The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

ANNUAL PLANNING RETREAT

One of the Best Days of Your Practice Year

Question: How many successful businesses operate year after year with no time out for: planning; evaluating current performance against the prior year; setting new goals; updating employees on the leader's vision for the future; and on and on?

Answer: None.

Think of your dental practice as a business focused on the same types of goals: growth, patient (customer) care and satisfaction, and profit. To facilitate success, a planning retreat is a necessity, scheduled on the practice calendar toward the end of each year or, at the latest, by January of the following year.

A day-long retreat should be held off-site, out of the office. All team members, including full-time and part-time, should attend, and should be compensated at their regular wage rate. All doctors associated with the practice should also attend. A Retreat Agenda should be distributed a few days prior so that team members can consider ideas to be discussed and submit suggestions to be added.

The Agenda can be organized using the following Practice Systems Inventory as a template. Under each heading, note details, questions, and comments that are appropriate for your office. Add or delete items to customize the Inventory for your practice.

Practice Systems Inventory

• Personnel Matters—personal achievements, staffing needs, personal time off, coordination between front and back, teamwork, fun times, etc.
• Physical Facility—signage, building inside and outside, and grounds
• Business Desk—workstations, responsibilities, equipment, processes, etc.
• Operatory—staffing needs, organization, training, emergency system, equipment, inventory control, sterilization, etc.
• Scheduling for the dentist—patient hours and scheduling pattern; administrative hours, meeting schedule, personal time off, etc.
• Scheduling for the hygienist—evaluation of Recare System
• Patient Flow—process to schedule and welcome new patients, paperwork—accuracy and appearance, verbiage to be used with patients, etc.
• Financial Matters—production, collections, write-offs, accounts receivable, accounts payable, expenses, overhead control, third-party payers, etc.
• Administrative Matters—practice administrator's role, troubleshooting office work systems, office manual, central office calendar, delegation to staff, etc.
• Marketing—new patient goal, marketing budget, activities, etc.

Professional counselors, such as experts in personalities, interpersonal relations, and teamwork can also be brought in to enrich team members' experience and participation. Discussions of new methods, materials, or equipment for the office might be facilitated by an outside resource person. The practice administrator or the dentist(s) can lead discussions of work systems and processes, such as scheduling, case presentation, website and online postings, changes in systems, and so on.

Ideas for an annual Planning Retreat should be limited only by the team's imagination, the doctor's preference, the cost, and the available time.

Be sure to check out our Free Resources for Your Practice for additional insights, information, and practice management tips.