When it comes to dental practice management challenges, some problems are more obvious. They’re blaring in our face, clear as day to see, and we know they need solving. Other problems prowl underneath the service, like a big cat stalking its prey, waiting to strike.
Believe it or not, those more stealthy problems can be the most dangerous. Oftentimes, we don’t notice their existence until it’s too late. Then, before we know it, we’re in trouble. We’re left shaking our heads, knowing how much easier things would’ve been if we had the foresight to nip these issues in the bud.
As always, I’m here to help. That’s why, for this week’s article, I want to bring some awareness to at least two of those “stealthier” common dental practice issues. Even better, I’ll give you some tips and tricks about solving these problems.
1. A low rate of hygiene reappointments.
Overdue care is a common dental practice issue. On one hand, it means patients aren’t getting the treatment they need. On the other hand, we’re not making as much money as we should. For many dental practices, the lack of reappointments lies within their hygiene department.
When patients have not been in for a hygiene appointment for 12, 18, or 24 months, you need to start asking yourself some questions. Usually, you’ll find the root of the problem is that your patients are leaving without making their next visit. As you brainstorm how to set patients up for success—to have something on the books before they leave your practice—you’ll eventually whittle it down to a simple yet complex answer: you need a system for improving dental hygiene reappointments.
Now that you’ve established a “what,” you can inject some energy into developing a “how.” Maybe it’s when patients are waiting in the chair for the doctor to come in. That pause is a great opportunity for the hygienist to ask, “Hey, while we’re waiting for the doctor to come in, let’s go ahead and get you set up for your six month visit.” And, instead of phrasing it as a yes or no question, you can disarm the patient and make it hard for them to say no by assuming they’re willing to reschedule that next re-care.
With so many patients going in and out on a constant basis, it’s easy for your team to lose a sense of how many patients are leaving your practice without scheduling their next appointment. By going over the numbers with them and showing them how many patients are overdue for re-care, they’ll realize just how much one or two patients a day can amount to. They’ll be able to better understand how much it’s impacting the business. And, by explaining to them that the success of the business goes hand-in-hand with their success, they’ll start to care about the problem as much as you do.
You could say, “We have 500 patients in limbo right now, which means 500 less butts in chairs. Six months from now, our revenue will be suffering by the tens of thousands—if not more—thanks to those patients not rescheduling. If we’re losing revenue, and overhead stays the same, that means profit is going down. Without profit, I can’t dish out bonuses or give raises.”
You can paint as clear of a picture as you want to, but the idea is to light a fire under your team. They’ll start to care more about goals, KPI’s, and grow more engaged with how their efforts each day translate into their own bottom line—not just the bottom line of the practice overall. Show them that it’s a win-win if the numbers go up. If we can get more patients to reschedule and fill our schedules more, then it helps out both the office and the employees. Improving dental hygiene reappointments is key to boosting dental practice profitability.
2. Not being able to handle turnover.
You should have your practice set up in a way that you can handle turnover. Sometimes life just happens and people leave on their own—they retire, leave, etc.—and sometimes you need to let people go. When turnover happens, your team may need to work harder until you find a replacement, but you can’t be living in fear of a team member leaving. You can’t let a team member hold you hostage.
This is tough to do when that team member has been around for 25 years, though. They’ve become ingrained in the practice and might even be a centerpiece of the team. They’ve become a pillar for all of your new hires and younger employees to look up to. They’re the face of the office for so many of your loyal patients. You depend on them more, and the trust you’ve placed in their abilities has made things much easier in many ways. However, if they’re the lynchpin of the office and you’re screwed if they leave, your business is set on a very unstable foundation.
However, not everyone has that relationship with an employee who has been around for a long time. Sometimes we might become a partner or owner at a practice we’ve acquired and begin working with employees who have been there longer and we have, yet they aren’t great employees. In those circumstances, we don’t want to be waiting for that someone to leave. If you have a bad hire and they’re on the cusp of retiring, don’t wait for them to retire. You might get stuck scrambling to find a new employee when they suddenly announce their retirement. You’ll have a much easier go of things if you find the right hire and replace them on your own time. It might take some stomach lining to become overstaffed during a period of growth, but a good hire member will provide a return on your investment of paying for more of an overhead. Implementing dental practice staff turnover solutions is crucial for long-term success.
Don’t get caught on your heels.
If your rate of hygiene reappointments is low or you can’t fathom a sudden spike in turnover, it’s time you take measures to prepare yourself. Otherwise, you might be caught on your heels, and the health of your practice could be put in jeopardy by these two commonly overlooked dental practice management challenges.
I run a community full of dental professionals who know about problems that can hide beneath the surface. So, join the Nifty Thrifty Dentists Facebook group and reach out! People from all across the globe will be happy to let you in on their two cents about common dental practice issues and strategies for boosting dental practice profitability.