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Practice Pearls for Daily Efficiency Douglas Carlsen, DDS

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Practice Pearls for Daily Efficiency

by Douglas Carlsen, DDS
This article provides non-financial, stress-releasing pearls that traditional consultants often ignore. The results are often more impressive financially than what traditional number crunching and "practice management" consultation can generate:
  • The tough one, yet the most important: Save an hour for yourself first thing in the morning - preferably at the office on workdays and at home on weekends. Yes, every day! I adopted this regimen at mid-career and it made the biggest difference for stress relief and productivity of all the changes I ever made. This means waking up at 5:30 a.m. or earlier on weekdays. An hour of organization and mind-clearing is essential to maximum efficiency and enjoyment. Weekends too? Absolutely. The early pattern provides the same stressfree assistance when you really need and expect it. "Won't I be more tired at the end of the day, especially on weekends?" is a common query. Quite the opposite. Try it for just two weeks - you'll never go back.
  • Meditate 20 minutes each morning during your free hour. Buy a CD at Amazon.com - anything by Shakti Gawain is great. Play it each morning - the same CD is OK - you will not tire of it for many playings. This step is what I use to prepare for any potential conflicts I might expect during the day, from any source.
  • Preview any charts of difficult procedures or difficult patients during your free hour. I usually spent time before the staff huddle each morning previewing each chart. Price? 10 minutes. Reward? You're ready for Mrs. Barkpants.
  • Always have a team huddle before seeing patients. You all know the rules - no surprises during the day.
  • The preceding early-morning tips shape your day with maximum intent. You will be ready for challenges from any patient or staff member.
  • Contract with your local dental supplier to perform monthly checkup and maintenance of equipment. Price? $100. Reward? When something breaks down, that group will come to your office first. I rarely had to wait more than an hour for emergency service.
  • Always take a lunch break and get out of the office. Yes, outside. Rain or shine. Not in your car, but out in the open. Even if you end up slurping a Jamba Juice while walking the freeway overpass, your kismet will enjoy the cleaning.
  • While at the office, ignore as many personal e-mails as possible. Ignore Dr. Harry's joke mill. Professionally, use e-mail to the max for diagnostics, lab communications and patient correspondence. For special emphasis, either personal or professional, a handwritten note is most powerful. This is a key tip that all the big executives use.
  • Assign duties for all office cleanup chores with hand-signed check-offs. It seems "old school," but anything less doesn't work.
  • Always resolve any team issues before going home. Your team will respect you, you will respect you, and your dog will sleep better.
  • Treat every day like it's the day before vacation. This is a Zig Ziglar comment and as true as ever. Have everything organized and finished as if you'll be gone for a while. This always makes the next morning a breeze.
  • Call surgery and tough-case patients at night. Don't gab; make it sweet and quick. This is a great practice builder and I never had a late call in 25 years.
  • After work, ignore as many e-mails as possible. Computer screens do almost as much damage to dentists as credit cards. We need more calm not more distraction.
  • Text messaging, Blackberries, iPhones? I hear dogs love to chew on plastic.
  • If you can't make enough money working seven hours a day, four days per week, then get a consultant, pronto! We all tend to lose it after 3 p.m. and you need a weekday to decompress.
  • Never miss more than one family dinner night each week. Easy to break this one. If you keep it, you'll stay married and will be able to retire before age 75. If you don't, you might as well become an attorney, seeing as you'll be around them a bunch.
  • Set up an emergency call group with local dentists. Your weekends will be worry-free.
  • Do right-brain activity for a few minutes each night. Read a strange novel, do some artwork, wrestle with your kids. No non-fiction (it doesn't count).
  • Take three weeks of vacation per year. I don't care how much you lose by not being in the office - you need the break. This does not include continuing education time. CE trips are not vacations, no matter where you go. I really feel this is a major source of burnout. Forget the deduction! Do not take office calls on vacation; I'm surprised at the number who do. Before leaving on that vacation, block out the last two hours of your schedule to clear out all charts, etc. Even though you treat each day like you'll be leaving, treat this one especially carefully. Upon returning, spend one half day per week's vacation at the office - yes, during office time, checking charts, reading mail, catching up - not seeing patients. You guys who fly in at midnight the night before and work a full schedule upon returning are not doing kind karma to anyone.
  Author's Bio
Douglas Carlsen, DDS, owner of Golich Carlsen, retired at age 53 from a 25-year private dental practice and clinical lecturing at the UCLA School of Dentistry. He writes and lectures nationally on retirement and financial topics from the point of view of one who was able to retire early on his own terms. Dr. Carlsen consults with dentists, CPAs, and planners on business systems, personal cash flow, and retirement scenarios. Visit his Web site: www.golichcarlsen.com; call 760-798-0886 or e-mail drcarlsen@gmail.com.
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April 2024
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