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.” 

SpongeBob SquarePants and Sensodyne, Really?????????

A couple of days ago, I happened to be in the next room as my grandkids were watching SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon. I heard the expected commercials of overly sweetened breakfast cereals, the latest toy at Target and elementary school fashions. But then out of the “blue”, there was a commercial for Sensodyne. I thought to myself, “Are there really that many six year olds with temperature sensitivity? Or does SpongeBob play that well at the local retirement home?” If indeed there are a lot six year olds with sensitive teeth, my guess is that they are way passed any benefits from the use of Sensodyne. Much to my surprise, in the space of one hour, I heard the same commercial three additional times. Wait a minute, I am really that much out of touch with the demographics of the typical SpongeBob fan? Or do I not understand the issue of sensitive teeth. Nope, as I have thought about it, I am still convinced that an account executive at Sensodyne has missed their target market.

As dentists we spend a considerable amount of money and energy on marketing. In order to gain the greatest bang for our dollar, we need to spend up front determining who exactly is our target market and what message will ring true to them and lastly direct our marketing to them. I mean, SpongeBob and Sensodyne, really????????

Share the Light

Recently all four living former presidents of the United States we gathered to honor former President George H. W. Bush.  In a speech highlighting volunteerism, President Bush noted, “I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good. I will go to the people and the programs that are the brighter points of light, and I will ask every member of my government to become involved. The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.”

Former President Bush has distinguished himself through countless hours of service freely given without expectations of reward or recognition.  Through that service, President Bush and a one time political rival, President Bill Clinton have forged a friendship that has been mutually rewarding.  As I watched the televised program, I remembered “one point of light” that impacted my life.  Over 35 years ago, my wife Cindy and I moved to Chicago as I began my freshman year of dental school. Not only was I about to embark on an adventure that would prepare me for a career that has been as fulfilling as it has been challenging, but Cindy was pregnant, so dental school was not the only challenge that we faced. Being somewhat naïve, we had begun our family before we had secured health insurance. Fortunately for us there was a white knight in our future. A local obstetrician offered free prenatal care and delivery care to medical and dental students.

Over the past 35 years, that single act of generosity has had a profound effect on me both professionally and personally. I have appreciated the financial security that dentistry has provided my family. But just as my obstetrician friend taught me many years ago, the “dang good feelings” that I get when I give more than is required with no expectation of reward are priceless. Martin Luther King, Jr., shared some valuable insight: “We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service relationship to humanity.” When I was in private practice, I looked forward each year to our free dental day. It was an amazing day. We published the event in the newspaper and the local radio station the day before the event. The phones would ring off the hook for the next couple of hours. We filled the schedule with patients who had needed care for months but were unable to afford treatment. It was an extremely busy day, the staff loved the opportunity to make a difference, and it just “felt dang good.” The last two and half years I have been working part time for a non-profit at a dental clinic for low-income members of the community. While I do miss the days of private practice, the “dang good feelings” that I get now are frequent and rewarding.  President Bush’s example teaches us no matter what our situation in life is, we have the opportunity to touch another life and in so doing share the light.

Bonus Systems That “POP” (Produce Outstanding Production)

I have always been a firm believer of the value of a bonus system to motivate the staff and improve the health of a dental practice.  During my thirty years in private practice I had several systems.  As a consultant I have been surprised at the number of clients who have not had a bonus system.  As I am a strong advocate for bonus systems, it is generally one of the first recommendations that I make to clients.  There are several requirements for a bonus system to positively impact the staff.  Generally the bonus is given if specific goals are met.  The goals need to be pertinent to the success of the practice.  They also need to be achievable but require some extra sweat.  If the goal is set too high the staff will feel little motivation to work to achieve the goal, so it needs to reasonable.  They should be easily tracked so that the staff can easily gage their progress.  Bonuses should be directed tied to the goal without a lot of extra requirement to receive the bonus.   I have found that a bonus system not only motivates the staff but can energize the practice.  Typically I would have two components to the bonus system.  I would offer a yearly bonus along with a monthly bonus. 

The yearly bonus would be tied to a yearly production goal.  The goal was set at the beginning of the year and the bonus varied.  I would consider several factors in setting the yearly goal such as the previous year’s production, fee increases and desired growth.  Sometimes the staff would receive a cash bonus; other times the bonus would be in the form of an office trip or a combination of the two.  While I did take the staff to Hawaii a couple of times, I found that shorter trips could be just as rewarding.  Even though taking a trip to Hawaii gets the staff’s attention, it also creates more difficulty for the staff as they have to arrange for extended child care and the temptation arise to have spouses tag along.  Since part of the purpose of the trip is to build the dental team, a shorter trip without the distractions of spouses actually works very well. Each December as we approached the goal, the staff would carefully monitor our daily production and put the heat on the doctors to make sure the goal was achieved. 

