Starting Out

My first goal when working with clients is to improve their dental practice. This includes team unity, work/life balance, and increases in production.

One of my early clients was in a small Midwestern town nestled among a small highway and many cornfields. The grocery store was closed on Sundays and it was a tight knit community. Many of the locals were dairy farmers or they worked in the trade industry.

The Doctor’s concerns were:

• His lack of production
• Poor communication in the practice
• No accountability within the team
• Not trusting his team to do what he asked them to

Getting to Work

As I analyzed the situation and assessed all team members by interviewing and getting to know them, I discovered that the lack of communication was significant on all levels. I started with helping them understand each other on a basic level which allowed them to recognize personality styles and how that influenced what they saw and heard in each other. Teaching the Doctor and team members to understand each other and how to discuss concerns played a key role in this office. Next it was how communication impacted the patient and key elements to treatment acceptance.  This Doctor worked hard and implemented social styles, case presentation for increased treatment acceptance, and improved scheduling. Over time he saw a 70% increase in his production. Yes, true story! He started at a very low production per month, but I was very proud of this practice as he made significant strides to help patients get dentally healthy.

Evaluating the Improvements

I train dentists to present only treatment that is needed to get the patient to dental health and then how to present it with confidence. He was very insurance driven and hence, the rest of the team followed. With the training I presented, the Doctor was able to think about patient health and less about insurance benefits (or lack of) and patients decided to accept treatment. In my first year of working with him, he saw a 47% increase in his production because he presented health to his patients. Hygiene also saw a 33% increase in production as they learned how to get their patients to health.

It is so gratifying to take a practice from one of frustration to a point where everyone looks forward to coming to the practice, including the patients. I love improving dental practices!