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Kevin Henry Recipient of "Branch of Peace" Award by Jameson Management

Jameson Management — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:30:00 GMT

Branch of Peace Awarded

Jameson is pleased to announce Kevin Henry as the most recent recipient of the "Branch of Peace Award," honoring his devotion to promoting peace and leadership.

With movements everywhere on the 'greening of America' and becoming more Earth friendly as people and professionals; and with the worldwide plights that human beings face and the many moving stories you hear of heroes trying to do their part, Cathy Jameson wanted to really call those qualities out of the dental industry and bring the leaders to the spotlight for a moment, thus the Branch of Peace award. Special sketches created by her father, Derry Ebert, have been crafted into framed awards commemorating each award recipient.

Henry has worked at PennWell Corporation in Tulsa, Okla., for more than 11 years and currently serves as the editor of Dental Assisting Digest and Proofs, as well as the managing editor of Dental Economics. He earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Tulsa and received his master's degree in communications from The University of Oklahoma.

"So often, humans are paralyzed and do nothing when it seems the task ahead of them is too great. I see this all the time when people think they have to change everything about their life and dental practice to 'go green.' I always tell my audiences, 'If you can't do everything, at least do something.'"

"Start small," he says, "and use those small steps to eventually build a staircase. Everyone can start a recycling program in their office and adjust the thermostat by two degrees." The three well-known "Green R's" are reduce, reuse and recycle. Kevin encourages people to add a fourth R to that list - rethink.

"If all of us will do small things, together we will have done a big thing that will help future generations. I have a 12-year-old daughter and I want to do everything I can to make sure her future is the best it can be. My motivation for speaking on helping the environment is driven by
that thought."

Do you know someone that should be considered for the Branch of Peace Award? Click here to make your nomination. If you'd like Kevin Henry to speak to your organization about building a "greener" dental practice, we'll be glad to make the connection. For more information about the Branch of Peace award, call 877.369.5558.

17-Jun-10 1:30 PM

AADOM Conference Travel Buddy Page

Heather Colicchio — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:00:00 GMT

This page is designed to facilitate communication between attendees of the 2010 DENTAL MANAGERS CONFERENCE October 22-23, 2010 in Las Vegas.

If you are looking for someone to drive with, fly with or share a room with, please use this page to post your message and check this page often for new posts.

You can also use this page to make social plans outside of conference hours with other attendees.

If you would not like to publicly post your information, please call AADOM at 732-842-9977 and we will post for you.

Trains, planes and automobiles - hope to see everyone in Las Vegas!!

14-May-10 11:00 AM

Meet & Greet at Yankee Dental Congress

Heather Colicchio — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:56:22 GMT

American Association of Dental Office Managers

"Work Smarter, by Association"

www.dentalmanagers.com

8-Dec-09 1:56 PM

New HIPAA Rules

Heather Colicchio — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dentists Should Know About New HIPAA Rules

In February, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was passed as under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The purpose of the act was to create a nationwide information technology infrastructure that would allow controlled electronic dissemination of health information (EMR).

HITECH rules, which are currently being promulgated by HHS, will place more responsibilities on covered business entities and their business associates. On August 18, a new regulation will go into effect which requires covered entities and their business associates to provide notice of breaches or unauthorized disclosures of protected health information (PHI) within 60 days. Covered entities would be required to provide notification to the breached individuals, HHS and in cases where 500 or more people are affected, to the media outlets. HHS has created a “safe harbor” if specific methodologies and technologies are used to secure information.

All covered entities should, at this time, review their safeguards, training and documentation in order to guarantee the entities’ compliance with all of these rapidly changing regulations.

By February 2010, HHS will release a number of specific modifications to HIPAA with regards to electronic transmission of PHI. These will involve additional disclosure accountability, extensions of the HIPAA rule for business associates, tighter PHI controls and a number of additional modifications.

It is incumbent on all providers to closely monitor these regulations as they come in to effect.

Dr. Donald Cohen is a licensed practicing dentist in New York State for over thirty years with over 20 years of teaching experience at Columbia University SDOS and over 20 years as an Attending Dentist at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. He is past president of the New York State Society of Dentistry For Children and is currently Director of Compliance for Health Compliance Team Inc., a national compliance company delivering total on-site compliance solutions to dental offices and numerous seminars. Additionally, he is a Consultant to Henry Schein Inc. in practice transitions and compliance.

