Do You Have a Magic Wand for Treatment Plan Acceptance? Maybe you do!

Cliff’s Notes for May 12, 2013

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

http://www.cliffsnotesblog.me

http://www.youtube.com/cliffmarsh100

       

The reason we do what we do, is so that we can to do what we want to do, when we want to do it!

It’s a tongue twister, but working as a team and making informed decisions, will get us there.

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“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

Leo Tolstoy

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This Week’s Feature on the Cliff’s Notes Channel

“Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill”

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Over 145 Dental Videos

http://www.youtube.com/cliffmarsh100

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In This Week’s Issue

• The Root of It Commentary

If you had a Magic Wand, They Would Accept the Treatment Plan.

Well, Maybe You Do!?

• The Straine Effect: Concepts  in Practice Management

Take the Challenge, What’s Your Advice?

• The Office Manager Blog

Practice management at your Fingertips!

• American Association of Dental Office Managers

Narratives: No Need for Frustration!

• Aruba Inventory Management

Think Like a Business Executive for the Next 30 Seconds!

• This Week from the ADA

New resource on treating obesity available!

• Product Review

Fit Test C&B Addition-curing control silicone!

• The Henry Schein Outlet Store

Gendex Orthoralix 9200 Digital Pan!

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The Root of It Commentary…………………………………………………………………………….

  If You Had a Magic Wand, They would Accept the Treatment Plan! Well, Maybe You Do!

 The ups and downs of dentistry in the NJ/NY market have been dramatic over the last several years. Its peaks and valleys, but this week it became apparent that the next valley is just around the corner.

Every office I walked into this week said the same thing, lots of treatment plans, and lots of acceptance “to the problem” but nobody is signing and scheduling. Blame it on the economy or the political smoke and mirrors, but it is obvious, the general public has less discretionary income and summertime fun appears to be more important than dental health. However, what about systemic health? There is a difference.

The stories are always the same, the patient says they don’t have the money right now but then they start talking about the cruise they are taking. Well, the time has come for the dentist and their staff to speak in one voice. Coordination, communication and teamwork are the only things that will get you through the valley and lead you to your promised land. So, what can you do and how do you get started?

First, you need to examine your office protocol and staff responsibilities. You operate a healthcare facility and you need to fully understand that and communicate it to your staff.  If you just concentrate on a “beautiful smile” you don’t understand. If you spend time selling teeth whitening, you don’t understand. If you are spending money promoting same day dentistry, you don’t understand. Now don’t get me wrong, all of those things are important and revenue generating for your practice, but they are the same things everyone else is doing and in this economy, that WOW factor is rapidly evaporating.

Most of you that are reading this commentary are so far behind the technological curve that you can’t catch up to the leading edge so unless you plan on investing in top staff training and enormous amounts of time, don’t try. Concentrate on incorporating the technology that will aid in diagnosis and patient education about the link between oral health and serious/life threatening systemic conditions and then all the other main stream dental procedures and “toys” will come into play. You need to change the patient experience and bring back the WOW factor and the best way to do that is with personal interaction. The best part is that it costs almost nothing!

Technology is great and it needs to be on your agenda, however, technology will put a drag your practice unless your staff is onboard, and they are critical for success. Change is difficult and staff resistance will slow it down and in most cases they do “quietly” resist so start with a change that can be easily embraced. Train your staff on personal communication. Teach them to ask question develop conversations that relate to the patient’s concerns about overall health or a family member’s health. People love to be listened to and if you and your staff start listening more and being more empathetic about non dental issues you will be removing the first barrier against your recommended treatment plan. You will start becoming a trusted friend and who knows, you just may discover something that can save someone’s life. That is not an extreme statement, in 2013; dentists are doing it every day. It is called “diagnostics & total systemic health” and it all starts with a conversation.

Use your morning huddle to reinforce the message you want your staff to deliver. Review the patient’s family & medical history along with the procedures scheduled for the day. President Lyndon Johnson said “information is power” and that is something you need to always remember.

