The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT PEARLS

Shortly after I began work in a dental office, following years as a classroom teacher, I heard a practice management seminar leader speak of "pearls" in the title of his lecture. To me that seemed an odd term to use in dentistry, but, as he proceeded, it took only a few minutes for me to realize pearls referred to valuable nuggets of advice on the details of managing a dental practice.
So...let’s look at a few pearls of our own:

• Review several lists monthly, assigning one staff member to be responsible for follow-up on each report:
• Outstanding third-party-payer claims
• Accounts receivable aging report
• Broken or canceled-not-rescheduled appointments
• Overdue recare appointments


• One staff member should be responsible for petty cash, balancing the cash box each month by matching receipts to the amount of cash used that month.


• Make certain CDT (Current Dental Terminology) codes used to file third-party claims are current. A complete new set of CDT codes is generated annually with additions, deletions, and modifications included. (Go to practicon.com to order your copy of Coding with Confidence, The "Go To" Dental Coding Guide by Dr. Charles Blair. Dr. Blair’s book is updated annually and contains tips for reducing coding errors and increasing legitimate reimbursement.)


• Create a written emergency protocol for your office, laminate copies, and post them strategically around the office, visible to staff," But not to patients. Several times during the year role play each person’s responsibility during a real emergency. This is a valuable activity to include in a staff meeting agenda. Address what to do and who to do it for medical, weather, fire, or intruder emergencies. Additionally, the doctors and staff members should program first responder emergency telephone numbers into their cell phones.


• Obtain new bids at least every other year for:
• Practice, personnel, and personal insurances
• Merchant charges paid for patients who pay fees with credit cards
• Office services such as telephone, computer support, shredder services, janitorial, trash collection, grounds maintenance, gas delivery, dental supplies, etc.


• Outside the office, determine your personal liability for actions and/or activities of the Boards on which you serve. Even Homeowner Association Board members can, under certain circumstances, be held liable for problems.