This article re-printed from DentalBlogs.com

30-Aug-09 8:00 PM

AADOM Conference: Exhibitor Kit

Heather Colicchio — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:49:51 GMT

Tendenci Newsletter

Attn: AADOM Conference Exhibitor

First let me thank you for being a part of the 5th Annual Dental Managers Conference, presented by AADOM. Your support of our members is so important to us.

All of the information you will need will be provided online this year. Please click this link to access the AADOM Exhibitor Kit.

Bookmark this page for your reference. The online Exhibitor Kit should provide all of the information you need. It will be updated periodically with new information. We will send you notice of any updates.

You will be provided with an on-site Exhibitor Liaison at the conference. In the meantime, if you have any questions about AADOM or the upcoming conference please feel free to email me directly, or any of the specific contacts listed in the Exhibitor Kit.

Click the links below for more information about:

AADOM

Annual Dental Managers Conference

See you in Las Vegas!

Heather Colicchio

AADOM President

heather@dentalmanagers.com

PATTERSON DENTAL: CONFERENCE DIAMOND SPONSOR

www.dentalmanagers.com

30-Jun-09 10:49 AM

Exhibitor Space is Closing

Heather Colicchio — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:44:41 GMT

Tendenci Newsletter

There are currently only FIVE Exhibitor Spaces left for the

5th Annual Dental Managers Conference

This conference is the premier educational and networking event in the country for dental office managers and practice administrators, all of whom make direct purchasing decisions or recommendations in their dental practices.

We limit the number of exhibitors in order to MAXIMIZE your interaction time with our members.

If you are interested in exhibiting at this conference, you can get more information or register online at AADOM Annual Conference

If you have any questions, please contact Lorie Streeter, AADOM Director of Member Services at lorie@dentalmanagers.com or 507-291-0952.

SEE YOU IN LAS VEGAS!!

*If you are unable to attend this year as an exhibitor but want to bring this valuable conference information to your customers, please go to our Conference Marketing Page to access free marketing info.

Proudly presented by

www.dentalmanagers.com

24-Jun-09 1:44 PM

Three Things Every Office Manager Should Know About Dental Insurance

Eric Bloomquist — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

1 “Self-Funded Groups”

Early in my career, I remember hearing dental consultants preach about delay tactics used by insurance companies to keep money drawing interest in the bank for as long as possible. Perhaps you’ve heard that sermon. This seemed reasonable to me and I took it as gospel until I truly saw the light.

My first revelation was when I learned that most large corporations offering dental benefits to their employees are “self-funded.” What does that mean? Here’s an example. Widget World is a large employer with self-funded benefits and pays an insurance company a fee to administer its dental benefits plan. In other words, when the insurance company pays a claim for an employee of Widget World, the insurance company is spending Widget World’s money. In such an arrangement, Widget World assumes all financial risk associated with claims and, in exchange for processing the claims, verifying eligibility, etc., the insurance company is compensated a flat rate regardless of the claim payment amount.

If the insurance company is paid the same regardless of the claim payment amount, how could it make more money by delaying payment? It can’t. Understanding this relationship now, I see that the way I once communicated with patients regarding their insurance was influenced by outdated and incorrect information.

At Delta Dental of Arkansas, self-funded groups represent approximately 80 percent of our total business. Attracting and keeping this segment of business is a high priority. (The remaining 20 percent of our business is fully insured and receives exactly the same focus on speed and accuracy of claim payment.) Consequently, the best dental insurance companies are actually more focused on paying claims quickly and efficiently and on performing exceptional customer service than on premiums.

2 “Timely Payment & Customer Service”

When I arrived at Delta Dental, I was amazed to see the lengths to which the company goes to pay claims as accurately and quickly as possible. This went against everything I had been told about dental insurance companies. Granted, I’m talking about the company for whom I work, but hear me out.

