Practice Management

If you haven’t created a compelling New Patient Experience, you’re making a mistake that could prevent you from building lasting relationships with patients you’ve worked so hard to attract to the practice.

Regardless of your practice philosophy regarding insurance management, you are bound to have heard this kind of statement from patients many times in the past.

When dentists ask me what it takes to be a good practice leader, I give them a simple answer: Vision. Only when you have a clear, specific idea of where you want to take your practice can you effectively plan your growth, make the best decisions and inspire staff.

There are things that happen in a dental practice that would make The Walking Dead seem like a walk in the park. There are stories that could be told that would make Frankenstein think fire wasn’t so bad. We asked dental team members to tell us the stories that still make them shake their head and cringe … and plenty of them answered

Don’t get me wrong, consultants are great. I hired several over my long career. I like them so much, I became one. But, before you make the call and sign the contract, there a few things you can do to jumpstart the process, or even delay your need for help for a while. Don’t get me wrong, consultants are great. I hired several over my long career. I like them so much, I became one.

Don’t get me wrong, consultants are great. I hired several over my long career. I like them so much, I became one. But, before you make the call and sign the contract, there a few things you can do to jumpstart the process, or even delay your need for help for a while.

When a new patient calls your office, do your staff members give them a great phone experience?

It’s a dark and stormy night in the small town where your dental practice is located. It’s also one of the first late, late afternoons you’ve worked in the practice since it relocated from the center of town to a new location out by the lake.

As we enter the fall season, chances are that you have patients with remaining dental benefits who also require dental care. According to Forbes, only three percent of patients use all of their benefits in a given year.

It’s a monthly ritual. A mystery shopper calls your practice, chats with a random staff member and delivers a score. Your staff member has been rated on a scale of one to five for her phone skills. But do the rubrics mystery shoppers use really measure the abilities of your staff?

I know an associate won't stick around for very long. I know because it happened to me several times for various reasons. It is not unusual for associates to leave the first position they take.

As millennials are becoming more important to our practices, it is vital to understand how and where we can get their attention.

Online videos are quickly becoming a powerful influence on consumers today. Why? Video is incredibly engaging. According to research published by Atlas, video is six times more effective than print or online promotions.

As the second most common OSHA violation, most dental offices already have the Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) on their radar. Each office should have at least one staff member who understands the requirement to keep safety data for products both “readily available” and “up to date” in a work area regularly used by employees.

Remember the Jim Carrey movie, Yes Man? In it, Carrey’s character is challenged to say “yes” to everything that he’s presented with. Of course, embellishments abound, craziness ensues and he ultimately realizes the value of the word “no.” While this may just be the plot of a fictional Hollywood movie, there’s a lesson here for dentists: Don’t say yes to every opportunity, especially when it comes to dental marketing.

You likely haven’t put much thought into improving your recall system. You rely on sending generic postcards to remind recall patients they’re due for an appointment, and you know your hygienist makes phone calls when she can.

The new online interface lets practices compare and evaluate EHR programs to determine the right fit.

The new ICD-10 diagnostic code set will be implemented on October 1. So, what do you need to know? Here are the top 10 things that will make the transition to ICD-10 a little bit easier.

We live in a different world than we did just a few years ago. Now, to reach prospective patients-especially Generation Y patients-dentists need to have a web presence that separates them from all of their competition online. We live in a different world than we did just a few years ago.

SEO can be very complicated, but there are quick wins you can take advantage of to gain higher visibility in Google organic search without a huge investment.

Sirona Dental has announced the upcoming availability of inLab software 15, which brings new restorative and communication abilities to the Sirona inLab workflow.

The adjustments report is one of the most emotion-inducing reports to read and analyze. It may even be the most depressing one, but it certainly is necessary.

Having spent my entire career in dentistry; different roles and responsibilities have allowed me to develop an appreciation of all areas of the dental practice and see how everyone must work together to create a both a positive working environment and patient experience.

Decisions about whether to purchase new technology for your dental practice have become more challenging for two reasons.

All order information dynamically populates, from customer information to manufacturing preferences and material selections, reportedly greatly reducing the time it takes to submit your cases for manufacturing.

Editor's Note: Based on his extensive experience with dentists over the past 30 years, Dr. Roger P. Levin has authored a new book entitled, "The 31 Biggest Mistakes Dentists Make.

You can’t run your clinic alone. Whether you are a large center or a small clinic, you likely will need to manage both professional and support staff. You may need other dentists, specialists, hygienists, office managers and front desk personnel to be part of the team. This staff may come with a wide range of educational backgrounds and, depending on the individual positions, may require varying levels of supervision.

e you ready to scale production and get more of those high-value patients that all dentists love? Then it’s time to learn about a cutting-edge new patient strategy that no other dentists are taking advantage of