Dentaltown February 2022 - 54

3
Business focus
Early in my career, when I saw patients
40 or more hours a week, my sporadic business
involvement consisted of reacting to disasters such as
collections dipping into the 80% range or frequent
openings appearing in providers' schedules.
Correcting significant problems in the breach wastes
time and effort, and vital productivity is forfeited during
the interlude required to return to previous norms.
Associates freed me from the shackles of long chairside
hours, allowing unswerving focus on leadership and
office profitability that allowed me to identify and swiftly
react to issues-or, forewarned by an early tendency,
avoid them altogether.
I doubt anyone matriculated to dental school
because they loved math, but many modern dentists,
disconcerted by excessive numbers, choose to ignore
them all. (In computers' early days, this abundance of
data seemed a blessing, but one soon discovered there
could be too much of a good thing.) In addition to my
accountant's profit-and-loss statement, my staff reformats
the overwhelming amount of raw data available into
a streamlined document I created to monitor progress
proficiently. Unlike P&L statements, which I received near
month's end, I insist our honed statistics be available on
the first working day of each month. Promptly disclosed,
such undesirable trends as declining productivity or
diminished new-patient flow are confronted quickly
and efficiently, thus minimizing damage.
Measured behavior improves. If any area is performing
poorly, devising and implementing monitors to measure
the activity of each individual involved will swiftly
enhance results. We collect separate information on
the business department, hygiene and each doctor, then
review all data in detail with every person involved
during the appropriate staff meeting.
Every team member must understand that the
fortunes of all staff are inextricably linked to overall
office success. For this awareness to occur, everyone
must be mindful of the facts behind the dentist's
concerns, because precisely informed members are more
action-prone. Stating " collections are down " is much less
motivating than revealing current lower numbers and
comparing them to historic office norms. (For example:
" Last year we collected an excellent 99%, but March
was down to 91%, a decrease of $6,700. Any ideas on
how we can quickly improve this number? " Having
collections monitored by 30, 60, 90 and longer days
overdue helped pinpoint the leak's location in the dam.)
Conclusion
This skeletal view of dentistry's preferred future
highlights like-minded groups of teammates led by
proactive dentists whose unwavering focus on sound
business principles increases efficiency, reduces overhead
and enhances profitability.
Too many skilled professionals believe they must
tolerate pain at work to purchase joy outside the office.
I've illustrated proven effective superior choices to this
defeatist victim's mindset. In an efficient, profitable
office, money serves-not controls- while enhancing
one's ability to make decisions based not out of stark
necessity but for the creation of bliss. And if something
has already been accomplished, you know it's possible. n
54 FEBRUARY 2022 // dentaltown.com
http://www.dentaltown.com
Dentaltown February 2022

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