Running a dental practice smoothly and efficiently seems to be an ongoing issue for a lot of dental practices. In researching this topic, I’ve come across certain aspects of successful practices that come up again and again. It is important to understand that creating a certain flow that works for your entire team, your patients, and yourself is a process that requires time and effort, but here are at least 8 aspects to consider.
1 Marketing
Yes, the topic of marketing has been mentioned before in this blog, discussing the importance of SEO, how to create a successful website, the impact of positive and negative online reviews, and why social media is an asset to attaining new patients and most importantly keeping them. But it’s time to focus on the message instead of the means by which you communicate that message. What do you want your dental practice to say to new patients? What is your dental practice saying now that you’d rather it wasn’t?
Also, it is important to promote your uniqueness in order to build awareness for your practice. Patientnews.com writes that “To make the most out of your attributes, you need to consistently promote them throughout all of your dental advertising campaigns and patient interactions.” Use these unique attributes to customize your newsletters, brochures, social media and even your dental postcards.
2 Organization
It doesn’t matter where you work; the office, the exam rooms, or the waiting room, organization is key to managing your practice’s smoothness and efficiency. The waiting room should be clean and clear of mess– no scattered or out-of-date magazines and no visible clutter. Everything should be in its place and easily accessible when needed. This will make for a less stressful environment for you, your team, and your patients. It is also important to make sure your operatories and exam rooms are organized and spacious. According to wheniwork.com, “exams/surgeries should contain minimal cabinetry, allow easy traffic flow and house everything you need within an arm’s reach.”
3 Automated billing and reminder options
If you are not already set up with automated billing, doing so will shave a lot of time off your already busy day. “By paring down the mechanics of billing to a few clicks of the mouse, you’ll cut lost billing time by at least half and increase the effectiveness of your office staff exponentially.” You will also be one step closer to a paperless and therefore green practice. Why not go a step further with an automated reminder system? Not only will you be billing with just the click of a button, but by incorporating an automated reminder system, you and your staff will be instantly connected to the patients, therefore, decreasing the amount of missed and cancelled appointments. It will also minimize scheduling headaches and improve office morale.
4 Financing options
To run a smooth operation, your practice requires income. A way to not lose out on income due to financial barriers, in addition to helping all patients who need it, is to open up your financial options. Always make your financial policy fair and easy to understand and designate one person in the office to handle all financial options so wires don’t get crossed. Other financial options to consider, according to patientnews.com, include debit, credit, personal cheque, and cash.
5 Service Expansion
A lot of dental practices are open later on weekdays to accommodate those who work the 9-5 shifts. Good dentistry is good customer service as wheniwork.com states in their blog post. Extending your hours will make it easier for your patients to work around their schedules. When making decisions about your hours of operation, always make them with your patients at the forefront.You always want to strengthen your competitive edge and pique the interest of prospective patients and “by striking the right balance of state-of-the-art technology and uncompromising quality, you will become a successful dentist with a strong reputation, loyal clients, and maximized profits.”
6 Patient Accommodation
This doesn’t mean overbooking your days like airlines overbook flights, but wheniwork.com suggests examining your schedule on a daily basis to account for cancellations, no-shows, and last-minute emergencies. “Every patient counts both from a financial and a customer service standpoint.”
7 Focusing on the patients
This doesn’t just mean extending hours and services, but extending yourself as well. Engaging patients and reaching out to them on a personal level will guarantee long-lasting relationships as well as useful positive word-of-mouth and online reviews. The opportunities available to stay in constant connection with your patients has since evolved from simple letters and phone calls to social media and email. Not only can you connect with your current patients on an ongoing basis using these forms of communication, but you can also reach out to existing prospective patients.
8 Communication
Whether with your team or with your patients, prospective and current, communication is what keeps everything running smoothly. On dentistryiq.com, their blog post, “100 Tips From 100 Practice Management Experts in 100 Words or Less”, focuses on the importance of communication. One suggestion is to conduct a morning meeting to identify patients with incomplete dentistry and unscheduled family members. One dental team says that “the practice of dentistry is 90 percent communication” and to further the point, they add “The offices that never stop working on giving the possible answers to the questions patients ask are by far the most successful.” Their advice is to have frequent team meetings “that emphasize a warm and caring environment every step of the way.”
If you are interested in reading more of those 100 tips, the link will be provided below along with other links you can read at your leisure. Do you have any advice or suggestions? Please let us know in the comments section.
Resources
- http://www.patientnews.com/article/8-tips-running-successful-dental-practice
- http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2012/08/100-tips-from-100-practice-management-experts-in-100-words-or-less.html
- http://www.dentaleconomics.com/articles/print/volume-97/issue-3/features/8-ways-to-increase-efficiency-and-reduce-stress.html
- http://www.dentalproductsreport.com/dental/article/office-managers-desk-tips-better-dental-practice-guidelines
- http://www.slideshare.net/TitanWebAgency/21-tips-to-a-more-successful-dental-practice
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