Scheduling For Productivity 2

Seven Principles that will Lower Your Stress and Increase Your Production (Part 2 of 2)

by Tyson Steele

In our September issue, we looked at the first three principles of scheduling for productivity. We discussed the difference between "busy" and "productive" and looked at how daily goals, appropriate fees and block scheduling can enhance your productivity and lower stress.

Here we will review the final four principles that allow our archetypal dentist, Dr. North, to be so productive . . .

1. Confirmation Systems

   All practices confirm appointments. But few practices have concrete policies regarding every aspect of confirming an appointment. Usually, when you suffer from "no shows" the system is the problem.

   Are you confirming every appointment far enough in advance to adjust the schedule if necessary? How many days before an appointment are patients called? Are they called at home, work, both? What is the exact languaging used if a message is left on an answering machine? Are certain patients asked to call back or lose their appointment? Who are those patients? Who's on stand-by to call at a moments notice?

   Dr. North has a system. His staff knows what is expected of them. They know when to call, who to call, and what to say. They even held a staff meeting to brainstorm better ways to language confirmations. They know that the only two important days in the office are "today" and "tomorrow", and they strive to make the best of both of them.

2. "No Show", Late Policy

   Remember, a lot of the responsibility for lost productivity falls to patients. Many of your patients are completely unaware that their last minute cancellation or late arrival can completely ruin your day. Others just don't even care. (Remember, "all dentists are rich.")

   Let your patients know what is expected of them. Tell them that last minute cancellations and "no shows" mean an idle doctor, staff and equipment, leading to increased fees. Tell them that the late arrivals of patients can lead to long waits for those who are punctual.

   Dr. North has a cancellation/late arrival policy that protects his responsible patients. His team knows when to charge for a missed appointment, when to cut patients off for late arrival and how to language the policy to offending patients. Occasionally, Dr. North makes an exception to his policy. However, exceptions are not the norm. His staff and his patients respect him for protecting his responsible patients.

3. Languaging Skills

   Languaging skills are the little known key to developing a productive schedule. Slight changes in languaging can mean the difference between a rotten day and a great one.

   Remember Dr. South, our highly busy yet less-productive dentist? His team will schedule a patient by asking "When would you like to come in?"

   Dr. North's team, on the other hand, says, "Doctor does that procedure on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We can schedule you for Tuesday, October 12 at 10:15 or Thursday, October 14 at 8:00. Which would you prefer?"

   When a patient's parent says, "Jenny has school at 2:00, do you have anything later in the afternoon?" Dr. South's team immediately suggests a late appointment several weeks off.

   When faced with the same question, Dr. North's team says, "Let's see . . ." pauses for 20 seconds and says with concern, "Is there any way she could make it?" before suggesting another time. From experience, the team knows that half of the patients will change their mind and take the appointment.

   Dr. North knows that languaging controls the schedule. His staff meetings often focus on languaging and scripting. His team has empathy for a patient's needs but also understands the needs of the doctor, team and other patients. Their languaging reflects that understanding and dramatically improves productivity and lowers stress.

4. Serving "Your" Market

   As the number of patients in the Northwest increases and the number of dentists decreases, market segmentation will be a deciding factor in productivity. Being "all things to all people" will become increasingly difficult as your schedule threatens to over-run with emergencies and unexpected complexities of treatment.

   You see, every dentist has an "ideal" type of patient uniquely suited to their practice. And every dentist has a preferred style of treatment. Contrary to dental "guru" claims, however, you are unlikely to ever be able to perform only the types of treatment you like. Rather, you will begin to focus on the style of treatment and patient care best suited to you.

   This focus dramatically increases productivity as you perform more and more ideal treatments on patients you enjoy and spend less time serving everyone.

   Dr. North quit tinkering in ortho, sends out most of his endo and doesn't do any denture work. He focuses on composite restorations over amalgam, but not exclusively. He gives his patients Christmas gifts, makes post-treatment care calls, and schedules an extra unit to talk with special patients. Generally, he dismisses patients who have not had a regular appointment in the last two years, preferring to avoid the emergencies and provide better care for his active patients. He still does discounted and complimentary treatment for those in need, but he schedules them on special days. He can't define his market in certain terms, but he knows he must be focused, because his days are more productive and less hectic.

The Final Word

Scheduling for productivity is no small feat. Each of the seven principles plays an important role in lowering your stress and increasing productivity.

The first step is to make a decision to stop trying to run faster or harder. Rather, focus on working smarter by replacing your goals of "efficiency" with goals of "productivity."