Cambridge Dental Consultants
Cambridge Dental Consultants
Dental Practice Management Articles
Blog By:
Kevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe

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More on No Shows and Cancels
Any systems comes down more to WHO is doing the job then the “system” itself. Don’t get me wrong - systems are vital - but there are tons of good systems out there. What is more important is how well trained the people are on implementing whatever system you use as an untrained...  Read More
Correcting Dental Employees
The key to compliance is having a Dental Office Manual with all policy put together in a format that requires written attests that each policy has been read and agreed to.  Then when policy is not followed a system to correct people is as follows:   1. When a policy, procedure or system is...  Read More
Confirmation Protocol
Auto-Pilot: Do not put confirmation on auto-pilot. Services such as Lighthouse are useful when used smartly but, when you put confirmation on auto-pilot, front desk can sometimes abandon responsibility for the schedule because, “Lighthouse is handling it”.  Customize: Find out from patients if...  Read More
Protocol for Calling Patients Who Did Not Schedule
1. Review the patient’s chart before calling so you know the last treatment they received or what that they need as well as what family members might have been seen. 2. Use the information in #1 when you call to show them that an effort was made to know about them and their family. Show them...  Read More
Collections - Past Due Dental Accounts
The sequence of steps used to follow up on past due accounts are as follows: 1. Statement 2. Patient Call 3. 2nd Statement with note or letter 4. Patient Call 5. Past Due Letter 6. Patient Call 7. Last Notice – Demand Payment Letter (If no response after last notice, send memo to the doctor for...  Read More
Vacation Policy
The following is the vacation policy I recommend for your . As with all HR policies check with your attorney or a local HR pro to ensure your policy is complaint for your state and federal laws as they often change: VACATIONS Annual paid vacation is a benefit provided by this practice for...  Read More
Case Presentaion Pointers
In a previous entry, I talked about percentage of staff pay and how to get that lowered by making your staff more efficient. The other way to get your percentage of staff pay into an acceptable range is to increase collections by increasing the percent of cases that are accepted. If your case...  Read More
Case Presentation Percentage
What is a good case acceptance percentage? Depends on what the 75% represents. If the doctor routinely presents abbreviated treatment plans then of course the percent will be higher. It's like quarterback with a very high "passer rating" who plays it too safe and mostly throws very short...  Read More
The Secret to Dental Practice Stat Management
The real secret of stat management in your dental practice is to concentrate on actions that are easier to control by the individual employees as opposed to the "bigger" numbers that should be monitored but are the END RESULT of the "smaller" numbers.This may sounds a bit complex but it is...  Read More
Chronic Appointment Breakers
Good management of your dental practice includes a scripting protocol for your Scheduling Coordinator (SC) to handle chronic broken appointment patients (at least three broken appointments or is not sorry after the second broken appointment).  Something like this: SC:  “I’m sorry but I just...  Read More
Bonus Systems & Dental Office Payroll Percent
1. Set either a monthly or quarterly goal. 2. The goal is based on what is commensurate with 25% or less payroll percentage. Example: Let's say your payroll is normally around $20,000.00. Collections must be over 80K per month for there to be any kind of bonus. 3. If the goal is exceeded, a...  Read More
New patient scheduling tips
1. The key to a high percentage of appointments kept is your  to ensure they understand what will happen If they do not move forward. They must understand that the condition will worsen not because you say so but it's just physics. They also need to understand the effect that will have not just on...  Read More
Block Scheduling
BLOCK SCHEDULING  Your practice will be rushed, hectic and stressed without a schedule that is well designed.The purpose of blocking scheduling  is to decrease stress, keep production on an even keel from one day to the next while maintaining or increasing production. These are the steps for...  Read More
Actions to take to fill up your dental schedule, cut down on no-shows/cancellations.
1. For those who take insurance get in "end of year" insurance out. 2. Have a short call list 3. Make sure that every patient has their next appointment scheduled before leaving 4. Follow-up on unscheduled treatment and missed appointments. The person doing the calls must have excellent...  Read More
Broken Appointments: Following Up On
Correctly handling missed appointments is key to the successful management of your dental practice. If not handled as soon as they occur patient treatment plans can be disrupted, the schedule is thrown off and patients can be lost. When a patient misses an appointment they must be called within...  Read More
More on Morning Huddles
Often morning huddles are being done but the dentist is solely running the meetings and they are always just talking about what is being done today. And here lies the mistakes in doing it this way: The dentist must never soley run the morning huddle so to speak. Now I didn’t say not to have...  Read More
Internal Marketing: New Patient Referral Protocol
         REFERRAL PROTOCOL Important: The ADA Code of Ethics states, “A dentist is allowed to pay for any advertising permitted by the Code but, is generally not permitted to make payments to another person or entity for the referral of a patient for professional services". Some states allow you...  Read More
Protocol for Handling Unscheduled Treatment
1. Review the patient’s chart before calling so you know the last treatment they received or what that they need as well as what family members might have been seen. 2. Use the information in #1 when you call to show them that an effort was made to know about them and their family. Show...  Read More
What happened with that patient?
So you’ve done all you can to educate the patient, you’ve used models, x-rays, analogies, drawings, etc. The patient is now fully educated and understands what will happen if he or she ignores the problem. You’ve even received a statement from the patient that he or she is ready...  Read More
That Most Dirty Word
Disclaimer: The word I am about to define is not for the faint of heart. Macho men have been known to turn into quivering bowls of Jello when even uttering this word. Definitions: 1) Income received for goods and services over some given period of time. 2) An act of completion of a commercial...  Read More
Morning Huddles
A morning huddle is very different than a dental staff meeting. I'd leave the motivational stuff to staff meetings as there's plenty to go over in a correctly run morning huddle and usually not much time to do so. The morning huddle is mainly a coordination meeting that should cover at least the...  Read More
Dental Hiring Tips
Tip #1 Most employees at my favorite local restaurant have been there for years. The service is always heads and shoulders above other establishments in the area. Recently I complimented the manager and asked what her secret was. I got a very quick reply: "Drug testing” she said with a wink. ...  Read More
Clash of the Dental Titans
I had just returned from consulting a new client where an epic conflict between the back and front had laid siege to the dental office. The doctor thought this "Clash of the Titans" would quickly blow over. Instead it blew up. And what was this battle over? Chart colors. Did you say, “Chart...  Read More
Practice Organization
Organization of a practice is, in essence, composed of ensuring you and your staff know how to efficiently and effectively process: a. New Patients b. Returning Patients c. Emergency Patients When I begin with a new client I evaluate where the weak links are in handling new, returning and...  Read More
Missed Appointment Procedures
The key to a high percentage of dental appointments kept are: a. Ensuring that when dental treatment is presented the patient really understands what will happen if they do not take action within a reasonable amount of time. They need to understand the condition will get worse, not because you say...  Read More
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