Practice Enhancement Articles

Getting Treatment Accepted

Value Equals Success and Profits


By Lynn Garber

Are your patients accepting and completing the treatment you recommend?  In today’s economy people are watching their dollars and the purchases they make are thought out carefully.  They weigh value against cost asking themselves, “Is the benefit I will get from this worth spending the money?”

DENTISTRY IS AN INVESTMENT!  It is an investment in both looking and feeling better.  The question then arises, “How do we convey this message to our patient’s?”  The answer is simple, “listen to your patients.”  People purchase on their needs, not yours.  Patients have their own agenda:

Therefore it becomes the responsibility of the dental office to be a really good listener; remember listening is 90% of communication. To be a good communicator:

The patient needs support in understanding the value of their purchase.  The conversation created about the end result benefit of treatment is the determining factor for the patient.   If it supports the patients needs value will be placed on the dollars they will be spending:

Remember, patients measure the value of your service visualizing how it will benefit them.  Their decision about whether or not to go ahead with dental treatment is usually emotional, not logical.

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Build Your Practice With “Paid-For Dentistry”


by Lois Banta

Why is it that most people readily commit to spending thousands of dollars for a new car but when it comes to investing in dental treatment, well…that’s a whole different story.  According to the patient, money or should I say lack of it, is the main objection.  How many times have you heard, “I can’t afford it”?   

This is the information age and informed patients will make good decisions about their dental health.  And a well trained dental team is an essential part of patient education.  Soundly spelled out financial guidelines and well thought out verbal skills are critical when presenting treatment plans.  Patients will feel in control of the process when they understand your fees and your financial guidelines.

It is important to outline acceptable payment arrangements for the patient and for the dental practice.  It is also necessary to offer financial options in addition to cash or check, i.e. bankcard such as, outside financing.  The advantage in offering several payment options is that it allows for flexibility.  When flexible financial arrangements are offered, patients have the tools available to say yes to their needed dentistry.  However, you do not want to become the bank for the patient so, never offer “in-house” financing.  This can create an accounts receivable nightmare.  Additionally, patients with paid-for dentistry never complain about their bill, fail their appointments or misunderstand their dental treatment.  Therefore, when you include outside financing in your payment options, magic ensues!  

Be a good listener.  There are effective ways to engage your patient in conversation about their financial responsibility.  Instead of asking them, “Do you have any questions?” ask the patient, “What questions can we answer about the financial arrangements we just discussed?”  How you say it makes all the difference.  Having the confidence to explain the fees and collect them is as important as presenting and having the patient accept the dental treatment.

Keep track of your statistics and examine your successes.  Monitor what percentage of your patients chooses to pay by cash, check, bank card or outside financing.  When offering outside financing, make sure the dental team is well trained in how and when to offer it.  Don’t lose an opportunity to help both your practice and your patient.  To insure success, make a plan, put it in writing, train everyone and grow your practice to unlimited potential!

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Servicing and Maintaining Your Existing Patient Base


By Linda Lakin RDH, MS

A highlight of the 2009 AADPA meeting in Austin was the Consultant’s Roundtable facilitated by Dr. Tom McDougal and featuring Linda Drevenstedt, Alice Kozlowicz, and Linda Lakin.  A plethora of concerns and issues were discussed and many pearls for action were taken home.  It was acknowledged that now is the time to take care of our existing patients, those who already know and love us, and this article highlights that dialogue.

How many of you know LIFETIME FITNESS?  It’s the new, cutting edge gym, with a restaurant, a bar, basketball and squash courts, teen socializing, indoor/outdoor pools – you get the picture.   And, they opened down the block from the previous “hot gym”.   I need to tell all of you sitting here today at the great AADPA meeting that if this has not already happened to you, it WILL happen in today’s marketplace.  The new, sate of the art dental spa will open and they’re coming after you!

So the game has changed from acquiring new patients to keeping and maintaining old ones, we must shift more resources to serve our steady patients, because they pay the bills!!  The current issues of Businessweek acknowledges this, “Top performers are treating their best customers better than ever, even if that means doing less to wow new ones! 

