by Jim Philhower
In a survey published on a dental blog, 36% of respondents stated they would not choose the profession of dentistry again if given the chance. Of those 36% who answered that they would not choose dentistry again, many dentists cited practice management issues and dealing with dental insurance as the main reasons for their disillusionment.
Unfortunately this does not come as a surprise to many of us in the dental field, because year after year we hear this from the office staffs that we work with. Dental schools teach dentists how to become great clinical providers, but provide very little if any training on how to be a small business owner and manager.
Fortunately, there are a few simple changes you can make in your office that will improve practice management issues and limit dental insurance headaches. As a result, you can recapture the fun of practicing dentistry and increase your career satisfaction and overall quality of life.
1. Delegate, delegate, delegate. As the dentist you are the team leader, not the entire team. Delegate everything other than what you were trained to do clinically. Put together a well-trained team that you can trust, and let them do their jobs. This is empowering for you and your team. Most employees thrive when given the opportunity to grow in their responsibilities, and they exhibit increased job satisfaction. This goes back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The first four levels of needs are referred to as deficit needs (including basic health and wealth). Once these are met …
2. Limit the number of insurance plans you accept.
Most offices participate in many more plans than they need to. Every additional plan you accept is another set of fees and requirements you must deal with. Perform an annual review to determine how many plans you're participating in and how many patients are being driven by each plan, and calculate what percent of your production each plan makes up. After ranking the highest producing plans, consider the following:
a. What percent of your full fee schedule is each plan paying?
b. Which providers keep the office manager busy with administrative hassles and require the most time and energy to get claims paid?
c. Who is driving the highest quality patients into your practice?
You may find that several of the low-producing plans are the most difficult to deal with, and that they can be eliminated. If so, inform all patients personally about the decision to no longer participate in their insurance plans. If talking to them in person is not possible, send each patient a letter that clearly states the reasons that you can no longer participate in their insurance plan. Many offices explain that the decrease in reimbursement fees has not allowed the practice to invest in new technology and the clinical education required to provide top quality service to patients. While some patients may choose to leave the practice during this time, with proper communication mechanisms in place, such as Demandforce and recare materials, many will still return as long as they still feel welcome. Make sure you regularly invite these patients to return to their dental home.
Jim Philhower, a 28-year veteran of the dental industry, is the director of North America Dental Sales Leadership & Development for Henry Schein Dental. Jim teaches dental teams throughout the world techniques to help them reach their practice goals. Contact him at (800) 372-4346 or [email protected]. Learn more at www.HenryScheinBusinessSolutions.com.
As the dentist you are the team leader, not the entire team. Delegate everything other than what you were trained to do clinically.
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