Dentaltown December 2013 - (Page 12)

howard speaks column » Best Practices, 2013 by Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, Publisher, Dentaltown Magazine At the end of my September 2013 column, I asked readers to visit www.dentaltown.com/besttips2013 and post what they did this year to make their dental practice the best it can be. I really love the drkinnarshah Member Since: 08/11/13 Post: 2 of 23 I have been working diligently on maintaining morning huddle with the staff, including front desk and hygienist. I look through the schedule, the patient's charts for Tx needed and ask the front desk if there are any additional procedures I can do. The front desk will ask the patient, informing them of their copay if they would like additional procedures getting done today. It helps us stay busy in spite of patient cancellations. Assistants are present so they also know that we are planning to get more things done. I will also tell the assistants if I anticipate any deep caries, a challenging patient or need for any special instruments, additional X-rays or materials. It really helps the office be efficient and the day go smooth. The hygienist will tell me when she will need my assistant for perio charting and I will inform her when she can grab my assistant for it. It helps us maintain the quality of care and use our time efficiently. A morning huddle can save your day from being chaotic, time consuming and energy draining. First of all, for this thread to be kicked off by a first-time poster on Dentaltown.com - and that the advice drkinnarshah provided was spot on - thrilled me to no end. When we look at patterns of a successful dental office, practices that have morning huddles do infinitely better in any way you want to dr m Member Since: 02/21/06 Post: 5 of 23 responses this thread generated. For the sake of this column, and for the health of your business, I'm going to share with you my favorite posts from this thread and my thoughts about them. measure, whether it's stress reduction, or increases in productivity and net income. The only thing I want to add to drkinnarshah's post is to remember, after the morning huddle, it's imperative to keep in constant contact with the team via walkie-talkies throughout the day. 1) Started using Lighthouse 360 to simplify recall system and ask for reviews. The reviews have been helpful for boosting team esteem... we print the good ones and put them in a binder on the break room table. The occasional bad review helps us learn what we can do better. 2) I have been marketing every month... not just during the slow months. By having a constant presence my practice has avoided having the huge dip it has in past years during certain months. 3) CE with the team.... My practice has grown significantly this year and I contribute it to my awesome team and these simple things. Dr M's post is spot on. Every day since the economy tanked on September 15, 2008, (aka, "Lehman Day"), when asked "If you could have just one magic bullet to improve your practice, what would it be?" four out of every five dentists would say, "I need new patients." I'm personally proud to say that October 2013 was the best month my practice, Today's Dental, has ever had in terms of production, collection and new patient intake; I attribute this to two things. continued on page 14 12 DECEMBER 2013 » dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com/besttips2013 http://www.Dentaltown.com http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown December 2013

Howard Speaks: Best Practices, 2013
Dentaltown.com Highlights
Professional Courtesy: It’s (Always) Showtime
Continuing Education Update
Second Opinion: Providing Personalized Care in Dentistry
Selling Your Soul to PPOs?
Townie Choice Awards
Hey, Carlsen! I’m Going to Trade Stocks, Time the Market and Beat It!
Long-distance Communication Led to Beautiful Full-mouth Implant Case Results
Ad Index
Product Profile: Dental EHR and Meaningful Use
What’s on Your Tray?
Perio Reports
Profile in Oral Health: Are Your Team Members Indispensable?
Dentally Incorrect
Simplifying the Challenging: The One-tooth Restoration with CEREC
White Smiles in the African Bush
Cycling for Charity

Dentaltown December 2013