Sally McKenzie

A profitable schedule is possible if the scheduling coordinator understands the concept of scheduling to achieve specific daily production goals. It is then that the distinction between keeping the doctor productive and keeping the doctor busy becomes clear. For example, perhaps the doctor wants to produce $500,000 annually.  This calculates to about $11,363 per week (taking four weeks out for vacation). Working 32 hours per week, means the doctor will need to produce about $355 per hour.

A crown charged out at $950, which takes two appointments for a total of two hours, exceeds the per hour production goal by $240. This excess can be applied to any shortfall caused by smaller ticket procedures. When the team is focused on achieving specific production goals and practice objectives, the entire atmosphere of the of the office shifts from pressured to productive. Subsequently, doctor and staff are able to focus on diagnosing and delivering the best dentistry for patients.

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Debbie Castagna and Virginia Moore

Remember when the only perceived downfall to not giving performance appraisals was the hit to your self-esteem because you weren't being a "good" manager?  Well, in today's minefield of human resources, the stakes are much higher. Now, it's downright risky.  Believe it or not, your staff wants to know how they are performing-and it's not just about getting a raise -- most staff members want to do a great job.

We recommend that salary reviews and performance appraisals take place in two separate meetings, with the performance appraisal coming first. The staff member now has the opportunity to improve performance before discussing salary. If merit and profitability is there, that staff member is likely to receive a raise. 

If, on the other hand, a staff member is under-performing, you must have documentation and signatures to support your concerns and expectation for improvement.  Don't ever forget, Doctor, that the burden of proof is on you, and the risk involves your practice.

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Abstract

Dr. Aurora and Dr. Chung of Vancouver lost all of their computers at the practice to a burglary. Owing to their use of Curve's dental practice management software, their practice data was stored remotely. Using a laptop brought from home, they were able to quickly access their data and continue operations and immediately reassure patients that the security of their personal information had not been compromised.

Details

On a February night in 2010 thieves were able to break into the practice of Dr.'s Aurora and Chung. Counted among the items stolen, was the entire network of computers, monitors and printers. The theft was discovered the next morning by the team. Within the hour a laptop computer was acquired from one of the team member's home. With the laptop, they were successfully able to access all patient information using Curve Dental, posting procedures, billing for treatment and scheduling new appointments. All the patients were seen that day. Using a web-based application, all of the practice's patient information is stored real-time remotely via the secure web application of Curve Dental. This allowed their practice to continue operations with little interruption.

Observations

1. Curve Dental Provides a Business Continuity Advantage. Regardless of how a disruption to business operations occurs, whether by flood, fire or theft, web-based systems allow the business to renew operations quickly. In Dr. Aurora and Dr. Chung's case, they brought a laptop to the practice and were able to access all patient information and continue operations.
2. Longer Delays Possible with Client-Server Software. Were Dr. Aurora and Chung using traditional client-server software to manage their practice, the theft of their computers would have left them solely reliant upon a backup of their data and access to installation disks. Re-installing the application and restoring the data would have taken more time, may have required the assistance of an IT professional and restoration of the backup may have failed (studies show 47.6% of all data backups fail to restore correctly).

Doctors' Commentary

"We were fortunate to have been using Curve Dental to manage our practice. Being able to plug into our database from anywhere with any computer without worry is one of the advantages of cloud computing. Over all, we're pleased with Curve Dental; it feels good to be associated with a company that's on the ground floor of the new industry standard."

-Dr. Saljae Aurora

"It takes time and expertise to re-install and set up traditional office management software, even if the company lets the owner keep an installation disc. Curve Hero does not require installation, only a computer with internet capability.

-Dr. Christopher Chung