When insurance companies bid on a large employer’s business they are often required to complete what is called a “Request for Proposal” (RFP). The employer will typically provide a document to the bidding insurance carriers asking questions about the carrier’s protocols and performance. Specifically, they want to know how long it takes to process a claim and what the accuracy rate is. In addition to claims processing, they want to know how long it takes to answer phone calls and how quickly they can resolve problems.

If an insurance company does not have a record of processing claims accurately and quickly, large employers will not even look their way. Today, many large employers even require performance guarantees with financial penalties to ensure that claims are paid in a timely manner and that phone calls are handled promptly. In such cases, delayed payment of claims results in financial penalties from the group and reduces any profit an insurance company stands to gain for the processing of claims.

3 “Benefit Levels & Maximums”

“The annual maximum was $1,000 when I graduated dental school ten years ago and it has not increased since.” Chances are you’ve heard something like that before.

When it comes to offering an annual maximum, from the insurance carrier’s perspective, the sky is the limit. The only question is how much sky is an employer willing to pay for.

Many self-funded groups hire consultants that specialize in insurance plan design to help establish the benefits for their group, including the benefit levels, limitations and annual maximum.

The insurance company will gladly set the annual maximum as high as the employer wants and make the benefits as rich as the employer would like; however, the increase in benefits also increases the cost in premiums to their employees. One of the most effective ways to keep dental insurance premiums affordable for employees is to control the maximum amount of money paid in claims per subscriber. For this reason, the majority of groups elect to stay in the $1,000 annual maximum range.

Keep in mind, dental insurance was never designed to be as comprehensive as medical insurance due to cost. Still, dental plans have many advantages over medical plans – lower deductibles, more preventive services paid at 100 percent and cost sharing for more expensive services to help keep the coverage affordable.

Unfortunately, when my career began, I did not have access to a resource as valuable as the American Association of Dental Office Managers. Learning by trial and error, I fought the system and tried to out-smart it only to learn that I did not completely understand the system to begin with.

Only when I decided to communicate with key people at insurance companies did the system start to make sense to me. I look forward to helping the insurance system make more sense to you. Hopefully, you can learn from my early mistakes and misperceptions, avoid making them yourself and help lead your office through many profitable years to come.

9-May-09 8:00 PM

Economy or Perception of Doctors

Jackie Wheeler — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Dr. Johnston started off the first staff meeting of the year with true concern regarding the economy. He mentioned to the staff that this next year was going to be difficult and frankly looked uncertain. He was interrupted by his Team Leader "Jackie Wheeler" who said, "What documents do we have that shows us concern and that we are uncertain about this next year?" He replied, " Haven't you seen the News, the Newspapers, and all the people who are loosing their jobs?" The Team leader said, "I have seen our reports", "I have seen our News, Our Marketing, and 95 New Patients in the last month". She explained to the Doctor and the Staff that we all must believe in what we are doing. Attitude and believing in the patient needs will result in the Dentistry that will change how the patients feel about not only the Economy but, how they are able to survive in the Job Market.

All patients at Cedar Ridge Dental are recieving Comprehensive Dentistry and making a positive difference in the way they feel about their teeth and smile. Happiness is contagious and patient referrals are 50% of the New Patients in the practice. Right now more than ever, patients want to be around POSITIVE not Negative Environments. A patient in the practice was going to be laid off - a month later he was told by his company, "Due to his attitude and smile" they had decided to keep him employed and even advanced him to a managment position. He sent a letter to Cedar Ridge and thanked the Doctor and staff for helping him keep his job. In his letter he shared that feeling good about yourself and having the confidence, self esteem, and happiness has changed his life.

I hope this article is contagious and your practice makes a positive difference in patients life.

15-Apr-09 7:00 AM

Stuck in the Stone Age of Paper Charts?

Belle DuCharme, RDA, CDPMA — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:00:00 GMT

by Belle DuCharme CDPMA

Still struggling up the paper chart mountain? You might as well write it on stone because that is as “with the times” as you are. Recently, I read an article in a local newspaper that “fluffy” toilet paper is not made from recycled product but from living trees because living trees produce a softer touch. To save trees, I will live with regular tissue. What is going to make you quit the paper and go chartless in your practice? As senior trainer for McKenzie Management’s Advanced Training Courses, it is apparent to me from the feedback of business teams that they are being held back on this technological advance by their employers. Hungry to use more than the typical 20–30% of their software program, they ask me, “How can I get my employer to go chartless and start using the clinical chart, treatment phasing and the periodontal module in the computer?” If saving a tree is not sufficient motivation, how about saving money?

