You Set The Mood
Recently some of my classmates from elementary school have been sharing their old classroom pictures. The first picture is of a classroom of happy third graders. Notice their happy smiling faces. Mrs. Morrison was the teacher and she made coming to school each morning an adventure. As I recall there was a lot of enthusiasm in the classroom for learning. One look at Mrs. Morrison’s face and you can see why I learned so much the year I was in her class.
Now take a look at some of the same kids, just one year later. I was struck with the change in countenace in just a year. Gone are the happy faces and the look of enthusiasm. I don’t think that the level of learning would have been the same. The picture could have been titled, “Hard Times at Jefferson Elementary. A look at the stern face of the teacher pretty much tells the story.
As you look at the pictures, visualize which picture would more closely resemble your staff picture. An observation that I frequently heard during my years of private practice was that my mood effected the entire office. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that I was largely responsible for setting the office mood. And as my gut feelings about how the levels of learning in the two classroom pictured above differed, researchers have found that happiness has an effect on productivity in the work place. In an article published by Forbes , Jessica Pryce-Jones, author of Happiness at Work and CEO of iOpener, confirms my assumptions.
“Happiness at work is closely correlated with greater performance and productivity as well as greater energy, better reviews, faster promotion, higher income, better health and increased happiness with life. So it’s good for organizations and individuals, too.”
In her research, Pryce-Jones and her team found that “the happiest employees are 180% more energized than their less content colleagues, 155% happier with their jobs, 150% happier with life, 108% more engaged and 50% more motivated. Most staggeringly, they are 50% more productive too.”
She also found that the least happy workers reported spending 40% of their week doing what they’re there to do, compared with happy workers, who reported spending 80% of their week on work-related tasks. In other words, the happiest workers put in four days of real work compared to two days of real work of the less happy workers. Additionally she found that happiest employees take 66% less sick leave than their less happy counterparts.
So as you can see it is the best interest of you and your bottom line to create a happy mood in your practice. If you are not seeing enough smiles in your office, call DentistCEO for a free consultation. You and your staff will be glad you did.
Your Practice’s Vital Signs III
So you have tracked the vital signs for you practice for a period of time and even made some colorful graphs, now what? Now it is time to create an “action plan“. Ask yourself, ”What is going well and what is the practice doing that is producing this success?” And, “what areas need to be improved and what can we do to fix them?” The answers to those question will give you the necessary information to create an action plan complete with a time line for completion.
In my practice we reviewed the graphs for the practice on a monthly basis in a staff meeting. We addressed the issues affecting our success or lack of success and made an action plan for the month that would either reinforce success or correct statics headed in the wrong direction. Many times when a graph is doing well, we fail to address what is causing the graph to move in a positive direct, consequently we fail to reinforce those actions and the graph flattens out over time. I found that addressing the vital signs of the practice at a staff meeting served two purposes: 1. The staff had answers that I would have never thought of on my own and 2. As I involved the staff in the solutions, they felt a feeling of ownership which helped everyone feel part. We were all on the same team and moving a statistic upward is a team project.
If you are having problems managing your ”numbers” give DentistCEO call and I can help you not only understand your “vital signs” but use them to help your practice reach new heights.
More than a Mock Turtleneck and a Pair of Jeans
Much has been recently written about Steve Jobs, Apple’s cofounder. 
Whenever I think of Steve Jobs, I can’t help but visualize him on a bare stage introducing a new product dressed simply in a mock turtleneck and a pair of jeans. Even if you are not a user of Apple products or have never seen a Pixar film, it is hard to imagine that your life has not in some way been touch by the hand of Steve Jobs because his innovations not only influenced Apple and Pixar, but competitors were forced to evaluate their products just to “stay in the game.”
In June of 2005, a year after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Jobs delivered the commencement address at Stanford University. In fifteen short minutes, siting three pivotal stories from his own life, Jobs was able to not only inspire but give valuable perspective to the graduates.
1. Connecting the dots can only be accomplished in retrospection, therefore trust in your abilities, passion and drive.
2. Love what you do; if you don’t, then you need to change direction.
3. “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”
Sound advice for all us not matter what our stage in life maybe.
In a new biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, an additional life lesson from the life of Jobs is revealed. When Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the physicians were hopeful for a full recovery because it was a rare form of cancer that was highly operable. Unfortunately, due in part to Jobs’ lack of trust in the wisdom of his physicians, Jobs failed to follow their advice and for nine months sought alternative cures, a decision that he later openly regretted to his biographer. When he finally had the operation, the cancer had spread. In spite of the wisdom of the doctors’ advice, Jobs didn’t trust them enough to follow their recommendations. This remarkable life is was cut short by Jobs’ lack of trust in his doctors. Hopefully we can all learn from the three simple life lessons he gave in his address at Stanford but also from his last lesson, that of learning to trust. As a practice management consultant, many times I find myself in the role of not only a trusted ally but also a cheerleader. If you want to take you practice to the next level contact me for a free consultation.
