dental practice management – Page 2

Owning a Dental Practice: Avoid these 4 Pitfalls

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Owning a dental practice, or any business for that matter, is no simple feat. It can be easy to get tunnel vision and only focus on the dentistry aspect, but owning a dental practice is just like owning any other business.

You need to consider accounting and finance, marketing, the services you offer and so much more. If you own a dental practice or are considering buying one, you should know about the common obstacles other dentists have faced in their journeys of owning a dental practice.

Here are 4 pitfalls to avoid if you\’92re thinking about owning a dental practice.

Too Little Funding

Just like any other startup, a dental practice needs funding. There\’92s equipment to buy, staff to hire (and pay), and many other expenses to consider. Before you think about owning a dental practice, calculate all the potential costs and expenses and make sure you have enough financing to go into business. You don\’92t want to find out you have insufficient funding after it\’92s too late.

Paying Too Much for an Existing Practice

Instead of starting from scratch, some dentists will purchase an already existing practice. If this is the route you choose, do not try to save money by forgoing using a professional practice broker. You could end up paying more than the practice is actually worth. Appraisers and brokers specializing in dental practices can help guide you in the best direction.

Not Marketing

If you\’92re starting from square one you need a marketing budget. New businesses have almost no brand recognition, so it\’92s imperative that you get your name out there to acquire patients. Try these marketing strategies from dental practice management experts to get started!

Opening Before You\’92re Ready

Do not open your doors for business until you are absolutely ready. The last thing you want to do is jump the gun and have a bad first day. If you and your staff aren\’92t ready, patients will likely have a bad experience. And unfortunately, bad news travels fast. Make sure you\’92re prepared to deliver top notch service on day one.

Owning a dental practice won\’92t always be easy, but you can make it easier on yourself by avoiding these pitfalls.

Want to improve your business? Patient Focus can help your dental clinic find success through dental recall. Contact Patient Focus now to get more appointments.

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3 Dental Patient Scheduling Process Tips for Success

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Everything is going smoothly today. All your dental patients are moving in and out of the office without a hitch. Then\’85poof! An empty dental chair. A no-show. If a patient misses their appointment, it can throw a wrench into your otherwise productive day. Or, if a dental patient has been in the waiting room too long after their scheduled appointment, they could be frustrated or angry and you could easily lose their service.

If your dental patient scheduling process is messy, your entire practice could collapse. Setting some guidelines will help your dental office to run super smoothly while keeping your patients and staff happy. So how do you make sure the patient scheduling process goes off without a hitch?

Here are 3 foolproof dental patient scheduling process tips for success.

Know Your Procedure Times

It\’92s crucial for the scheduler to keep an eye on the clock. Take the time to establish how long each particular treatment takes and schedule accordingly. Once established, consistency is king! If procedure times aren\’92t in place, run too long or overlap, your scheduling could come to a screeching halt.

Outsource Your Recall Services

Dental recall duties are generally assigned to office staff who may not have the right training or enough time to get the best results. In fact, dental patient recall can actually be counter-productive in most situations for dental office staff. To super streamline your patient scheduling process, outsource your dental recall services with a company like Patient Focus to help increase your practice profitability and overall revenues.

Go Directly to the Dentist

Go straight to the source and ask your dentists what their ideal day looks like. For example, some dentists prefer to do major procedures in the morning, while others may be more energized in the afternoon. This will help your entire team map out a plan for patient scheduling each day.

The dental patient scheduling process doesn\’92t need to be a stressful and frustrating ordeal. Implement these tips to start seeing success in your dental practice\’92s efficiency and effectiveness.

Patient Focus is here for your dental practice to reactivate your patients with live calls. Discover how Patient Focus can breathe life back into your practice.

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5 Easy Business Tips to Improve Your Dental Clinic Today

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Success is a difficult word to define. Everyone has a different interpretation based on what their own goals are. Dental clinics are no exception. Whether you\’92re trying to increase the number of patients you have, or just trying to improve the overall patient experience at your clinic, there is always room for improvement.

Try these 5 easy business tips to improve your dental clinic and reap the rewards of running a successful business.

Focus on the Patient

It\’92s easy to forget about the patient when you\’92re marketing your business. We often find the words \’93At our clinic we\’85\’94 But when you\’92re trying to attract new patients and keep old ones, focus on them! Use words like \’91you\’92 and \’91your\’92, and talk about what they want to know. This could include how their procedure might go, and what their results will look like. Get into the mind of the patient in order to successfully market your dental clinic.

