Sally McKenzie

If the success or failure of your dental practice were contingent solely upon the quality of your dentistry, it's likely that you, and most practitioners, would be wildly successful.  

But there are 22 systems and dozens of variables that directly impact you, your patients, your staff, and the marketing of your total practice. Each demands ongoing assessment and monitoring. To accomplish that requires establishment of the most fundamental step in total practice improvement: regularly scheduled working staff meetings to monitor management and marketing systems.  

Block off two hours each month over the next 12 months and involve the entire team in making these sessions true information gathering and problem solving opportunities, starting with these 10 steps:

1. Develop an agenda with input from the entire team. Include all areas that impact the marketing of the practice. For example: new patients, recall, collections, treatment acceptance, production, unscheduled time units, uncollected revenues over 60 days, overhead, etc.
2. Assign each member of the team to report on the area they're responsible for, and seek their input as well as the rest of the team's as to how each area can be improved.
3. Share ideas for improving the work environment, the patient experience, and marketing of the practice.
4. Don't blindly accept the status quo. Ask each other questions such as, "If you were the patient, how would you respond? What are the advantages of this approach? What are the potential disadvantages?"
5. Delegate responsibilities and establish deadlines for completing projects and tasks identified during the staff meetings.
6. Designate the amount of time you will spend discussing each issue and avoid getting bogged down on unrelated topics.
7. Discuss only what is on the agenda.
8. Make a list of issues that come up that warrant further discussion and agree to include those on the weekly staff meeting agenda or next month's working meeting agenda.
9. Eliminate outside interruptions. If possible, hold working staff meetings off-site. Many local libraries, community colleges, and other public facilities have public meeting rooms available for use.
10. Hold meetings at least once per month, more frequently if you're implementing several changes, such as a comprehensive marketing plan.

Encourage staff to offer ongoing constructive suggestions, input, and insights aimed at moving the practice forward and advancing the marketing efforts. Finally, celebrate progress; the smallest of victories is another step toward practice improvement and achievement of your marketing objectives.

Katherine Eitel

Whether on the phone or in person, you have two basic responsibilities when it comes to interviewing patients: To listen really well and give them hope. It really all comes down to that.

Listening well sounds easy but few people are masters. It requires being totally present and in the moment with the patient. It means clearing your mind, if only for a moment, of what you'd like to say next or what's happening in the other room, etc. Active listening includes good, strong eye contact, leaning forward slightly, positioning yourself in front and at eye level. Learn to repeat back what you think you've heard or learned about this patient before proceeding.   There is no feeling like being the focus of someone's complete attention when we are trying to convey something we feel is important. It makes us feel important and worthwhile.

Second is giving patients hope. You don't have to solve all their problems. You may not be able to. But giving them hope about their future is what paves the way to them putting their faith in you. Before you start to educate or outline options, tell them you are glad they came to you. You can help them. There are many options and today we will begin to discover what those options might be. But one thing you already know is that they've come to the right place and together you will be able to formulate a plan of action that will work best for them.

Hope and faith are the cornerstones of optimism. And everyone can use a little more of that!

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