The Patient-First Approach: Elevating Dental Care with Values-Driven Leadership
A clear and compelling vision is essential for any organization to achieve its goals and succeed in its mission. Having a vision provides a sense of direction and purpose, inspiring and motivating employees to work towards a common goal.
Without a vision, an organization would lack a sense of identity and struggle to differentiate itself from its competitors. Instead, it would focus solely on profits and losses and fail to create a meaningful impact.
As a mission of putting patients first and providing a memorable dental care experience, this is prioritizing the values in all our services and patient relationships, creating a positive impact, and achieving success in the dental industry.
The Vision
First impressions are lasting, especially when it comes to smiles.
Confidence plays a significant role, often attributed to well-maintained teeth. A natural, beautiful smile can make an individual stand out, emphasizing the importance of dental care.
Each dental office should prioritize helping patients achieve this confidence, ensuring they stand out and make a positive impact through their smiles.
The Mission
As a practice administrator, we should always keep the founder’s vision in mind and provide our patients with an excellent dental experience.
We believe in the saying, “The customer is always right,” and strive to prioritize their needs and wants to create a positive impression that keeps them returning.
The dental care experience consists of quality care and efficient service. Patients consider three critical factors: cost, preferential treatment, and environment.
To ensure the best dental care experience, the practice should consider providing affordable pricing, individualized care, and a comfortable atmosphere.
The Cost
Good operational management means controlling costs while providing quality service. Rising prices of supplies, equipment, utilities, and labor pose challenges, but cost control is crucial for sustainable profitability.
We must review our operations, identify areas for cost reduction, and implement cost-saving measures while maintaining quality. This creates a competitive advantage for long-term success.
As practice administrators, we advocate for our patients and make sacrifices to ensure their satisfaction. For small dental offices, teamwork is crucial to achieving cost control and making a difference.
By identifying cost-saving measures, we can benefit our patients and our bottom line. Something’s got to give, but we prioritize our patients, work together, and achieve success.
Family-run dental offices have a unique advantage in cost control, with reduced labor costs and skilled, loyal employees. Effective communication is crucial for productivity and cost savings, creating a competitive advantage.
Limiting operations to the right team members can translate to a high-quality dental care experience. Discounting and price negotiation become easier, benefiting the patient.
The key is to strike a balance between profits and quality, which requires agreement from the Doctor, Chief Operations Officer, and practice administrator on an annual budget that defines operational control and cost-effectiveness.
By prioritizing cost control and efficiency, we can ensure that our patients receive the best possible dental care experience at an affordable price.
The Preferential Treatment
Prioritizing patient rights is crucial for success in a dental office. Each patient is treated as a priority, and their time, schedule, and visit are considered sacred. We are committed to providing equal treatment and care to everyone who enters our doors.
By prioritizing our patients, we can ensure a positive dental experience and build long-lasting relationships with them.
Respect for others is a two-way street in a dental office. Patients are expected to show the same respect to others as they receive. Time is precious, and delays caused by one patient should not affect others who have set aside their own time. Therefore, when unavoidable circumstances arise, the patient understands that they may take the last priority slot for the day.
To effectively manage this policy, dental offices use reminders to keep patients informed. Effective feedback is crucial, and calling patients before and on the day of their appointment and following up with those who fail to show up is essential for maintaining good patient relationships. Dental offices can sustain positive relationships with their patients by prioritizing patient care.
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The Environment
Dental practitioners prioritize dental cleanliness as their foremost duty. Maintaining cleanliness establishes a pleasant atmosphere and demonstrates professionalism and organizational skills.
A clean and hygienic clinic environment is essential for every dental office, as it leaves a positive impression on patients and visitors. The office environment directly enhances patient care and public health; therefore, it is crucial to delivering quality dental services.
When patients seek oral healthcare at a dental clinic, they expect to receive treatment in a clean and safe environment.
The main objective of dental treatment is to prevent and cure diseases and maintain healthy oral tissues. The dental office’s cleanliness and hygiene are closely associated with quality care.
Patients perceive higher quality care when the dental office appears clean and emits pleasant odors. The cleanliness of the sterilization and disinfection area, among other sections, plays a significant role in the perception of quality care. It reflects the office’s commitment to infection control, making it a vital factor in patients’ evaluation of the care provided.
By prioritizing these elements, dental offices can offer a remarkable dental experience that keeps patients and their families returning.
About the Author
Estela Go, MAADOM
Estela L. Go is a Chemical Engineer from the Philippines. After taking all the major accounting courses at UCLA, she worked as a general accounting manager in mortgage corporations for 15 years.
Dr. Robert Y. Go and Estela founded Go Family Dental in 2007 after decades of experience in dentistry, accounting, and operational excellence in Anaheim, CA. This led her to her simple guiding principle: “Patients First.”
Estela has been an AADOM member since 2022, when she joined AADOM’s Dental Spouse Business Network. She received her AADOM Fellowship (FAADOM) in 2023 and her Mastership (MAADOM) in 2024.
