Unified Smiles
Dental Practice Management: Don’t Make These Mistakes
Managing a successful practice while also guaranteeing that you are providing excellent services to patients can be a huge undertaking. Many dental professionals find themselves taking on multiple roles in order to stay on top of daily tasks, but they may be focusing their energy on all the wrong areas. Unified Smiles understands that independent dentists have a responsibility to their patients when it comes to providing exceptional care and high-quality treatments, all while running a profitable business. That is why our team of dental management practice experts are here to help you navigate the overarching challenges of running a successful dental practice. We understand that your time is valuable, so our team is here to share some important highlights of how you can improve your practice management style in order to elevate your business. Check out these common mistakes that dentists make when it comes to their practice management so that you can be better prepared for the future.
Not Having an Office Philosophy
It can be hugely beneficial to make sure that everyone in your office is on the same page, working towards the same goal. At the end of the day, you want your business to make money and you want your patients to be well-served. Take a moment to create an office philosophy that will help keep everyone on target. Doing this can encourage staff morale and help everyone understand the greater purpose of their specific job responsibilities. Try to find a common goal that everyone on the team can work towards so that staff can keep this mission in mind when they are caring for patients or maintaining the workplace. Adding meaning to daily tasks will increase employee satisfaction and it will show patients that you work as a team. This philosophy will serve as a reminder that you are all committed to improving the smiles of patients through quality care and attentive service.
Skipping Steps
It may be tempting to try to improve business by buying new equipment or hiring a new staff member, however it may be too soon to make that call. Before taking any serious steps towards improvement, it is essential that you take an inventory of where you are. Our dental practice management experts recommend going through your financials for at least the past two years to see how the business has changed, what services are the most popular, most profitable, or most expensive to provide. By sitting down and combing through the details, you are able to take a closer look at where you may be spending too much or where you may be able to invest further. You may be surprised by what you find when you really get into the details. Talk to staff about their performance and ask where they feel they may be able to improve, ask if they would prefer an extra set of hands, and evaluate the productivity rate of the work that is being asked of them. Even a simple change like hiring someone to help manage the front desk could boost the productivity of all staff members and ease possible tensions in the workplace. Do not skip steps when it comes to advancing your practice, make sure you are doing the research required of major financial decisions.
Neglecting the Numbers
As the old saying goes, “fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” Just because your schedule is full does not mean you are necessarily hitting your financial goals. Take some time to understand what type of procedures you are performing most often and if they are being scheduled properly. Some more profitable treatments may not be getting scheduled as often because other less-profitable treatments may be taking all of your appointment times. If this is the case, talk with your team about how the schedule could be adjusted to accommodate other procedures as the priority. Rather than waiting weeks for an available appointment, always have some room open to accommodate a potentially more valuable procedure. Your patients will also appreciate the ease of scheduling rather than needing to wait for a potentially serious treatment.
Lacking Perspective
Obviously, no one knows what your practice needs more than you do. However, it can be beneficial to get an outsider’s perspective on how things are running under the hood. Our dental practice management experts can give you the insight you need to make some real strides in your business. Don’t just assume that everything is running as efficiently as possible, verify that your practice is at peak performance. Our team of experts can talk with you at length about your goals, performance, and projected growth for the future. Take this opportunity to gain perspective from a team that has worked with independent dentists throughout the nation for years. We can help you understand areas of strength and weakness so that you can adjust your management style and reach career heights.
Underutilization of Valuable Equipment
When was the last time you got the chance to use that expensive piece of machinery that you invested in years ago? If you are underutilizing hi-tech equipment, you may be doing yourself a disservice. While state-of-the-art equipment is amazing for your patients and staff, it isn’t a practical purchase if you almost never use it. Do some research about which types of procedures you perform most often, and which type of procedures you hope to perform more frequently soon. Our dental practice management experts can help you make a financial plan for investing in technology that will help make these services run more smoothly and efficiently, and we can help you find a reasonable price for what you need. New equipment is a major investment, so you want to make sure you are making a wise and practical decision. If you are hoping to provide patients with a totally new experience, we can also help you market-specific services to get you the right return on your investment. Don’t let expensive equipment just sit in the office, find the right equipment that will provide you with a valuable return and an improved patient experience.
To learn more about how our team can help you reach your practice goals, call Unified Smiles at 844.US.UNITE or fill out the form below. Our team looks forward to helping you reach career milestones, so call today!