Doing double entry becomes troublesome when time management is a barrier to better productivity. In many practices, doctors don’t seem to mind that the business team has to keep records on paper and digitally for accuracy. These same practices often employ extra staff to pull charts and then file them back at the end of the day, along with letters, radiographs, etc. Paper is becoming more and more expensive—as is the square footage to store all those charts. There is a lot of waste in this system. What are people waiting for? The doctor is afraid of losing all of the information should the computer go down. Or, When the computers are down we cannot get into the files, but if we have the paper charts, we‘re saved, say the trainees.

How many offices have emergency generators for electrical blackouts? If the fear is a computer crash on a daily or weekly basis, you need to get a computer support person in there who can troubleshoot your network or wiring issues. It is always wise to have someone with these talents as a member of your team or at least have a relationship with a company that has agreed to respond to your call promptly. But most offices say that they rarely have such problems (or they are short-lived at most) and that this is a small annoyance when you consider the efficiency of managing data electronically. Replacing paper with digital is not a trend that is going to end. Eliminating the need for a paper chart is something that is achievable now. We will still have to deal with paper but it will be a molehill and not a mountain.

What is the best plan to achieve this change without upsetting the flow of the office? Look at every piece of paper and form used to create the paper chart and then match it to its digital counterpart in the software program. Most offices have the appointment scheduler and the ledger posting under control and thus have eliminated the large paper appointment book and the pegboard system of tracking charges and payments. This is the first step. Keep up with software updates to keep your system support ongoing. If you have an old computer system, you will most likely need to upgrade to a system with full operating modules that handle insurance estimating, e-claims, tracking, and treatment planning and maintain a recall system and patient retention information. Your system must be compatible with the digital program that you intend to install. You must have security for the transfer of patient data and a fail-proof back-up system that is off site for best protection.

In the clinical operatories, computers and monitors are necessary for the clinical team to enter treatment plans and to record clinical notes. Hygienists must have a computer and monitor in order to record periodontal charting and recommended treatment notes. Having a system that allows for full integration of digital x-rays and intraoral photos is necessary to make accurate diagnosis and impressive treatment presentations.

Changing old habits is the biggest challenge, but realize that there is a learning curve to anything new. Keep focused on the benefits that going chartless will bring. Some of these benefits are

reducing payroll and paper supplies overhead
never losing or misfiling a chart again, and accessing it at anytime, anywhere in the office or via remote access
better communication, and no more worries about misspelled words, poor grammar and illegible handwriting
a more sterile environment—paper charts collect bacteria and cross-contaminate staff and patients
space savings—you no longer have to pay to store charts or to shred them many years later
better retention of records with scanners to keep everything organized in one central location
faster filing of claims without the hassle of copying, stapling, envelopes and postage
better treatment presentations for patients and education for staff with digital x-rays and photos that can be enhanced for increased visibility and understanding

So get out of the Stone Age of paper charts and get into the cleaner, more efficient digital solution. For help implementing new systems, contact McKenzie Management today.

Reprinted from www.mckenziemgmt.com

6-Apr-09 1:00 PM

Why is Dr.Lewis So Successful?

Nancy Caudill — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:00:00 GMT

By Nancy Caudill

Dr. Tim Lewis—Case Study #452

As a practice management consultant, there is nothing more gratifying than to have a doctor and team reach their goals! The purpose of this article is to help other practices look at their success or their struggle by making a comparison to Dr. Lewis’s practice goals. Keep in mind that this is not about reaching a specific production dollar amount compared to other practices. Each practice has its own unique production/collection goal.

How To Determine Your Monetary Goal:
Establishing a monetary goal is the most important standard that you should set. How do you and your team know how well you are doing if you don’t have a goal to reach every day? It would be like playing a basketball game and not keeping score. There is nothing to celebrate at the end of the game. Dr. Lewis learned to set these goals and put in place a course to achieve the goals.