To stay in the market, it is crucial that we know how to achieve the 4 C’s of maintaining and servicing your existing patient base:

CONNECTION is simply another word for really effective customer service and an unforgettable customer experience.  Jeff Bezos, founder & CEO of Amazon understands the difference and strives for the best customer experience and the minimum need for customer service.

COMPLACENCY is defined in Encarta Dictionary as “self-satisfied and unaware of possible dangers”.  The past years of abundance have led to complacency on the part of many dental teams exhibited by:

Therefore we must return to basics, review all systems, procedures and policies to be sure that we are doing it all right, go back to school, train and crosstrain! 

COMMUNICATION is vital for servicing and maintaining existing patients and poses these questions:

COMMITMENT with honesty and accountability is more critical than ever.  All team members are present, on board with honesty and a true desire to make a difference.  Each one of us is accountable for our actions, the effect on the entire team and the results.  Team members explore ways to be exceptional team players and doctors seek to become more effective and dynamic leaders.

With a plan, each one of us can proactively meet the uniqueness of today’s playing field.  Consider flexing your workforce by cross-training and maximizing your team, spoiling your current team with flexibility and other rewards, and babying your best customers with extra attention and flexible rules.

In this rapidly changing marketplace understand that the fundamentals remain constant while the need to re-energize and jumpstart your practices will fluctuate.  Keep your fingers on the pulse and you will be rewarded with a committed, dedicated patient base who will help you grow.

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Mining For Gold....


By Linda Miles, CSP, CMC

Within every practice over two years old there is a FILE of GOLD commonly called past due preventive care patients.  The older the practice, the deeper the veins of GOLD.  For whatever reason, patients tend to fall out of the recare system and are not reactivated until a positive call to action takes place.  There are several steps to take to assure the dentist that the reactivation calls are indeed positive.

  1. The person(s) making the calls should be eager to strike gold with each call and not see this as a dreaded duty dumped upon them.  Tone of voice of the person making each call and their commitment to the patient is important to the total success.
  2. First, a purging of the charts (manually or digitally) must be done to determine how many patients are past due for preventive care.  A list should be compiled but the chart must also be available to make notes/entries during the reactivation call. 
  3. The mission is threefold when the call is made.  A) To schedule the past due patient into hygiene.  B) To ask about other family members who also may be past due or not presently seeing a dentist.  C) If a patient wishes to be placed in your inactive file for whatever reason, chart the reason(s) and discuss these at every monthly team meeting.  If you have no idea WHY patients are going elsewhere, you will continue losing patients for the same reason.

During the slow economic downturn, it is natural for patients to want to postpone preventive care appointments.  If they say, “I know it has been over a year for our family dental visits but money is a real problem right now”, don’t forget to remind patients: “That is the reason Dr. _____ asked me to make these calls, “preventive dentistry is not expensive but emergency dentistry can be”.  Or, “our doctor likes to discover small dental problems before they develop into major dental emergencies”.  Giving them a benefit they relate to which often brings the gold to the surface.  They not only schedule an appointment, they keep it!  For a copy of the LLM&A Reactivation Sheet email me at lindamiles@cox.net.

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Communicating the Hard Stuff


By Karen Cortell Reisman, M.S.

An article written about the Sichaun earthquake disaster in the Shanghai Daily discussed the outrage and grief of the families affected by this calamity.  This article suggests an excellent way to communicate terrible information.

Wang Yong writes, “In times of great danger and distress, staying calm is important, and the best way to calm an emotional public is to tell it what you know and don’t know.  If the media or the government doesn’t disclose these facts to the public in a timely manner, misunderstanding will grow, feeding unjustified anger and fear.”

What does this comment have to do with you?

Fortunately you don’t have earthquakes or other natural disasters in your dental practices.  Yet, from time to time - you do face emotional patients and team.  You do encounter difficult situations, whether it is presenting a scary diagnosis, working with a challenging patient, or handling an awkward moment at the front desk.

Using Yong’s thoughtful advice, here’s how you can communicate the hard stuff in your practice.

