Dentaltown November 2013 - (Page 62)

overcoming disaster feature continued from page 61 Dr. Doug Carlsen's Natural Disaster Financial Preparation List » This numbness was universal, and many small business owners were paralyzed for some time, emotionally and, and in some cases, physically. "At the shock of the event, I think I was numb," Dr. Menke corroborated. "[How to rebuild] the office was uncertain. I did not know how to set up for a new practice - if I could keep my employees paid in the down time, temporary equipment and building." Following shock came an enveloping sense of self-pity for Dr. Fitterling. "I was feeling sorry for myself. The next morning I just sat in the corner with a pillow." However, moving forward in a timely manner, despite the shock and the self-pity that consumed him, was perhaps the Fitterlings' best move. Still deep in shock, they made phone calls to realtors, insurance agents and the like the very next day after the tornado. "There were so many details that it really was overwhelming [to get back on our feet]," Mrs. Fitterling said. "But by taking it a step at a time and by having good people on our side, we were able to get it accomplished." The Fitterlings were victims of a tragedy yet they didn't adopt a victim mindset. This resilience allowed them to be the first of the destroyed dental practices in Joplin to be up and running again in a temporary dental trailer (which their insurance paid for at a whopping $4,800 per week). They saw their first 1. Have an emergency fund of six month's personal living expenses, at least $50,000, in money market funds. 2. Take pictures! As you would at home, take photos of anything worth more than several hundred dollars in your office. Yes, that includes your implant inventory and all your handpieces. Take a picture of your disposables and your professional supplies. Don't forget the refrigerator. 3. Keep computer backups, both practice and personal, off site. 4. Go over your Building and Business Personal Property Insurance once a year with your front-desk person and insurance agent. Your front-desk person might remember new items that you missed and the insurance agent can prompt for new coverage available. 5. Build a safe room for your important papers, medicine safe, server and people. As we learned from Hurricane Sandy, huge fires in the West this summer, and more tornadoes in Birmingham and Oklahoma City, no area of the United States is safe! 6. If a disaster does strike, be the first to reopen your office - the early bird got the worm in Joplin. patient on June 20th - just a few days shy of the tornado's onemonth anniversary. Surviving Vs. Thriving When disaster strikes your business, wallow as you might, there is nothing you can do to undo it. That simply is not an option. The options for small business disaster recovery are strict: adapt or expire. Preparation counts, yes, but how well you respond becomes the chief factor in how well you recover. Of the 23 destroyed dental practices in Joplin, every dental practice chose to adapt and eventually reopened - with the exception of the couple of dentists who opted to use the disaster as a catalyst for retirement. However, this successful recovery percentage is not the norm. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates more than 40 percent of businesses never reopen following a major disaster. Of those that do, at least 25 percent will close within two years.3 It's in the recovery where the Fitterlings truly shined, and it had everything to do with their attitude. From the beginning they saw the light in the dark, rather than being consumed by 3. 62 FREE FACTS, circle 33 on card NOVEMBER 2013 » dentaltown.com http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iamcp-us.org/resource/resmgr/microsoft/microsoft-disaster-preparedn.pdf http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iamcp-us.org/resource/resmgr/microsoft/microsoft-disaster-preparedn.pdf http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown November 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: Not Getting it Done? Hire a Consultant
Professional Courtesy: Painful Advertising
Continuing Education Update
Second Opinion: The Role of Teamwork in the Third Era of Medicine
Deprogrammed Open Bite Can Help with Veneers
Bruxism Worse with Splint
Corporate Profile: Burbank Dental Laboratory
Product Profile: Eaglesoft 17
Debunking the Social Stigma of Stress
The Personal Side of Stress
In Your Face: Facing the Realities of Stress in Dentistry
When Tragedy Strikes: How to Prepare for and Recover from a Natural Disaster
The Latex Problem: It’s More Complicated Than You Think
Why Dentists Require Specific Exercise
How Much Money Can You Make When You’re Dead?
Denture Stabilizations with Small-diameter Implants
You Should Know: CrownMen
Product Profile: Synergy
Product Profile: NuSmiles ZR
Continuing Education: The New Evolution of Chariside CAD/CAM Technology
Ad Index
In This Issue: Dry Brush Inside Bottom Teeth First
Perio Reports
Dentally Incorrect
101 Ways to Reduce Stress
Achieving Goal Congruency

Dentaltown November 2013