First, review your employee gross wages for the past 12 months and your net collections. Gross Wages / Net Collections = Gross Wage Overhead. Salary standard in the industry is 19–22% of net collections for a general practice. In most cases, you can now establish what your collection goal needs to be for the next 12 months, assuming that no drastic changes are planned for staffing, new facility, etc. (Remember that practice management overhead is not the same as what your accountant calculates.)

Let’s say that your Gross Wage Overhead for your team is at 24% and you want it to be 20%. First, determine what your production adjustments were for last year. These are adjustments that reduced your patient fees such as employee discounts, insurance adjustments, senior citizens courtesies, etc. If your adjustments were 20%, you will need to divide your collection goal by the inversion of 20%, or 80%.

Monthly wages / 20% = Monthly Collection Goal
Collection Goal / Inverted % of production adjustments = Gross Production Goal

Because your Schedule and Hygiene Coordinator schedule to a production goal and not a collection goal, this step must be performed to correctly calculate your daily goal.

Next:
Determine what your hygiene goal should be based on one of two factors:

Daily salary x 3 = Daily Net Production
Production should be 1/3 of total practice production

Keep in mind that the more they produce the less the doctor needs to produce!

Last:
Monthly Gross Production Goal – Monthly Hygiene Goal (daily ?? x number of days worked) = Doctor Monthly Goal. Divide the Doctor Monthly Goal by the number of days worked = Doctor Daily Goal.

This math can be done on a yearly scale if you prefer not to re-calculate the goals every month. I would recommend that you calculate it yearly to save time and avoid changing the daily goal each month.

What Dr. Lewis Learned:
Once the goals are in place, it is a matter of establishing system goals in order to achieve the production and collection goals. Here are some examples:

How to market internally to your existing patients to increase the number of new patients
How to properly evaluate the team for efficiency by incorporating Job Descriptions and having the right team member for the assignment
How to conduct a “New Patient Exam” to build rapport with the new patient
How to diagnose necessary treatment and educate patients about their treatment at a level appropriate to patients’ education levels so they actually understand what is said
How to educate patients about their periodontal condition to improve case acceptance
The importance of spending “quality” chair time with the new patient to increase trust and rapport = higher case acceptance
When a patient is presented to the Schedule Coordinator, all the clinical questions have been answered to their satisfaction. The Schedule Coordinator’s primary task is to schedule the doctor to the daily goal, not to answer clinical questions that should have been answered in the treatment room. Probing questions must be asked by the doctor and clinical staff to overcome any objections that might crop up at the front desk.
The importance of Patient Retention in hygiene and increasing the number of active patients in order to grow the practice. The Hygiene Department is a profit center, not a liability.
The importance of celebration every day that daily goals are met. Team members want to be recognized for their accomplishments.

How Does This Apply To You?

Doctor, as the captain of your ship, it is important to know where you are sailing and how you are going to get there. Setting daily, monthly and yearly goals are critical to mapping a successful course. You must have a trained crew that understands what they need to do every day. Recognition for a job well done is invaluable to the morale of the office and encourages teamwork for meeting common goals.

Reprinted from www.mckenziemgmt.com

6-Apr-09 1:00 PM

Tackling The Not-So-Tough Questions That Keep Patients From Treatment

Sally McKenzie — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

by Sally McKenzie CEO

With so many demands on busy dental teams to stay on schedule by getting patients into the chair, through their appointments and on their way, it’s easy to understand why doctors and staff may be somewhat reluctant to spend any more time than they feel is absolutely necessary on seemingly non-pressing issues, particularly patient communications.

After all, most dental teams believe they are thorough and that they tell patients everything they need to know. If patients ask questions, the staff answers them without hesitation. Unfortunately, during a typical busy day, employees don’t communicate as well as they like to think they do. Worse yet, they don’t even realize there is a problem, which can cost practices dearly in patient retention.

The fact is that patients want more information than they are usually given. They also want information that they are reluctant to ask for. And here’s the tricky part: It’s up to you to make sure that patients get the information you probably don’t even know they want.

