Comparing monthly production/collections year to year has value, especially in snowbird states, pediatric practices (August being normally quite busy,) and the hectic holiday months (Nov/Dec).

Stat management tip: If you wait until the end of the month to notice that none of your plans were implemented or effective, expect your team to get upset. When it comes to coaching your team to excellence, you must be active and timely with your observations and feedback. If on the first day of the new month, you have added $1,500 in new treatment to the schedule, you need to praise your team's progress, analyze the success points and reinforce the remainder of the plan.

When there is a downtrend, the tendency of practice owners to try to fix more more than one area at time. 

The best approach is to find one area to focus on. For example, improving doctor productivity. So if doctor production is your focus, fight the impulse to address other issues, such as marketing, continuing care or financial arrangements, at the same time. 

Frantic activity creates spotty results. 

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 to become Cambridge’s senior consultant and eventually CEO. Cambridge Dental Consultants is a full-service dental practice management company offering customized dental office manuals. Frustrated? High overhead? Schedule a chat with Kevin at