Dental industry news, trends and information from Patterson Dental.
One of the challenges the pandemic posed was increased cancellations due to illness or exposure to COVID-19. Solutionreach allowed for a fluid schedule the practice needed. Electronic intake forms, patient text messages and remote access all worked together to keep the practice running smoothly.
If you ask any dentist about the biggest problem they have in running their practice, invariably the answer will point, in one way or another, to staffing issues. But new hires is not always the best solution. Automating tasks like processing new patient information, triaging after-hours emergencies, medical prescreening, and curbside check-ins relieve your overburdened team members to be able to do what they do best; take care of patients.
Patients become no-shows for a variety of reasons, and the impact that has on a dental practice is well documented. Finances, fear, forgetfulness, transportation and last-minute issues can all lead to a no-show. But there is another side to the no-show issue that is important to recognize: a no-show patient may be looking to receive care from somewhere else.
Finding new ways to increase dental office productivity can improve the agility of your staff, boost the patient experience and help you bring in new patients. Improvement in any of these areas can help increase revenue in the process.
Dental practices that have seen continued growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have largely relied on technology. Some have put current technologies to newfound use, while others have invested in new dental technology to bring in extra revenue. Continue reading for three technologies dentists have relied on to keep schedules full and revenues up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michael Cruz and Dee Dee Meevasin, DMD, were running critical business operations at full sprint when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Las Vegas, threatening to stop them in their tracks. The technology-forward dental practice found ways to remain operational when faced with taking emergency appointments only. Teledentistry from OperaDDS allowed for virtual consults, triaging and as a general screening and communication tool.
Keeping patients updated with paperwork, reminders for their appointments and a list of what to expect when they get to the office will help ensure they keep their appointment. Here are three steps to create a positive patient experience and help make sure your schedule stays full and breaking appointments is a rarity.
As part of its webinar series on supporting a new digital patient journey, Solutionreach recently shared some of the key areas of focus when communicating with patients during COVID-19. As patients look for a variety of up-to-date information, their healthcare provider could likely be their best source of trusted information.
Social distancing massively effects the dental industry, forcing us to change what our standard procedures are. In this new reality, we can’t just go paperless, we must go touchless. Continue reading for steps dental practices can take to provide a touch-free dental experience.
Curbside waiting rooms and curbside check-in have become a necessity for dental practices. The experts at RevenueWell share how to successfully communicate, and create, this new reality to patients.
As dental offices re-open and face the challenges created by COVID-19, how can a practice maintain the patient experience that patients have come to expect yet create reduced contact points within the practice? Ann-Marie DePalma, RDH, shares several ways to create a touchless patient experience.
When Melissa Brown, DDS, founded Murray Hill Family Dental, she worked hard to prepare for many different business situations. But needing to close and reopen her practices due to a global pandemic isn’t one she could have imagined. Along with her husband, Troy Walton, director of business operations, they have built a loyal customer following and are an active and important part of their community.
With most dental practices in the U.S. open for emergency care only, it can be easy to stress about the future of your practice. Amid the uncertainty, it’s important to remain optimistic and think of ways to turn the negatives into a positive. Imtiaz Manji, the co-founder and chairman of Spear Education, recently shared his ideas on how to navigate the coronavirus crisis and how dental practices can use this tough situation to improve their business and come back stronger.
As the world moves toward digital operations, it’s time to start considering what life in paperless dental offices will look like. Be it electronic forms or a patient portal, dental practices are finding more ways to engage with patients, sans-paper.
Complimentary beverages, relaxing playlists and new patient office tours are all easy ways to improve patient comfort. But what about scent branding? Tapping into the sense of smell can elevate the quality of an interaction and the possibility of creating a loyal patient.
Whether right before patients come in for an appointment, while in the waiting room, when they’re in the chair, just after their appointment or in between visits, you should always be communicating.
Patients who are engaged with their providers value dentistry more and are more willing to commit to case acceptance. With engagement and education, patients begin to see the importance of oral health. Here are a few tools for improving patient engagement.
Campers instead of patients, canoes instead of exam chairs, a treehouse instead of a waiting room, and counselors instead of staff. Dr. Raelene Fulford combined her passion for pediatric dentistry with her love of the outdoors to create a one-of-a-kind dentist office.
How many times did you step on your breaks this morning on your way into work? Did you put laundry soap in the wash load? Close the garage door? When you picked up an ink pen to write a note, which hand did you pick […]
The days are long, the sun is hot, ice cream tastes extra delicious, and outdoor concert season is in full swing. There’s no denying it: we’re in the heart of SUMMER! Beaches and BBQs shouldn’t be the only places infused with #SummerVibes, though. From themed […]
Lips: Whether they’re thick, thin, pouty, or plump, we’ve all got ’em – and thank goodness we do! They help us speak, emote, eat, drink, and they have the all-important job of protecting our mouths. For bearing all of that responsibility, we should take at […]
We’ve put together 8 free, printable, dental-themed valentines that feature the universal language of love…PUNS! Surprise your patients and coworkers with one of these fun cards.
When new patients visit your practice for the first time, they come with a unique set of experiences that may or may not include feeling at ease around doctors and hygienists. Regardless of where on the comfort scale your patients fall, there are a variety […]
Everyone is familiar with the idiom, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, you can think of your dental practice’s office design in much the same way. If your patients walk into your waiting room and are greeted by a larger-than-life coral reef complete with […]
The beginning of a new school year can get crazy, as your lazy summer mornings turn into mad dashes to the bus stop. In the hustle and bustle of back to school days, healthy mouth habits can fall by the wayside. It’s easy to forget […]
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel!” –Maya Angelou How are you making your young patients feel when they walk through your doors? Imagine being that timid […]
According to recent projections released by Grand View Research Inc., virtual and augmented reality in the health care market will swell to become a $5.1 billion industry by the year 2025. There are a rapidly-growing number of applications for this exciting technology in healthcare as […]
Life is full of special events that we will remember forever. Whether it’s walking down the aisle on a wedding day, hugging an out-of-state relative at a family reunion, or shaking the dean’s hand at a graduation ceremony, these big moments become treasured and timeless […]
Have you ever been in a conversation and felt that you weren’t being heard? What a frustrating feeling! Now, imagine how a patient would feel if they experienced this during an appointment. If a patient expresses her oral health concerns but doesn’t feel you care […]
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and while most folks will celebrate by passing out chocolates, lollipops, and all manner of sweets, that just wouldn’t be very dentist-like of you now would it? Give the gift your patients expect, nay deserve. Give the gift […]