7 Tips to Consider for Patient Education

• Find out what types of patients typically can be predicted to cancel or now show at a high rate.
• What you can do to cut down on NP no shows or cancels. 

• Hiring and Orientation
• Purpose, product and statisitc of the associate:
• Apprenticeship checklist

• The first thing to do before calling a non-scheduled patient.
• What information to have in front of you when you make the phone call.
• The question to ask that helps patients feel important.
• How to know what their real barrier is to scheduling.
• Who should do calls and who you should NEVER assign the calls to.
• The vitally important action you should take when the patients are in your office to increase scheduling success.

• When should you answer the phone?
• The coordinators you need to connect with consistently to assure production goals are being met.
• Accounts aging tasks you can’t ignore.
• Who needs to hear encouragement from you daily?
• What your accounts are telling you that can increase practice production. 

• Twenty-Six point checklist to assure understanding of job description
• Discover assistant qualifications with specific on-the-job tasks
• Detailed responsibilities clearly listed with signature and date of accomplishment
• Specific information to assure their job performance aligns with your practice culture and expectations

Editable daily checklist for your Dental Assistants helps to ensure your assistants follow office protocols and make the most of their time. 

From seating patients to keeping the operatory clean and tidy to inventory control and filing you can edit and customize this checklist as you see fit to help make your practice run more smoothly.

• What should be turned “off” at close of day?
• Who should be notified of any missing lab cases?
• The way to assure that lab prescriptions are accurate for the next day’s schedule.

• The month-to-date numbers you should track and review at each meeting/huddle.
• What to review from the previous day.
• The daily goals to review and focus on for the current day.
• What to look for in the doctor’s schedule and the action to take.

• The mistake many dental practices make that wastes profit.
• How to establish your average expense categories.
• The budget categories you should track.
• Your ultimate goal for establishing and monitoring a dental practice budget.

• Specific wording for handling the “That’s expensive,” objection.
• How to assure that your team members are comfortable with financial conversations.
• What to say when the patient answers, “No!” to a financial option.
• How to talk about credit issues without making your patient uncomfortable.
• Scripts for specific treatment scenarios.

Benchmarks that sharpen your Office Manager's job performance and satisfaction.

• The preliminary step to assure legal compliance and accuracy.
• Where being “5 minutes early” sets the tone for the day.
• What information the staff should be encouraged to share during the morning huddle.
• The one area where you should never be “sloppy or rushed.”
• The two important “asks” for your Accounts Manager and Collections Manager.

It's That Time of The Year! 

• Three options 
• Gift card use
• Sample letter
• Phone script

• The recommended starting point percentage for calculations.
• Real-world examples outlined in spreadsheet format for easy application.
• Why use profit-sharing instead of a bonus system.
• How profit sharing allocation flows to each staff member.
• The CAUTION to observe when implementing this system.
• The “vital targets” to follow as a step-by-step guide.

Editable Dental Receptionist Daily Duties Checklist.  Stay on task and on track from the beginning to the end of the day.

• What’s the first action you should take at the beginning of the day?
• What do you ask existing patients when they arrive?
• Steps to take with all NPs
• How to do to prepare for the next day 

An advantage of postcards is that you can do it yourself. Any quantity. Any time. 

• The first item to review before communicating with your patient.
• What to say in the first moments of the patient conversation .
• Three important keys to help guarantee scheduling success with unscheduled patients.
• What you should do during their appointment to help assure they’re consistent with their dental treatment. 

A strategy that improves employee correction procedures and creates a healthy dental office environment.

• The first action to take 
• Three simple correction steps 
• How to document

Coach and improve the performance of your Dental Hygienist Apprentice.

• 20 tasks to evaluate your Apprentice’s performance.
• The top 2 areas where communication should be exceptional.
• Where your Apprentice should particularly show competence.
• When necessary your Apprentice should know how to do this.
• Who the Hygiene Apprentice should be working closely with in addition to their designated hygienist.

• The time window when calling a patient who missed an appointment.
• How many times you should call on the missed appointment day.
• What you should do regardless when the patient is on the phone with you.
• The tone you should use to help assure they make their next appointment.
• What you should do if no follow-up phone contact is successful.
• How to handle the second and third missed appointments.

Create trust and value with these no nonsense tips.

This checklist was developed based on the work habits of a hygienist with an “old school”  work ethic who gives her employer an honest day’s work and then some. She doesn’t need to be told what to do when there is downtime. She just does it.