Clackamas Dental Consultant | Dental Practice Solutions

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

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.

1 Simple Tweak in What You Say Can Create More Dental Practice Profits Today

By: admin

June 10, 2013

With every year that passes, as a dental practice management consultant, I see more and more dentists enrolling in clinical aesthetic courses. When I return to their office I see the new technology they have spent thousands of dollars on this past year.

It is exciting to know that dentists all over the world are seeking out the latest dental technology and products to improve their patients smile.

Once you have completed your CE course, your next step (and also an important goal) needs to be a system to introduce these new services to your patients. How do you know if the service you just spent a few thousand dollars educating yourself to provide your patients is something they are willing to pay for?

Of course one simple answer can possibly be to ask your patients if they want this treatment for themselves.

My question to you is “Have you ever or do you consistently ask your patients what types of services they desire?” have you asked them “What does that mean for you if we can change the appearance of your smile?”

It is the summer and many of your patients probably want to look good for their son or daughters graduation, a wedding or reunion. They may be thinking that they can’t afford to change the way their smile looks. Your patients probably assume it is not possible for their smile to improve due to money, time or even how old they “think” they are.

If you never ask, the answer will always be a “NO.”

At Dental Practice Solutions, we educate your client offices to annually inquire about their patients smile. We call this a smile evaluation. It’s a simple, one page survey, given to the patient upon check in at the front desk. The patient completes these questions in about 60 seconds and then when the hygienist is reviewing the patient medical history she or he will smoothly transition into the smile evaluation. While the patient is seated in the treatment room, the hygienist reviews the patients answers and together, they look at the patients teeth in a mirror. This is not meant to be time consuming but can efficiently be completed with some simple training.

What I see NOT What I have Found

After the hygienist has reviewed the smile evaluation with their patient, they should tour the patient’s mouth with the intra-oral camera. This allows you to show the patient the following:

Decay, missing teeth, large amalgams, aged resins that are stained/chipped
Old bridges which are no longer aesthetically pleasing,
Cracked /or misaligned teeth
Poor home care (excessive plaque and YES – even green teeth!)
Heavy calculus and/or stain

When talking to patients about what you see, be sure not to say for example:

“Mrs. Dalton, I have found…” This seems to leave a negative feeling with patients who think “My dentist always finds something!”

Instead, when looking at the patients teeth and gums say words phrases like “do you see ____?” or “Mrs. Dalton today we saw ________.”

Always keep the door to improving every patients smile. It works best for everyone if you don’t presume or prejudge a patient’s values or pocket book.

If you don’t ask “the answer will be NO” so keep the open door policy and begin to ask every patient “If there is one thing they could change about their smile what would that be?”

One Simple Tweak in What You Say

There are so many twists on this simple question and if you will take time to annually update each patients smile, it will go a long way to making patients leave feeling very happy about the services you have provided them and your will see an increase in your profits.

Continuing education courses can do a lot to support a successful dental practice. The important piece here is to have a goal to use this. Decide how you will begin to offer this new service to your patients and write the date on your calendar, when you will begin asking patients what they want to change about their smile.

Now you can reap the benefits of that expensive aesthetic course and new technology you just paid a lot of money for! One small shift in what you say to patients can increase dental practice profits by thousands each year.

ABOUT DEBBIE AND DENTAL PRACTICE SOLUTIONS

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. Many dentists today request a 1 or 2 day workshop or find it valuable to participate in the online membership program offered by Dental Practice Solutions. This can mean your highest ROI for this year when you get everyone on the team to that next level of success. 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 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.

A Plan to Change Patients’ Lives ‘One Smile at a Time!’

By: admin

April 18, 2013

“Dentistry is about changing lives!” I had no idea when I chose to become a dental hygienist that I would be able to help patients live a longer and healthier life! Besides providing optimal health we also create beautiful smiles!

How does a dental office plan to create beautiful smiles, optimal patient health, be profitable and with little to now stress? The answer lies in how you begin your day. You may rush into the office at the last minute but if you take time to breathe, meet as a team for 10-15 minutes and prepare for a dream day at the office, everything else can be like the icing on the cake!

Start your day at the office or the day before by reviewing the patient charts. Then discuss as a team, the days patients, challenges, difficult personalities, pre-medication, special needs, exams, x-rays, exams needed, emergency time available, etc. The morning team meeting is where you can create your plan for success and it is where the profitability is maximized for the practice. Make sure you have an effective plan not just recite who is coming into the office. Talk about bottlenecks, who has outstanding treatment and where ER appointments can be fit in, etc. This is not a good time to flip through charts but to come prepared with valuable information to share with each other.

Have your financial coordinator or the office manager report to your office production and collections. Are you on track and what will you do when there is a decrease production? Allow the team to experience bliss when there is an increase in production! What is your plan to celebrate success?

Communication

If you want success treating patients with aesthetic and periodontal disease communication is key. Annually have your patient complete a smile evaluation during the hygiene appointment.

Ask you patient to complete a small intake form about their smile when they check in for their appointment. When the patient is seated in the chair have the hygienist give the patient a mirror, show the patient a shade guide and have the patient pick what shade they believe they are according to the guide. You will soon find out you open doors to aesthetic treatment that patients never would have dreamed about completing.

Use the intraoral camera to document not only restorative concerns but bleeding, heavy calculus and plaque.

Ask yourself these questions: “Did I ask my patient the right kind of questions? “Did I ask questions that only allowed my patient to answer yes or no?” “Did I ask my patient to express their ideas and concerns?” Did you really understand emotions inside of your patient?” If you answered “No” to any of these questions, there is a good chance your patient will not be satisfied with the outcome, regardless of how clinically sound any treatment is presented. It is possible that your patient may not be in the right frame of mind to hear your answers to their questions.

Sit down at a team meeting and know what questions you need to be asking patients.

Treatment Planning

Treatment planning for aesthetic dentistry and all preventive treatment concerns should be a group effort. This includes doctor, the entire team, the lab and even referral dentists. Your patient expectations need to be met for the entire process of communication, case acceptance and future patient relationships to continue. It is very important that patients understand their end result and personal benefits for completing treatment recommendations.

Sit down as a team and discover what your patients really want. Have you taken a patients survey to understand what they really want from you as their dental healthcare provider? How do you measure the success of your communication and listening skills? What percentages of treatment plans are outstanding? How do you know that patient understand the benefits and why they really need the treatment completed?

When was the last time you assessed your outstanding treatment plans? What is your plan to get those treatment plans completed this year? When was the last time you discussed outstanding treatment and alternative options with those patients?

Get to “YES!”

Of course you want your patients to respond with “YES!” You just need to know what questions to ask them. Listen closely to their answers and what their body language as they are speaking. They are giving you their honesty with many non-verbal clues.

Creating the Plan

Each morning, come prepared to discuss options to hear more patients say “YES!” each day. Monitor your successes and keep track of the outstanding treatment plans. If you find many patients leave the office saying “I need to think about it” or “Let me talk to my husband” let me suggest it is time to look at your verbal skills and make some changes in your communication skills.

We are in the business of changing people’s lives. We really can change each patient’s life just one smile at a time. Imagine the great feeling and rewards you will experience if you can change a smile that your patient has never imagined possible!

Communication, planning, and execution can go a long way when you provide optimal health and excellent aesthetic dentistry. Now we’re talking success!