Practice Management

Even if you have the best relationship with a committed patient, sometimes in the “real world” you will get an objection. The good news is, there are tools to navigate around the stop sign. Here are five we recommend and what you can say when a patient tells you "If my insurance won't cover it, I can't afford to see the hygienist every three months": Active listening: “Sounds like you have some concerns regarding affordability?”

When hygienist Nikki Hayes called out “You guys have all gotta get down here and see this,” over the headset intercom system used by the staff at DPR Technology Editor Dr. John Flucke’s Lee’s Summit, Mo. practice, it sent everyone running. What they saw did not disappoint.

It comes as no surprise that people living in lower income areas don't often visit the dentist or receive preventative care because health care is less accessible and health insurance is not always available to those with low wage jobs. From educational attainment to safety to public health, residents in America's poorest neighborhoods are so often found to be at a disadvantage. And now according to a new study, they're also much more likely to be in physical pain.

It’s difficult to discuss dental franchises or corporately managed dental practices without inciting passionate opinions from all sides. The independent, sole practitioner model seems so ingrained in the dental industry psyche that those offering alternative models are often subject to, at worst, demonization as dental “mills” focused on profits instead of patients.

According to economists, who know these things, the RECESSION IS OVER! Yet, we still are getting massive feedback from dental practices regarding concerns about:

Learn.com®, the Knowledge Platform(TM) company, today announced that PracticeWorks Systems, LLC, headquartered in  Atlanta, Georgia, the exclusive maker of KODAK Dental Systems for dental professionals nationwide, has selected the company's knowledge platform to provide product training to their customers and deploy learning and development curriculums for their internal staff.

Both Integra® Dental Casework and Artizan® Dental Furniture provide designs that meet ergonomic workflow, infection control, technology integration and unique storage requirements. Artizan Dental Furniture offers flexibility with a wide variety of standard product configurations and the capability to provide custom product solutions in design, size and color.

Has this ever happened to you? The other day I was watching TV and eating some pistachios, and before I knew it, I had eaten nearly half the bag. I realized that if I didn’t stop I might not be hungry for dinner, so I decided to have one last nut. I fished one out, cracked the shell, bit down and immediately my mouth was filled with a harsh, bitter flavor. I realized the nut I had grabbed was burnt and overdone, and the taste was so bad I had to run to the kitchen just to rinse my mouth. After that, I didn’t even want to look at the bag of pistachios.

Don’t ditch your marketing plan Saving money is always important, especially in today’s economic climate, but remember, a good marketing plan can make you money in the long run.

In our last Issue, we introduced and discussed the components of a successful direct mail campaign, included a Planning Checklist, and shared some of the more profitable target audiences, going into some detail about the pros and cons of targeting new residents.

Value Defined? We all want and deserve to receive value for our investment. Value can mean different things to different people. One might value getting his or her website up and running quickly, while another might be more exacting and patient. One practice might value appearance more highly than function. Still another might prefer quantity over quality of website visitors. Whatever your preferences, know what constitutes reasonable expectations, not only from your finished* product, but also from the process.

Online access to more than 280 frequently updated, multimedia patient education presentations through a standard Internet connection. Presentations that feature 3D animation, full-motion video, voice narration and colorful images.

I recently attended a Transitions Seminar presented by a well known dental advisor. The presenter was an attorney and has spent a significant number of years dealing with dentists as well as with other professionals advising them on wealth management, practice management and transition strategies.

It’s just a matter of time really. Eventually everything in your practice will come due for update or replacement. But, whether you’re a tech junkie who goes for the latest gadgets, or someone who prefers to stick with a trusted and well-used tool, the equipment and technology in your practice can still have a useful life after you have found its replacement.

In many cases, the sale of a dental practice is similar to the sale of a personal residence. Sellers sometimes feel that their practice is worth more to them than the market will pay. This is a similar situation involving the emotions in the sale of a home which will cause the value to be more to the seller than to potential buyers. These same feelings can reflect a higher transition listing price than what the practice will bring.

Call it cheeseburger in paradise, movie mania, hot rod heaven or a yearning for yesteryear. No matter how you label it, David Myer’s orthodontic office, which is designed to look like a 1950s gas station/soda shop/old-time movie theater, makes visits for young patients more fun.

February 2010 | dentalproductsreport.com WEB EXCLUSIVE  Ask Amy  Amy Morgan, CEO of the Pride Institute, takes your practice management questions. 

Several studies have shown bib holders are a potential source for cross-contamination in the dental office. Using Bib-Eze eliminates that risk.

Dr. Paresh Patel, 41, a resident of Edison, NJ faces insurance fraud charges along with charges of tampering with dental records and obstruction of administration of law for providing the Middlesex County Medical Examiner with false records, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said in a statement today.

November 2010 | Dental Lab Products  

Direct mail marketing has long been an accepted means for image-consciously, yet cost-effectively promoting ones practice. Its popularity lies in the fact that it offers a focused and controlled method for sharing information about your practice with selected members of your community. Properly implemented, direct mail marketing can mean a steady inflow of new patients, which, by adding to your existing patient base, also increases the success of your internal marketing efforts.

Protects ears from the hazardous sounds in the dental practice with a 15 decibel flat attenuation response. 15 decibel filter allows for clear, natural communication while you work so you can still hear speech.

The wonderful thing about the beginning of a new year is it allows us to close the door on the past and set new goals and strategies for a positive future. Let’s face it, 2010 was a tough one for most. The good news is patients continued to say “yes” and receive the dental treatment they desire and deserve, and a good number of dental offices still experienced many successes (though we had to work a little harder to achieve them).

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to add video to your website – complete with analytics on who’s viewing that production – YouTube has an enticing offer: We’ll do it for free.

Created to fill a void left by the lack of resources and education available for dental office managers, the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) quickly reached more than 1,000 members in less than 2 years.

When we introduce the “Patient Debrief” to teams, their first response is, “We already do that.” And to a certain degree they absolutely do part of it!

Every dental practice engages in some degree of customer service in order to stay in business. However, in some offices the focus on customer service takes a back seat to the focus on clinical skill. The thinking might go something like this: “Patients come here to get dental work, not to talk about how their weekend went.”

Irvine, Calif., July 19, 2011 -Roland DGA Corp. has announced several promotions and new additions to its product management and marketing teams that further strengthen its support for its core product offerings while also positioning the company for growth within new vertical market segments. Andrew Oransky, Director of Marketing and Product Management

Many practices that do follow statistics go only as far as comparing their numbers with last year, expert range norms or what they heard their colleagues have accomplished. This is managing by hindsight only and leads to reactive decisions that do not ensure continued growth and progress. If a dentist and team are going to monitor progress through statistical analysis, a key ingredient must be SMART goal setting. This is the only way pro-active foresight can be applied to future success.