Dental office managers are the key to dentists gaining freedom. By freedom, I am referring to the flexibility they need to be able to focus almost all their time on patients and enjoy dentistry. I am also referring to freedom from stress and having to manage the day-to-day team. This freedom can only come from having a great office manager.
Why have an office manager?
If you’re reading this article and you already have an office manager, don’t stop reading. This is not an article about hiring an office manager. What I want to do is better define the role. Consider this important observation: 96% of dental office managers have little to no management education, background or experience.
Even if they worked in another office, they were not acting in the role of an office manager. Which brings up the question, what is the role of an office manager?
A true office manager is a person who runs all day-to-day operations, acting as a chief operating officer and overseeing every aspect of the dental practice outside of clinical matters. This is the real definition of an office manager; however, there are very few office managers at this level. So, if your current office manager is not performing at this level, how can they improve? Consider the following areas that are most important to master for office managers to be effective:
- Implementing systems. The office manager must be adept at implementing systems that are clearly defined so that the team can follow them. This means that they include step-by-step instructions and should be measured continuously with goals and targets to determine if the team member is effective.
- Being motivational. The office manager must have the ability to help the team, as individuals and as a group, move toward their potential and be motivated and energized. If the manager can’t master this, the dentist will always be on call to deal with any staffing, recruiting, and hiring issues.
- Thinking strategically. Office managers must focus on what is happening internally and externally that could affect the business. We recommend that they regularly perform a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), know what to read, find out what is going on in the dental community, and study the trends in dental insurance. You can encourage your office manager by asking them what articles or books on business they have read lately. If they haven’t read any, you can guide them with suggestions.
- Being accessible. Office managers need to meet with dentists regularly with a set agenda. The meeting should address standard information (i.e., the practice figures and the results of the last month) and new business. Hint: the agenda should always be written out in advance and followed. Meetings without an agenda typically wander, are a waste of time, and do not get results. Remember, meetings are not just for conversation. They should be focused on communicating important information and making decisions. At the end of each meeting, the office manager and dentist should review their responsibilities, actions items, and the associated deadlines. This establishes accountability.
Summary
The ultimate freedom for dentists is to be able to focus on clinical care and patient relationships while everything else in the business is being managed by the office manager. When the office manager can master the four areas listed above, dentists can be free to take care of patients, which is what they truly enjoy.
Editor's note: This article originally appeared in The Bottom Line with Dental Economics, the newsletter that will elevate your inbox with practical and innovative practice management and clinical content from experts across the field. Subscribe here.
