McKenzie Management CEO Sally McKenzie offered six best practices to re-energize a dental practice in a column for DentistryIQ.
Here's what you should know.
1. Embrace the CEO role — CEOs need to lead. Ms. McKenzie suggests using detailed job descriptions, clear performance measures and continual feedback to help a team reach its goals. Without a clear path, the team will "feel lost and not very motivated."
2. Address possibly hygienist issues — Hygienists should be producing three times their salary; if they're not the an administrator must address the problem. Possibly solutions including providing scheduling coordinators with more training or reducing unkept appointments.
3. Ensure patients understand the importance of hygiene — Patients are more likely to cancel an appointment if they don't believe an appointment is essential. Taking the time to educate patients pays dividends in the long run.
4. Send patients home with a hygiene report — Include what treatments hygienists completed and what free products hygienists gave to them. Ms. McKenzie says, "Trust me, when patients see everything written down, they'll place more value in the visit, and will be less likely to flake when it's time for their next appointment."
5. Evaluate how you present treatments — Dentists and their teams should take the time to help a patient understand the added value of a treatment. When dentists take time to help patients understand the value, the patients will be more likely to accept the new treatment.
6. Invest in continuing education — Embrace new treatment options, and advertise them throughout the practice. Adding options gives patients more reasons to visit a practice.
More articles on dental:
Aspen Dental set to open first Louisiana practice — 4 insights
Oklahoma Dental Association names Dr. Juan Lopez president — 3 key notes
Delta Dental announces 2nd Wisconsin location — 3 insights
Here's what you should know.
1. Embrace the CEO role — CEOs need to lead. Ms. McKenzie suggests using detailed job descriptions, clear performance measures and continual feedback to help a team reach its goals. Without a clear path, the team will "feel lost and not very motivated."
2. Address possibly hygienist issues — Hygienists should be producing three times their salary; if they're not the an administrator must address the problem. Possibly solutions including providing scheduling coordinators with more training or reducing unkept appointments.
3. Ensure patients understand the importance of hygiene — Patients are more likely to cancel an appointment if they don't believe an appointment is essential. Taking the time to educate patients pays dividends in the long run.
4. Send patients home with a hygiene report — Include what treatments hygienists completed and what free products hygienists gave to them. Ms. McKenzie says, "Trust me, when patients see everything written down, they'll place more value in the visit, and will be less likely to flake when it's time for their next appointment."
5. Evaluate how you present treatments — Dentists and their teams should take the time to help a patient understand the added value of a treatment. When dentists take time to help patients understand the value, the patients will be more likely to accept the new treatment.
6. Invest in continuing education — Embrace new treatment options, and advertise them throughout the practice. Adding options gives patients more reasons to visit a practice.
More articles on dental:
Aspen Dental set to open first Louisiana practice — 4 insights
Oklahoma Dental Association names Dr. Juan Lopez president — 3 key notes
Delta Dental announces 2nd Wisconsin location — 3 insights