Tuesday, August 30, 2011

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE

Max Gunther, a journalist and author of 26 books, quipped, “When you’re in a tug-of-war with a tiger, give him the rope before he gets to your arm. You can always buy a new rope!”

Resistance to change, refusing to give the tiger the rope, creates stress, sleeplessness and hopelessness. Playing the new game by the old rules because one refuses to change results in burn out. When your practice or any aspect thereof, your life’s seasons, or relationships change, decide to adjust before that proverbial tiger gets to your arm.

Begin to adapt to inevitable change by changing your attitude, opening your mind to new opportunities. We’re not talking here about compromising your principles or ethical standards. We’re talking about adjusting your attitude to adapt to the inevitable changes in certain aspects of your practice and your life. Paul wrote, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Cor.6:6 One can choose to follow Paul’s example.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

JUST DO IT!!

To share a bit of insider information, I’ll tell you that Practicon operates with a theme, a new one each year. Our theme serves as a rallying cry to infuse all staff members with renewed enthusiasm for focusing on YOU, our customers, with the BEST in products and the FINEST service.

2011s theme: JUST DO IT! DO RIGHT. DO BETTER. DO TOGETHER.

How could this or a theme of your own creation affect your practice, your staff, and your patients?

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

RECARE SYSTEM CHECKUP

The standard practice management advice is that an effective Recare System will enroll at least 70% to 80% of your active patients. A question, not often addressed, follows: How do we count active VS inactive patients?

An active patient in a General Practice is one who has been seen in the past 24 months, not including single visit emergencies who never returned for follow up care. An active patient in a Pediatric Dental Practice is one who has been seen in the past 18 months, not including single visit emergencies who never return, referrals from other healthcare providers who come for care with plans to return to the referring office, and patients who age out of the Pediatric Practice.

Count patients fitting the parameters. Then divide the total by 6 months if that is the frequency with which you see Recares. The quotient will be the number of Recares the practice could see if operating a 100% effective system. Calculate the average number of Recares actually seen per month. Divide that number by the 100% figure to determine how effective your system is.

Example: 1800 active patients who fit the criteria above
1800 active patients / 6months = 300 Recares per month for 100% effective system

200 Recares per month actual average
200 / 300 = 66% effective system

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Water Equals Life

“Practicon is privileged and humbled to give a portion of our SmileGoods toothbrush sales to a cause as dear as life itself---clean water.” That is a quote from the Practicon catalog and a Practicon action plan as well. We are donating to causelife (www.causelife.org, helping that organization provide 1000 clean water wells for one million people worldwide. Save BIGTIME on Practicon’s top quality toothbrushes (See page 203 of Practicon’s Fall catalog.) and help BIGTIME with life-saving clean water for people who otherwise have only contaminated water.