Embracing the New “Normal” and Understanding the Benefits of a Cloud-Based Office
The term office manager can mean different things to different people. Back in the seventies and eighties, the term office manager was seldom used in dentistry. In those simpler times, most dental facilities were two and three chair offices and there were little if any regulatory and insurance challenges.
In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, dentists adopted a business office model with a receptionist and an insurance coordinator. This model exists today but is no longer adequate to manage the HR, Financial, Regulatory, Insurance and operational aspects of a contemporary practice.
As AADOM members would agree, managing the business functions of a dental practice requires as much time, attention and resources as does the clinical side of the business. Luckily, advancements in technology can organize your workflow and provide statistical analysis to make your team more effective.
For nearly a decade, many traditional practice management software companies and other developers have created the industry’s first dashboards. These programs were rudimentary at first but have evolved over time. Just a year or two ago there were only a handful of dashboards products on the market with an intuitive and friendly user interface. Today we have dashboards that are cloud based business platforms that allow you access to your data from anywhere on virtually any device including your smart phone.
Today’s business dashboard is an information management tool that provides key performance analytics and captures the pulse of your business with colorful charts and graphs. Some of these cloud based systems have unique capabilities that can help an office administrator automate routine processes, implement actions and communicate with team members (across departments or locations) on a secure environment.
The benefits of piggybacking a business dashboard with your practice management suite are many:
1. You can set up your Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Metrics.
Inspect what you expect. Set measurable, realistic business objectives for all your practice needs. Measure various aspects of the business including production by provider, collections, marketing campaign effectiveness, case acceptance, reappointment, insurance activity and more.
2. Staffing Made Easy. Professionals are sometimes hesitant to admit that you can’t do it all alone. Since most office managers oversee the staffing functions of the dental practice, make sure you build an internal network of visionaries and go-getters.
Recruiting new people to fit in with your team’s culture and training them on the way you do business are no small tasks. But, it must be done. Dashboard streamlines your efforts with automation and develops a system that works time and time again. Through a series of encrypted networks, your employee data is securely stored, processed and available to the right parties, whenever needed.
3. Develop A Team. Henry Ford stated: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Building your staff is half the work; developing a cohesive team with a positive, productive culture is the ultimate goal.
Whether you have one location or many, cooperative team collaboration minimizes conflict and the time it takes to get the work done. Promote unity between your employees with a unified vision, daily office huddle or group announcements and teambuilding promotions/events. Dashboard services integrate interoffice communication into your production utilities, helping you manage all of your team and stay connected.
4. Network, network, network. The old saying was location, location, location. Your real estate was everything. Today, it’s all about your patient satisfaction and industry support. Stay ahead with new developments in dental technology and services to provide for your patients. Embrace social media to better communicate with patients. And lastly, align yourself with thought leaders and forward thinkers in the dental industry to support your business.
Although your Dashboard doesn’t network on your behalf, it may capture pertinent information that defines how you network. Do your employee performance reports indicate a need for better employee training or continuing education? Use your KPI’s and analysis reports to find if practice management consulting could benefit your office.
5. Marketing. If you build it, they may come….but first you have to tell them. Marketing is a high priority, never-ending job for any business. In dentistry, you market to retain existing patients, acquire new patients and re-activate inactive patients.
With the Dashboard, collaborate with a team or schedule reminders to post. Integrate your services to capture new leads and follow up with your monthly communications. Campaign analysis functions prevent you from exhausting funds and efforts on things that don’t work. Cloud services are sure to become your best friend when embarking on marketing and advertising for your practice.
6. Manage your Billing and Finances. According to the ADA, in 2013 the average gross billing for an American single practice owner was $646,440 for a general practitioner and $857,110 for a specialist. This can be a hefty responsibility, especially with a group.
Common mistakes in billing are highly preventable with careful monitoring and oversight. The most common errors that resulted in hefty penalties included:
- Routine discrepancies in co-payments or deductibles
- Incorrect treatment dates
- Lack of pertinent insurance details
- Submitting claims for non-covered services
So, the important question is; are you billing 100% error free? Dashboard services increase your accuracy and reduce the potential for mistakes. Even more, you can ensure that other members of your group are too.
We have used a cloud based dashboard, Dental Practice Pro, In my group practice for several years now and it has made a significant difference in efficiency and oversight. If you have any questions regarding this article and would like to schedule a live demo to test drive our platform for free contact our Client Success Team (877) 651 – 8563.
Dr. Joseph Fertucci
Dental Practice Pro
Test Drive the Future of Dentistry
www.dentalpracticepro.com
