Page 15 - GP Spring 2018

Double Your Practice from Within:

How?

By Cathy Jameson, Ph.D.

The American Dental Association and drop to the bottom line. This is how you into your presentation of recommendations.
Dental Economic 2016 surveys indicate add that significant increase to the bottom
that the average case acceptance ratio in line profit margin. People buy what they want before they buy
a dental practice today is 61%. You may what they need. Determine what the patient
be higher or lower, but that is the national Consider this goal for 2018: To increase wants!
average. However, answer two significant your case acceptance ratio by a minimum
questions—and answer them honestly. of 5%. The first item on your list is to figure Here is when you will also provide a very
Do you really know your case acceptance your case acceptance level now. Now add comprehensive oral evaluation.
ratio or how much of the dentistry that 5% and that is your benchmark or goal.
you are diagnosing is being accepted? Step Three: Educate, motivate, and
Are you doing comprehensive diagnosing Increasing Treatment Acceptance activate the patient to proceed. As
and treatment planning and are you The purpose of your case acceptance dental care providers, you are educators of
documenting properly and thoroughly, system is to make it possible for a patient dentistry. Approximately 83% of a person’s
tracking and following up on all of those to say, “Yes,” to the treatment you are education or learning takes place visually.
treatment plans and patients? recommending. Period. So, use visual aids to show a person the end
results and the benefits of treatment that
So, challenge yourself to this assignment Everyone on the dental team has specific you are recommending. Use photography.
for 2018: Provide a comprehensive responsibilities. The case acceptance system
diagnosis on all patients. Document this is not just one person’s responsibility. Not You want patients to know the following
diagnosis. Develop a full treatment plan, just the doctor. Everyone. Each person on things:
including periodontal care where needed. the team can make or break a patient’s
Plan how you are going to present your willingness to proceed with treatment. • What they have now.
recommendations to your patient. Present • What procedures you are recommending
your recommendations masterfully. Then, The Steps of Case Presentation: to restore their mouth to health again or
with excellence and professionalism, offer 1. Build a relationship of trust and to create a beautiful smile.
several financial options to handle the confidence. • What the advantages or benefits are of
number one barrier to treatment acceptance: 2. Establish both the “perceived need” proceeding.
Money. Then, follow up and follow through and the diagnostic need. • What the disadvantages are of not
on all treatment not completed. 3. Educate, motivate, and activate the proceeding.
patient to proceed.
How much dentistry is being diagnosed 4. Ask for a commitment or “close”. Step Four: Ask for the commitment.
on each new patient and how much of Are there barriers or objections to Answer all clinical questions, then ask for a
that dentistry is being accepted by those proceeding? If so, identify these so commitment. If you don’t, you will have a
patients? That will give you the guidelines you can work to overcome them. lot of people walking out the door and you
to determine how many new patients 5. Make financial arrangements. will not know if they are going ahead with
you need each month and will be your 6. Schedule the appointment. treatment or not. Once the closing question
benchmark for one of the “critical factors of 7. Follow-up with patients. has been asked and, if there are no more
the business of dentistry” : New Patients. clinical questions, the doctor excuses him
©
Step One: Build the Relationship. or herself and the treatment coordinator or
As is true of any business, you must Before a person will say “yes” to your business manager takes over.
have new patients. Any business needs recommendations, you must first build
new business. However, most practices a relationship of confidence and trust. Step Five: Make financial arrangements.
have more dentistry sitting in their charts People will not make a purchase without Go to the ADA website and order the
waiting to be done than they have ever confidence and trust. The oral cavity is booklet from their Guidelines for Practice
provided. Set a goal for 2018 to get much an intimate zone of the human body and Success on Managing Finance and get the
of that dentistry out of the charts and into deserves respect. Therefore, establishing link to the webinar of the same name. I
the mouths of your patients. Increase your trust is so critical—with each member of helped to write the booklet and wrote and
case acceptance ratio—no matter what it is the team. Everyone counts. presented the webinar. You will find the
at the present time. information current and useful. This ever-
Step Two: Establish the Need. Patient challenging area of the practice is “where
A Forbes study showed that if a business questionnaires or surveys can provide the rubber meets the road”. If an agreement
increased its retention rate by 5%, that it valuable information about patients on financing is not accomplished, the
would increase its bottom line profits by and about their individual concerns. In patient cannot schedule the appointment.
100%. If you are not spending more on addition, ask questions and listen. Listen If the appointment is not scheduled,
your “fixed” or major overhead items and to what patients want. Why are they there? the dentist does not get to provide the
you are increasing your production, most What brought them to you? Listen to gain treatment. Production and collection suffer.
(about 80%) of those increased monies insights. Incorporate what you discover Finances suffer. Everyone loses. And the
continued on next page
www.nysagd.org l Spring 2018 l GP 15