Archive for category: Pedo Tips

Advice for the Practice Leader – Schedule monthly meetings with your associate. To make sure your associate gets up to speed quickly and that both of you are satisfied with the way the arrangement is working out, meet regularly. Review progress toward goals, discuss problems, and brainstorm ways to make improvements for the practice and for each of you as individuals.

Whitepaper Wednesday: Check out Dr. Levin’s whitepaper, “Building A Sustainable Multi-Doctor Practice, One System At A Time,” by clicking here. Save 25% with code TOD25.

Advice for the Pediatric Dentist – Conduct annual performance reviews. These should be standard operating procedure for your practice. When done correctly, performance reviews benefit both staff members and the practice. These annual evaluations reinforce exceptional achievement, identify areas for improvement and motivate team members to reach their potential.

Additional Resource: Watch Dr. Levin’s video, “Bonus Systems” by clicking here.

Survey parents. Surveying parents can provide valuable insight into how your practice is perceived and give everyone in the practice a good idea of areas where you need to improve. Surveys should be limited to 10 questions and take only a few minutes to complete.

Management Monday: Check out Dr. Levin’s whitepaper, “5 Ways to Improve Interpersonal Relationships with Patients,” by clicking here. Save 25% with code TOD25.

Advice for the Pediatric Dentist – Personalize presentations for every parent. Answer some key questions prior to the presentation, including… What personal facts do I know about the parent and patient? What is their current situation? How affordable will treatment be? What will it take to motivate the parent sufficiently? The goal is to understand each parent and patient—not simply present the case in a mechanical way. A personalized approach will be much more effective.

Friday Freebie: Watch Dr. Levin’s video, “Case Presentation – What’s Working & What’s Not” by clicking here.

Make it easier for parents to pay. Substantial fees not covered by insurance pose a formidable obstacle for many parents. To overcome this barrier to case acceptance, offer a range of payment options… a discount for full payment upfront, acceptance of credit cards, 50–50 payment plan, and outside financing.

Additional Resource: Read an excerpt from Dr. Levin’s book, “What Dentists Can Learn from Top CEOs,” by clicking here.

Put scripts into your own words. Scripts should not be recited word for word, like a speech you’ve memorized. Learn to communicate the scripted points in a way that’s natural for you. Scripts are training tools that will help you present consistent information and answer parent questions effectively.

Whitepaper Wednesday: Check out Dr. Levin’s whitepaper, “The 9 Areas of Expertise: Scripting,” by clicking here. Save 25% with code TOD25.

Carefully examine insurance participation. Practices should review patient insurance participation each year. The doctor and financial coordinator should be aware of important data such as what percentage of total practice collections is generated by insurance, what insurance plans pay the highest reimbursement rates, which ones the lowest, which ones are provided by local employers, etc. This information will help the practice make the best decisions regarding insurance participation.

Additional Resource: Watch Dr. Levin’s video, “Game Changer #4 – Decrease In Insurance Reimbursements” by clicking here.

Advice for the Practice Leader – Control spending impulses. You may be tempted to buy the latest equipment, but you should exercise fiscal discipline. Evaluate new technologies carefully, not only to determine if they’ll benefit patients somehow but to calculate how long it will take to break even on the investment. If it’s not in your current budget, put it in your spending plan for the next year.

Management Monday: Check out Dr. Levin’s whitepaper, “Dentist as CEO – Finance & Overhead Analysis,” by clicking here. Save 25% with code TOD25.

Hand every parent a walkout statement. This document should show the treatment performed, what has been paid and what amount has been billed to insurance. Inform parents that anything not covered by insurance is their responsibility. Make sure the statement includes all services rendered.

Friday Freebie: Watch Dr. Levin’s video, “Internal Marketing – The Power of Free” by clicking here.

Performance Target: Increase doctor production by 20% annually. All systems must be operating at optimal levels for this to happen, and the doctor must delegate virtually all non-clinical activities to staff members. In a dental practice where a trained and scripted team keeps all systems working in concert, production will increase.

Additional Resource: Read an excerpt from Dr. Levin’s book, “The Ultimate Survival Guide For Marketing Your Practice,” by clicking here.