Cliff's Notes

“Back to Basics” & a “Review of GURU!”

Cliff’s Notes for May 16, 2011

….. 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

 

“Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.”

Dale Carnegie

 

        

In This Week’s Issue

• When Disaster Strikes!
• Back to Basics – Focus on Patient Communication!
• Product Review – “GURU, isn’t it About Time?

 

 

When Disaster Strike!…………………………………………………………………………..

As we get older we tend to hear about more tragedies with people we know, I guess it’s just part of life. 26 years ago, this July, I lost my best friend to an aggressive form of brain cancer. The cancer was discovered 4 weeks after he passed his NJ state board dental exam. He died 4 years later after a courageous fight that ended peacefully and organized.

Last week, I learned that an old friend developed a terminal illness that progresses very quickly. He owns his own business that depends on his daily participation. My first thought was, how do you tell your family? My second thought was what do you do with the business? Family members need to make decisions and the emotional rollercoaster will defiantly fog that up.

Several months ago I did a news letter on disaster recovery. Several people told me that it caused them to look at their own situations, and realized that although the financial concerns have been secured, there are a number of wishes and suggestions they wanted to address. As an example, if something happens to my wife and me, my children will have a significant amount of money to manage. Who is going to advise them when I can’t?

You need to have an up-dated action plan. I keep mine in a sealed envelope in a safe in my office. It has all the information that my family will need along with suggestions on moving forward. Please be prepared. Consult with you financial advisor or estate planner. If you don’t know where to start, call me, but please start.

1:26 Add

 

Back to Basics! Focus on Patient Communication………………………………

Even in a struggling economy, you can help bolster your practice and boost profits by focusing on your most valuable resource—your current patients. Here’s what practice management experts recommend:

Case presentations should be a conversation: Patients can be turned off by “pushiness,” says consultant Nate Booth, DDS, Dental Economics.(1) He suggests changing your mindset from “I’m the expert, here are the problems, and here’s what you need to do” to “I’m your friend and consultant who wants to help, I see some problems, and let’s talk about ways you can take care of them.” If you sense a reservation, inquire about it and keep the conversation going. This approach “is more respectful to your patients, more enjoyable for you, and leads to higher levels of case acceptance” for comprehensive treatment, Booth says. (For tips and role-play videos on talking with patients about periodontal treatment, visit MyArestin.com)

Focus on boosting patient compliance: When a patient leaves without scheduling a recommended treatment, have the front desk follow up by phone the next day, suggests consultant Roger Levin, DDS. “Many patients are extremely interested in having treatment and just need a slight additional prompt to schedule,” he writes in Dentistry IQ.(2) A call or letter can also motivate patients who have not completed treatment steps. In a study of 150 periodontal maintenance patients, the number of complete non-compliers (28%) dropped by two-thirds (9.5%) over 12 months after they received periodic letters explaining the importance of maintenance therapy and consequences of neglecting it.(3)

Foster strong patient relationships: Good service and personal warmth are key to retaining patients and attracting new ones, says dental coach Helen Cohen in Dentistry IQ.(4) At least 35% of patients rely on “word of mouth” to choose a dentist, according to a recent Chicago Dental Society survey.(5) So give a little more than patients expect. Make sure appointments run on time, staff your reception area with friendly people who chat with patients, greet patients by their first names, use newsletters to keep in touch between visits, and follow up with personal calls after big procedures or with “thank a you” for referrals. “Once patients know you, like you, and trust you, then they will ‘buy’ what you offer them (treatment plans and case acceptance),” says Cohen.(4)

This information was supplied by ARESTIN® contains minocycline, a tetracycline derivative, and therefore should not be used in children and in pregnant or nursing women.

 

Product Review – Guru Patient education System……………………………………………………………………………

What is GURU? – Guru Products Help Create and Nurture Healthy, Informed Patients with Personalized Connections at Every Communication Touchpoint.

http://www.howdoyouguru.com/lrn_whatisguru.aspx
Fully integrated with Dentrix, Guru transforms patient education by opening new connections between you and your patients. Guru Libraries feature smart integration with Dentrix Presenter to help you quickly create sleek, compelling case presentations, so that you connect patients with their best possible treatment right in the chair. Guru TV 2010 focuses patient ‘down time’ on their office visits, with animations in Spanish and English on any TV screen. Showcase your expertise to new and existing patients 24/7 when you add your personal Guru narratives, drawings and playlists to your practice web site with Guru Web. Finally, Guru Email connects you to patients in their homes with email-ready playlists, so your patients can research your recommendations, share treatment decisions and trust you to provide the best care, which means more profits for you.

Anyone can play videos. Guru dramatically increases your patient reach, so that you can create and motivate better oral care behavior for informed, healthier patients.

 5:04 Add to Added to queue

Dr, John Flucke will explain why Guru, from Henry Schein, is the best software solution for dental patient education.

Click to find out more about each unique Guru solution.

Over 200 animations and images

Guru’s patent pending stop, draw, and teach technology

Drag-and-drop capability for simple interactivity

Easily integrates into your practice management software

Customizable content to fit your patients’ needs

Content allows you to control your treatment plan presentations

Visual format helps patients to clarify treatment plan options

Full screen playback mode

Cliff Marsh

Henry Schein Dental

P.O. Box 663 / 45 Rt. 46 East, Suite 605

Pine Brook, NJ 07058

Cell: 201-321-7494

Fax: 201-262-2210

cliff.marsh@henryschein.com

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May 16, 2011 - Posted by Cliff's Notes Blog | Uncategorized