A Drive. Excellence. Building a High-Performance, Patient-Centered Dental Practice. Peter Gopal, PhD Hema Gopal, MBA, DMD

Transcription

1 A Drive to Excellence Building a High-Performance, Patient-Centered Dental Practice Peter Gopal, PhD Hema Gopal, MBA, DMD

2 PREFACE We noticed early in our careers that it is most often the business side of dentistry that stresses out dentists and limits their success in the profession. It seems dentists are great clinicians, but they can t seem to put it all together when it comes to running the business. So we wrote this book to help dentists achieve excellence in practice management, gain tranquility, and attain financial success. This book provides a comprehensive look at practice management and addresses the thorny issues that dentists deal with in their practices. The content reflects the perspectives of two individuals the voice of a business person and the voice of a dentist. We ve drawn from the experience of our clients, from years of experience within our own dental practice, and from our backgrounds in the corporate world and business school. What s suggested here is a patient-centered, staff-driven approach. One can never lose sight of the fact that a practice is all about its patients. Patient satisfaction should be top priority. At the same time, it should be your staff that runs the practice, not you. You should be treating patients which is a formidable task in itself and letting your staff take care of everything else. The book s subtitle includes the phrase high performance. By high performance, we mean a practice that is in the top 10 percent for net income generated for the owner-dentist. We hope this book provides you the information and impetus to join the practices that are in the top 10 percent. A couple of notes about the book itself: To derive the most from this book, we suggest reading the chapters in order. To avoid awkwardness in ix

3 language from continually using he/she, we ve used he to represent the doctor and she to represent staff. No gender bias is intended. Now it s time for you to dive into the book. We hope it becomes a powerful tool to help you reach your practice goals. x

4 Praise for A Drive to Excellence Knowledgeable, practical, transformative. An essential resource for both the starting dentist and for the seasoned practitioner. Thomas J. Pizzolo, DDS Incredibly thorough resource for any dentist looking for practice growth, where foundational business principles meet the real world of private practice dentistry at its best. Len R. Ciuffreda, DDS Leaders in both the dental and business worlds. Peter and Hema show how to build a practice in a no-nonsense way. Less hype, more substance. Stewart I. Perim, DDS, MS Offers invaluable practice management advice for today s challenged general practitioner. Thomas F. Friscia, DDS, FAGD

5 Table of Contents Preface...ix Acknowledgments....xi Introduction...1 Chapter 1 Leadership Is Everything... 6 The Difference between Leadership and Management...7 Eight Steps Good Practice Leaders Must Take...10 Decision Making and Problem Solving: The Keys to Effective Leadership...20 Daily Management of Your Practice...24 Chapter 2 Systems & Processes: Create Predictability and Efficiency The Story of Dr. Parker...32 What Is a System?...34 Essential Systems for Your Practice...36 How to Write Protocols How to Implement Systems...40 Chapter 3 Human Resources: Get the Most from Your People Recruitment...43 Training and Development...51 Job Descriptions...54

6 Compensation, Incentives, and Rewards Improving Employee Performance...59 Conflict Resolution Retaining Employees...66 Chapter 4 Scheduling: Take Control of Your Time Schedule for Production...69 Identify Different Scheduling Systems Add Capacity or Staff to Elevate Production...73 Bring Organization to Your Schedule...73 Create Efficiency in Your Schedule...77 Run on Time...80 Deal with Broken Appointments Chapter 5 Insurance: Make Smart Decisions about PPO Participation The Pros and Cons of PPO Participation...88 Definitions (Types of Offices) General Characteristics of Heavy PPO and FFS Offices Comparative Assessment of Finances: PPO Office versus FFS Office...94 How to Operate Successfully with or without Extensive PPO Participation...96 Deciding Which PPOs to Leave...99 Dropping a PPO Negotiating Fees with PPOs Common Mistakes Chapter 6 Marketing: Attract More New Patients Your Target Patient Selling Points and Your Unique Value Proposition The Funnel-and-Bucket Model...112

7 Internal Marketing External Marketing Budgeting Tracking and Measuring Your Results Chapter 7 Case Presentation: Get Patients to Say Yes to Treatment Today s Patient Everyone on the team plays a role Factors that Affect Case Acceptance Case Presentation Protocol How to Present Financial Options Eight Steps to Increase Case Acceptance Case Study Chapter 8 Hygiene: Achieve Excellence and Profitability Increase Hygiene Production Monitor Hygiene Performance Boost Doctor s Case Acceptance through Hygiene Create Systems for the Hygienist Hire and Train the Right Hygienist Use a Hygiene Coordinator Set Hygiene Compensation Chapter 9 Service Mix: Make Services and Technology Decisions that Payoff Decide on Your Service Mix Assess New Opportunities Incorporate a New Procedure into Your Practice Make Prudent Technology Decisions Consider Various Technologies Chapter 10 Making It Happen...192

8 Appendices Appendix A How to Communicate Effectively With Your Team Appendix B How to Delegate Correctly Appendix C Benchmarks for a High-Performance Practice Appendix D Effective Team Meetings Appendix E Understand and Resolve Workplace Conflict Appendix F What You Can Do to Retain Your Best Employees Appendix G How to Succeed with Websites, AdWords, Direct Mail, and Billboards Appendix H Resources from Visionary Management About the Authors

9 DENTAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Fast Track Your Way to a Seven-Figure Dental Practice Does managing your practice seem like an uphill battle? Do you feel swamped by the 101 things you have to tackle every day? Have you dreamed of having a practice that runs itself? Reading this book is the first step to making that dream a reality. Full of valuable tips and proven approaches, A Drive to Excellence will help you make smart decisions, operate a low-stress practice, and achieve financial freedom. You ll learn how to: Develop systems that improve effectiveness and organization Attract more new patients without breaking the bank Get more patients to say Yes to comprehensive care Fill the holes in your schedule Thrive with or without insurance participation Recruit, train, and motivate your staff to higher levels of performance Powerful, perceptive, and sound advice. Use this book and profit. Dr. Jedidiah Janisse, Vermont The authors have created a step-by-step recipe for success. This book could very well be the best investment you ever make. The information contained here is hard-hitting, detailed and well outlined. After you finish reading it, I recommend you read it again. Dr. Robert Griggs, New Jersey Peter Gopal, PhD, & Hema Gopal, MBA, DMD With over two decades of Fortune 500 work, academic, and dental experience, the Gopals bring their unique blend of skills to dental practice management. They maintain a highly successful dental practice and their articles have been featured in national publications such as AGD Impact magazine. LEAD, MANAGE, AND MARKET YOUR WAY TO FINANCIAL SUCCESS IN DENTISTRY