Do's and don'ts for making decisions: Make the best decisions for your practice

As the practice leader, you make all the major decisions. As within any business, for things to operate smoothly, decisions both big and small must made -- sometimes daily. When the practice needs to respond to new challenges, your job as the leader is to bring the team together, gather information and feedback, weigh the pros and cons, and provide the direction.

Make nonclinical decisions quickly. When making a choice that may change how your practice operates, ask a "golden question": How will this decision affect our profit at the end of the year? If the answer is "positively," move forward. If the answer is "negatively" or "I don't know," then consider a different option. It really can be that simple to make decisions efficiently.

Don't forget to ask: "Will this benefit our patients?" To become a more patient-centric practice, you should look at every decision -- large or small -- in terms of patient benefits. And in all your interactions with patients, demonstrate how personally committed you are to their well-being. The value and trust you build will strengthen patient-practice relationships.

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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