How many of you right now are thinking, “My office runs so efficiently, there is nothing else I need to do to improve in this area”? Well … if you are like a majority of us, that isn’t quite what you’re thinking. Sometimes it’s a daily struggle to keep up with all of the reports, follow-ups, and keeping everything running on time.
By using Dentrix features and the following suggestions, you can help increase efficiency within your practice.
Daily Huddle
Using the Daily Huddle Report along with your daily huddles will help your team be better prepared for the day. Touch on these key discussion items:
- How we can increase our productivity today?
- Do we have any patients overdue and unscheduled for their Continuing Care or treatment?
- Are there any patients with balances that we need to be aware of?
Perfect Day Scheduling
Use Perfect Day Scheduling to make sure you are saving blocks of time for any new patients or emergencies without disrupting the schedule. Leave the block open until 48 hours before the appointment opening, then use your ASAP List to fill Blocked time if it’s still open. Make sure every team member is aware of every patient, not just “their” patient. Concentrating only on “your” patients may result in a loss of valuable time where you could assist elsewhere to help the office stay schedule.
Track Procedure Time
Know the actual length of time it takes you to complete a procedure. We find that many doctors forget to factor in time for hygiene exams, operatory breakdown and setup, and patient interaction. That results in the office always running behind, which creates stress, chaos, and unhappy patients and staff. Audit your schedule for 2 to 4 weeks to determine procedure time. You can track procedure times manually through an Excel spreadsheet, or adjusting the times on the appointment book and using a digital timer. All of your assistants should have expanded duty certification if it is an option in your state.
Summary Reports
Use your Practice Advisor and Schedule Summary Reports so you can see monthly, daily and hourly production along with filled and unfilled time to increase your profits and efficiency.
Learn More
If you found these ideas helpful, you may be interested in learning more about the Dentrix Profitability Coaching Program, where these, and many other great concepts, strategies and ideas are taught to you and your team by one of our highly skilled and experienced profitability coaches. To find out more about Dentrix Profitability Coaching, CLICK HERE.