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A Patient Bankruptcy

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Here is a situation that I recently heard about, perhaps your practice has or could face something similar.

Our office has a family that recently declared bankruptcy and we had to write off over $1,700. Now the family would like to return to the practice after a two-year absence. They were never dismissed from the practice and all collection efforts were ignored. Is the office obligated to take them back as returning patients? Is it in the practice’s best interest to alter their financial policy for this family to prepay only? We want to care for the family but don’t want to lose money again.

Here’s what we know: Continue reading “A Patient Bankruptcy” →

My Hygiene Schedule is not Full!

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Linda and I have noticed that the majority of our clients are concerned about the lack of patients in hygiene and related hygiene production loss and restorative production loss. Generally we find that it is important for a practice to ensure there is a system for how and when recall is worked, and a person accountable for the results. Additionally, and equally importantly, the hygienists role in working with the patient to understand why a hygiene appointment is important and will save the patient money. We often find practices emphasizing health when all patients are concerned about is money (or insurance). How are you creating value for patients as it relates to money not their health? Continue reading “My Hygiene Schedule is not Full!” →

Four Things Employees Need From Leaders

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Four Things Employees Need From Leaders

Traditional leaders see the employee-boss relationship as a transaction: money in exchange for labor. Transformational leaders know and recognize that employees want much more than that. Here are the four things your people need to succeed:
Love. This may sound touchy-feely, but love simply means focused concern that is exclusively for that person’s good. Show your employees you care about them and their futures.
Growth. No one wants to be exactly where they are forever. Create a culture that allows your people to grow and expand.
Contribution. To feel fulfilled, employees must know that they are contributing to the whole. Emphasize the ways that their work matters to the organization.
Meaning. We are meaning-seeking creatures. Share a vision that demonstrates that all of your employees are engaged in a larger purpose.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “Four Things Employees Need from Leaders” by Cleve Stevens.

Accountability

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In relation to teamwork we define accountability as the willingness of team members to remind one another when they are not living up to the performance standards of the group. Most leaders we know have a far easier time holding people accountable for their results than they do for behavioral issues. This is a problem because behavioral problems almost always precede results issues. Continue reading “Accountability” →

Insurance Attachments

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Knowing which attachment to send to a carrier for a procedure is challenging. Requirements vary by carrier, by plan, and by procedure.  An easy way to know which attachments a carrier requires before sending the claim has been developed by National Electronic Attachment (NEA), along with the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP).  FastLook allows dental teams to search by carrier name, enter a procedure code, and obtain the carrier’s requirements for attachment for a specific code. Sign up for FREE at www.nadp.org and find additional information at www.welcometonea.com/fastlook.

Posted via email from jodymosaic’s posterous

Reward Program for Patients Maintaining their Recall Interval

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For a simple, effective method to reinforce hygiene visits and reduce no-shows and cancellations consider this program of rewarding your patients for the behavior you and your practice want.

The beauty of this is: it is simple, patients understand it, it can create a cross networking alliance with another local business and it works! The root of the program comes from the idea of rewarding patients for their oral health decisions. A similar program can be implemented to “warranty” your work, if a patient maintains their recall schedule they receive a warranty of X years for the dental procedure.

Here is what to do: Continue reading “Reward Program for Patients Maintaining their Recall Interval” →

Flossing for Fertility

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Following is an article that might be useful for you to post in your reception area or to give to your patients especially if you know they are trying to start a family.

Flossing for Fertility
Pay Attention to Oral Health When You’re Trying to Conceive
By Kelly Burgess
Published by iParenting Media

When a woman is dealing with infertility, how much she flosses is probably the last thing on her mind, but that may be about to change. Recent research is providing some fascinating, albeit preliminary, indications that oral health is impacted negatively by some infertility treatments, and poor oral hygiene may actually be a factor in infertility.

While these studies are in their infancy, the conclusions, added to other evidence about how oral health impacts general health, join a body of research that may lead to a complete overhaul of the way the health and insurance industries view the link between oral health and overall health – including fertility issues. When this happens, good dental health is going to be on everyone’s mind. Continue reading “Flossing for Fertility” →