The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

GET A GRIP!

Is 2018 the year you are determined to get better control of your practice, improving organization and overall management? If so, you might begin by departmentalizing the office. Managing the systems of a dental practice as departments can improve the entire entity, including the bottom line (profit). Each department can be monitored and analyzed to be certain maximum efficiency and specific goals are reached and maintained.
Think of a dental practice as six departments:

• Personnel
• Financial
• Scheduling
• Restorative
• Hygiene
• Marketing and Physical Facility

Customize the outline below to fit particular details of your practice. Senior staff members in the business and clinical areas can report monthly on the current status of each department, supplying details of operation. The dentist or practice administrator should review reports regularly, trace progress or problems in each department, and plan for changes necessary to meet annual goals. With this method of constant pulse-taking accompanied by immediate adjustments, your practice will be better managed, more enjoyable, and more profitable.
Business Monitor by Departments
Personnel Department

• Staffing needs—plan ahead
• Training—new team members, OSHA, HIPPA, emergency system, material safety, CE courses, certification, etc.
• Work schedule, holidays, vacation, personal leave, etc.
• Teamwork—status, needs, activities, charitable projects
• Compensation packages—wages, benefits, bonus system, reviewed by Dr. and practice administrator only
• Personnel costs (wages, bonus, and benefits) = ____% of total overhead costs
• Individual team member’s successes, concerns, events, etc.

Financial Department

• Income comparison by actual dollars and by percentage increase or decrease over last month and Year-To-Date (YTD) to last YTD
• Production this month to last month; YTD to last YTD
• Collections this month to last month; YTD to last YTD
• Collection percentage rate (collections divided by production)
• Sources of payments
• Cash, checks, debit cards—over the counter
• Credit cards (monitor credit card use and merchant rate charges)
• Insurance
• Number of claims filed
• Amount filed; amount paid; percentage of total collections
• Employers providing insurance or managed care plans, including new carriers; direct reimbursement
• Problems collecting claims
• Patient feedback: compliments, complaints, comments
• Managed care, government assistance—production of each; percentage write-off from regular fees; percentage of total office production; total collections, collection percentage rate
• Write-offs—monitored in actual dollars and percentage of production
• Managed care, government assistance
• Professional courtesy discounts
• Pro-bono (charity) dentistry
• Bad debt
• Billing dates; number of statements; comparison to previous months
• Accounts receivable: total and aged categories: 30, 60, 90, 120 days and in collections
• Accounts payable—current; any overdue?
• Budget reconciliation and update; analyses of overages; necessary quarterly modifications; capital expenditures

Scheduling Department

• Number of days worked; number of hours worked—YTD compared with last YTD
• Number of appointments scheduled; number of patients seen
• Show rate (patients seen divided by patients appointed)
• Number of broken appointments; number rescheduled
• Daily production goal; actual average daily production
• Daily collection goal; actual average daily collection
• Patient audit— number of active patients; number deactivated, and reasons

Restorative Department

• Number of restorative appointments scheduled; number seen as scheduled
• Show rate (patients seen divided by patients appointed)
• Total fees for diagnosed treatment; total dollars of treatment accepted/scheduled (treatment scheduled divided by treatment diagnosed and presented)
• Production—$_____; restorative care is ___% of total office production; compare YTD with last YTD
• Top five fee-producing procedures
• Lab cases—successes; problems
• Supply inventory—control? problems? costs?

Hygiene Department

• Number of recare appointments; number needed to meet minimum goal of 75% to 80% of active patients recalled regularly.
• Show rate (recare patients seen as appointed divided by the total number appointed)
• Analysis of appointments—6 months or less, perio, home care, prenatal, etc.
• Production—$_____; hygiene is ___% of total office production; compare YTD with last YTD

Marketing Department and Physical Facility

• Number of new patients this month compared to the same month last year; YTD compared to last YTD
• Number of patients deactivated—reasons
• Computer system—updates/changes needed; charts (count of active patients); website; social media postings; IT out-sourcing; security, etc.)
• Office equipment—phone, business machines, etc., projected needs and costs
• Number and type of community contacts; method of thanks to referral sources; other contacts
• Report on past and future marketing activities, costs, dates, successes, failures
• Analysis of compliments and complaints from patients; concerns about suppliers, service providers, etc.
• Office facility, décor, furniture, equipment, general appearance, signage, cleanliness; future plans, projected costs, timeline, etc.