Cliff's Notes

Reduce Overhead, Curing Lights & Soft Tissue Trimmers.

Cliff’s Notes for May 16, 2010
…..E-Blast…..

Cliff Marsh, Henry Schein ……Cell: 201-321-7494……Fax: 201-262-2210…..E-mail cliff.marsh@henryschein.com
http://www.cliffsnotesblog.wordpress.com

“Decreased business base increases overhead. So does increased business base.”
Norman Ralph Augustine

In This Week’s Issue
• How Do You Reduce Overhead?
• Dental Curing Lights!
• Soft Tissue Trimmers!
• Dentrix / EZ Dental Users Group!

How Do you Reduce Overhead?……………………………………………………………………
How do you reduce overhead? You can’t, unless you drastically down size (as very last resort), however, you can lower the footprint as it relates to your production. You can control your overhead but one of the un-written rules of business is that all expenses will increase. In 2003, the ADA did a study of the expenses, as they related to gross production of an average solo practitioner in the United States. We all know how much more expensive things are in 2010, however, the percentage of the gross (the overhead footprint) has remained the same for most “variable” expenses. The fixed expenses have gone up and that effects almost 55% of your overhead. Inventory turns (JIT Inventory) and work flow, if coordinated correctly, will control your variable expenses. One extra inventory turn per year can increase your cash flow by 3%-5% annually. Ask your financial adviser about the value of inventory turns & cash flow.

You reduce overhead by reducing its footprint on your gross production. Cut expenses “wrong” places and you will reduce your ability to increase business and open yourself to additional liabilities. Control your expenses and you will have the fuel to grow your production and increase your discretionary income. Don’t you just love the sound of that? Additional Discretionary Income……….

Your fixed expenses such as rent, utilities, payroll, licensing, insurance, etc., will remain the same (as per contract) as your production increases thus lowering their footprint on your overhead. Variable expenses are those you need on a daily bases to facilitate your production. These expenses have to increase with increased production, however, their footprint will remain the same. Variable expenses will always be between 10% & 15%. They include, supplies (clinical & business), lab, petty cash, etc. You can’t lower the variable footprint but you can keep it under control. I’ll say it again, ROI! Your inventory is an investment, what is your return? Remember, the time spent maintaining your inventory adds to the cost and increases its footprint on your bottom line. Variable expenses require more time to manage. That’s when QTM (Quality Time Management) comes into play, but that’s a whole different conversation.

Concentrate on your fixed expenses, they are 55% of your overhead. Variable expenses come and go too quickly during the heat of battle and have an “un-seen” cost called time. That’s why “Just-In-Time” inventory (JIT) as well as correct scheduling and work flow are necessary to control their footprint.

So, how do we do it? It starts with a complete production and fee analysis. This report will highlight weakness within all revenue generating programs in your practice. It will also highlight many of the insurance coding errors that every office has. Review your re-care & patient education systems, they will increase patient compliance and case acceptance.

Jimmie Hendrix once said “a smart man speaks and a wise man listens”. I am always available to discuss ways to lower your overhead footprint and create additona disposable revenue.

Dental Curing Lights…………………………………………………………..
Light curing of materials in the dental office is becoming a way of life. Your handpiece may be your #1 tool, but your curing light is #2! With discount programs of 30%-50%, a quality light will help you increase production with less down time. The link below is a power point presentation of a study done by the U.S. Airforce. It highlights the pro’s and con’s of Halogen vs Plasma Arc vs Laser vs LED.

Most common dental curing light; Quartz … Jandt, Dent Mater 2000.
LED Curing Lights. Long lasting light source. minimal aging; minimal decrease in output .

http://airforcemedicine.afms.mil/intradoc-cgi/nph-idc_cgi?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=CTB_108313&al…

Soft Tissue Trimmer…………………………………………………………….
Integrating new technology into a modern dental practice has become an everyday fact of life. Some of these new clinical products make clinical chairside dentistry less complicated and more productive. The NTI Soft Tissue Trimmer by AXIS Dental, is a flame shaped hard oxide ceramic cylinder. It is used in the high-speed handpiece at full RPM without water coolant spray to excise and contour soft gingival tissue with minimal bleeding. Unlike radiosurgery or electrosurgery, there is little risk of over-heating the surgical site and compromising the bone.

