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

The Walls Have Ears

Every staff member needs to be aware that patients can most often hear what staff members are saying in other parts of the office.

Private conversations between staff or staff and patients can be overheard by people throughout the office.

Now that everyone has cell phones, private conversations are also heard by patients as well.

Your patients need to see the office as being professional and trustworthy. Make sure your staff fully understands that what they see is heard by others. That their behavior is being judged all the time.

I had my staff members sit in the operatories when I made a phone call from the break room and they all heard the call. My staff now goes out back if the have to make a call that they would not want being overheard by others.

Just be aware, the walls have ears.

Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com

Handling After Hour Patient Calls

What do you do what a patient calls in the evening or weekend with a problem or question?

Nothing can be more maddening for a patient (or worse - mother of a patient) than to have a challenge and have no one to talk to about it. What happens to your patients when your office closes?

Many patients will have concerns and call the dental office but not feel their situation is an 'emergency' worth of disturbing you. What does your voicemail instruct patients to do with challenges that are not emergencies?

I suggest you look at having a voicemail box that sends you a text message and email. Our patients can be told on the office voicemail that if they have an after hour challenge that they can leave you a voice mail and you will receive a text of their issue.

You receive the text and can decide if you want to call the patient back or wait until the morning to deal with the situation. If you are in the movie or a kid's school performance you can choose to wait to deal with the situation.

A call back on a patient question can go a long way into build a strong relationship with your patient. Just knowing that you are available to your patients will help set their mind at ease.

Get a new voicemail system that will allow you to set up an afterhours mailbox. The patients can leave regular messages on the normal voicemail but can also select the alert the dentist voicemail option. This option I'll send you a text and email.

Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com

You are never private on Facebook & Twitter

Be careful what you write on your Facebook Wall and tweet on Twitter!
br/> You need to be aware that what you post for your friends and family can usually also be seen by your current and potential patients.
br/> While comments that you write may make sense to your buddies it will often sound crazy to a patient. Pictures that are fun to share with old fraternity buddies just appear creepy to a potential patient.
br/> Be aware that potential patients will often Google or Bing your name in searching for your office. This means they are most likely to see your social media accounts during their business search.
br/> I am a social media fan but I am also aware that everything I write or picture I share will be online forever. I am also aware that no social media is truly private. If you don't want your patients to see it - then don't post it or tweet it.
br/> Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com

Should I Buy It?

I love new gadgets! I want to have all the newest and coolest dental equipment. I am guessing that you do as well.

The real question we need to ask ourselves is what are the costs and the benefits of upgrading equipment. A new x-ray unit or imaging system might have new features but does it justify an expenditure of $30,000 when the older unit you are currently using works fine and is paid for? The answer is usually NO!

You should have great equipment that allows you to make a quality diagnosis and treatment plan for your patients. You should have equipment that allows you to deliver quality dental care. After that level a lot of what we buy is just for our ego and for fun.

If your profitability is 20% and the new piece of equipment costs $30,000 then you will eat the profit on the next $150,000 in production you just generated - and the cost is more if you are financing the equipment.

I just has a friend upgrade his sterilization systems for a cost of over $10,000. He said he will no loner need to buy test strips. The test strips cost les than $40 a month. The old system worked fine and was reliable. He will now have equally clean instruments for more money.

I may sound a lot like Suzy Orman but most times upgrading equipment is not the smart business move.

Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com