In a general practice, a hygienist can see 8 to 10 patients per day, with operative also seeing 8 to 10 patients plus consultations, impressions, etc. Variables can include the type of dentistry being done (including SRPs), number of chairs, and whether there is some form of assisted hygiene in use. A well-trained front desk person can handle 18 - 20 patients per day. Kevin Tighe, Cambridge Dental Consultants, Senior Consultant, got bitten hard by the business and marketing bug during long summer days working at his dad's Madison Avenue ad agency. After joining Cambridge as a speaker in the mid-1990s, Kevin...

1. Hire for attitude. Train for the rest. Attitude = proud of and likes to work.  2. For the front desk, make sure to test for basic math skills. It's amazing how many prospective employees can't do arithmetic on their own.  2. Do background checks if someone will be handling money.  3. Group interviews help show how candidates interact in a group situation.  4. Some practice owners like to have their staff take the best candidate out to lunch and then have the staff give a thumbs up or down. There is a lot to be said for this method as the staff will take...

At any given time one or more of your staff are likely doing something that you would not be too happy about if discovered. It's the nature of the beast. That's why it is so important to have written policy and a formal protocol for correcting or reprimanding employees. You want to document bad behavior or policy violations for all employees. Doing so will hopefully get the employee corrected as well as provide documentation to help fight unemployment claims if you decide to dismiss them. When staff do not follow policy there is a tendency to either ignore it or get...

Your practice will be rushed, hectic and stressed without a schedule that is well designed. The purpose of blocking scheduling  is to decrease stress, keep production on an even keel from one day to the next while maintaining or increasing production. These are the steps for implementing with guidelines:   Time Study Over two to three weeks get accurate times of every procedure.  All staff can help. Create an index card for each patient that comes in. Note the following on the card:  The time the patient arrivedThe time the patient is seatedThe time the procedure beginsThe time the procedure ends At the end of...