Practice Management

With year-end approaching it is time for dentists to think about making equipment and technology purchases if they want to expense (depreciate) those assets on their 2016 tax return. While the rules for depreciating equipment have changed dramatically, one thing remains constant. Equipment must be “placed into service” before any depreciation may be taken.

Should your staff understand your practice’s financials? The short answer is yes. How can your team appreciate the effects of their actions unless they do?

Running an efficient dental practice is a complex job. Using dental practice management software that does not streamline the various daily aspects of your practices only adds further to that challenge.

Every dentist in every office across the country has faced a difficult patient situation at one point, and while it may be awkward or even uncomfortable to face, it falls on the dentist – as the top clinician, the business owner and the CEO of the practice – to try and resolve the situation as peacefully and positively as possible.

Bringing on an associate can be a great step for your practice-if you go about it correctly.

Each month, Dr. Lou Shuman consults with a dental digital marketing specialist to discuss the latest developments in social media trends, SEO strategies, website optimization, online reputation management and more.

Learning how to bridge the generation gap can result in more effective leadership.

What goals are set in your dental office? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Any? This is one of the first questions we ask and 90% of the time the answer is crickets. ‘We know we should’ or ‘We’ve talked about it’ or ‘We just try to schedule/collect as much as we can everyday’ are the typical responses. As we discuss the schedule with the clinical team, we hear things like ‘We are twiddling our thumbs one day and don’t have time for a bathroom break the next’. I would like to break down the necessity of goals and define the mindset needed when discussing goals.

As the days tick away in 2016, what are some of the biggest things you and your front office team should be focused on? We asked an expert.

Collaborative Practice Intelligence (CPI) provides simple, easy to set up and use, dental metrics software to benchmark relevant dental metrics that can increase profits and lower stress for your dental practice. The Woodlands, Texas company just released its Dental Metrics Software for dental practices.

When a dental patient exhibits inappropriate behavior, it’s imperative that members of the dental team react to it swiftly and professionally.

Insurance experts Teresa Duncan and Bridget Fay break down the things you need to know about insurance in the dental practice.

For dentists who are seeking to grow, change is required. So, how does a practice implement change without striking fear, and resistance, from the team? Simply start small.

Are you a good boss ... or are you the underlying cause of your practice's problems?

Converting a phone call to a sale can be tricky, so here are three tips that can help.

Unmotivated employees can bring down a whole team, so addressing the problem quickly is important.

Good performance feedback can lead to a better, more efficient practice.

Mr. Chris Halke, CAD/CAM Supervisor, and Dr. Michael Pikus, Director of Clinical Education show how it's possible to promote healing and esthetics immediately upon implant surgery.

Once the deal is closed, the software is installed and payment is made, what happens when you have an issue that isn't easily resolved?

Before you open your doors and welcome a new wave of patients, set yourself up for success by paying special heed to these five Patterson solutions to minimize mistakes and maximize results.

Case acceptance is a hot topic in our industry-how to get the patient to want to spend money on dentistry. I have heard so many different presenters teach various different ways to accomplish this.

During our Google hangout, we chatted about the All-Star Dental Academy as well as some of the biggest mistakes that dentists often make and how those can be avoided.

If you’re not losing patients, why should you work to attract new patients? What’s wrong with the status quo? Many things, says one practitioner.

Success in attracting millennial patients will depend on your ability to adapt your practice to meeting the needs of this affluent and well-educated generation. Here are 5 tips for attracting millennial patients.

Have you looked at your Facebook business page lately? If not, you should take a look. Facebook quietly rolled out a new business page design that will impact the layout of your page. It is essential practices keep up with the constant changes in social media, and this is the latest example of why people need to stay on top of their social media marketing efforts.

As attracting new patients and keeping the current active patient base robust is imperative for the financial health of the practice, dentists need to know their patient numbers and how those numbers compare to national averages.

It’s human nature to think of ways to make your life easier. We strive for efficiency, success and satisfaction in many different aspects of our lives. The same goals should be applied to your dental office and, most importantly, considered when you talk with your support staff.

Every dental practice will face conflict from time to time. It’s a result of both being in business and the realities of human nature. Even teams who get along extremely well experience periodic arguments.

Veterans often struggle to get quality healthcare and dental coverage, but a new bill passed by the Senate aims to rectify that.