Townie Book Review: Three Cheers for Sally McKenzie By: Tom Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD

The scene: Las Vegas, 2003, Townie Meeting number one, Howard Farran, DDS just finished a raucous lecture in a packed room and now it was time to hear Sally McKenzie. Howard may be a tough act to follow, but it was clear from the start that Sally knows her way around dental office operations. She has been involved with dentistry for more than 30 years, and when you need management advice, experience counts.

Recently, I came across the McKenzie Management catalog of products that includes general practice management, hygiene management, personnel management and clinical management. Sally has authored most of the selections, but there are also contributions from other members of her team. I obtained three selections to sample the library, and each one is informative, detailed and a great value.

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Cash Flow Management • 54 pages, $47
The first item, Cash Flow Management, promises to reduce accounts receivable, increase revenue and reduce overhead. Scripts are peppered throughout this book and they are the essence of a great financial policy. In Chapter One, Asking for Money, McKenzie provides a great script for the patient who forgets his/her checkbook. A discussion of personality types and their impact on business office success completes the first chapter.

Developing a financial policy that will effectively improve your cash flow is the primary focus of this book. There are also chapters devoted to delinquent account calls and performance parameters. After all, your numbers are the ultimate measure of your financial policy implementation. The final chapter of the book, Reducing Overhead, contains simple worksheets to compare your current overhead to industry standards and a detailed discussion of each category with suggestions for improvement.

Building a Successful Recall System • 74 pages, $97
Building a Successful Recall System is a newly updated, 74-page manual that provides a step-wise approach to developing a highly productive hygiene department. The first three chapters address the logistical issues of staff delegation, access to patient information and effectively communicating with patients. Next, there are formulae for determining appropriate staffing levels in the hygiene department and different scheduling scenarios to maximize utilization. Doctor/hygienist roles are discussed with an emphasis on communication with patients and each other.

The remaining two-thirds of Building a Successful Recall System addresses implementation of the system, telephone scheduling techniques and monitoring your goals. Every recommendation is explained with logical reasoning and specific examples. This manual would serve as an excellent training manual for your hygiene coordinator. The dialogues presented in each section made me think Sally McKenzie has been to my office––very real. The comprehensive appendix includes all forms and letters discussed in the text.

How to Reward Your Dental Team • 60 pages, $47
The last book of my McKenzie binge is How to Reward Your Dental Team. This book is a must-read for every dental office in the country. If you currently have a simple bonus program based on production or collection goals, McKenzie will tell you why those plans don’t work in the first eight pages. Automatic raises are permanent additions to your overhead, and production goals are not a two way street—if you fall short one month, will the staff take a pay cut? Additionally, bonuses tied to practice profitability will require you to explain your calculations and leads to “IRS auditor syndrome”. McKenzie explains it this way: “Increasing productivity is not a bonus; it is the livelihood of that business.”

The next 52 pages presents specific instructions for developing a reward system that will: “more closely involve staff in the achievement of the practice objectives, increase earnings of staff and improve the practice’s profitability and overall effectiveness in operations”. The first step is making a determination of practice objectives––your goals. A few examples: decrease supply costs by 3%, patient retention of 90% and decrease insurance accounts receivable.

At this point you need to determine what types of rewards will work with your team. There is a worksheet provided that will tell you which needs are most important: Shelter, Security, Social Acceptance, Status or Achievement. Examples of rewards that will meet each need are provided.

Reward types are further divided into non-financial vs. financial, and group vs. individual. The criteria, distribution and timing of rewards are sorted out in a reward plan. There are worksheets provided for your reward plan, performance goals and guidelines to receive rewards. Once again, McKenzie provides all of the necessary worksheets and instructions to implement a comprehensive incentive program in your dental practice.

Visit www.mckenziemgmt.com for detailed descriptions and ordering information for the entire McKenzie management library of manuals and forms.

Thomas J. Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD is a general dentist in Chandler, AZ who owns a private practice with his wife, Grace Giacobbi, DDS. Originally from upstate New York, Drs. Giacobbi are1995 graduates of SUNY at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. Please send comments or questions to DrTom@ChandlerDentalHealth.com. Send items to be considered for review to 1035 W. Queen Creek Rd., Suite 206, Chandler, AZ 85248.