The good news is that your efforts will make a huge difference in patient opinion of the doctor and the practice. Patients who have their questions answered are far more satisfied with their care and the dental staff than those who don’t. In actuality, addressing this often overlooked patient need is much easier than teams realize.

Step back and assess if you and your team are more focused on the procedure than you are on the patient. Are you genuinely interested in ensuring that patients have a complete understanding of things, or would you really rather just get down to business and expect them to trust your good judgment? Be honest. Are you of the mind that if patients have concerns or questions they would surely raise them?

Understandably, many dentists are firmly convinced that if patients have any concerns or questions they wouldn’t hesitate to speak up. Think again, Doctor. Oftentimes patients have questions or want more information but they either feel foolish raising the issue or they don’t want to bother you, the busy doctor. They are not sure how to ask the question exactly or how to raise the issue, but something is gnawing at them.

Consider long-time patient Jim. He needs a crown and has agreed with your treatment recommendation the last couple of times he’s been in the practice. But he just doesn’t seem to be getting around to actually scheduling the visit. It’s highly likely that he has some unanswered questions and concerns that are gnawing at him and, for whatever reason, he’s not comfortable bringing them up, at least not without some prompting.

It may not be necessary at every visit, but make sure your patients know that you are always open to their questions. You want to know if they have even the slightest concerns. It starts with your asking them a few simple questions: “How do you feel about this?” “How does this fit into your plans for your overall health?” “Do you have any more questions or concerns that you’d like to discuss?”

Maybe Jim is anxious about the procedure because of a negative experience years ago. Perhaps he’s concerned about what it’s going to cost. His wife’s company has been laying off employees the last few months, maybe, and Jim’s trying to watch the family budget. Or maybe he’s simply the kind of person whose attitude is that he’s not going to address the problem until he absolutely has to.

Whatever the reason, Jim’s not moving forward with necessary treatment. He’s playing Russian Roulette with his oral health and, as healthcare providers, you and your team need a clear understanding of why. If you know the answer to that, there’s a strong possibility you can address it and help Jim to move forward on treatment.

Reprinted from www.mckenziemgmt.com

6-Apr-09 9:00 AM

The Missing Piece

Sandy and Alan Richardson — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 17:00:00 GMT

The Missing Piece
Transforming "Need" Dentistry to "Want" Dentistry

1.	"Want" dentistry is purchased with emotions.
2.	Don't minimize the patient's condition.
3.	Don't overemphasize the treatment. Emphasize the disease. Spend 80% of your time discussing the patient's condition/disease and 20% of your time discussing treatment, e.g., "Has this cracked tooth started hurting you yet?"
4.	Stop owning the patient's disease. Stop apologizing to the patient for their disease. Don't hesitate to emphasize the disease — this encourages the patient to take more ownership in their health so they will want to do whatever is possible to get well.

Beliefs you must have:

•	People love to buy
•	Everyone wants to be healthy
•	Insurance will not buy total health
•	Everyone wants to look good/have a great smile
•	Insurance will not buy a more attractive smile
•	We, as a profession, are not repairmen; we are artists, scientists, designers and architects
•	We can consistently design a health and wellness plan for our patients

Hint: Ask more questions and be willing to listen. Questions are the answer.

Sandy and Alan Richardson of Fortune Management have extensive business management backgrounds and have been coaching dental teams for ten years. They provide practice management services to P.A.C.~live at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California. P.A.C.~live is the leading aesthetic, hands-on advanced program in the United States. Sandy and Alan can be reached at 888.495.3623 or Salan2@aol.com.

28-Jun-06 1:00 PM

Hiring the Right Person

J. Louie — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 16:00:00 GMT

Hiring the Right Person

by J. Louie

What’s the best way to find the right team member for your dental practice? What are some of the most important things to keep in mind when you’re hiring a new employee?

"I think that patience is the key - knowing what you want, and patience," says practice co-ordinator Jamie Macica, who works at a general dental practice that concentrates on aesthetics in Saratoga Springs, New York.

While their dental team works very well together, it wasn’t always that way. "For five years, we had a revolving door of someone leaving," Macica recalls. "We had some pretty bad experiences before we ended up with a dynamite group of people."

What they kept coming up against, Macica says, was being too quick to hire - hiring before they really got to know someone, and before all of the team members had a chance to interview the person.

