Dental industry news, trends and information from Patterson Dental.
The dental profession can play an important role in controlling the environmental impact of the practice of dentistry, and individual practices can contribute on a grassroots level. Here are a few ways dental practices can Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
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.
Make the claims and collections process more efficient and help alleviate patient frustration by creating workflows that include software tools, hiring insurance negotiators and working with patients to address their needs.
After trying several different patient engagement solutions, West Lakes Family Dentistry turned to OperaDDS software to meet its needs, experiencing ease and efficiency in the process.
DARW is organized by the American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA) and is meant to recognize dental assistants for the key role they play in dental practices throughout the year. Here are 10 ways to show your appreciation for the dental assistants at your office.
Compliance is a critical aspect of any successful dental practice. As such, it’s important to stay on top of current standards, laws and guidelines to safeguard your dental practice and patients. Here are five common denominators of compliance every practice should consider.
Dr. Rice discusses four areas of your practice to improve on to increase productivity.
Keeping an appropriately stocked inventory of materials and instruments is a bit of a balancing act. You have limited space, but you have a busy practice. You don’t want to be short of a material in the middle of an emergency procedure, but you also don’t want to keep whitening gel past its expiration date because you ordered too much.
When Sonai Roy started as a patient coordinator at John Powers, DMD, in 2017, she quickly recognized the untapped potential of the practice’s patient engagement software. But it wasn’t until COVID-19 hit that the need to more fully apply RevenueWell’s features came into sharp focus.
The myths of who and what constitute a great leader are so powerful that many in dentistry simply steer clear of leadership all together. David Rice, DDS, shares several ways practice owners can effectively lead their teams, even during uncertain times.
While cloud-based practice management software offers many business benefits, it’s important to consider basic safety protocols such as data security, remote login policies and passwords protection. Linda Harvey discusses how to keep your data safe and HIPAA compliant.
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.
David Rice, DDS, founder of igniteDDS discusses how New Year’s resolutions compare to dentistry and offers four things to focus on that all revolve around same-day dentistry.
Methods for protecting your computers, business data and patient data are increasingly complex and ever changing. No checklist can guarantee total security; however, there are some best practices that can minimize many risks to your systems and data.
With the end of 2020 comes new lists, goals and ways to creatively end the year on a high note. Cassie Brehmer shares how connecting with patients who have unfinished treatment, getting ready for the rush between Christmas and New Year’s and finding ways to celebrate your staff will help close this year out on a positive note.
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.
Integrating these tools and strategies will improve practice efficiency and impress upon your patients how important their comfort and safety are to you.
Automated patient reminders can reduce no-shows by 34% or more. In addition to the cost on a patient’s health for not following up on necessary treatment, the tangible costs of no-shows can have a severe impact on health care in general and your bottom line specifically. See how automated patient reminders can improve the continuum of care while increasing office and staff efficiency.
Now that most dental offices are fully open again, it is even more important for dental practice owners to have a plan for reducing cancelations and no-shows. We asked David R. Rice, DDS, founder of igniteDDS to share some steps dental practices can take to reduce cancellations and no-shows.
Pam McDonald has spent more than three decades getting to know her patients, but even with strong internal dental processes the team built in place, change inevitably knocked on the door.
The WHO recently recommended the delay of routine dental care in certain situations due to COVID-19. In a written response, the ADA said it “respectfully yet strongly disagrees” with the WHO’s recommendation. Roger P. Levin, DDS, shared a video outlining a scripted response dental practices can use to address patient concerns. Dr. Levin also offers three signs that may signal patients are opting out of routine dental care due to this news.
When COVID-19 limited dental care in the midwestern state to emergencies only, Megan Beuckens, DDS, knew she had to find new ways to extend her skills beyond the reach of her operatory.
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.
As states have relaxed stay-at-home orders and dental practices have started seeing patients for routine care again, teledentistry may still be top of mind for dental practices looking to give patients more ways to connect between visits. If you’ve been considering implementing teledentistry at your practice, how do you know if you’re ready? How do you know if teledentistry is right for your practice? How can you gauge its true impact on your business?
A growing number of states are allowing businesses, including dental practices, to reopen. Is your practice ready to resume routine patient care? Linda Harvey, RDH, shares several compliance factors to consider as part of your reopening process.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of RevenueWell’s customers were mandated to temporarily halt elective treatments and have cut back their schedules to only accept emergency appointments. To meet this demand, RevenueWell recently announced its newest feature, Virtual Visits. Learn about this new teledentistry solution.
Some companies have been able to not only accelerate growth but also increase profitability while facing economic headwinds. As dental offices begin to reopen and rebound from the COVID-19 crisis, practice owners should focus on three key dimensions to navigate the economic downturn and come out the other side stronger.
Whether you’re handling emergencies only, entirely shut down, or taking initial steps to reopen, you’re no doubt focused on the near-term future of your practice. Kathy Brodal, a Patterson Dental business educator, offers eight ways to plan, prepare and pull off a strategy for propelling your business forward effectively.