You want to be sure to receive a proper ROI from any employee you hire. For example, if you hire someone at $15 per hour (times 8 hours), you increase your overhead by $120 per day. You then need to determine how much increased production (or reduced hours off if that's what you value) you need to justify the added expense. Kevin Tighe, Cambridge Dental Consultants, Senior Consultant, got bitten hard by the business and marketing bug during long summer days working at his dad's Madison Avenue ad agency. After joining Cambridge as a speaker in the mid-1990s, Kevin went on...
A lot of production can be "lost" to due to incorrect codes being used i.e. D4910 vs. D1110. Sometimes the hygienist and front desk person do not know how to comfortably explain the difference between D1110 vs. D4910, so they opt for the path of the least resistance because they're afraid they'll upset or lose the patient. For this reason it is vital that your hygienist and front desk be able to comfortably educate patients on the necessity of regular periodontal maintenance visits, and how that is different from a prophy. This is done by using effective case presentation techniques. Start by...
Your hygiene department can make or break your practice, yet most hygiene departments underproduce.
Whenever calling or writing a patient, find out all you can about the person from a prior contact note. For instance, if the treatment chart has a notation saying the patient just had a baby, start the letter or conversation by saying: "Hi, Janet! Congratulations on your new baby! Did you have a boy or a girl?" Then gently go into the reason you're calling. It's always more effective to start a conversation or letter in this fashion. This way the patient gets the feeling that he/she is not just a dollar sign to you and that you really do care...