Now, the office takes a very different approach to hiring. The dentist does the formal interviews, while the staff also interview prospective employees, but on an informal basis. This is an approach that works well for the entire team. As one patient commented, everyone in the office gets along. People are really friendly, and there is no back biting. If there is any talking going on, it’s low key and focused on professional matters.

According to Macica, what really helps, is knowing the kind of person you want on your team – the kind of person who would fit in well. "We have a very special work environment because of the people we work with," Macica says. "There is mutual respect across the board."

Suzanne Black, vice-president of coaching and consulting services for Planned Marketing Associates International, based in Dallas, Texas, believes that one of the biggest hiring mistakes is being stuck in survival mode and hiring the first person who seems like he or she might work out. "They get afraid they won’t be able to find somebody, instead of realizing they are panning for gold," says Black, stressing that you are looking for a team member, and that it may take interviews with several candidates before you find the right person for your office. "Resolve with your team to not settle for less than what you really want for the practice. Remember – what you are looking for, is also looking for you."

No matter who you are interviewing, Black stresses, always check references, and the earlier you do so, the better. "It will save you time in the long run," she explains. If Black is speaking with a candidate on the telephone, for example, she will sometimes ask for references after their conversation, and ask the person if it’s OK to call the references to help speed the process along. If the references are good and Black likes the candidate after meeting them in person, she will probably be ready to suggest a working interview. That is, having the candidate come in to work on a temporary basis and receiving a certain amount of pay, before the employer makes a permanent offer.

During a working interview, Black recommends leaving the person on their own to do their tasks, so you can see how resourceful they are. (Make sure that you or one of your team members is always listening around the corner). And, Black adds, a working interview will also benefit the prospective employee, who will be able to see how the office works.

Black also gets the dental team heavily involved in the interview process. In addition to having the team meet the people who are applying for a position, Black encourages the team to have lunch with the candidate. Take them out for lunch or bring in sandwiches - without the dentist being around. "The team will find out things the doctor can’t ask. The team has pretty good intuition about these things," Black says. Dentists are going to hire the person they want to, she adds, but when you are working on building a team, the team members need buy into the selection as well.

During the hiring process, Black also gives personality tests. She does a lot of work with DiSC Behavioral Style indicator, a personality and behavioral style assessment tool. She also gives intelligence tests. If someone is being considered for a clinical position, she might ask them to read some X-rays as part of the interview process, or ask them to add a series of numbers – posing a variety of questions to see if the person is on the ball.

Certified Management Consultant Sally McKenzie, a nationally-known lecturer, author and Consultant to the Council on Dental Practice of the ADA, also thinks that assessment testing is a must before hiring. Test prospective employees for personality aptitude and ability - for all the skills they will need to do their job, including math, language and spelling, says McKenzie, CEO of The McKenzie Company, Inc., which has provided management systems to dentistry since 1980. "The whole thing is about testing," says McKenzie, who has written a book on hiring practices, How To Hire The Best Dental Employee.

She also stresses it’s important to describe the position, and what you have to offer an employee. All too often, she notes, employers tend to write help wanted ads based on what they want, rather than what they have to give. "The employee is looking to find a job and wants to know, ‘What are you going to give me as the employee?’ McKenzie says. "Why don’t you brag about your office and what you have?" For example, if you provide free parking and great benefits, say so. "And I always encourage them to put a yearly salary range right under the title of the ad," she adds, noting that highlighting the yearly salary range will grab a prospective employee’s attention immediately.

Another point to consider with a help wanted ad, is how you word the title. Since most ads are placed alphabetically, write your ad so it will appear as close to the top as possible. For example, ‘clinical dental assistant’ would be listed before ‘dental assistant,’ and ‘administrative business co-ordinator’ would appear before ‘dental receptionist.’ "You want your ad to be read first," McKenzie stresses. "The whole idea is that somebody will answer your ad if it appears first, and not at the bottom of the list."

Planned Marketing Associates International can be contacted at 1-800-266-8526.

