Dentaltown June 2023 - 12

PROFESSIONAL COURTESY
Improvements on Two Fronts
T
here are many discussions
online about current threats
to the happy life we know as
private practice. New grads are
choosing to start their careers in DSO
Land, team members are diffi cult to
fi nd and patients are getting meaner.
If our profession is truly declining, is
it from the outside or the inside?
Th is month, I would like to discuss
three issues we can control on
the inside to improve our chances
against some of the outside forces that
threaten our great profession.
Find a better way to pay associates
Paying your associate a percentage
of collections is the most widespread-and
poorly conceived-
approach to compensation. Th e fi rst
day you meet your associate, you
might as well say, " You can't trust
me, and when you leave, I won't pay
you for your fi nal month of work. " Is
that the foundation for a relationship
of mutual trust and respect? I think
not. Th e scheme is simple: Collections
always trail production, so when the
associate leaves and collections continue
to happen, the dentist usually
keeps the money.
Many associate contracts plainly
state that the associate won't be paid
after they leave. Furthermore, during
their tenure, they don't have the time,
access or resources to continuously
audit the practice ledger; they will
never know when an innocent mistake
has been made or have the ability
to detect an ongoing eff ort to trim
their wages. Th e burden of collections
rests entirely with the owners of the
practice, and penalizing the income
of the associate is simply unfair.
If you're worried about collecting for
procedures performed by your associate,
your offi ce's fi nancial policies and
procedures need your attention ASAP.
Th e fair and proper method of
associate compensation is to pay them
a percentage of adjusted production.
Production is easily seen by both the
associate and owner, and any discrepancies
are easily remedied promptly.
Adjustments to production would
include contracted PPO fees, refunds
and warranty work (procedures
redone for a patient at no charge by
another provider in the practice). Lab
fees are paid out of the percentage
retained by the owner. If there is a
concern for excess lab fees, simply
have the associate use the same labs
as the owner.
If you are charging lab fees, do you
also ask associates to pay for a percentage
of the composite they use, the
minutes they spend with the dental
assistant or the rent? Of course not.
What would your dental assistant,
front offi ce or hygienist say if you told
them they were all getting paid on a
percentage of collections? I'm guessing
they would say goodbye.
If you want a loyal associate, then
treat them like a great employee. If you
want them to be compensated like you
are, then make them an owner.
Adjust after-hours availability
Taking care of patients after hours is
the other issue that plagues our great
profession. Some dentists choose
to be completely unavailable after
JUNE 2023 | 12 | DENTALTOWN.COM
THOMAS
GIACOBBI,
DDS, FAGD
Editorial Director
hours. Unfortunately, if that's the case,
patients who are in desperate need of
assistance will end up calling one of
your local colleagues, not you, for help.
I'm not suggesting you have to drop
everything the second any patient
calls or run to the offi ce to smooth
a chipped tooth. What I am saying
is that your voicemail should have a
method to send you a message after
hours, and you can choose the best
way to respond.
Making yourself available is a also
great way to truly own your work.
* If I see a handful of patients
calling with their temp crowns
in hand, it's time to discuss it with
the team.
* If I have patients calling after
their numbness wears off , complaining
that their fi lling is too
high, I know how to avoid that
interruption in the future.
Every dentist needs some time
out of the offi ce periodically, but the
responsibility of ownership doesn't
leave town then too. Share a call with
a colleague when you need to be away
from the offi ce.
Collaborate for better patient care
Let's work together to ensure our
practices operate with integrity and
continue to be a diff erentiated experience
for both patients and associates.
I fully expect these topics will
generate some debate and discussion!
Please share your feedback online
at dentaltown.com/magazine.
Or, if you prefer to email me directly,
tom@dentaltown.com will get the
job done. DT
http://www.dentaltown.com/magazine http://www.DENTALTOWN.COM
Dentaltown June 2023

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