Do's and don'ts for managing change: Be open to change

Change can be scary, but it's necessary and good for your practice. To be successful in today's changing dental business environment, practice leaders must rethink how they operate and make improvements to their management and marketing systems. Rather than clinging to the way things were, take a positive approach to learning new skills and protocols. The business of dentistry continues to evolve and you must evolve with it.

Keep practice systems current. Look at the systems in your practice -- scheduling, collections, case presentation, customer service, etc. Are there opportunities for improvement? Will changes lead to greater efficiency, reduced costs, or increased revenues? Every member of the practice team can provide valuable feedback and suggestions to make systems work better.

Don't forget to change systems documentation. Although outdated business systems should be replaced rather than tweaked, some interim fixes will be necessary. When you alter procedures to work around a bottleneck, revise the system documentation (and operating checklist) immediately. Otherwise, team members are more likely to revert to the old procedures.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the founder and CEO of Levin Group, the leading dental practice consulting firm in North America. For the complete list of dates and locations where you can attend his latest seminar, visit www.levingroup.com/gpseminars.

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