McKenzie is founder of The Center for Dental Career Development, which provides advanced education to the dental profession online at www.dentalcareerdevelop.com or in La Jolla, CA. The McKenzie Company offers a full line of educational management products, including an employee assessment test, at www.mckenziemgmt.com. To receive Sally McKenzie’s weekly e-Management newsletter, which provides targeted management tips, call toll-free 1-877-777-6151, or e-mail sallymck@mckenziemgmt.com.

28-Jun-06 12:00 PM

Creating a Brand

Vicki McManus, RDH — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 17:00:00 GMT

Branding Your Practice
How to Create a Unique Identity in Your Community

Coca-Cola™, Kleenex™, Girl Scout™ Cookies. What do these three entities have in common? Brand recognition.

These products have become household words, a part of our everyday vocabulary. We even mistake these brand names for the actual product. When was the last time you ordered a "carbonated beverage" or asked for a "facial tissue?" Brand names are used to position products in the marketplace and increase sales through recognition.

Dental practices also can apply the principles of branding to create a unique identity and attract new patients. Here are the four keys to branding success:

Identify your image. Without a clear, narrowly-defined identity, a brand cannot be created. This is the first step in creating a long-term marketing strategy.

What sets your practice apart from everyone else? When masterminding this question with your team, take the time to get past the obvious responses of quality service, convenient location and courteous employees. These are broad characteristics and are expected traits in every business — it's simply the price of admission.

Create a list of at least 100 reasons why patients should choose your practice for care. After you create the list, evaluate how each service attribute listed supports the image you want to create.

A great question to ask to determine if a characteristic truly sets you apart is "So what?" For example: We have adequate free parking. "So what?" By answering this question you determine if this benefit is truly unique to your practice, and more importantly, if it is a benefit to your patients.

Test your image. Put your list of unique qualities to the test. Do you really exemplify the characteristics that you listed?

To gather this information, consider enlisting the support of a mystery patient. Outside consulting and marketing firms can hire people to come into your practice and provide feedback on their overall service experience. The identity of the patient is not revealed until the feedback process is complete. I equate this to a surprise inspection by your mother! Knowing that a mystery patient could come into your practice at any moment really keeps you on your toes.

Mystery patients also can be asked to call on other practices in your area to compare and contrast customer service strategies. This information can be very valuable in distinguishing yourself from your competition. When it comes to marketing, you want to know how you compare and where you can create additional value. Mystery patients are a great way to create a low-cost research and development department in your practice.

Know your customer. Large corporations devote thousands of hours and millions of dollars tracking consumer buying patterns, preferences and decision-making processes. Fortunately, in dentistry we can do this simply and inexpensively. To gather data quickly and continuously, establish a patient survey system. The surveys can be distributed in-office during the patient visit and included in your newsletter from time to time. They will help keep your team on track in implementing customer service protocol. Survey design should be brief, specific and measurable. Ask patients to rank your team on tangible customer service issues such as answering the phone in a timely manner, pleasant greeting upon arrival, education of patient needs, clearly articulated financial policies, etc.

Patient surveys that combine a simple checklist format with open-ended questions are easy for patients to complete and provide you with ample feedback. You also can use patient surveys to ask for referrals by including a simple question like: "When you refer your friends to us for care, what is the first thing you tell them about our office?" This assumptive question plants the seed for them to refer, and provides you with a list of unique qualities that you may not have previously considered.

Create your position. The term "positioning" is used to describe the reputation of a business in its community. It is very important to understand the distinction between image and reputation. Image is what you think of yourself; reputation is how others perceive you.

Once you have identified your practice's unique qualities and formulated an image, you must create a strategic action plan to get your name in front of potential patients on an ongoing basis. This will take a combination of internal marketing efforts, public relations and advertising. Depending on the complexity of your goals, the nature of your practice and the rate at which you wish to grow, an outside expert may be warranted. By utilizing these four, simple principles you can create a practice of distinction in your community.

FREE Sample Patient Satisfaction Survey
Get your copy today. Call 800.628.1052.
Vicki McManus, RDH, is a coach with Fortune Management in Connecticut and author of the collaborative book, FUNdamentals of Outstanding Teams. She can be reached at 888.347.4785 or vickimcmanus@earthlink.com.

21-Jun-06 1:00 PM