However, in this “not so complicated” mix the most important question is still, do you have a morning huddle?

For more information or a no cost on-site staff instructional session, please feel free to contact me at any time @ 201-321-7494 or cliff.marsh@henryschein.com.

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The Straine Effect!…………………………………………………………………………………………

  Concepts in Practice Management:

Take the Challenge, What’s Your Advice?

CASE STUDY #1:

This is an actual scenario brought to the attention of Kerry Straine. Read the challenges the dentist was facing and then decide what advice you would give. When you’re finished, compare your recommendations with the actual ones Kerry suggested.

Did you come close? Or, is this you?

THE PROBLEM

A dentist barely produces enough to cover his overhead and have anything left over for him. His appointment book is rarely filled. And those are just a few of his headaches.

THE FACTS

The general dentist has been in practice for 15 years. He has four treatment rooms in his facility. His practice-management software report shows 2,356 patients have visited at least one time in the last 24 months, with more than 90% of his patients over 25 years of age. He claims to have 10% of his patients in periodontal therapy. He has one hygienist four days a week with eight appointments available per day. His schedule is booked out one week, but that’s short of his goal; beyond one week, the schedule has significant openings.

The practice currently has 150 patients appointed in hygiene. The staff has a hard time keeping both the hygiene schedule and the doctor’s schedule filled and they always seem to be scrambling to do so.

To read the rest of this article, log onto: http://sidekickmag.com/technology/whats-your-advice/

To schedule conference call appointment, at no cost or obligation, with Kerry Straine, please feel free to contact me at any time @ 201-321-7494 or send me an e-mail @ cliff.marsh@henryschein.com.

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The Office Manager Blog:………………………………………………………………………………..

  Practice Management at your Fingertips!

The Practice Advisor Report in Dentrix has been out for a few years and I hope you have implemented this amazing reporting tool into your practice management routine. It is like having your own personal practice management consultant at your fingertips whenever you need him or her. This report tracks the key performance indicator that dental practices should be monitoring for managing the health of their practices. During the recent Train-the-Trainer meeting, I learned a few new things about the Practice Advisor Report that I would like to pass on to you.

The most valuable thing I learned was how it pulls information from your continuing care system. This information is located on the Continuing Care section of the report.

To View the rest of Dayna’s blog, log onto:

http://thedentrixofficemanager.blogspot.com/

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Join us for the Dentrix Business of Dentistry Conference 2013

Join us for the 2013 Dentrix Business of Dentistry Conference August 8-10, 2013 at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. For two days you will gain the knowledge and resources you can use to improve your practice.

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Tips from the AADOM:…………………………………………………………………………………….

  “Narratives: No Need for Frustration”!

The American Association of Dental Office Managers

By Teresa Duncan, MS, FADIA, FAADOM

One of the most frequent questions in my coding seminars is ‘how do I write a successful narrative?’ The good news is that it is not as hard as you may think. An effective narrative contains these elements: a short, concise description of the treatment performed supporting images or documentation if this is an appeal, the original claim identification number.

We can be tempted to send as much documentation as possible including copies of charts and multiple copies of radiographs. Rest assured that you do not need to send large amounts of information to the insurance company. They really don’t want to read through pages and pages of notes to justify a crown. Nor do they want to see our photocopied checklists of what could possibly be wrong with the tooth. These are not efficient or effective in having our claims paid.

A well-written narrative can move your claim along successfully in the insurance process. We speak to our patients in layman’s terms but avoid this in your narrative. You and your doctor are writing this to be read by another dental professional. Instead of writing ‘lots of decay – loose filling,’ be more specific:

To read the rest of this article, log onto:

http://onemindhealth.com/the-modern-office-march-2013/

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Aruba EZ Inventory Control Software………………………………………………………………

  This Week’s User’s Tip! – Think like a Business Executive for the Next 30 Seconds!

Why are you not using automation to control the most fluid part of your business next to your checking account? For the next 30 seconds, stop thinking like a dentist and start thinking like a business executive. It’s not always about price! It’s about cash flow, work flow, overstock and cost of production as it relates to time.

