MANAGEMENT SKILL OF A DENTIST: How to Select the Right Lab for Your Practice

By: Roger P. Levin, DDS
Every dentist is a member of at least two teams. You have your staff or in-office team -- your hygienists, assistants, front desk personnel, etc. And then you have the other team outside your office that includes vendors, doctors you refer to, and dental laboratories.

The outside team member that has the most significant impact on your performance is the dental lab. Your relationship with a dental lab (or labs) directly affects these practice areas:
* Quality of care
* Scheduling
* Overhead
* Customer Service
* Practice Stress

The right lab can have a very positive effect on all these areas. The wrong lab can wreak havoc on your practice. For example, if you experienced several remakes in a few days, imagine the stress that would place on your practice. Patients would be upset that their restoration wasn't completed on time and that they would have to come back for another appointment. You would have to find room in the schedule for these patients within the next few weeks. Your overhead would increase because these second appointments are at the practice's expense--not the patient's. You also may need to pay overtime to ensure that the patient is seen without delay.

Whether it was the lab's fault, the practice's or both, patients are going to hold your practice accountable for failed treatment. After all, they are your patients. They don't know who made the crown or bridge. And, frankly, they don't care. They only know that you failed to get it right. That might sound harsh, but that is how patients will view your practice after a remake.

Someone once said, "Behind every great smile is a great dentist." But have you ever considered what is behind a great dentist? There are many factors, but a strong relationship with a quality dental lab is critical to your long-term success.

What to look for in a lab
When evaluating a lab, Levin Group recommends using these six criteria:
1. Quality
2. Range of services and materials
3. Turnaround time
4. Customer service
5. Cost
6. Extras

1. Quality
Patient care is every practice's top priority. The practice and the lab must work together to ensure quality. Levin Group recommends that practices keep remakes at 1% or less. The practice must provide the lab an abundance of accurate information- -written instructions and digital images to help ensure a quality result. If frequent remakes are an issue, then it may be time to consider other labs.

2. Range of services
Is the lab a full-service one or does it specialize in certain services? Some dentists use one lab for most services but then use another lab for high-end restorative or cosmetic work. Can you get everything you need at one lab? Or would using several labs make more sense?

3. Turnaround time
Just as efficiency is a key benchmark for practice success, so it is for measuring a lab's performance. Can a lab consistently deliver quality work in the required time? Does the lab have standard timelines for each service? Is it able to meet those deadlines? Before deciding to use a lab, ask for referrals from dentists in your geographic area. If the lab is located in another region, will distance affect turnaround time?

4. Customer service
Does the lab have a human voice on the other end of the line? Is this person knowledgeable about lab work? If there is a challenge, can the customer representative provide the necessary information? When you have questions, does the lab respond quickly? Or, are you put on hold for long periods of time?

5. Cost
How does the lab rank in terms of cost? Is it on the high end or the low end? Cost should be part of the deciding factor, but not the sole criterion. You may want to use different labs for different procedures. A lab that specializes in high-end cosmetic may be the perfect choice for anterior esthetic cases, but another lab with a more reasonable cost structure may be the better choice for crown and bridge cases. Finding a quality lab or labs with reasonable prices should be your overall goal.

6. Extras
Does the lab educate the practice on new materials and services? A good dental lab should be able to provide excellent education to their dentists on subjects, ranging from restorations to preparation to materials. A good lab should be a partner to the practice. In an era where so many new supplies, materials and technologies are emerging, it can be difficult for practices to keep up with the latest information. Having the lab act as an expert in certain areas can help dentists incorporate the right materials and technologies into their practices.

You and your lab(s)
Effective communication is a critical factor for building a strong relationship with dental labs. A dental lab will not just automatically produce the perfect crown or bridge without input from you. Be very specific about what you want on every case request. Give clear, detailed instructions and follow up with the lab to make sure those instructions are understood. Provide X-rays or digital images that enhance your written instructions. This way you ensure a quality product from the lab and for your patient. Talk to your lab representative or the lab owner every 4-6 months just to make sure your practice and the dental lab are on the same page.

Conclusion
A strong practice-laboratory relationship allows you to provide optimal quality of care combined with exceptional customer service and decreased overhead. With the increased patient focus on esthetic dentistry, your lab partner will only become a bigger component in your practice's success in the coming years. Take the time necessary to develop a strong relationship with a quality dental laboratory.

Protect Your Profitability with Referral-Based Marketing

Protect Your Profitability with Referral-Based Marketing
By Roger P. Levin, DDS

Introduction
What’s the best way to protect your practice in uncertain economic times? How do orthodontists ensure a continual flow of new patients and sources of referrals that will help make their practices recession-proof? Implement a consistent referral-based marketing program and you’ll bring in a steady stream of new patients, increase production and generate greater profitability.
Remember, even when practices do very well with word-of-mouth advertising, most orthodontists still receive the majority of their patient referrals from general dentists. A practice’s top referral source can provide from $100,000 to $250,000 in production per year. Project those figures over 20 years and that single referral source that sends $100,000 yearly in referrals can account for $2 million in revenue over time.

