By focusing on your dental patients, your staff, and yourself, you will have a successful dental practice. Dr. Bobby Haney practiced patient-centric dentistry his entire career, and it paid off.
It seems like I'm seeing and hearing a lot about the “patient-centric” dental practice lately, and I think that’s a good thing. In fact, I preach this constantly to my consulting/coaching clients. I believe in it. It can change your practice and your life.
Putting others first—my patients, my team, my family, and now my clients—is the key to my success. My practice philosophy was “the customer (patient) is always right.” Of course there are exceptions to this, but the point is we really tried to go the extra mile in serving our patients and each other in my practice.
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There are at least two major reasons why this is good policy. First of all, it is personally fulfilling. Selfishness and greed will reap you the same in return. There will be constant struggle and stress to achieve, compete, win, and acquire. In his book, "The Man in the Mirror," Patrick Morley paraphrases the old story, “Nobody wins the rat race. Even if you do, you’re still a rat.” The antidote to this is the Golden Rule, “Treat others like you want to be treated” (my paraphrase).
Another reason to be patient-centric is that it actually does pay you in more than personal fulfillment. Patients, and all people actually, who perceive that they are genuinely cared for are much more likely to become loyal patients (and friends). They will more readily refer their friends and family, and they are much more likely to be agreeable to your fees. Who wouldn’t want that in their practice?
There is actually a book I like that makes this point. Author and researcher Dr. Don Barden discovers one common denominator among the CEOs of several major corporations in his book, "The Perfect Plan." That factor? All of these ladies and gentlemen began their business relationships with the attitude, “What can I do for you?” Oh, and by the way, all of these leaders were heads of the top 1% performing companies in their industry! Being patient-centric is the key to success.
Let me give you an idea of what that might look like in a dental practice. You may have seen some of these before and this is certainly not an exhaustive list. But it will give you a reference point to evaluate your practice.
We use five areas of practice growth in our consulting business, so I will use those categories here:
Team growth
Have written job descriptionsfor each employee (or potential employee). I recommend at least these: dental assistant, lead dental assistant, hygienist, hygiene assistant, insurance coordinator, office manager, treatment coordinator, hygiene coordinator, financial coordinator, patient concierge (reception/phone), scheduling coordinator, and doctor.
Use these job descriptions and conduct regular performance reviews. I recommend reviews at least twice a year. (These may seem out of place in this article about being patient-centric. But, if your team is confused or disheartened, your office will not “feel” patient-centric.)
Patient growth
• Pre-block time on the schedule for emergency patients and new patients.
• Greet patients by name when they enter the door. Do not ever have a sign-in sheet.
• Treat your patients (new and existing) like they are guests in your home.
Financial growth
• Know your patients' insurance plans and coverage before they get to the office.
• Be very clear in explaining your fees and financial policies.
Capacity growth
• Learn and offer as many procedures as you can. Make your office the place for comprehensive and convenient dentistry.
• Offer extended and convenient hours for your busy patients.
Personal growth
• Take leadership training courses.
• Take a vacation. You need to relax and refresh.
These and other actions will move you closer to creating your ideal practice and will
reward in the ways I dscussed. Try it! I believe you will like what happens.
At PracticeGrowthCoach.com, we use the same principles with our clients and receive
the desired results. Our clients are our priority!
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Dr. Bobby Haney has recently retired from private dental practice in Waxahachie, Texas, after 32 years. He is the founder and leader of PracticeGrowthCoach.com, president of 1Twenty2 Ministries, and shares his coaching skills with his family at their home in Bristol, Texas.. He can be contacted via his website, at [email protected], or call (469) 843-0119.
