient’s reason to return?

Let’s think about when you will learn what is valuable to your patient.

When will you know what is valuable to your patient?

For new patients you will (or should) discover what is valuable to them during that first phone call to your office.

It is important to listen closely to the words your patient is saying and the way they say what they are saying. Do they speak loud or soft? Do they speak fast or slow? What is their tone as they speak?

Do they say things like, “Money is going to be my reason for completing this treatment I know I need.”

BTW: This is a comment from a walk-in new patient for an office (a client office) I was working with today.

Most of the time your patient will make their decision based on their value around time or money. These are the two main factors that come into play when patients are making a decision and it is your job to overcome these objections before they even are a stated objection.

Why many patients will not return to a dental office is due to fear of anxiety from a previous bad dental experience. This is another topic of conversation.

Patient Discovery

When is the best time to discover what is valuable to your patient?

Answer: The first 2 minutes will be the most valuable time with building rapport and understanding your patients’ needs, what’s important to them and even how their day is going (ex: If they are rushed for time or having a stressful day!).

In fact, the first “Hello” and a handshake can tell you a lot about what kind of day your patient is having. This is where you can first begin to build (or re-establish) rapport.

This conversation can be as simple as “What are you doing this summer?”

If you were to ask me this question, I will tell you that I am going to an important high school reunion.

The topic of my conversation (If I am your patient today) will center around meeting up with old friends and wanting to look my best!

Now, it’s your turn as the clinician to open the door for me to look my best.

Do you have a special laser whitening offer going on?

YES?!

Now is a great time to ask “Debbie, if there is one thing that we can do to make you look better than ever for you high school reunion, what would that be?”

Great question! And if I am your patient here is what I will tell you:

“I would love to have my teeth look youthful again. I want them whiter and also longer.”

Does your office have a special smile makeover process?

If so, now is a great time to talk about this process and how it can make me look my best for the summer high school reunion.

Complete the scheduled appointment, do an “initial” smile evaluation and then have me back for a 20 minute consultation later this week. At this consultation appointment you will have your treatment (or financial) coordinator discuss the smile makeover and work out the financial arrangements. Now you will schedule the treatment.

This special consult adds value to your patient appointment. The initial patient value you discovered is why this patient wants to return ASAP for the consultation and find out more information about how you can help her meet her needs.

Do you see how simple that can be to have your patient understand “their” important reason to return to your office?

When you think back to the last day of patients in your dental office, can you think about each patient’s personal reason to return to your office?

This is not a reason around what you “found” in their mouth. This important reason to return has to be a reason important to your patient. This is a value to your patient.

In closing today I want to ask you, “Do you know each patient’s important reason to return?”

We teach this system with our clients, their team and it becomes a part of every patient appointment. This is what we call the R2R and it becomes a part of each patients record.

One of Dentistry Today's top dental consultants

Debbie Seidel- Bittke, RDH, BS Dental Hygiene Consultant

About Debbie

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS is an international dental consultant, coach, speaker and author. She is also CEO of Dental Hygiene Solutions, powered by Dental Practice Solutions. Debbie is a world-class leader in creating highly profitable hygiene departments. She is a well-known former clinical assistant professor at USC in Los Angeles and a former hygiene department program director. Dentistry Today recognizes Debbie as a Leader in Dental Consulting for the past 12 yrs.

Overdue Dental Hygiene Patients

By: admin

October 19, 2016

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Every dental office has dental patients who need to schedule for restorative treatment and overdue hygiene appointments.

The last quarter of each year is the perfect time to reach out to patients who have overlooked their dental visit.

Many patients who have dental insurance will need to use it or lose it so a call, email or text message is a great way to reach out.

BUT…………….Why after your patient has put off their dental appointment, would they want to return now?

What can you do and say to get patients back before the end of year?

What’s your plan to bring your dental patients back before the end of 2016?

As a dental hygiene consultant I recommend that you always give your patients a reason to return that includes a value to them and a benefit for why they need to complete treatment or continue seeing their hygienist routinely.

We have an acronym for this and we call it: PARVB

It stands for:

Patient

Appointment

Reason to return

Value

Benefit

How will you use PARVB?

PARVB works best when you have your patient seated in your chair.

You as the clinician need to understand what is valuable to your patient. For example:

Is it important for your patient to have a beautiful smile?
Is money important in making their decisions?
What is valuable to your patient?
How will completing that restoration benefit your patient?
- Will your patient save money if they have the decay removed next week vs. wait until it causes pain and needs a root canal and crown? i.e. Cost more money to them!

When your patient is in the office as a patient write a PARVB and when a patient refuses to schedule or calls to change their scheduled appointment know what that patients PARVB is and state to your patient the exact reason they need to return and let that reason be the Value to your patient and state how it will benefit them.

