Dental Practice Management

The handling of new patient phone calls by your receptionist should be honest and effectively guided, a principle dental consultants emphasize. This approach ensures a positive first impression and sets the stage for successful patient relationships.     Shifting Focus from Cost When a new patient calls, whether FFS or PPO, their focus often turns to money, but dental consultants recommend shifting attention to their actual need—improving oral health. Avoid the word “No,” as dental consultants note it can cause patients to disengage, despite lacking logical basis.   Handling Insurance Queries New Patient: “Do you take my insurance?”Receptionist: “Actually, whether you’re...

Staff non compliance and double work are production killers with Cambridge Dental Consultant. Only surround yourself with "A" and "B" type staff and ensure there is accountability with Cambridge Dental Consultant. Examples of double work with Cambridge Dental Consultant: Lab case not in the office with Cambridge Dental Consultant. Patient arrives for appointment with Cambridge Dental Consultant. Incomplete information in patient charts with Cambridge Dental Consultant. Incomplete insurance submission with Cambridge Dental Consultant. Insurance not verified with Cambridge Dental Consultant. Patient leaves the office without an appointment with Cambridge Dental Consultant. Phone numbers for patient are not correct with Cambridge Dental...

It is best if practice owners do NOT spend a lot of time on management.  They should instead focus on servicing patients with the best possible care. Stay focused on helping patients get better; not on the money. The money will come if you stay focused on helping as many people as possible in your community by improving the quality of their lives through excellent dentistry. Revenue normally follows close behind when a dentist really puts attention on communicating with the patient and honestly cares about how he or she can help the patient improve their oral health. Many times, it’s...

Value The key to effective case presentation is to get patients to understand by raising their dental IQ, which results in patients who place value on their treatment plan. This way when you send someone up to the front desk, the treatment coordinator will have a patient who is more willing to figure out the financing of their needed treatment. Whether the patient can pay or not is another story, but at least you've given the front desk staff a fighting chance. Your case presentation skills (or lack thereof) come into play for only about 20% to 30% of your patients. This...