Perfect Your Scheduling Process

While it\’92s important to focus on the patients and their experiences, your dental clinic is still a business. Maximize your profitability by scheduling your appointments strategically. There are a variety of scheduling techniques that will keep your chairs full so you\’92re never losing money with an empty schedule.

Create a Friendly Environment

Many people get nervous when they have to go to the dentist. Whether they\’92re anxious about the procedure they need or they just find it uncomfortable, a welcoming and friendly staff can go a long way to improve their experience. Make sure your staff treats your patients with respect and compassion.

Provide Flexible Financing Options

Offering a wide range of financing options is a great way to help out patients who may only receive partial or supplementary coverage from insurance. There are many financing options you can offer that can help take away a little bit of the stress a patient feels when it comes to paying for procedures.

Outsource Your Dental Recall Services

Dental recall duties are generally assigned to office staff who may not have the right training or enough time to get the best results. In fact, dental patient recall can actually be counter-productive in most situations for dental office staff. To super streamline your patient scheduling process, outsource your dental recall services with a company like Patient Focus to help increase your practice profitability and overall revenues. Patient Focus will help you reach those overdue patients and maximize all of your revenues. Contact Patient Focus today to improve your dental clinic.

Making small changes can be very effective in improving your dental clinic. Remember these 5 simple business tips to help you run a more successful practice.

Want to improve your business? Patient Focus can help your dental clinic find success through dental recall. Contact Patient Focus now to get more appointments.

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4 WOW Factor Ideas for the Ultimate Patient Experience

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Have your patients ever walked out of your dental office saying, \’93WOW!\’94?

All top-performing dental practices depend on one critical factor\’97providing an exceptional patient experience. A patient experience that brings on the \’91WOW\’92 does not mean simply being nice and smiling. It starts with the first point of contact through when they physically set foot in your office and until they are out the door. This first impression and patient experience will set the stage for a potential relationship with you and your dental team.

Every single day, your decisions and actions are all stepping stones to turning your dental patients into raving, lifelong fans. How can you make that happen?

Achieve that sought after \’91WOW\’92 factor with these 4 ideas for creating the ultimate patient experience.

Make a Killer First Impression

Never ever underestimate the power of a solid first impression. Take for example the telephone. This is often a prospective patient\’92s very first impression. Consider establishing a set telephone greeting and decide who will be talking to patients. Create a telephone script to provide a consistent message and go over various scenarios of how best to respond to questions and concerns. You can \’91hear\’92 when someone is smiling on the phone, so ensure your staff knows how important this is!

Razzle Dazzle Them the First Visit

The moment a patient arrives in your office, think of it as show time! Or even better, like welcoming a guest into your home. Put yourself in their shoes. What do they see when they first walk in? Is your reception area aesthetically pleasing? Decide to greet patients when they arrive and determine who on your staff is best fit to handle this. You want to be sure that all exchanges are warm, quick and seamless and that you stay on time. Try making morning huddles a priority so everyone is ready for new patients and on the same page every day.

Make Them Feel Special

When a patient walks through your door or calls on the phone, smile and make them feel welcome. Try to say the patient\’92s name at least three times. Make a minimum of two connections with them such as talking about their family, hobbies or where they\’92re from. Listen. Truly listen. Taking the time to hear their wants, needs and goals and acknowledge them will help you to connect with these individuals as people, not just patients, and ultimately build a trusting relationship.

Have an Effective Dental Recall System

Not having the right system or tools in place can create or add stress for your practice. If you\’92re stressed, your patients can feel that energy. Through an effective dental recall system in place like Patient Focus, your practice will continue to develop and thrive! Patient Focus offers your dental practice an effective dental recall system that has an impact on the dental health of your patients, restorative revenues, patient retention and practice growth.

Do you struggle keeping appointments? Feel as though your calendar is a little emptier than usual? We\’92ve got your 5-Point Checklist to A Full Schedule: Essential Secrets to Successfully Filling Your Dental Chairs.

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3 Tips on How to Run a Successful Dental Practice

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If you own a dental practice you know it\’92s no easy task. You may be the best at providing your patients with exceptional dental care, but it can be easy to get caught up in the hectic day-to-day operations that you can fall behind on practice management. Constantly balancing your clinical and practice management skills is essential to every successful dental office. If you are wondering how to run a successful dental practice, don\’92t isolate the two\’97instead synthesize these all-encompassing aspects of your dental practice for a stress-free, happier and more productive work environment for the entire dental team.

If you\’92re on a search to learn how to run a successful dental practice look no further. We have 3 tips for you to make your dental practice more profitable and organized all while keeping your dental patients at heart.