Hope this helps you to keep your back door closed.

Dental Hygiene Consultant

ABOUT DEBBIE SEIDEL-BITTKE, RDH, BS

Debbie Seidel is founder of Dental Hygiene Solutions, Powered by Dental Practice Solutions.

DENTISTRY TODAY considers her a top dental consultant for the past 16 yrs.

The focus of Dental Hygiene Solutions is to create healthier, longer lives for our patients while supporting dental practices to tap into their hygiene department profit potential.

Debbie is also a former clinical assistant professor for the dental hygiene program at USC in Los Angeles.

In 2007 she wrote the accreditation, the curriculum, hire the teachers and oversaw the build out- managing a 2 Million Dollar Budget for a dental hygiene program in Portland, Oregon.

Debbie is passionate about supporting dental teams to provide a profitable, patient-centered dental practice through improving systems and efficiencies in the dental hygiene department.

Check out the Free 3-Part Hygiene Department Training: http://www.dentalhygiene.solutions

3 Steps to Create Efficient and Profitable Doctor/Hygiene Exams

By: admin

June 25, 2014

Do you feel stressed knowing there is going to be a patient exam in the hygiene room? Are you concerned the exam is only going to keep you waiting and running behind? Do you wish this process could be quicker yet more effective? As a practice management consultant, this is one of the most common complaints I receive from hygienist’s and doctors.

The hygienist’s tell me doctor keeps them waiting. Some hygienists tell me that doctor chit-chats for what seems like 20 minutes. They tell me “doctor wants to talk about my patient’s personal life and I don’t have time for this.”

The doctor tells me that when they get to the hygiene room there has been no conversation about the patient’s teeth. They say that when they arrive to do the hygiene exam there is no conversation –nada. They tell me their hygienist says nothing when they enter to complete the exam. Some doctors, who have never met the patient, don’t even get a proper introduction to the patient. BTW: Doctor should at least say a brief “Hello” to all new patients before any services begin. AND… doctor will be known as THE EXPERT and very well respected if he or she can let the new patient know they are making an individual diagnosis for a specific type of x-rays before hygiene treatment begins. This makes new patients really feel like they are King or Queen, like they are a VIP. This is only one-way to gain Raving Fans for the life of the dental practice! Continue reading to learn the 3 steps to create efficient and profitable doctor/hygiene exams.

Step 1 is to create a strategic plan for the exam.

Break up every routine prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance appointment into three areas. These three areas (Shown in the photo above) are: 1) data collection 2) case presentation and 3) the hygiene treatment and doctor exam.

Step 2 is discovery and explanation.

Before the data collection, decide what you must know to treat your patient at the highest level of care. Much of your information needs to be pre-determined prior to the patient’s arrival.

Every hygienist should take time at the very beginning of their day – before the morning team huddle (usually about 10-15 minutes prior to the morning team huddle a chart audit should be completed by the hygienist), to review all patient charts, patient routing slips, previous x-rays, previous chart notes, etc. It is important to understand each patient’s current oral health/systemic health status, past dental and medical history, etc., before the patient arrives.

When the hygienist reviews each hygiene patients chart they will check to see if the patient needs to complete a new health history (It works best if you anticipate the need for a new health history prior to the patient’s arrival). The hygienist needs to be aware of patient’s medications; including herbs, vitamins, and even OTC medications that the patient is currently taking.

Once the patient is seated in the chair spend a few minutes (no longer than 5 minutes) reviewing the patients up-to-date medical history, asking if the patient is taking any new medications. Other important questions to ask are if they have had any recent hospitalizations, surgeries, etc., etc. All providers need to ask these medical history questions prior to beginning any treatment. Always review the chart before the patient has arrived for their appointment and understand if they have previously diagnosed treatment that is still unscheduled.

Are there other family members who are overdue for a hygiene appointment? The routing slip (if set up properly in your computer software) can provide valuable patient and family information. This is valuable patient and family information for the hygienist to report on at the morning team huddle. Also the hygienist will report on any outstanding treatment that needs to be scheduled at the morning team huddle (email our office for a morning huddle protocol you can use).

Once the patient has arrived for their appointment you will inquire if they have a chief complaint. Take blood pressure annually, and record in the patient’s chart. Refer patients to their physician if they appear to have a blood pressure that is not within normal limits. You will be saving a few lives when you discover patients who have need to see their physician and have their blood pressure checked by their physician. Many patients return to future hygiene appointments now taking blood pressure medication that would have gone undiagnosed if a dental professional did not stop to check this. This is a great way to be a hero in your patients mind!

