Dentaltown January 2016 - (Page 14)

howard speaks column What Do You Need in 2016? Another Operatory You have to get an extra operatory. End of story. I've been saying this for almost 30 years, and most of the time people agree with this idea from the beginning. But then there are the people I have to convince. If you don't believe me, believe the data. There are accounting firms that only do dentistry, and-long story short-the data they collect shows that if a dentist has three operatories and he or she adds a fourth, the total revenue usually goes up by at least 25 percent. There are several reasons why adding an operatory adds to your bottom line, and the main reason is that the extra operatory gives you the space you need to treat emergency patients. You can go to any hospital in the world and find an emergency room. Why do they all have an emergency room? To save lives, of course. But in most cases, it's also a business decision, because emergency treatment equates to big bucks. Saving lives is the most important factor, but the financial numbers matter too. If you go to a hospital with a heart attack, that could be $100,000 for a coronary artery bypass graft. If Grandpa goes in there bleeding out his back door and he ends up needing colon surgery, that could lead to a $70,000 procedure. This is big money. CPR for your practice Emergency procedures at your facility are lucrative too. It's a business. It's a business in which we get to help people and improve their lives, but it's still a business. Let's say your receptionist is getting a call and the person on the line says, "I have a broken tooth and my gum is bleeding-can you do something? Can I come down?" Well, maybe you don't have an extra chair. So the receptionist says, "We can get you in tomorrow or the next day." So tomorrow or the next day comes around and that person doesn't show up. And you say, "I can't believe she never showed up!" Well, that patient asked if she could be seen today and you said, "No, but I'll get you in here tomorrow," and then you're shocked that she didn't show up? If you can't provide a solution for a patient who has an urgent or emergency need, that patient will find someone who can. Yes, accommodating these patients can throw a wrench into things, but if you have the space and your staff knows how to handle the situation, it can be well worth the trouble. There are accounting firms that only do dentistry, and- long story short-the data they collect shows that if a dentist has three operatories and he or she adds a fourth, the total revenue usually goes up by at least 25 percent. The emergency patients who come in almost always equal or offset the patients who no-show or cancel or didn't bring their money. Let's say you have someone in the emergency room with a broken tooth, and by the time you finish the bitewing and the exam, you realize you need to do a root canal or an extraction. When you figure all that out, your assistant comes in and tells you, "Oh by the way, Continued on p. 16 by Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, Publisher, Dentaltown Magazine 14 JANUARY 2016 // dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown January 2016

On Dentaltown.com
HOWARD SPEAKS: What Do You Need in 2016? Another Operatory
PROFESSIONAL COURTESY: The Next Generation of Dentists
Continuing Education Update
Mom Wants to Sit in the Hallway So She Can Hear What We’re Doing to Her Child
Why You Should Never Let Patients Talk You Out of Periodontal Plastic Surgery Before Esthetic Treatment
Chasing Pain: Diagnosing and Treating Trigeminal Neuralgia in General Dentistry
Chasing Sheep: The Four Pillars of Treating the Sleep-Disordered Patient
Product Profi le: Family Dental Marketing
Implementing Orthodontics in Your General Practice
Endodontic Advancements: How Leading Technologies Help Transform Endodontic Treatment Options
The Power of Piezo: A Predictable and Painless Approach
Veneers: Utilizing Silicon Matrices to Optimize Ideal Preparation Design
Improve Your Patients’ Lives Through Pro-Bono Referrals
Progressive Smile Design: Changing the Shape of Cosmetic Dentistry
The Ultimate Handover in Your Dental Office
Meet the New Intraoral Sensor
Poll
Want to Compete with Big Business? Tap Into Your Relationships
Saving Her Smile: Immediate Implant Placement and Fixed Provisionalization with Extracted Tooth
TOWNIE MEETING 2016 Preview
Ad Index
The Heart of the Hygienist: Dental Hygiene’s Role in Public Health
What to Do With Patients Who Refuse SRP and Only Want a Cleaning
CONTINUING EDUCATION: Indirect Posterior Composite Restorations
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown January 2016