How to Run a Successful Dental Practice – 3 Simple Tips

Identify What Makes Your Dental Practice Unique

You want to identify what sets you apart from the rest\’97what makes you the best and unique. It could be that you offer a wide array of oral health services or focus on a certain specialty. Are you the best at crowns or focused on preventative healthcare services? Let everyone know! You will reach a niche audience looking for that specific service and gain a marketing advantage by creating brand awareness. Your marketing materials should be tailored to highlight your unique competitive advantage to increase new patients and word of mouth from your existing satisfied dental patients!

Set the Tone Up Front

A lot of people have a fear of the dentist. One way to alleviate these fears is having a friendly smile and warm words from the welcoming front desk. The first interaction your dental patients receive should be nothing but welcoming\’97whether in person at the front desk or when on the phone scheduling appointments. You are in the business of smiles after all\’97be sure everyone in your office has a smile in person and when speaking on the phone. Leaving a lasting impression on your dental patients will impact your retention rate significantly. The attitude, communication and professionalism of your staff leave a lasting impression on patients\’97one that can make or break your dental practice.

Take Advantage of Outsourcing

Outsourcing some of the day-to-day business aspects of the dental practice is not only economical, but allows for more time and enhanced business efficiency. If dentists or the dental staff is running the business side of the practice, it can place additional time demands on them pulling them away from the ever important patient-related tasks. An effective alternative is to use an outsourced partner to take over those labor-intensive business functions to free up your time to make your business more successful. Patient Focus offers innovative solutions making it seamless for dental providers to manage relationships with active and inactive patients.

If having a successful and full schedule is important to your practice, you owe it to yourself to get a solid recall system in place. Patient Focus delivers exceptional service and effective calls, ensuring your schedule is full. Revolutionize your practice and request your complimentary consultation here today.

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Make Dental Patients Smile with These 3 Tips on Improving Patient Satisfaction

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Are your patient\’92s satisfied? Are you doing everything possible to create a positive experience for your patients? Your answers to these questions will reveal whether you are growing or declining in today\’92s dental economy. If your practice doesn\’92t deliver on improving patient satisfaction, they will either become the dreaded inactive or dormant patient, or worse, someone else\’92s patients.

Excellent customer service isn\’92t just about smiling and being nice. To create the ultimate experience for your patients, you need to impress them the moment they first make contact with your practice to the moment they walk out your door.

We have 3 surefire tips to improve patient satisfaction in your dental office.

Hire Happy People

You can train an employee to do just about anything you need done at your dental office, but you can\’92t train an employee to have a sunny disposition and exude positivity. Staff your office with personable and positive people to interact with your patients. This will ensure that your office morale will be high, and you work towards improving patient satisfaction with every interaction.

Outsource Your Dental Recall System

Satisfied patients become loyal patients. Loyal patients spend more, refer their family and friends and increase your bottom line. With recall duties often assigned to an already busy office staff, all efforts aren\’92t always maximized to their fullest potential. With patients falling through the cracks each month, you can outsource your dental recall system to Patient Focus to see real growth and a healthier bottom line.

Stick to the Schedule

Do you have a goal in place? A common schedule goal is to see patients within 15 minutes of their appointed time. One of the most common dental patient complaints is waiting for long periods of time until the dentist sees them. Fine tune and set scheduling goals and stick to them to ensure your patients can return to their busy lives.

A satisfied patient is the foundation of a growing dental practice. Improving patient satisfaction is more important than ever in a competitive economy. Put these tips into motion and start seeing some truly satisfied patients!

Worried about patients slipping through the cracks? We can help. With our focused recall system, you can begin to fill your schedule and realize increased revenue. Learn more today.

Be sure to avoid these 4 mistakes to ensure your dental treatment planning is the absolute best it can be.

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Patient Scheduling: 5 Tips for a Full Schedule

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The schedule runs the show at most dental practices. It affects just about everyone. If you have a busy schedule, the whole staff will be going at full speed to ensure everything gets done, and the patients aren\’92t waiting long. But what about when the schedule isn\’92t so full? No one wants to come to work and just twiddle his or her thumbs all day.

Remember these 5 tips to keep you schedule full!

What to Do When There\’92s a Cancellation?

Do you have a plan in place for when a patient calls to cancel an appointment? Most people just accept the cancellation and move on to trying to fill the slot. And that\’92s okay when they\’92re cancelling due to some kind of emergency. But what if you could save the appointment? This is another option that many people overlook. Next time try saving the appointment before you spend too much time trying to fill the new availability. Having a documented scripted system can be beneficial in situations like this and create consistency among team members.

