A dentist refers to a patient as "the root canal in room three." Another patient is told she needs a filling, which is done right on the spot–making her feel like she's being shoved through a McDonald's drive-through. A third patient doesn't even meet the dentist until the last three minutes of his appointment. What's wrong with these dental practices? Everything, says Dr. Barry Polansky, a Cherry Hill, NJ dentist and author of The Art of the Examination: Why Patient Care Goes Beyond Clinical Correctness (Private Practice Publications, 2002).
Dentists often get a bad rap-and sometimes it's well deserved, says Polansky. That's because many dentists lack key business skills. "Like most small businesses, dental practices are often started by technicians who have been overcome by the entrepreneurial drive," he says. The result is that many practices are set up to make money through a volume of patients, rather than through long-term, lasting relationships.
"Many dentists feel, 'I got my license, so I can do this–I can own a business," Polansky says. "They don't realize that in order to be successful, they must understand the essence of marketing, which is the creation and maintaining of relationships."
The latter is one of the underlying themes in Polansky's breakthrough book. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, he says dentists can set the tone for their office culture and the entire patient experience with the initial examination.
For example, two-and-a-half hours is the average length of the initial exam for every new patient in Polansky's practice. The process involves the entire staff and gives each a role in developing each patient's individualized game plan.
Instead of letting the hygienist do most of the work and just showing up at the end of the appointment, one of the most important things a dentist should do during that initial exam is to get to know the patient and form a relationship, Polansky says. This gives the patient a higher level of comfort, and in turn can lead to greater work satisfaction for the dentist.
The same principles outlined in Polansky's book can be applied to other business environments as well. By creating an optimal customer experience, the business owner demonstrates that his service is of high value–and the customer is more likely to return. Instead of always emphasizing volume, business owners should focus on maintaining high quality relationships, which result in repeat business. Likewise, instead of being "fix-it" shops, dentists-and other business professionals should pay more attention to the big picture, which entails truly understanding the patient/customer and anticipating both their current and future needs.
Dentists, however, are rarely taught such skills in dental school. Polansky sought them at The Pankey Institute, which advocates respecting the unique value of each person. The Pankey philosophy stresses educating the patient to make appropriate decisions to achieve comprehensive treatment of the dental condition versus "fixing" teeth, a tooth at the time.
Some patients-especially those who lack dental insurance-are reluctant to spend money on dental visits. "Our culture has taught us to buy cars for $40,000, but not to spend money on the health of our teeth," observes Polansky. Using revealing examples from his own practice, Polanksy illustrates how dentists can overcome this roadblock without the patient feeling manipulated.
In the end, Polansky's book can educate dentists, dental students and office managers on how to run a happier, more successful practice. By using Polansky's principles of emotional intelligence to communicate with a patient as a real person, not just as "the root canal in room three," dentists can not only improve their practices but also their bottom lines. Likewise, dental patients will learn what to look for in a dental practice and that going to the dentist should not be a cold, clinical experience.
Says Polansky: "The 'art' of the examination is a direct expression of our professional philosophy, setting the sail of our practices." To talk more about the practice with Dr. Barry Polansky, please contact Garrett Allen at (610) 642-8253.