You Should Re-Think the Effects of Poor Scheduling

Time consolidation can bring in huge dividends to your practice.

I was taught many years ago that 10 minutes lost per day equates to $30,000 in revenue per year.  I imagine that this figure should be different today, but it is still a lot to leave on the table.

When a new business team member is hired, they are showing up with what they have learned from past experiences.  We assume that they know how we expect them to schedule or that they understand the value of time, your time.   But, unless you tell them what your expectations are, many times it appears as if they don’t know what they are doing.  Well, they do know what they are doing, they are scheduling exactly how the last dentist expected them to schedule.  Worse yet, they have never been fully trained on the value of time and they are doing what they THINK is best.

One of the reasons that I started my own business is because I was told by a friend that he has never met anyone who could train scheduling like I could.  I found this a powerful statement as he is a very successful specialist.  So I took that and ran with it.  I recently spoke with a Business Assistant who is new to the profession and she told me that teaching her how to schedule was a game changer.  She had no idea the significance of the 20 minutes (2 unit) gaps in her doctor’s day.  She was able to find hours in his week when she consolidated his schedule.  We identified doctor time and scheduled procedures according to when he was available.  Since my visit at his practice, he has been scheduled out for weeks now.  Prior to my arrival, he had gaps in his week of non scheduled hours at a time.  Looking at the bigger picture of bringing value to the treatment he provides and treatment presentation (recommending only treatment that the patient needs), his schedule is full and he is meeting his production goals.

Guiding the patients to appointment times that preserve the Doctor’s time is important.  Good appointing language is key to get the patients in the schedule appropriately.  This allows a smooth flowing day as well.  Your Business Team understands the difference between emergencies and urgencies, and knows where to put them in your schedule WITHOUT asking you.  Interruptions should not be part of a patient’s experience in your practice. ?