Staff can look very busy, but this can sometimes be due to them handling additional work they generated themselves due to inefficiencies, lack of training, or no accountability. Examples: • Lab case not in the office. Patient arrives for appointment.• Incomplete information in patient charts.• Incomplete insurance submission.• Insurance not verified.• Patient leaves office without an appointment.• Phone numbers for patient are not correct. • Appointment not confirmed. • Delivering more dentistry in the back than was scheduled; front desk not notified.• Treatment plan sequence not written up.• Financial arrangements not made.• Incomplete treatment not followed up on.• Message taken but not given...
Two basic problems most dental practice have: Too little flow or not enough flow. If there's too much flow then: a. There's not enough personnel. Could also be not enough production space or equipment (phones for example) and/or b. The current staff need to be better trained and/or have better discipline (too much chit chatting or whatever) and/or c. You need better systems and/or d. You need better accountability. Stats, checklists and a proper morning huddle help with that. Kevin Tighe, Cambridge Dental Consultants, Senior Consultant, got bitten hard by the business and marketing bug during long summer days working at...
Many dentists will agree it's never a good idea to hold onto an employee—if you would dismiss the person otherwise—out of concern for an increase in your unemployment insurance. Each state has its own formula to calculate unemployment benefits but all the states use the employee's earnings when figuring it out. The length and maximum weekly benefit varies state to state. How much any given employer is responsible for will be based on a percentage of what the employee earned from their previous jobs over a specific period of time and can't exceed the state's weekly maximum. Kevin Tighe, Cambridge Dental...
Tips: 1. Deposit slips should be done daily even if you do not make daily deposit. 2. Keep a copy of day sheet, deposit slip, credit card and patient financing summary for each day. Use to reconcile monthly bank statement. 3. Patient finance companies, like Care Credit, take their fees before depositing. You can add back in the charges to reconcile or ask the company not to take their fees from the deposits. 4. EFTs: Check daily first thing in the morning and nter into PMS. Consider creating a separate bank account for EFTs. Doing so makes reconciling your monthly bank...
