Don’t delay following up on past due payments. Call parents and adult patients when they’re one day overdue and ask them for a commitment to pay. Simply reminding them of their obligation will often …

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Advice for the Orthodontist – Be a motivational leader for your team. Orthodontists who have a well-trained and motivated team will have the most successful practices. Figure out how to motivate each …

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Acknowledge your fellow team members. Surprise your co-workers by leaving a silly, fun, or inspiring note anonymously for them at the end of the day. When they come in the next morning and discover …

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Advice for the Treatment Coordinator – Motivate parents to accept treatment for themselves. Set a target of having 15% of parents receive orthodontic treatment along with their children. Encourage …

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Institute procedural time studies. Orthodontists and team members often have a false impression of how long procedures take. They need to better understand the length of time that each treatment …

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Script every patient interaction. Scripting helps orthodontists and team members communicate more effectively with patients and parents. As in sports, working from the same “playbook” builds team …

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Advice for the Orthodontist – Assign responsibility for each target. Every target must be “owned” by the doctor or a staff member. Practice leaders shoulder ultimate responsibility for practice …

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Offer patient financing as a payment option. An outside financing company approves the parent or patient for a line of credit or a loan. These approvals can be achieved today within a few minutes by …

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Create a systems manual. Up-to-date documentation for all systems should be gathered together in one place—a systems manual. This is an essential reference for the entire ortho practice. Among other …

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Ask patients and parents for feedback. Many orthodontists and teams have only a vague notion of how patients and parents truly feel about their practices. Without specific data, patient satisfaction …

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Advice for the Orthodontist – Have lunch with a team member. To learn more about your staff members and to give them a better sense of what motivates you, meet with them individually to share a meal. …

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Work with other team members for smoother “hand-offs.” Usually, where your work ends, someone else’s begins. These “hand-offs”—when patients, tasks or procedures are transferred to other staff …

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