Important Guidelines for a Successful Practice
It would be a dream come true if we could come to work every day and have the doctor and clinical staff perform the needed dental treatment for the patient in the allotted amount of time. The front staff would collect the entire amount the patient owed, and the patient would schedule their next recare appointment without hesitation. Like clockwork, everything would magically fall into place.
That would be a dream come true!
Unfortunately, that is not how it works in the real world of dentistry. Not every staff member will show up to work every day. The patient puts off treatment until they are dying of pain and need an appointment ASAP (for a more time-consuming appointment than they would have needed if they had just done the one surface filling three years ago).
The patient cannot always pay the amount due on the day of treatment and wants us to submit to insurance first, but they aren’t sure what their new insurance is this year and will have to call us back with that information. They don’t have their schedule six months out and will have to call us back to schedule an appointment, and on and on.
It’s definitely not a “dream day” in the dental world!
That is why we have to look at some essential guidelines to help us make it not only a “dream day” but a successful day, month, and year!! Setting goals is a crucial guideline to help us determine what is needed and the best way to achieve desired results.
Production Goals
Figure out what it takes to run your practice in a month. Consider everything from employee salaries to dental supplies to the electric bill. Add the doctor’s salary, and that is your monthly production goal (at least).
Be sure to re-evaluate the goal each year to keep it current.
Collection Goals
This amount should be about 98% of the total production. Keeping track of this daily will help to see where you are and what needs to be done to meet the monthly goal.
Overhead Goals
This amount should be about 7% of what was collected the previous month.
There will be some months when you go over the budget due to unforeseen expenses. There will be some months that you are under budget, which will help to even out the annual budget.
Set Scheduling Goals
Take the monthly goal and divide it by the number of days the office will be open that month, and that is what you need to schedule daily. This is considered when scheduling, not just when scheduling an appointment where there is a hole in the schedule that pops up.
Most software has some form of schedule blocking/color coding to help make this task easier.
Treatment Plan Tracking
Along with setting goals and keeping track of them, tracking treatment plans and accepted treatment is an essential ingredient to a successful practice. This will show how successfully the treatment was presented to the patient and if there was follow-up.
You may need to work on how the treatment is being presented, find additional financing options for the patients, or create a better system to follow up on the unscheduled treatment.
Team Atmosphere
Create a healthy and enjoyable work atmosphere. There is nothing more important than this one. If the team is happy, they will show up to work and go the extra mile for the patients and the practice. If the team is happy, the patients will feel this and want to return. It is a win for everyone concerned!
It takes a lot of consideration, planning, and executing the plans to make a successful practice. It is not always easy, but it is always worth it!
About the Author
Kay Thompson, DAADOM
Kay started on her dental journey when she was a little girl and used to play “Dentist” with her dolls in her mom’s kitchen, using the utensils in the utensil drawer as her “instruments.”
After completing the Dental Assistant Program at St. Louis Community College in Kirkwood, MO, she worked in the dental field as an assistant for 20 years. Then, she became a Practice Administrator for the last 13 years.
She is excited about being an AADOM member and in 2020 she earned her Fellowship (FAADOM). In 2023, she earned her MAADOM and her DAADOM in 2024.
Away from the practice, she loves doing mission work and is active in her church, riding motorcycles and ATVs with her husband, and spending lots of time with their 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren.