The Advantages of Referral-Based Marketing
A successful referral-based marketing program requires repeat, positive and consistent contact that builds relationships with referring doctors and their offices. It’s true that some time and money must be invested. However, when done properly this type of marketing can offer huge returns and increase referrals for the life of your practice.

Another advantage that referral-based marketing programs offer is that they help your practice prepare for the unexpected. It’s important to anticipate that over time, your practice will lose referral sources, as well as patients. At one time or another all orthodontic practices lose referral sources. It’s not an uncommon scenario. Losing a key referral source is not always due to poor customer service or conflict, but rather a multitude of uncontrollable circumstances. Causes can range from retirement to disability of a referring doctor. Instituting a referral-based marketing program can prevent those losses from adversely affecting the practice over the long-term.

Your Strategy: Building a Diversified Patient Base
Referral-based marketing programs can provide a cushion in a fluctuating economy. They do this by developing a diversified patient base and a steady stream of income that increases annually. In a sluggish economy more patients will shop for orthodontic services in the same way they shop for other items. Increasing your total referrals will help your practice offset a lower start ratio. Slower economic times mean that less patients accept treatment.
Levin Group has found referral-based marketing allows practices to grow even during slow economic times.

To understand how to carry out a referral-based marketing program, familiarize yourself with the following four essential steps.

1. Designate or Hire a Professional Relations Coordinator (PRC)
Orthodontists are simply too busy with patient care to manage and implement referral-based marketing programs themselves. For this reason orthodontic practices should have a part-time staff member dedicated to referral-based marketing. Levin Group pioneered the concept of the Professional Relations Coordinator (PRC) to meet that need. The PRC builds and strengthens relationships with referring doctors and staff, hygienists, and patients. As the liaison to your referral base, your PRC establishes the organizational framework and momentum to ensure consistent communication with your referral base.
It’s amazing how much impact one dedicated individual can make by spending 12-16 hours per week on the referral-based marketing program. The amount of time and money spent on this resource allows the practice to increase revenue by as much as 15 to 30 percent. Through the PRC, a consistent referral-based marketing program can be implemented with less than three or four hours of the doctor's time per week spent in communication with referring offices.

2. Develop a Targeted Strategy
Strategy and planning are at the core of a successful referral-based marketing program. Whatever your practice’s vision and goals, you should develop 15-30 repeatable marketing strategies to implement. Your practice’s customized marketing plan can include activities like:
• Relationship-building with referring doctors and their staffs.
• Education through seminars, fact sheets, letters, etc.
• Branding your practice as the area’s orthodontic leader.
• Better customer service through internal marketing and staff training.
• Creating patient referrals through word of mouth and other strategies.
A young practice needs as many referrals as possible, while others need to capitalize on their existing success, strengthen their relationships with the referral base and grow their referral doctor network.

3. Monitor and Track Performance
To determine how successful your referral marketing efforts are, it’s important for your PRC to monitor and track the statistics specific to your practice, such as:
• Number of referral sources
• Total referrals
• Referrals per doctor
• Total number of patients referred
• Number of starts per referral source
• Trends and changes in referral patterns
• A, B, C, D segmentation of referral base
This continuous tracking allows your practice to adjust and fine-tune the strategies employed. It’s just as important to understand what is not working as it is to track your successes. The PRC should also segment your referral doctors into the four categories below.
A-level
These referrers are your highest referrers. This group needs to be maintained with the proper amount of attention.
B-level
This group refers at a lower rate than A referrers. You will need to work on the relationship so that they can be upgraded into A-level referrers.
C-level
Doctors in this category rarely or intermittently refer patients and are unlikely to ever become high-level referral sources. These dentists may have relationships with other key doctors. However they have little future potential as referrers.
D-level
These doctors do not refer to your office but have the potential to begin referring. With this group you must take steps to develop the relationship to help them become top-level referral sources.

4. Be Proactive With Your Competition
A strong referral-based marketing program helps protect your orthodontic practice, regardless of your competition, by making it possible to continuously maintain strong relationships. The fact is, competition will always increase, not decrease. Every business today faces increased competition and orthodontics is no different.
What are the benefits of being proactive with your competition? Here are some points to remember:
• Increasingly, orthodontists are learning to step up their marketing efforts to boost profitability. Some marketing activity is becoming the norm for most orthodontic practices. Engaging in referral-based marketing helps your practice stay competitive.
• Practices in an area well-suited for orthodontic practices will likely find that another orthodontist recognizes it and opens a full- or part-time practice. Levin Group has frequently observed the scenario where one orthodontist
predominated in an area, only to watch several competitors enter the scene and reduce the practice’s referral base and revenue. Focus on your office’s unique selling points in your marketing programs to make your practice stand out.
• Referral sources doing their own orthodontic treatment are an orthodontist’s biggest competition. The trend of general dentists bringing orthodontics into their practices due to the introduction of new technologies will further impact the potential growth of orthodontic practices. Make sure you get the message out that your training and experience gives you the ability to offer more to patients and referring doctors.
Conclusion
A strong referral-based marketing program is a necessity not an option for successful practices, particularly in a struggling economy. Programs that pursue numerous contact opportunities and develop a pipeline of new referral sources can make a tremendous difference in the career of any orthodontist. Doctors are better positioned to become production leaders in their areas when they consistently and effectively engage in referral-based marketing. Moreover, these efforts are proactive steps you can take to recession-proof your practice today, to protect your income stream now and in the future.