Price is a negotiable issue that is very easy to deal with. All the rest are constant costs that need to be controlled.

Aruba is FREE! What are you waiting for? Stop walking over dollars to pick up dimes! Start running your practice like a business is supposed to run.

The software runs independently from all other programs on your system. There is no possibility of internet miss-use by staff or any unauthorized personnel.

The Aruba inventory management system will save you time and money and reduce your inventory carrying costs. That results in increased cash flow. Increased cash flow = an increase in retained earnings. How can you not just love more “retained earnings”.

By the way, bar code scanning and the scanner are free and part of the system.

For more information on the “free” Aruba Inventory Management Software, please feel free to contact me at any time @ 201-321-7494 or cliff.marsh@henryschein.com

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This Week in Dentistry from the ADA:………………………………………………………………

  New resource on treating obesity available!

   May 08, 2013

Tampa, Fla.—The Obesity Action Coalition and the American College of Physicians have a new free resource for health care professionals who treat excess weight and obesity.

“Excess Weight and Your Health—A Guide to Effective, Healthy Weight Loss” is a 32-page guidebook and DVD that offers health care professionals a mechanism to introduce the topic of weight into their practices.

“Dentists are very cognizant of overall health and how it relates to the treatment they provide. Diseases like diabetes have a deleterious effect on oral health and link directly to obesity,” said Dr. John Fisher, a member of the ADA Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations. “Many dental offices may be interested in using this resource to help their patients understand how their weight affects their oral and overall health.”

To read the rest of this article, log onto: http://www.ada.org/news/8584.aspx

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Product Review – Fit Test C&B…………………………………………………………………………

Fit Test C&B Addition-curing control silicone

2013 Catolog Page #48 – Product # 999-1555 – $39.99

Blue control silicone for the precision fit fit of marginal adaptation and marginal gaps of crowns & bridges, inlays/onlays, and implant abutments. The product has a high tear resistance and a short setting time. It is easy handling as well as automatic and homogeneous mixing. It incorperates a an optimized mixing tip to reduce material loss.

Indications

Control of precision of fit, marginal adaptation and marginal gaps of:
– crowns
– bridges
– inlays/onlays
– cast metal cores, crowns
– metal denture bases

Advantages

Fast diagnostic help for all restorative pieces

QuickMix syringe for simple handling

Automatic bubble-free mixing

Direct application

Optimal color for metal and ceramic restorations

Fast results due to short working and setting time

 

For more information log onto: http://www.voco.com/us/products/_products/fittest_cb/FitTestFolderGB09-03Endversion20040119.pdf 

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The Henry Schein Outlet Store:……………………………………………………………………….

Overstock – Reconditioned – Demo

For the Special of the Week, Call Cliff @ 201-321-7494

Gendex

ORTHORALIX 9200 DDE DIGITAL PANORAMIC SYSTEM
Condition: Demo
Part Number: 717-6494-D  Manufacturer Part Number: P9200DDE
Catalog Price: $46,995.00  Outlet Price: $29,999.00

Warranty: 1-Year

Ceph upgrade available but not included – please inquire
Please follow the link below for more information:
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

Call Cliff (201-321-7494) for this Outlet Store Special & more Outlet Store listings!

All products include comprehensive warranties backed by Henry Schein Dental.

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Final Thoughts for a Better World

From 3 Very Wise Men….

 

 

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”

John F. Kennedy

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

Ronald Reagan

“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.”

George H.W. Bush

We are Cliff’s Notes and we approved these messages!

Cliff Marsh

Henry Schein Dental

P.O. Box 650, 45 Rt. 46 East, Ste. 605

Pine Brook, NJ 07058

Cell: 201-321-7494

Fax: 201-262-2210

Cliff.Marsh@henryschein.com

www.cliffsnotesblog.me

www.youtube.com/cliffmarsh100

http://www.facebook.com/cliff.marsh#!/cliff.marsh1

May 12, 2013 - Posted by Cliff's Notes Blog | Uncategorized