Exceptional Dental Practice Management

Great Day At Colgate Connect Conference

 

CONNECT CONFERENCE

I was surprised recently with an invitation to the Colgate Connect Conference.  I was surprised, and immediately suspicious.  A nice young man named Carl Frederique had issued the invitation and I was pleased, but then thought, "Hey, what's this about?!  Why would Colgate fly me to New Jersey and reserve a hotel room for me?  This has to be some kind of kidnapping plot, or something.  Even his name sounded a little fishy to me.  Carl Frederique?  Is anyone really named Carl Frederique?"  Of course, I never went further than that to wonder why anyone would want to kidnap me in the first place.  I made my boss look at the invitation to see if he thought something was up.  He's used to me by now, so he just assured me that it didn't seem sinister.  That wasn't enough, I called my daughter and she made fun of me and told me to go and enjoy it.  But then again, she stands to inherit all my jewelry and stuff if anything happens to me, so maybe she's in on it.  Somehow, I got past all my imaginings and made the trip.  

When I got off the plane in New Jersey at 1am (and don't knock Jersey, I grew up there and loved it) I immediately headed for the Ladie's Room, so did everyone else.  Amid the flushing commodes and blowing hand dryers, my cell phone rings.  I figured it was my boss.  Dr. Morgan tends to call me when I'm in airport restrooms for some reason.  (If he reads this he'll be thinking that he's only done it once, but obviously it made a big impression on me, plus, I think it's funny.)  It was actually someone calling to tell me that a limo driver would be waiting for me at baggage claim.  Wow, they were tricky, they were still acting like it wasn't a plot.  I made my way to the area where I was to be snatched and there waited a very nice driver.  To my surprise, he dropped me off at the Hyatt.  No blindfold, no mouth gag, no handcuffs.  I started to relax.  I was given a very nice room and there was even a gift waiting for me, a really neat phone charger.  Hey, this wasn't a plot after all.  

In the morning, I went down to the lobby and found a superstar group assembled.  I was like a starstruck hayseed meeting all of these bloggers that I had interacted with over the years, but never met.  First, I spotted Teresa Duncan, from Odyssey Management who writes the Implant Blog.  She introduced me to Dr. Marty Jablow who writes a dental news and technology blog.  Then I saw Dr's Hales, Parente, and Carlson who write the Endo Blog.  Next, Dr. Larry Emmott who also writes a technology blog.  (You really can't have too many tech blogs, by the way, these two know their stuff.)  Last, but definitely not least there were two hygienists.  The fabulous Anastasia Turchetta and delightful Katie Hess.  I also finally met Carl Frederique himself, who really exists, that really is his name, no, he doesn't have a French accent, and he isn't sinister at all.  Besides, he was pretty skinny, so if he tried to kidnap me, I think I could overpower him.  That, and he'd have had to kidnap all those other people too, and I just don't see that happening.

When we arrived at the Colgate Technology Center we were greeted warmly and let to a beautiful conference center that proves that Jersey deserves to be the Garden State.  We spent about an hour talking and sharing ideas and then were given a tour of the Technology Center and now I know why Colgate deserves the esteem of the dental community.  They don't just make great toothpaste, they make so many high quality products that we use everyday; they really care about what they are making.  We were introduced to so many different technologists who are all enthusiastic about what they are doing, extremely knowledgeable, and were happy to share their knowledge with us.  (If you ever wonder why you can't find great, committed, enthusiastic employees, I know why; Colgate has them).  One after another, everyone was friendly, informative and best of all, happy in their work; every single one of them.  Dr. Virginia Barnes led our group and she could not have been nicer.  Erin Byrne and Dr. Foti Panagakos (a fellow Brooklyn native so he has to be a good guy) moderated the session and really amazed me with their knowledge of not only dentistry, but of social media.  After our tour, it was back to more roundtable discussions with this amazing group of social media experts (what I was doing there, I'll never know, but I obviously fooled someone into thinking I knew something so, lucky me!)  

The thing to realize is this: social media is an important, new way to reach out with your message. Colgate is trying to help the dental profession use this media to reach out to the general public, and to each other.   It may be that you make great oral health care products, it may be that you specialize in cosmetic dentistry, it may be that you can come to someone's practice as a consultant, it may be that you have ideas, systems, or knowledge that someone else can use.  Or, it may just be that you care.  That was the overwhelming feeling that I left New Jersey with; the people that I just spent the day with care.  The endo docs care about helping other dentists understand endo better, the hygienists want to help other hygienists, the tech guys want to keep us all up on what's new out there, Teresa can just help in so many different directions that you'll have to go to her blog and see what she has that you need, because I promise you, she has something for you, you just might not know you need it yet.  Finally, Colgate cares about what they make, how they make it, and the people who work for them.  They seem like family and that was not what I was expecting in a Tech Center.  