Thinking Long-Term

You should always be looking ahead. Your schedule could be full this week or this month, but what about the upcoming months. It\’92s easy to think in the now, but you should always be thinking about the future. This will ensure that there are no unexpected lulls in the schedule.

Scheduling When the Patient Leaves the Office

This is a very common practice in most dental offices. But often-times patients will have excuses as to why they aren\’92t scheduling their appointment then. They might say they don\’92t have their calendar/schedule with them, or they need to check with their spouse or work. Take note of why they aren\’92t scheduling now, and follow up in about a week.

Let Them Know You Care

A lot of the time you are contacting patients because there are holes in the schedule. Depending on the language you use, a patient could pick up on that. Instead of trying to sell them on making an appointment, make it about them. Let them know you\’92re concerned about their oral health.

Use an Effective Recall System

A gap in the schedule means lost time and lost revenue. Having an effective dental recall system in place will help your practice to maintain a full schedule. And a full schedule means maximized revenues! Learn to realize the increased revenue of a reactivated patient database with these 3 simple steps.

Next time your schedule is looking a little bare, use these 5 tips to fill it up!

If you struggle with keeping appointments, we\’92ve got your 5-Point Checklist to a Full Schedule. Download your checklist here!

With your schedule full to the brim, it\’92s time to streamline your dental treatment planning. Avoid these 4 mistakes!

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An Appointment Reminder to Get Dental Patients Back in Your Chairs

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As any practice administrator or dentists knows, missed appointments account for the biggest loss of revenue in a dental practice. We\’92re all busy. And your patients are no exception. Every dental practice has those patients who need a little extra nudging to schedule their visits on a regular basis. Even if they are regularly coming in, there are always times and an appointment may slip their mind.

With either of these patient types, it is crucial to keep in touch and deliver an effective appointment reminder to get them back in your chairs. An effective appointment reminder is key. So what is this appointment reminder that will increase repeat business, build loyalty and get dental patients back into your practice? Phone calls. Patients appreciate businesses that make the time and effort to connect with them. A phone call adds the perfect personal touch.

But keeping up with every single one of your patients\’92 cleaning schedule and checkup is a ton of work for you and your staff. Boost efficiency and simplify the appointment reminder process by using a professional call center. Patient Focus makes live calls to your existing patients to schedule continuing care appointments. Even, better we have one caller that is assigned to your office\’97Patient Focus then becomes an integrated extension of your practice. Taking these appointment reminder calls off of your plate will save your staff time while still providing high quality service for your patients.

Now you can reduce no-shows at your practice with an appointment reminder that gets patients back in your chairs.

Patient Focus is ready to simplify and streamline your efforts to grow your dental practice! Discover how you can begin realizing the increased revenue of a reactivated patient database with these 3 Simple Steps to Increased Revenue.

Ready to realize increased revenues? Discover what this Tempe Dental Practice saw from implementing Patient Focus\’92 services in only one short year. These results could be yours!

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How to Run a Successful Dental Practice – 12 Questions to Ask Yourself

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When it comes to managing a business there is always room for improvement. This goes for dental practices too. The most toxic thing to any business is the mindset that everything is perfect. In order to run a successful dental practice, you must always be analyzing and critiquing the way in which your practice is run.

Think of your dental practice in broad categories. Breaking your business down into categories like services, communication, staff, leadership, and marketing will help you analyze those aspects individually. How can you improve these factors of your practice in order to be more successful?

Answering these 12 questions could help you run a more successful dental practice:

Should your practice offer more services?
What new technology or treatments have been released recently that you could incorporate into your practice?
How long do our appointments and services take? Can you cut down that time? Or should you add more time to ensure proper care?
How am I communicating with my team? With the patients? Is there a lack of communication? Should we have more team meetings?
Is everyone on the staff doing their job? Are they doing it well?
Do we need more staff? Or do we need to cut back?
Is there room to expand the staff\’92s responsibilities?
Are the leaders at the practice managing the team in an effective manner?
Am I acting as a role model for my team?
How are we connecting with patients?
Are we doing enough to get our brand and our message out there? How can we improve our outreach?
Are we outsourcing where we should in order to ensure effective time management and increased revenue in the office?

A lot of these questions won\’92t be things you can answer immediately, and many of the changes and improvements will be long-term, not quick. But considering these questions on a regular basis will help you improve your business and overall help you to run a more successful dental practice.

Ready to simplify and streamline your efforts to grow your dental practice? We\’92re here to help! Discover how you can begin realizing the increased revenue of a reactivated patient database in only 3 Simple Steps.

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