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Howard Speaks Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, MAGD

More by this author (315)
Save Time & Increase Productivity


Howard Farran, DDS
MBA, MAGD
Publisher,
Dentaltown Magazine 		As I stated in last month's column, "Effectively Evaluating Your Team," when it comes to managing a dental practice the key components are people, time and money. Human Relations (HR) is without a doubt the toughest aspect of every business. Finding and retaining the right players for your team is critical to running a successful practice. If you have the wrong person or people on your team, business always takes a turn for the worse.

In that column, I discussed people – the first component in managing a dental practice. I explained that periodic evaluations of your staff are critical to be sure you have the right person in place. After the initial hire, a 90-day evaluation should be done and then followed by annual reviews. These evaluations do not always have salary increases attached to them; they are gauges of performance of your team.
Time is the next key component I'd like to discuss. How often have you witnessed a dentist stuck at the same level of production for years? This is the same person who started right out of dental school blocking off an hour and a half for a single non-complicated crown. You revisit that same dentist 10 years later and he is still blocking off an hour and a half for a single non-complicated crown. Where are the gains in productivity?

America's productivity has gone up between 2.2 to 3.6 percent almost every year for the last century. What are your gains in productivity? Can't you increase your productivity 2.2 to 3.6 percent a year? Since I graduated from University of Missouri-Kansas City 21 years ago I have seen a major increase in productivity technologies that allow dentists to work faster; 300 RPM NiTi's, digital radiography, apex locators, computers, scanners, lasers, the Internet, and Motorola head sets to free you from walking all around the office all day. Increasing productivity is so important. The dentists who use technology for 10 to 15 years of practicing could cut back from five days a week to four days a week and have the same production if not more. It goes without saying that dentists who use technology for 20 to 25 years can cut back from four days per week to three days a week and still keep the same production if not more.

How important is increased productivity from technology? Increasing productivity is why America has the largest economy in the world. When farmers went from horses to pull a plow to tractors with 100 horsepower engines, American farmers' productivity roared. With an American GDP of $13.75 trillion, which is a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (Purchasing Power Partity or "PPP") of $46,000, America's economy is 27 percent of the entire worlds' GDP, which is $50.36 trillion. In fact America's high productivity and use of technology has made its economy larger than the next four largest economies combined; Japan, Germany, China, and the United Kingdom.

Breakdown of the top five GDPs
(according to CIA World Factbook (www.cia.org))
  • America has a $13.75 trillion GDP, which is a GDP per capita (PPP) of $46,000.
  • Japan has a $5.103 trillion GDP, which is a GDP per capita (PPP) of $33,800.
  • Germany has a $3.024 trillion GDP, which is a GDP per capita (PPP) of $34,400.
  • China has a $2.6 trillion GDP with a GDP per capita (PPP) of $5,300.
  • The U.K. has a $2.4 trillion GDP with a GDP per capita (PPP) of $35,300.


Technologies That Can Save You Time
For maximum front office efficiency are you completely paperless? Do you have a written down goal as to when you will be totally paperless? For awesome cash flow do you electronically send your claims each day? Do you send each patient out the door with a copy of their digital X-rays, charts, and notes so they can be reminded of their treatment plan? With your own X-rays, charting and treatment plan do patients become educated to thoroughly understand their own oral health concerns? Do you know how much this will increase your treatment plan acceptance rate if you implement this technology?

All of our insurance claims at Today's Dental are sent electronically at the end of the day. We are able to send digital X-rays and perio charting by utilizing software from NEA called FastAttach (www.fast-attach.com). NEA charges a monthly fee, which includes training and technical support if needed.

Turnaround time on insurance payments will greatly increase by sending claims electronically. This technology greatly increases your Cost Productivity. Cost Productivity is the key to lower overhead. If you pay Jane Doe $1, and she produces and collects $1, you have 100 percent overhead. If you purchase technology to augment Jane Doe, you still pay Jane Doe $1, and now she produces and collects $2, you now have 50 percent overhead. Factor in postage, paper, wear-and-tear on your printer, the labor involved to manually send claims, and you will get digital religion.

Another remarkable benefit of electronic claim service is the ability to receive insurance denials, and requests for additional information from the insurance company at the time the claims are transmitted. You will receive information before your patient does, which if you have dealt with insurance companies, you know never happens!
Digital X-rays have become a giant time-saver for dental practices everywhere. At Today's Dental, we recently implemented the Kodak 6100 sensor; in the world of "instant gratification," this latest sensor is the next evolution in saving time with digital X-rays.
Once the assistant places the sensor and pushes the X-ray button, the X-ray image is up on the screen within seconds. The 6100 sensor provides the highest resolution for your images on the market today. My assistants are taking full-mouth X-rays in half the time it took using the older sensor technology. Always keep current with your technology to get the best results. Check out the Kodak 6100 sensor at www.kodakdental.com.

Are you tired of getting up and looking for your hygienist? Is your assistant on break? Is she even in the building? Where did the front office receptionist go? If you are exhausted from running around the office in circles all day long you are so ready for Motorola walkie-talkies.

Communication is the foundation of easy, effortless and efficient operations and logistics. We've used our light box "The Director" from Novaplex for 10 years, but some communication goes beyond the use of a light box. Communicating fast and exact is critical in any operation. How many times does your front office staff walk back to find out exactly how many more minutes until the next patient can be seated? Questions like this can be answered without moving a muscle when you're using Motorola walkie-talkies.
We chose the Motorola Talkabout, Model #5720 with headsets. It has a five-mile range. Each staff member is "wired up" and can easily communicate throughout the office. The walkie-talkie is attached with a belt clip and has a wire, which connects to the headset. The earpieces fit and sound better if you take a vinyl polysiloxane impression of your ear and send it to CustomEarpiece at www.customearpiece.com.
It is a whole new world when your assistant is up the street at Macayo's Mexican restaurant for lunch and still has her walkie-talkie on and asks if Nadine or Diane are still back at the office and if they want her to bring back a few tacos!These few technological examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to saving time for you and your practice. Keep reading Dentaltown and check out the message boards for new tips to increase your practice's productivity.

These few technological examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to saving time for you and your practice. Keep reading Dentaltown and check out the message boards for new tips to increase your practice's productivity.
Howard Live
Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, MAGD, is an international speaker who has written dozens of published articles. To schedule Howard to speak to your next national, state or local dental meeting, call 480-445-9706. Dr. Farran will be speaking April 18, at the Sixth Annual Townie Meeting in the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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