Management Essentials

Target—98% of All Patients Scheduled at All Times

By Mark Cardwell
Senior Consultant, Levin Group

Roger related a story about an executive conference he recently attended at Harvard Business School (HBS). Listening to him it struck me that for years the professors there have used one phrase more often than any other. While the phrase seems obvious and simple, it is absolutely true. Successful companies, HBS professors say, offer products and services that are “better, faster and more affordable” than those of competitors.

Pedo practices need to incorporate the best management methodologies from dentistry and the business community to increase profitability and come back strong from the recession. The advice from HBS is also very applicable to pediatric dental practices in the following areas:

1. Better – Implement Stage III Customer Service™ – New patients are the lifeblood of your pedo practice, driving both short-term and long-term growth. Superior customer service ensures that your parents have a great experience and say positive things when they return to their GPs. Develop a system for how new patients and parents are brought into the practice, exceed their expectations, and create protocols that ensure excellent customer service.
2. Faster – Build a Power Cell Schedule™ – Pedo practices live or die by how effective and productive their schedules are. Develop power cells for productive procedures and create the optimal template for each day the practice is open. Set daily, monthly and annual production targets and design your schedule to achieve these goals. The target is to have 98% of all patients scheduled at all times. Levin Group has found that pedo practices using this strategy enjoy higher production than ones that do not have production targets.
3. More Affordable – Upgrade to Greenlight Case Presentation™ – Creating a system that improves case acceptance immediately increases production and collections. It also makes for healthier patients, allowing the practice to follow its mission of delivering optimal pediatric dental care. Educate and motivate patients and parents with an approach that involves the entire team, including hygienists, assistants and front desk personnel. Learn how to get your young patients and their parents involved in, and excited about recommended treatment. Offer a range of payment options like CareCredit, including patient financing, that make treatment more affordable. We recommend that your case acceptance target for all services be set at 90%.

Conclusion
Your systems for customer service, scheduling and case presentation are key to jumpstarting growth in your pedo practice. Pedo practices that follow these recommendations will not only get an “A” from the professors at HBS, but also experience much greater success.