Assume the Best, Find Out the Rest
September 1st, 2010
My personal rule is that no matter how rough a patient looks, no matter how jacked-up their teeth are, I assume the best. This holds true for my clients too. No matter how low their perio percentage or how many ‘perio prophies’ they’re performing, I assume the best.
The fact is, we all do the best we can with the resources we have.
So if a patient hasn’t been to the dentist in 10 yrs, I don’t automatically assume they are intentionally neglecting their health or they just don’t care. I have no idea what’s been going on in their lives over those years. Many times, the stories you hear will break your heart. Or maybe they’ve had a demanding job that keeps them on the road 5 days a week. Regardless, I like them to know they’ve entered a ‘no guilt zone’. I can’t take credit for this term. You know my clever friend Dr. Chris Bowman, right? He’s the one who came up with this term and it works like a charm.
Once the patient knows you’re not there to judge or scold them, they are instantly at ease. And when they’re relaxed, they’re more likely to be receptive to your recommendations.
Here’s an exercise to do at your next team meeting:
Start with a neutral example such as this…
Heather got an F on her report card
Assumptions Truth
She’s lazy She needs a pre-requisite course
She didn’t study Her note taking skills need improving
Now we’ll use a dental example…
John has decay between all his teeth
Assumptions Truth
He doesn’t care He has a hard time flossing and no one has taught
him an alternative
He drinks soda all day He has low salivary pH and is taking Zoloft
Your task is to:
1- List on the left side all the assumptions you make about each other, your
doctor, your team andyour patients on a daily basis.
2-List on the right side what the truth could be. You’ll be amazed how this will re-frame how we communicate our patients and how receptive they are to your recommendations.
Stay Inspired,
Rachel
Turn 10 into $100k
July 21st, 2010
What I consistently find when analyzing hygiene departments is that one huge area of opportunity is undiagnosed and untreated perio in existing patients. Most practices are pretty good at getting new patients into some level of perio care but then there are no systems for keeping them in maintenance or identifying when they need to go back through active therapy.
When doing the analysis, I make very conservative projections for growth because I want them to be attainable. One of those projections is the amount of revenue that could be generated if just 10% of your existing patients were enrolled in even site-specific perio care. I have a formula to determine this and I’ll share that with you. But first, let’s do the ‘gap analyses’.
One exercise I do with clients and audiences is to ask the hygienists, “What percentage of the adult patients you see for prophies on a daily basis have 4mm bleeding pockets?”. What I usually hear is somewhere between 40 and 60%. I’ve asked this of hundreds of dental professionals and I always get the same answer. This is a huge indicator that something is not working with their perio program (assuming one exists).
So I challenge you to do the same. Ask the question. Then compare that number to your perio percentage. If 40% of patients have some active disease and your perio percentage is 12%-there’s your opportunity. If you’re already at 40-50% perio…Bravo!! Keep up the good work.
So I promised to show you how to create an additional $100k with just 10% of your patients.
Here you go:
2 hygiene practice with 1600 patients in recare
SRP fee = $200
Perio Maint fee = $90
10% = 160 patients X 2 quads site-specific SRP X $200/quad = $64,000
160 patients X 4 perio maint (every 3 mths) X $90/perio maint = $57,600
And there you have $121,600 in additional hygiene revenue by diagnosing disease that needs attention and delivering high-quality care. And we haven’t even accounted for your use of advanced diagnostic tests, local antibiotics, home care products or other adjuncts.
And I bet more than 10% need treatment so just double that and you’ve created one quarter of a million dollars!
I’d be happy to help you uncover your hygiene department’s profit potential. Email Gretchen@InspiredHygiene.com and she’ll get you started today!
Stay Inspired,
Rachel
You’ve asked me, so here you go!
January 18th, 2010
I’ve recently had many of our readers ask about my upcoming speaking schedule. Well, I’ve mentioned in the last couple e-zines that 2010 has started off with a bang and now you’ll see why. I’m honored to be doing a few tele-classes and webinars with some of the “Big Names” in the dental consulting industry. I wanted to let you know about three learning opportunities in January that could change the way you and your hygiene team take care of patients.
January 21, 2010 at 1:00pm Eastern I’m interviewing Mark Dilatush of New Patients Inc. We’ll be discussing “Patient Retention: Closing the Back Door“. To listen in on this call as part of your 2 month trial membership to our High Performance Hygiene Mastermind group, click here.
January 27, 2010 at 2:00pm Eastern Dr. Rhonda Savage of Miles & Associates is hosting my webinar “Stop Losing Thousands in Undiagnosed Perio Disease“. To register, click here.
January 28, 2010 at 8:00pm Eastern Woody Oakes and I will reveal “The 13 Biggest Hygiene Mistakes and How to Avoid Them“. This LIVE tele-class is F*R*E*E. To register go to www.13HygieneMistakes.com.
Stay inspired,
Rachel
Relationships
January 14th, 2010
Have you ever noticed that one sign of a true friend is that no matter how long you’ve been apart, when you’re reunited you can pick up right where you left off?
Last week, I had so much fun reconnecting with my best hygiene school friends. When we were together the years just melted away and it was like we were back in school 20 years ago. We’re planning for another get together soon and for our 20 year reunion next year.
With your patients, it is critical for you to build and nurture the relationship you have with them so that you stay connected during the months they are away.
Dental teams often don’t know how many of their patients they are retaining and I routinely see practices that have only 30-40% of their patients in recare.
This month on our High Performance Hygiene Mastermind call, I ‘m interviewing a true marketing expert and together we’ll share with you the key to retaining patients and how to know if they are coming in the front door and walking right out the back. Don’t miss this call!
Stay inspired!
Rachel