So, thank you Colgate for inviting me and treating me so well.  Thanks to all my fellow bloggers who attended this conference.  Please check out their blogs; I made it easy for you with all the links attached to their names above, so you have no excuse not to.  I had a wonderful time and enjoyed it immensely.  As an added bonus, I revived my Jersey accent for a day.  I got to say cawfee and awl again; can "You's guys" be far bahind.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I never stopped saying You's guys; but I have caught myself saying, You's guys and Y'all in the same sentence.  It gives me some originality, so I like it.

Stop Talking Recession

   

If you want your patients to accept treatment, stop scaring them.  Do not use the word recession anymore in your practice.  Don't let your staff do it either.  I've said it before, reacting to the recession negatively, will only make it more likely that your practice will be affected negatively. 
    When recommending treatment, don't say, "Mrs. Jones, you need a crown.  I know it's tough with the recession so we'll give you six months to pay with no interest."  You don't know how Mrs. Jones is faring so why bring it up.  Pretty presumptuous, actually.  Instead, tell her what treatment she needs and let the ball land in her court.  Now, if she says, "Oh, with this economy money's tight."  then you can offer the six months to pay, but you still shouldn't mention the word recession.  Just say, "You're a wonderful patient and I want you to have the treatment you need.  I'm happy to have Mary set you up with a payment plan that fits your budget."  All positive from you, no negative.  Sounds different, doesn't it?
    I encourage payment plans rather than third party financing right now because patients are more wary than ever of anything resembling credit.  They don't see a payment plan as credit and are more likely to accept it.  In addition, it's seen as goodwill by patients.  It's relationship building and keeps a steady cash flow coming into the office in a tough economy.  Will some fail their plan?  Possibly, but I think patients are being very realistic about what they can afford right now.  They don't seem to be agreeing to amounts they can't meet, at least not in our practice. 
    What about the patient who is in dire straits?  They've lost their job and may be looking at selling their home?  Believe me, you are way down on their list of priorities.  So, you have choices.  Do you badger them for money they don't have and send them to collection?  Since you can't get blood from a turnip I prefer to react with compassion and patience.  We're not going to get paid right now anyway, so why be a jerk about it?  At the very least, it may lead to goodwill.  At best, when things get better, you will probably get paid.  Either way, you'll have been a decent human being. 
    Try not to fire staff if you can help it.  When a hygienist is let go, it is going to impact the amount of treatment that can be treatment planned, there's no doubt about it.  Doing your own hygiene might sound like a good idea, but unless you are sitting with hours open on your schedule, you may just be getting caught in a vicious cycle and limiting your ability to rebound.  Try putting the hygienist on commission or reducing a day rather than firing her altogether.  Then, when things are better, increase her hours again. Do the same with other staff if you must.  In the meantime, have your staff brainstorm ways to increase productivity.  When someone has downtime, they should work on reactivation.  If you are short staffed you can only survive, not thrive. 
    I'm not saying to try to fool yourself that the economy isn't hurting, it is.  I'm saying, be part of the recovery.  Don't lay at the bottom of the financial pool and wait for the life to ebb out of your practice.  Pull it up and breathe life back into it.  By doing that, you not only help yourself, you help the economy overall, as well. 

The Bad Economy Doesn't Have To Sink Your Practice

   

The economy is terrible right now, everyone can agree on that.  The thing that surprises me though, is how quickly some dentists are reacting to it in very drastic ways.  Our Patterson rep was in the other day and told me that many offices are starting to lay off employees already.  The way I see it, that's a negative reaction to a negative situation. Seems like that will only generate a negative outcome.  It's also very short-sighted. 

    We don't know where the economy is going to go.  The more companies lay people off, the less people will be able to spend to bring the economy back.  I suggest finding positive responses that will allow you to keep your staff intact.  Then, when the economy is strong again you won't be scrambling to find and train new staff.  Overcome the negative economy with enough positive responses and you should be able to come out ahead.
 