Check out Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement address.
Lemonade
A large part of being successful in life is learning to have fun even in difficult circumstances. Who afterall would not enjoy a large cool glass of sweet lemonade on a hot summer day. Steve Jobs advised that if you don’t like what your are doing change direction.
At DentistCEO we believe in having fun. If you are not enjoying your job, give me a call and let me help you sqeeze you a nice tall glass of lemonade.
A Shout Out for Dental Assistants
I am happy to feature this post by Lisa Rager whom I met when I attended a social media for dentists seminar in Columbus, Ohio. Lisa began her dental career as a Dental Assistant in 1983. She is a Certified Ohio Dental Assistant and Expanded Functions Dental Auxiliary. She & her husband Doug started their company Dependable Dental Staffing in 2003, when Lisa saw a need in her area for a service that would organize and help dentists with temporary and permanent staffing needs. Lisa is Vice President of her ODEFA, and serves on advisory committees for several of the local Dental Assisting schools. Lisa and Doug have 3 children and live in Ohio.
I was asked by a friend of mine to write an article about the role of a Dental Assistant in Patient Care. I’m excited to share my thoughts on this as I started my career in dentistry as a Dental Assistant.
Why are Dental Assistants so important in the role of patient care? I believe it is their role to serve their dentist and their patients to make the patients visit go as smoothly as possible.
In my opinion, in most offices dental assistants are the glue that holds everything together. They are usually responsible for ordering supplies and making sure the rooms are stocked and ready to go. They are responsible to make sure the lab cases are completed and back in the office for seat day. They clean and maintain and sterilize operatories, equipment and instruments.
They usually see the patient before the dentist does as they seat the patient. During this time they are able to make sure the patient understands the procedures to be done during the visit and answer any questions the patient may have. They also are able to allay any fears or apprehension the patient may be experiencing before the procedure begins.
A good assistant will anticipate the need of the dentist and the patient. This means he or she will need to plan ahead and have everything ready for the procedure or task at hand. A lot of the time an assistant comes into the office earlier to prepare for the day or stays later than everyone else to make sure everything is ready to go for the next day’s cases.
They help the procedure go smoothly by helping the dentist have an unobstructed view using the suction and air/water syringe, and retracting the tongue and cheek when necessary. They will mix materials and pass materials and instruments to the dentist allowing the dentist to focus on the patient and getting the procedures completed in a more timely fashion.
As you can see, I feel the role of the dental assistant as part of the dental team is critical to giving our patients the best care and dental experience possible.
Thank you Lisa. So here is my “big shout out” to dental assistants. I am so appreciative of the dental assistants to have sat acrossed the chair from me. They not only helped me do my job of providing quality dentistry. But by serving as a patient advocate, they helped countless numbers of patients confront their fears of dentistry and achieve their dental goals. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Your Practice’s Vital Signs II
For years every time a nurse would take my wife’s blood pressure, she would check the reading with alarm and ask, “Are you alright?” My wife’s blood pressure was generally low. Normal for Cindy would be around 70/45 mm Hg. After several visits the medical staff became aware that Cindy’s blood pressure would be low by “normal” standards and their alarm lessened.
Just as with Cindy’s blood pressure, practice statistics without a historical context can be misleading. A historical context gives a clear picture of what normal is. Without a clear picture of how a normal EKG looks, a physician would find it difficult to make an accurate diagnosis.
Having a historical context also helps to indentify trends. I found making a graph particularly useful in analyzing my practice signs. Just as a physician carefully monitors the vital signs of his patient, I was acutely award of my practice’s vital signs. And I was able to make changes sooner rather than later. As I have worked with clients, I have found that as they gained an understanding the importance of monitoring their practices vital signs that they have been able to achieve their practice goals more readily.
Let Your Fingers do the Talking
Let’s Talk This morning I heard this report on NPR. I was aware of the popularity of texting but still I was surprised by the number of text messages being sent by young people. I also was quite surprised at the comment that many young people preferred texting over actually talking. I remember the slogan of the Yellow Pages years ago, “Let your fingers do the walking,” perhaps the slogan for 2011 will be “Let your fingers do the talking.”
Earlier this week I was talking with the husband of a young married couple, he commented that his wife rarely listens to her voice messages but rarely misses a text message.