The monthly bonus would be based on three important practice monitors, new patients, retention and production.  Health care professionals track blood pressure, pulse and temperature to monitor the health of the patients.  New patient flow, retention and production are a cursory indication of the health of a practice.  Consequently I advocate goals be set in each of these areas.  Generally, I use a three month rolling average to set the goal in each area.  Some of my clients tie the production goal to their daily production goal or the ratio of staff costs to the overhead of the practice.  In any case, I recommend that there is a bench mark collection percentage that must be met in order to give the production goal.  It is hard to pay a bonus if collections are healthy.  I believe that a healthy bonus system is an important part of the total compensation package for the staff.   I found that a good bonus system not only motivated the staff in a positive way, it was a great way to increase my bottom line.

The Wacky World of Video

A couple of months ago I attended the Social Media for Dentists 2 day NO FLUFF Social Media Extravaganza in Columbus, Ohio. Yes I flew to Columbus, Ohio for a seminar on social media. And the truth of the matter is that I would do it again in a heart beat. But here is the cool thing, Dr. Jason Lipscomb, and his partner Stephen Knight will be in Portland, OR, in my backyard on September 9 and 10th. I was amazed that the information that Jason and Stephen shared. I was also impressed with the many fun ways that Dr. Lipscomb is growing his practice using social media. Among other things, I learned how to make my own videos. Here is a recent one we made in Morton. I recently share QR codes with a couple of my clients and we brainstormed different applications for their particular practices. I highly recommend attending this event. It will blow your socks off!

For all your consulting needs be sure to contact, Dr. Brad Larsen, DentistCEO.

It Is Not Always About the Teeth

Many years ago, just after I had built a new dental office, I hired a man and his wife to clean the office each night. While the man was nice, his wife was almost openly hostile towards me. You can imagine my “delight” some time later when I saw her name on the schedule. She seemed to be somewhat relaxed around the staff but the secon…d I walked in to the room she bristled. She was adamant that I remove my mask and walk around in front of her each and every time I entered the room. She did not want to be reclined completely and every time I had to touch her, she would wince. Additionally she had an auto immune disease and TMJ syndrome. At the end of every appointment I would feel like pulling my hair out.

Over the next couple years, I replaced several teeth with a bridge, altered her vertical dimension, made a lower partial and replace all of the composites in her anterior teeth. I was shocked about three years later when she wanted to get anterior veneers. I always wondered why if she was so afraid of me, why she continued with treatment with me. Years into the relationship the mystery was revealed. As a child she was abused and I reminded her of her abuser. Learning to deal with me, was her way of resolving these painful issues. “WHY ME?!?!?!?!?!?!”

But I am happy to report that eventually, I got it too. Knowing what the patient was dealing with, helped me treat her with more compassion. As we completed the veneers, I was pretty gratified to receive a big hug and “Thank You.” Several months later I was surprised to see my work on the front page of the local newspaper. My patient had gone to the paper to express her appreciation a public way for the treatment that she had received from me. I lost track of my patient for several years but recently I saw her in our local court house where she serves as an advocate for abused women. Now when I get frustrated with my patients, I try to remember, “It’s not just about the teeth.”

For more information on how DentistCEO provides expert dental consulting in Vancouver, WA to help you create your dream team, contact Dr. Brad Larsen of DentistCEO today!

Recognize Your Power

Within each of us lies a boundless power, one that we can choose to ignore, abuse, or harness to positively affect those around us: The power of our words.

It is likely that some of your most meaningful memories involve words that had great impact. In some cases, a few spoken words can change your life’s course. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words are to this day studied, examined, and explored because of their ability to motivate and induce passion. Centuries old proverbs and Bible verses caution that our words can “cut deeper than the sword.” In addition, an unbreakable promise is often referred to as “giving your word.”

In the dental office, and any work environment really, the words we choose on a daily basis can determine whether we find success a team. Positive reinforcement from the dentist or team leader can become the backbone of a highly motivated team of super producers. Conversely, thoughtless remarks that cut down can lead to discouragement, apathy, lack of motivation, and the dental practice as a whole suffers. Making a concerted effort to choose positive, upbuilding words can breathe life into a dental team that is choking on low morale. As a dentist and dental consultant for Portland, I’ve seen the power of words in the dental office!

Dental consulting for Portland and Vancouver: Contact Dr. Brad Larsen of Dentist CEO.