  1. Stay calm.  The minute you lose your temper, you have lost.  In times of great stress, take a deep breath.  That old adage of counting to ten – there’s a reason this saying is still around!  Metaphorically step back and silently count to ten.  Keep your voice steady.
  2. Tell what you know.  Even if this is difficult, you must state the facts up front.  Your listener will respect you for this, even if not immediately.
  3. Tell what you don’t know.  You don’t know everything.  Be honest with your patient.  You don’t know how long the veneers will really last.  You have a good idea.  You have data and averages.  Tell them what you know and tell them what you don’t know.
  4. Be timely.  This concept is as much a blessing for you as it is for the listener.  If you need to delivery difficult information, say – some negative feedback for someone on your team, or ultimately- you need to transition someone off your team – letting this drag out is tension filled for you and everyone else.  Pick an appropriate time, preferably sooner than later, and communicate the hard stuff by following steps 1 through 3 above.

Writing this article reminds me of a few very difficult moments during the final days of my beloved mother’s life.  My sister and I spent every waking hour in the hospital waiting room of the intensive care unit as our mother valiantly tried to fight back from her inevitable fatal heart attack.  This was a time fraught with potential misunderstandings (when was this or that tube being inserted, when was this or that procedure going to happen or not happen…), potential anger (why was this happening to her, to us…), and potential fear (how can I cope with this negative outcome?).

I vividly recall the phenomenal medical team.  They stayed calm.  They told us what they knew – the positives and the negatives.  They told us what they didn’t know – that science does not have all of the answers.  They were timely with the information; and we became smarter at knowing when we wanted to hear the data.  I discovered that there were times, especially late in the evening, when I did NOT want all of the answers.  It keeps you from sleeping.

When you have to communicate the hard stuff – in your office or at home – heed the advice gleaned from the Shanghai Daily.  Stay calm.  Share what you know.  State what you don’t know.  Be timely.

© Karen Cortell Reisman, M.S. – Speaker, Coach, and Author

Since 1992 Karen Cortell Reisman, M.S. has taught corporate and association audiences how to communicate, sell, and thrive.  Across North America and Europe her audiences have listened, laughed, and learned.  Find out about her Letters From Einstein keynote and read her articles at www.KarenCortellReisman.com.

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Dealing with a slow economy - Staff Issues


By J.E. Simmons

In light of the fact that the economy will slowly recover, it is important to take inventory of your practice i.e. is your practice set up in a way that you are getting the most out of your practice in a slow developing economy.  There are many areas to discuss but for the purpose of this article we will focus on the staff.

Often times the difference between a successful practice and a mediocre practice is the staff effectiveness with the patients.  Most of the patient’s perception of your practice is based on how your staff greets them on the phone and in person, how long their wait times are, and how treatment plans are communicated and financial transactions are handled.  Does the patient feel like the staff genuinely cares about them or are they just another patient?  Their experience will also dictate whether the patient will refer their friends and family as well.

With a slow economic recovery how will you keep your staff motivated?  Most doctors believe to keep good staff they have to constantly give wage increases even when your compensation as a doctor goes down. Studies show that employees value recognition and appreciation more than the wage increases.  A lack of appreciation is the single most cited reason team members leave.

To show your appreciation, catch them doing something good, often, and praise them in front of others, and communicate the impact of what they are doing has on achieving the goals of the practice.

Communication is important in all relationships.  Use the current environment as an opportunity to get everybody on the bandwagon.  Things are tougher for everybody compared to a couple of years ago.  The staff wants open and honest communication.  We recommend sharing practice financial information such as collections each month, letting each staff person know how important they are to achieving those numbers.  Comparing collections to prior periods or against a target will allow the team to coalesce around a shared goal, providing each team member with a sense of belonging to a team with a purpose.  If the staff knows the goals and you have clearly communicated where collections need to reach before raises or bonuses can be given, for instance, then you will be making major strides to keeping the staff morale high.

When dealing with your staff, always remember that how you lead is how your staff will treat patients.  Your attitude is contagious and the team will only be as enthusiastic towards the practice as you are.  When you live each day with a purpose and a vision, and you will be amazed at how morale can improve.

J.E. Simmons & Co. is a leading national fee-only financial planning firm specializing in serving dentists and other healthcare professionals.  For more than 20 years, J.E. Simmons has been providing comprehensive financial planning, including business profitability and transitions, tax, investment, estate, insurance, asset protection and retirement planning, to a select group of elite dental practices nationwide.  For more information about our services, go to www.jesimmons.com.

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