4 ways to make 2017 your best year yet

Another new year is upon us, and that means it's time to make changes that will improve practice production and grow your bottom line.

No matter how your practice did in 2016, I want to help make 2017 your best year yet. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Focus on your patients

Patients are the lifeblood of your practice. Without them, you don't have a reason to come to work each day, making it vital for you to attract new patients and keep your current patients happy.

Sally McKenzie, CEO of McKenzie Management.

If your practice struggled with patient retention in 2016, there's plenty you can do to raise your numbers in 2017. My first recommendation? Improve customer service. Every patient should be greeted with a smile and made to feel comfortable from the moment he or she walks through the door. Team members should always be friendly and ready to help, whether that means answering questions about services you provide or offering patients water while they wait.

Patient education is another key to improving patient retention. When patients understand the value of maintaining their oral health, they're more likely to schedule necessary treatment and to keep their appointments. When you and your team members take the time to explain their conditions and the possible consequences of not going forward with treatment, it also shows them you really care about their well-being -- which makes your patients feel more connected to the practice.

And no matter how much you want to, never ignore patient complaints. Take every complaint seriously and look at each one as an opportunity to improve. Trust me, if one patient is complaining about you running behind or the practice's lack of evening hours, other patients are upset about these issues as well. When you take complaints seriously, you not only show patients you value their opinions, you also have the opportunity to fix problems you might not have known you had.

2. Revamp recall

Tapping into your recall system is one of the easiest ways to improve patient retention and increase production -- yet most dentists don't do it. If you focus on re-energizing recall, production numbers and practice revenues will likely experience a huge boost in 2017.

The best way to revamp your recall system is to hire a patient coordinator and task this new team member with reaching out to and scheduling a certain number of past-due patients every day. Make sure your coordinator has access to the most up-to-date information and can educate patients about the services you provide and the importance of scheduling routine appointments.

Some dentists send out generic postcards or rely on preappointing to get recall patients in the chair. Preappointing all too often leads to last-minute cancellations and no-shows that cause chaos in your practice and kill production numbers. Unfortunately, neither method will get you the results you're after. If you want to grow production in 2017, I suggest you start adding the power of emailing, texting, and calling these patients instead.

3. Improve case acceptance

When patients don't accept the treatment you recommend, it can be pretty frustrating -- especially when they've given you the impression they're going to schedule.

Patients say no to treatment for many reasons. Maybe they feel like they can't afford it or they're worried it will be painful. The thing is, you won't know their reasons unless you ask. Find out patients' perceived barriers to care and then address them through education.

I also suggest that you hire a treatment coordinator to present treatment for all producers in your practice. This team member can sit down with patients in a quiet room and answer any questions they have about treatment, from how much it will cost to how much time they'll need to take off of work. Two days after that presentation, the coordinator should follow up with these patients to provide more education, answer any additional questions, and ultimately get them on the schedule.

Offering third-party financing such as CareCredit is another great way to increase case acceptance. Many patients say no to treatment because of the price tag; they just can't afford to write one large check. Breaking it up into smaller monthly payments eases the financial burden and makes it possible for more patients to get the care they need.

4. Invest in your practice

Most patients want to go to an up-to-date practice with a comfortable environment. If your office doesn't meet their expectations, chances are they'll keep looking for a dental home. Invest in new technologies when you can, keep your practice clean and inviting, and attend continuing education courses that enable you to offer new services to your patients.

Investing in your practice also means investing in your team. Take the time to hire the right people and provide them with the guidance they need to excel in their roles, including detailed job descriptions and training. When given the proper guidance, team members become more confident in their skills, are more likely to take ownership of their systems, and are more motivated to meet and exceed goals -- leading to improved efficiencies and increased production.

The start of a new year is always filled with promise and expectations for success. Follow these tips, and you'll be well on your way to a more productive, profitable practice in 2017.

Sally McKenzie is the CEO of McKenzie Management, a full-service, nationwide dental practice management company. Contact her directly at 877-777-6151 or at [email protected].

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.