Source:
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is founder and CEO of Levin Group, a leading dental practice management consulting firm that is dedicated to improving the lives of dentists through a diverse portfolio of lifetime services and solutions. Since the company's inception in 1985, Dr. Levin has worked to bring the business world to dentistry. A popular lecturer, Dr. Levin addresses thousands of dentists and staff worldwide each year in 100-plus seminars and at the dental industry's most prestigious meetings.

www.levingroup.com

Managing Conflict With Co-Workers—As Well As Your Boss

Dealing effectively with internal customers--your co-workers and others inside your organization, including your boss--is just as important as dealing with external customers. Conflict at the office does occur, and learning how to cope with it is essential to maximizing your professional potential and career success.

But what about managing conflicts that develop with your boss? Can you disagree with a higher-ranking colleague or a professional superior and still keep your job? The answer is yes. Being able to assert yourself in a respectful and direct way may not only strengthen your relationship with your superior, but may also help you increase your productivity and job satisfaction.

Here are some fundamental strategies to keep in mind the next time you have to deal with a difficult personality at work, or if you simply disagree with a colleague about a work issue or process.


First of all, try and anticipate when conflict is likely to emerge inside your working environment. When workplace change occurs, such as restructuring, changes in job responsibilities, layoffs, or shifts in management, there is bound to be some increase in conflict. Be proactive. Anticipate problems and don't wait until they begin to start addressing them.
Work on your communications skills and learn to help others to communicate more effectively in their interactions with you. Managing conflict successfully only happens with effective communication.
Be open to feedback from others. If you experience feedback as threatening, try hard to put aside defensiveness and rigidity so you can really "hear" what others have to say.
Keep dialogue going. When co-workers, team members, and supervisors maintain open lines of communication, potential conflicts are more likely to be avoided and will be far less difficult to manage.
Don't assume that the conflict will "just go away." Unmanaged conflict doesn't disappear; it just goes underground where it can become even more insidious. You may see a problem as "water under the bridge." Unfortunately, the person or parties who feel that the conflict is unresolved are probably still holding on to their original feelings. If so, the conflict can re-emerge anytime, and often when you can least afford it.
Focus on a trying to find a "win-win" solution. Your goal should be to reach an agreement in which both parties or groups experience satisfaction. It's possible, if you're careful and creative.
Practice and learn these skills. Like any other professional capability, effective conflict management improves with experience. After each experience, analyze what went right and what went wrong. Think about what you might do differently the next time around.
Know when to ask for help. There may be conflict situations that can't be resolved without outside assistance, and some that really should be referred to a third party, e.g., supervisor, human resources, or your Employee Assistance Program. Someone who is trained to mediate conflict can help you move forward and identify a resolution that is acceptable to everyone.
When You Experience Conflict with Your Boss

The above strategies will also be helpful in dealing with your boss. But, here are some additional, specific strategies for when you disagree with a more powerful colleague.


Try to approach the situation by assuming that your boss' intentions are positive and meant to further the goals of the organization and meet the needs of employees. Don't automatically take the position that your boss is unfair, "out to get you," or otherwise ill-intentioned. Immediately conveying your anger is likely to get you off to a poor start.
Be clear and specific when you state your concerns. For example, if you feel your boss is not available when you need assistance and guidance, communicate this plainly. Make statements in the first person. Take ownership of the problem, rather than blaming your boss. This will make it more likely that your boss will hear what you have to say.
Make it clear that a positive response to your request will benefit your boss and the organization. You might say, for example: "I feel that if I can get your input, then I'll be able to write a really outstanding report."
Offer to problem-solve with your boss. Indicate what you'd like to have happen, and your desire to be a part of the solution to the problem. You might suggest to your boss that you work out a schedule of regular feedback so you can be sure you're on the right track.
Before you end the conversation, try to get some closure. Make a future appointment or clarify exactly when your boss will be available to schedule an appointment. Don't forget to thank your boss for listening and responding to your request.
Effective and successful mangers need good conflict management skills. A dealing with difficult situations inside the office is a key to professional growth and career advancement. These abilities aren't easy to learn, but they're worth it. The good news is that anyone can learn them and will get better with experience and practice.

If you want additional advice about how you can increase your conflict management skills, or have a question about how to handle a specific conflict with a co-worker or your boss, contact your Employee Assistance Program.

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