Dear Colleague,

Help shape the field of informatics in healthcare by training in dental informatics at the University of Pittsburgh! At the Center for Dental Informatics, you can get training in a cutting-edge discipline and conduct innovative research on:

• electronic dental records
• decision support
• human-computer interaction
• reuse of clinical data for research
• evidence-based dentistry
• teledentistry

Getting training in a variety of aspects on informatics opens up unique career opportunities, such as in software development, information technology management, academic teaching and research, and consulting.

We are currently recruiting applicants at the certificate, MS, PhD and postdoctoral levels. The program is highly multidisciplinary and is open to individuals with a variety of backgrounds, such as information science/computer science, dentistry, medicine, information technology or related fields.

Financial support, in the form of a full scholarship, a stipend, health insurance and more from the National Institutes of Health is available to eligible individuals. Applications are accepted immediately. Program start is August 2012.

Please note: The NIH also offers a loan repayment program for educational loans for up to $35,000/year for 3 years.

To learn more click here.

Sincerely,

Titus Schleyer, DMD, PhD

Assoc. Professor and Director, Center for Dental Informatics

School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261

Skype: titus.schleyer, Ph: (412) 648-8886, Fax: (412) 648-9960, E-mail: titus@pitt.edu

Sally McKenzie

Remember the parable about the six blind men and the elephant. Each touched a different part of the pachyderm and walked away with very different impressions of what it really was. All were correct in what they had experienced but each was wrong in his understanding of the whole. 

Telephone communication can be much like the experience of the six blind men. For the dental employee, the phone is typically viewed as a constant interruption to more important job duties. Few realize the powerful impact of this "annoyance" in marketing the practice. Dentists commonly view the phone duties as a perfunctory. It rings, someone answers it, schedules an appointment, and that's it. Then there's the patient. Their take on this portal into a practice is considerably different. Just ask prospective patient "Paula." 

She is new to the area, and she recently received some marketing materials about a practice not far from her home. She's calls to find out when she and her family can schedule appointments. When someone finally picks up on the fifth ring, the greeting is an unenthusiastic "Dr. Bolton's office." The employee doesn't identify herself, nor does she ask how she can help the caller. Unimpressed, Paula tries to keep an open mind. Yes, I'd like to schedule an appointment for me and my two children. Silence. The employee, hesitates before she says in a discouraging tone, "Well, that's gonna be a challenge cuz the doctor ... Oh, could ya hold for just a minute." Click. Paula ignores the urge to hang up, after all, the slick marketing materials said this Dr. Bolton guy is great. Instead, she waits and listens to the annoying music.

The unidentified employee returns to the line. "Now whadda ya need again?" Paula grits her teeth. "I need an appointment for me and my two children." Oh yeah. Hmmm, gosh, I don't know when we're gonna git ya in. I hope ya ain't havin' any problems or nothin' cuz it's gonna be at least three months.

Paula is shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Can you get all three of us in on the same day? Oh sure, honey, next April. I have bunches of openins' then." Exasperated, Paula emphasizes, "That's seven months away!" "I know. I been tellin' 'em that we ain't got no room for any more patients but ya know he ain't gonna listen to me," replies the employee.

This staff member has had zero telephone training. Worse yet, the practice launched an expensive marketing campaign without ever discussing how to handle calls with employees. The doctor, meanwhile, is oblivious to the entire exchange. He thinks calls are handled just fine. But then again, like one of the six blind men, Dr. Bolton doesn't have the full picture.

Is this how your team markets your practice to current and prospective patients? The truth is you don't know until you hear both sides of the conversation.

More About McKenzie Management...