If you want to be more than the breakfast sandwich of dentists, give me a call, DentistCEO, for a free consultation.  What be a breakfast sandwich when you can be an “iPhone”?

One of the wonderful opportunities that dentistry provides is the opportunity to give back. The needs in our local communities are increasing.  In recently published data it was reported that in 2009, nearly 50 percent of children ages 2-17, without health insurance had not seen a dentist in the past year, and more than one in five needed dental care, but did not receive it because they could not afford the cost. Untreated oral diseases can lead to problems in eating, speaking, and sleeping. Poor oral health among children has been tied to poor performance in school and poor social relationships.  For example, children with chronic dental pain may have difficulty concentrating, poor self-image, and problems completing schoolwork.  Children with early childhood dental problems also often weigh less.  Seven percent of children ages two to 17 had unmet dental needs, meaning they did not receive dental care in the past year due to financial constraints.

Many of us regularly take the opportunity to travel to third world countries to donate dental services to the disadvantaged.  Sometimes we forget the needs right here at home.  One of the highlights of my years of private practice was the annual day we donated free dentistry to the community.  I had a great sense of gratitude for the support that my practice received from our community so it always felt good to give back.  This year I was able to carry on the tradition of giving back by donating a day of free dentistry in the rural community where I work with a non-profit health care organization.  With the help of three staff member who donated their time we were able to donate over $6000 worth of dentistry.  It felt good!

If you want to pull off a successful free dental day, contact me and I can help.

Recently three of my sons took me bungee jumping.  It was a fun experience only made more memorable because I was able to share it with my sons.  I was pretty comfortable with the experience because we had good preparation, expert instruction and well maintained equipment.  All four of us had a real sense of accomplishment at the end of the afternoon. 

As I reflected later upon my bungee jumping experience, I remember having the same feelings when I was in private practice and I was implementing a new piece of equipment or procedure.  Many times my staff and I were able to accomplish things that on face value looked impossible.  As we approached a new challenge we prepared ourselves well, and sought expert advice.  The end results were remarkable made only sweeter by sharing them with the team.

If you want to improve your practice and your team, I can help.  (That’s what I do.)  Contact me for a free consultation.

One of the most rewarding aspects of having a practice is the relationship that is created between the staff and the doctor.  Keeping the staff motivated and engaged is a challenge for many of us.  Most of us are caught up in the challenge of “managing the staff.”  I recently read the book, 100 Ways to Motivate Others : How Great Leaders Can Produce Insane Results Without Driving People Crazy by Steve Chandler and Scott Richardson.  The authors point out that people really can’t be managed, they need to be lead, hence the need for all of to sharpen our leadership skills.  They cite the example of moving a string.  A string really can’t be pushed, you can pull it or lead it.  Agreements and contracts can be managed but we can only manage ourselves. 

It is easy to get caught up in the daily operations of the practice and keeping our clinical skills up to date and forget that the most valuable resource that we have at our disposal to achieve our practice goals is our staff.  Creating a motivated staff takes time and energy.  I would highly recommend reading Chandler and Richardson’s book.  It is a quick and enjoyable read with a ton of suggests as to how we can improve our leadership skills. 

If you are looking to improve your team, I can help.  Give me a call at DentistCEO for a complimentary consultation today. 

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.

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.

 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. 

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. 

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.  

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!  

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.