Every dentist has to make many decisions in how best to operate their business. One of the first and most important decisions is what days and hours to be open.
The hard question to answer is should I be open at the hours that my patients have most availability (early mornings, evenings, weekends) or should I be open during hours that best fit my preferred hours.
A lot of patients will go to your website and see your available hours. They often won't even call your office if the hours listed don't match their schedule. Offices with limited schedules are missing out on a lot of business they don't even realize.
With everyone online today, many patients will surf the net for dental offices in their areas that's best fit their needs - days open, hours open, insurances accepted, servos offered. Your office is not their only option. You are in competition for patient business with a lot of other quality dentist who may be making their offices more accessible to potential patients.
Consider your patient's needs when setting your days and hours of operation. What seem to be small decisions are really huge decisions!
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Sit in your dental chair and look up
When waste last time you sat in one of your dental chairs and looked up?
Do you know what your patients are seeing when they sit in your chair? Are they seeing dirty looking lights? A they seeing discolored ceiling tiles? Are they looking at a blank wall or crooked cabinet?
I was recently in a dental chair and spent an hour looking at a light fixture that looked dirty. The fixture was not dirty - the light was just streaky from the disinfectant sprayed on it and then quickly wiped down. From my angle it looked filthy. I knew better - your patients won't.
If your cabinets are old and need repair - get them fixed, painted, etc. it the ceiling tiles don't match or are dirty - get them replaced. These are quick and inexpensive fixes that will really pay dividends.
Think if you went into a restaurant and the table appeared dirty, the ceiling looked rain damaged and the tables wobbled - you would never go back. People are nervous about going to the dental office already, don't give them a reason to question your office.
Do yourself a favor, sit in all your dental chairs, recline the unit and look at what you see. Fix everything that your patients might perceive to be dirty, tacky, broken or problematic. These fixes are not expensive and will give your patients more confidence in your office.
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Do you know what your patients are seeing when they sit in your chair? Are they seeing dirty looking lights? A they seeing discolored ceiling tiles? Are they looking at a blank wall or crooked cabinet?
I was recently in a dental chair and spent an hour looking at a light fixture that looked dirty. The fixture was not dirty - the light was just streaky from the disinfectant sprayed on it and then quickly wiped down. From my angle it looked filthy. I knew better - your patients won't.
If your cabinets are old and need repair - get them fixed, painted, etc. it the ceiling tiles don't match or are dirty - get them replaced. These are quick and inexpensive fixes that will really pay dividends.
Think if you went into a restaurant and the table appeared dirty, the ceiling looked rain damaged and the tables wobbled - you would never go back. People are nervous about going to the dental office already, don't give them a reason to question your office.
Do yourself a favor, sit in all your dental chairs, recline the unit and look at what you see. Fix everything that your patients might perceive to be dirty, tacky, broken or problematic. These fixes are not expensive and will give your patients more confidence in your office.
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Teach an Old Dog a New Trick or Two
Are you still treatment planning like your first year in practice? I hope not if you have been in the profession for a while. Learning does not end with our graduation from dental school. Great dentists continue to expand their skills.
Keeping excited about your office and work can be a lot easier if you are still a student of the art of dentistry.
The profession is expanding at an amazing pace. Keeping up with the new alternatives and treatments takes time but is worth the extra effort.
Learning for the sake of expanding your skills is exciting!
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Keeping excited about your office and work can be a lot easier if you are still a student of the art of dentistry.
The profession is expanding at an amazing pace. Keeping up with the new alternatives and treatments takes time but is worth the extra effort.
Learning for the sake of expanding your skills is exciting!
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Private Practice vs Group Practice
There was a time when all physicians were private practitioners, today most doctors work in groups to be cost effective. Is this same phenomenon headed towards dentistry?
Today you see more and more dental groups. Often these groups contain a few general practitioners working as a collective. More recently you start to see dental groups that include a few specialists with many general dentists.
The trend is that there are and will be fewer single dental offices and there will be more groups and mega-groups in the future. The economics of dentistry is driving this model at warp speed.
Why would a single dentist want to rent 2,000 square feet and put in 5 dental chairs when a team of five dentist can use 3,000 square feet and 10 chairs. By grouping the dentist in the group is only paying for 600 square feet and 2 chairs - but has access to everything.
Why would a single dentist want to hire 4 staff members when a group can function with 10 staff members - thus paying for only 2 staff members?
Why would the Brits want to have live phone hours 40 hours a week when the group phone will be manned 70 hours a week?
With the complexities of insurance continually increasing, the group can afford to hire a t quality person to handle this area.
Dental groups is the direction that delivery of dentistry is heading. It is not a better direction or a worse direction - it is just the more economically feasible system.
Sad but the day of the sole practitioner is going the way of dial up Internet and fax machines - they will still be around and work but you will see less of them each year.
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Today you see more and more dental groups. Often these groups contain a few general practitioners working as a collective. More recently you start to see dental groups that include a few specialists with many general dentists.
The trend is that there are and will be fewer single dental offices and there will be more groups and mega-groups in the future. The economics of dentistry is driving this model at warp speed.
Why would a single dentist want to rent 2,000 square feet and put in 5 dental chairs when a team of five dentist can use 3,000 square feet and 10 chairs. By grouping the dentist in the group is only paying for 600 square feet and 2 chairs - but has access to everything.
Why would a single dentist want to hire 4 staff members when a group can function with 10 staff members - thus paying for only 2 staff members?
Why would the Brits want to have live phone hours 40 hours a week when the group phone will be manned 70 hours a week?
With the complexities of insurance continually increasing, the group can afford to hire a t quality person to handle this area.
Dental groups is the direction that delivery of dentistry is heading. It is not a better direction or a worse direction - it is just the more economically feasible system.
Sad but the day of the sole practitioner is going the way of dial up Internet and fax machines - they will still be around and work but you will see less of them each year.
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Monday, May 7, 2012
Get Excited
As the leader of your office, you set the tone. If you are not excited about your mission and goals, why should anyone else be. If you are fired up and excited abut making each day and case great then your staff will follow your lead.
Come in with energy and passion each day. Ask your staff to be their best. Try to do your best work each patient.
I see so many offices that appear to be zombie land. Everyone is just going through the motions. Ground Hog Day offices that aren't passionate about their work.
I would want to be treated by a doctor and staff that are highly motivated to do their best work. I would refer patients to an office that I thought was devoted to their craft.
Patients are more likely to accept your treatment plan when they believe you are really giving it your best.
You owe it to yourself, staff and patients to lead with your enthusiasm, energy and passion.
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Come in with energy and passion each day. Ask your staff to be their best. Try to do your best work each patient.
I see so many offices that appear to be zombie land. Everyone is just going through the motions. Ground Hog Day offices that aren't passionate about their work.
I would want to be treated by a doctor and staff that are highly motivated to do their best work. I would refer patients to an office that I thought was devoted to their craft.
Patients are more likely to accept your treatment plan when they believe you are really giving it your best.
You owe it to yourself, staff and patients to lead with your enthusiasm, energy and passion.
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
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