Today’s dentist is presented with numerous ways of effectively communicating with his/her patients, whether it is phone, email or regular mail. Texting not only presents a new way of communicating with our patients but in many cases it is the preferred and most effective way of communicating with them. If you are looking for ways to effectively communicate with your patients give me call and lets get talking.
Your Practice’s Vital Signs
Whether it’s a trip to the emergency room, a visit to a doctor office regarding an illness, a standard physical or time on the surgical table, vital sign are closely monitored.
Vital signs are measures of various physiological statistics, often taken by health professionals, in order to assess the most basic body functions. Vital signs are an essential part of diagnosis and treatment. The act of taking vital signs normally entails recording temperature, pulse (heart rate), blood pressure and respiratory rate but may include other measurements.
In a like manner it is important for a successful dental practice owner to monitor the vital signs of the practice to assess the health of his/her practice. Just as the vital signs help a physician diagnose and treat a patient, the vital signs of the practice will enable is own to diagnose and address vital issues affecting the health of the practice.
Throughout my career in private practice and as a consultant, I have relied on five monitors/vital signs to give me a quick assessement of the health of the practice. In my opinion the vital signs of a dental practice are “new patient flow”, “retention”, ”production”, ”collection” and “overhead percentage.” By monitoring these five numbers over time, I was able to effectively management my practice and maintain grow even during tough economic times. Today was I work with clients I use these same vital signs to help them assess the health of their practices and create action plans to effectively improve the overall health of their practices. If the vital signs of your practice are not as healthy as you would like them to be, give me a call, I can help.
To My Beloved
“We are gathered here today to morn the passing of my beloved website. You represented me well but alas you now seem out dated and irrelevant. So with regret, today I am pulling the plug. It seems like just yesterday, that I watch with pride as you were launched and took your first steps into cyberspace.”
Sound familiar? In 2007, “The Washington Post” estimated 44 percent of Web sites that existed in 1998 vanished without a trace within just one year and that the average life span of a Web site is only 44 to 75 days. This is an alarming attrition rate especially in light of the design costs of $500 to $15,000. With the additional costs of hosting and search engine optimization, a dental office could be looking at in excessive of $20,000 a year to keep your website updated and relevant. That is some serious cash. Besides the continual outlay of cash, the annual upgrade to your website also entails the added hassle of working with a web designer. Not that I have a problem with web designers, it is just a matter of fitting my needs into their schedule and effectively communicating my ideas and seeing them transform to the monitor.
More and more as I review website, I am finding that the really good ones are continually changing. It seems that savvy dentists are taking an in house approach. They have taken ownership of their websites and have the ability to update them without the need to have a professional designer complete the process. While it was hard to pull the plug on my previous website, I really enjoy the flexibility to being able to manage my new website designed by omOriginals. So if you are about to pull the plug on your website give me a call and let me help you get a website that you control.
My Wife on Wheels
Earlier this spring one of my sons invited me to participate in the Bike MS Ride in Mt. Vernon, Washington, this September. I have spend the summer getting ready for our two day 50 miles per day challenge.
Altered Lives
In September of 1974, my wife, Cindy and I returned to Chicago as I began my second year of dental school. Our oldest son, Jordan, was just six months old. We were excited to be back in Chicago. Cindy was going to start a new job at one of the local community colleges. As I was beginning classes, Cindy became violently ill with the “flu.” Strangely as the nausea flusubsided other symptoms appeared. She lost her balance and it became difficult to walk, she had double vision and slurred speech. We were fortunate to have a good friend who was a neurosurgeon. Unfortunately his diagnosis was not good. After a thorough examination, he was convinced that Cindy either had a brain tumor or multiple sclerosis. After ruling out a brain tumor we were left with a diagnosis of MS. Needless to say our lives have been dramatically alteredby the progression of Cindy’s disease. In the early years, Cindy would have an episode that would resolve almost completely, but over time she transitioned to secondary progress to the extent that she has been totally confined to a wheel chair for the past eight years, hence “my wife on wheels.”
Why I Ride
Cindy and I have been extremely blessed. In spite of MS, Cindy has lived a full and rich live. We are the proud parents of four sons. Even though Cindy has lived with MS and her abilities have been compromised over the years, our sons have stepped up and have participated in her care. I have watched Cindy as she battled MS with courage, dignity and humor. I’m riding in the Bike MS Ride because I want to do something for the young people who have been diagnosed with MS. I also want to aid in the fight to prevent morepeople from learning what it means to live with lives altered by MS. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will use funds collected from the Bike MS Ride to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living with MS today. By contributing to the Bike MS Ride you can help in the fight for a time when MS will no longer “alter lives.”