New Technology with a Different Twist:
Most Dental Surgeons are very skilled at removing hard dental tooth structure with the high-speed handpiece. The technology transfer of the Soft Tissue Trimmer is the same, except no water coolant spray is needed. This trimmer should be thought of as a rotating scalpel for soft tissue that promotes coagulation for minimal bleeding.

The average overhead cost of a Dental Surgeon’s operatory is $200 or more per hour. The multiple use NTI Soft Tissue Trimmer can save valuable minutes of chair time. For example, a terminal molar crown preparation can be an “impressioning nightmare.” When the NTI Soft Tissue Trimmer is used to remove the distal inner sulcular epithelium, there will be minimal bleeding to control and a more accurate impression will result. On average, a ten minute savings or more of chair time will result from improved tissue hemostasis and less chance for reimpressioning. Patient comfort and acceptance is an added bonus.

Indications:
• Contouring of gingiva for cosmetics
• Contouring of inflamed gingival soft tissue
• Widening the sulcus for fixed prosthodontic impressions
• Exposing deep cervical caries or external resorption
• Operculectomy
• Recovering intraosseous implants
• Exposing partially erupted wisdom/fractured teeth
• Excising granulation tissue
• Crown lengthening

For more information, follow the link and download the product information.

http://www.axisdental.com/getdoc/3af1cc87-1f21-4b58-ad03-46d1f2318312/SoftTissueTrimmer.aspx

FG Soft Tissue Trimmer #228-3736
FG-Long Tissue Trimmer #228-3175

Career Development – Dentrix/EZ Dental Users Group Forum…………………………………….
On June 11th the 2nd part of the 4 part series of the Dentrix Users group will be held at the Suburban Diner on Rt. 17 North in Paramus, NJ. Software is the heart of your business. You need to take the time to understand what it can and should be doing. The session cost for 2 attendees is $70.00 or $100.00 for the 3 remaining sessions. Tuition includes breakfast and 3 CERP/PACE CE’s.

For more information, call Cliff @ 201-321-7494. MasterCard & Visa only.

Webinar @ Your Convenience,
This is why you spent a lot of money on software.

IT’S ALL ABOUT INTEGRATION EXPERIENCE
You are invited to a complimentary webinar on
“Electronic Dental Record Made Easy”

Our integration experience made us the leading Electronic Dental Record (EDR) solution installed in Community Health Centers across America. Whether your organization is in the market for a complete dental practice management system with a fully integrated EDR, or simply an EDR interfaced with your medical practice management/EHR system, the Dentrix Enterprise platform has many key features that help Community Health Centers meet federal requirements.

Here are a few topics that will be covered in the on-demand “Electronic Dental Record Made Easy” webinar:
• Top 10 questions to ask your prospective EDR implementation vendor
• Dentrix Enterprise EDR HL7-Interface integration with EHR solutions, ADT, DTF and open SQL database architecture
• Electronic periodontal charting and digital X-ray integration
• Multi-site logic, centralized billing, scheduling and UDS reporting
• A demonstration of Dentrix Enterprise EDR capabilities

To view the webinar go to http://www.dentrixenterprise.com/ezedr

SPECIAL OFFER!
Purchase Dentrix Enterprise before June 30th, 2010
and choose one of the following bonus options:

FREE CONVERSION valued at $1250.00 (50,000 patients or less)
OR
FREE SET-UP DAY valued at $1000.00.

Dentrix Enterprise currently interfaces with the above
medical systems via the HL7 standard.

727 East Utah Valley Drive, American Fork, UT 84003 | 1.800.459.8067

C2010 Henry Schein, Inc. All rights reserved. Dentrix Enterprise, Henry Schein, and the ‘S’ logo are registered trademarks of Henry Schein, Inc. Not responsible for typographic errors.
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Cliff Marsh
Henry Schein Dental
P.O. Box 663, 45 Rt. 46 East, Suite 605
Pine Brook, NJ 07058
tel. 201-321-7494
fax.201-262-2210
e-mail. cliff.marsh@henryschein.com
http://www.cliffsnotesblog.wordpress.com

May 24, 2010 - Posted by Cliff's Notes Blog | Uncategorized