Ask all patients: “Do you ever experience a dry mouth?” (Indicates they are at high risk for caries or at least need a rinse for dry mouth, etc.) Ask about frequent headaches, clicking of their jaw or if they have pain in their jaw (A possible sign they may need a night guard).

Annually complete an oral cancer exam using the latest technology to screen for any precancerous lesions (ViziLite, VELscope, IDENTIFI, etc. can identify a precancerous lesion versus look or palpate and find a lesion that may already be malignant). Oral cancer is on the rise due to HPV in young adults. (Read some of the research: http://1.usa.gov/UC2tlT) Many insurance companies now pay for this important screening annually.

It is very important to annually provide a full-mouth periodontal screening exam. This will include a six-point probing along with documentation of recession, bleeding points, mucogingival involvement, furcations, mobility, suppuration, etc. When you explain to the patient (before you begin the exam), about the numbers you will be calling out, you will have the patient involved with their treatment, Begin by explaining what the range of numbers mean: health or disease. Always explain this before you pick up a probe or recline the patient back to begin your screenings.

Involve the patient by asking them to listen for the highest and lowest number you will call out. Let patients know that once you are done with the exam you will sit them up in the chair and ask them to report back to you the lowest and highest number they heard you call out. This will help patients to become involved in their treatment plan.

Explanation before reclining patients back in the chair, as well as sitting them up to explain your findings, will help you to establish great rapport with your patients. In return this will help to get the patients buy-in to schedule and pay for treatment in the very near future.

If you do not have another team member available to write down the periodontal probing while the hygienist calls out the numbers, use a recorder to talk into and later go back, listen to your probe readings, and you can quickly document in the patient’s chart. This may take a little more time but the benefits to the patient and practice are huge!

Before the patient arrives you should know if they need bitewings or a full mouth series of x-rays. In fact, the chart audit by the hygienist that morning should only be to double check to be certain that everything in the patients chart and on the schedule are correct. Usually patients will be pre-scheduled for future x-rays before the end of their current hygiene appointment (Don’t wait until the day of the patient’s appointment to decide what x-rays they need).

Step 3 is complete the doctor exam sooner than later.

There is no need for doctor to wait until the end of the hygiene appointment to complete the hygiene patient exam. At approximately thirty five to forty-five minutes into the sixty minute hygiene exam, doctor’s assistant should be able to give doctor a nudge to move into the hygiene treatment room and complete the hygiene patient exam. The assistants should have a timer or be aware of the time on a clock so they can lead doctor to the appropriate rooms at the best time.

The hygienist does not need to get up or stop what he (or she) is doing to notify doctor about a hygiene exam. Having doctor arrive at a specific time frame during the hygiene appointment to complete the exam should be standard procedure for every routine hygiene preventive care appointment. If there is a change in the patient’s planned treatment, then the hygienist can notify doctor or the assistant of this change and adjust the hygiene patient exam as necessary.

As a Dental Practice Management Consultant, I have worked with hundreds of offices who use this doctor/hygiene exam protocol and it has been a great tool to de-stress many hygienists and doctors. It also creates thousands of happy patients who feel like they are provided optimal care without having to sit and wait for doctor.

Using this strategic plan for Doctor/Hygiene exams will create a stress-free day for the entire team and your patients will leave your office feeling like you are the world’s best dental provider. This plan will create efficient and profitable doctor/hygiene exams.

Want more RAVING FANS?

Here is a little secret tip to decrease anxiety and the dreadful fear of the dental office: Wait to put on the patient bib until you have reviewed the patient’s health history and have explained the treatment you will provide. Now you are ready to put on the patient bib and recline them back in the chair. Sit down when speaking to your patients. Face the patient: knee-to-knee and eye-to-eye. Watch how this will create a more positive patient-experience. You patient’s may not notice what is different about their experience in your office because this is just a subtle change in the way things are usually done in the dental office. This also leaves patients feeling like you really care about them!

Would you like more ways to increase profits in your dental hygiene department? Get your complimentary subscription to our weekly Dental Profits Newsletter. You will also receive our 7 Day Dental Hygiene Profit Tips when you do subscribe here: http://bit.ly/12zpg2D

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS, is founder of Dental Practice Solutions, a full-service dental consulting, coaching, and speaking business, focused on increasing profitability through your dental hygiene department systems and services. Dental Practice Solutions will guide you and your team to provide a profitable, patient-centered dental practice that is team driven not micro-managed. Email or call Debbie to schedule a complimentary look at your profit potential. Ms. Seidel-Bittke, can be reached by email at: dentalpracticesolutions@gmail.com or by phone: 503-970-1122. Website: www.https://dentalpracticesolutions.com

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

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, Hygiene Town 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.

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

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.