    First, take a good look at your staff.  Are they presenting a positive image to your patients and each other?  One sour-puss can bring a lot of happy people down.  Pay attention to everyone's disposition.  What's the atmosphere like in your office?  The atmosphere of the office is almost as physical as the furniture and artwork.  It gives the patients a feeling.  Make sure it's a feeling of well-being, not dread.  As you know I have a new boss who bought the practice 8 months ago.  He is happiness personified.  He's not an air-head, he's aware of the economy and the possible negative affect it could have on the practice, but he doesn't give in to doom and gloom.  He's irrepressibly happy and it influences the staff's happiness.  The patients feel that and mention it.  Yesterday, a patient was in with a crown that had come off.  It ended up that she needed a new crown.  My boss really considered any alternatives and let her know that there was just no avoiding it, it had to be replaced.  He was compassionate and sincere about it, so she felt confident in his recommendation.  Once he left the room, she turned to me and said, "He's wonderful!  Is he always so nice and pleasant?"  I could honestly say, "Yes, he's a pleasure to work with.  I think we're all lucky to have him."  She replied that you could just feel it when you walk in our office.  Everyone is happy, pleasant and looking for ways to make it great for the patient.

    That's what I think is keeping us on track.  The patient's feel our interest in their well-being and it gives them confidence in our recommendations.  If a patient walks into an office, and the feeling is one of desperation or despondence, they are going to wonder if they really need a crown or if the Dr. needs to do a crown.  If they see a dwindling staff who is overworked and rushed, they are going to feel like something is wrong.  When I was interviewing someone last night, I asked her why she wanted to work in our practice.  She said that she wants to work in a place that makes her wake up feeling happy to go to work.  She said that every time she comes into our office it feels good and the staff looks happy and is friendly.  She wants to add to that feeling.  That's the kind of person I want in our practice. I want positive attitudes and positive actions.   I want to keep adding more positive so we can ride out this negative economy.
    From what I hear, hygiene departments are getting cut first.  This is an opportunity to sit down with your hygienists and try to find solutions.  What are they willing to do to increase production and get patients in for recall?  Whether you can see it or not, if you aren't getting patients in the hygienist's chair, you are not going to have anyone to diagnose treatment for.  If you have openings in your schedule, give the hygienist more time for each patient and let her take more time examining the teeth as well as doing the prophy.  Let her use that time to educated patients and talk to them about the benefits of the treatment you may suggest.  Hygienists, be willing to do things you don't usually do.  Learn to perform tasks outside your usual scope of duty.  Find opportunities to market the practice.  Volunteer to give a talk at a local health fair or seminar about dental health and bring some business cards with you. 

    If you pull together as a practice and brainstorm ways to give better service and keep the atmosphere positive, you may just float over this rough time and come out healthy and intact as a practice. 

He Felt Just Like Me

   

I, along with many others woke up to find out that Barak Obama will be our next president.  Wow!  We've come a long way from when I was a baby.  I think he'll be a good president.  I know it makes me proud of our country.  We've elected someone based on the "content of his character" rather than color of his skin.  The world was watching this one and the world seems to think we did a good thing.
    I grew up in Brooklyn, NY in the sixties.  We didn't have any black people in our neighborhood so I only saw black people on tv, and even there, not many.  One day my mother took me shopping at A&S.  I was about 5 years old and while I was waiting for her in the shoe department. A little black boy started talking to me.  His hand was resting on a railing and I remember looking at it and thinking that his skin looked so soft and I wanted to touch it to see if it was.  I finally couldn't resist and reached out and poked at it.  He asked me what I was doing and I told him I wanted to see what he felt like.  He asked what I thought and I said, "You feel just like me."  He reached out and poked my hand and agreed.  There was no difference. He started telling me about his mother and father and his siblings and again, his family sounded a lot like mine.   He even had a dog.  I don't know why that surprised me, but it did.  We probably talked to each other for 10 minutes, but that short interaction influenced that way I would think about race for the rest of my life.  I guess it was one of those things I learned in kindergarten; one of the lessons that would serve me well through the years.
    I wish I knew the man that little boy grew into.  I'd love to tell him what an impact he had on me.  I'm sure he has no memory of me at all, but I bet he'd love to know that he gave me some wisdom about race.  I'm sure that my life is better for it.  I'm not color blind.  I see a black person as black, Asian as Asian, Hispanic as Hispanic, but that doesn't define them for me.  I look to their character.  That's the gift I received because I dared to reach out and touch that little boy over 40 years ago.  As I went about my life I realized that he felt just like me, wanted things I wanted, felt things I felt, and hoped to be happy, just like me.  I realize that he inspired me and taught me to see people for who they are more than for how they look.  All because he felt just like me.

A Day of Remembrance For the Students Murdered at Virginia Tech