Make systems evaluation a team effort. All surgical staff members should be on the lookout every day for problems with the management systems they use. Make notes about bottlenecks and inefficiencies, …

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Use the morning meeting to plan ahead. It’s always best for the team to know what kind of day they are about to have. What happens if a patient cancels? Is there someone the office can contact to fill …

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Scripting Tip: Avoid saying, “Do you have any questions?” That question may sound harmless, but it can send the wrong message to surgical patients. Some will think you’re in a hurry to wrap up the …

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Advice for the Surgical Specialist – Provide continual and relevant training. In today’s ever-changing field of dentistry, team members need to update their skills annually. Just as surgical …

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Define your surgical team commitment. Based on the surgical specialist’s vision and goals, your practice should spell out its primary commitment, for example: We are committed to meeting the highest …

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Conduct surveys once or twice a year. Surveys of patients should include 5–10 questions and take only a few minutes to complete either in the office or online. By listening to your patients, the …

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Overcome adversity with the right attitude. If the surgical specialist or any team members tend to display negativity, it will probably drag other team members down and add to overall stress in the …

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Principles of Practice Leadership: Bring out your inner “coach.” Understand that the relationship between a leader and a follower works best when it’s like that of a teacher and a student. Rather than …

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Advice for the Surgical Specialist – Set clear expectations. To perform well, team members need to know what they are supposed to accomplish. Providing staff accurate job descriptions helps them fully …

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Use a written agenda for morning meetings. Simply being prepared for what’s ahead on a given day will greatly reduce stress in your practice. During morning meetings, the surgical specialist and the …

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Schedule patients for treatment within seven days. When patients accept treatment, it’s important to give them an appointment within a week. The longer they have to wait, the more time they’ll have to …

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Answer calls by the third ring. Whenever the phone rings, it may be a prospective new patient. Regardless of how busy the practice may be, pick up the call quickly and be prepared… with scripting… to …

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