practice management // feature
Have You Really Thought About Your Schedule Lately?
by Carolyn Friedman How long has it been since you have really looked at your schedule? We get busy just getting through the day and fail to address the very thing that has a huge impact on us every day. Since it holds such importance, doesn’t it warrant a true evaluation each year? Many times throughout the year, we have had changes in procedures and staff members, yet nothing has changed in the way we schedule. The first step in the evaluation process has to do with the big question: How is it working for you? • Are you seeing all patients on time? • Do you have a regular and routine lunchtime? • Do you finish the day on time? If you truly see all patients at their scheduled time and finish in the allotted time – great! You are providing a great service to your patients, staff and yourself. For those of you who can’t say “yes” to those questions, let’s cover what factors need to be addressed.
Facility
Have you considered changing anything in your office layout to increase your efficiency and help the flow of the schedule? For example, many orthodontic offices now have their initial exam in a room that does not have a dental chair. The room is designed more for providing information and taking photos of a new patient. Many times the area you use for an orthodontic consultation is ideal for this appointment. In addition to providing a space more conducive to making a presentation to the patient, it also frees up the area with the dental chair for other procedures. By making this change in my office, we are able to accommodate
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OCTOBER 2012 // orthotown.com
http://www.orthotown.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown October 2012