Do's and don'ts for managing multiple offices

More dentists than ever before have multiple offices. At first, this can seem quite easy as you open a second office, but the third and fourth offices often become far more complicated.

The best way to achieve success with multiple offices is to understand a basic set of principles used by companies in the business world. For those who already have multiple offices, the key is to retrofit these principles across all offices to maximize production and profitability.

Build the model first. One of my strongest suggestions is to build and refine a model in one location before adding new locations. If you already have multiple locations, then select one practice and build, test, and refine a model before attempting to change all of the practice management systems and protocols across all offices at once. By building a model in one office and creating the platform for all other offices, you have a far better chance of achieving consistency, productivity, and profitability in all practices.

Don't forget about strategic planning. Very few dental practices engage in the business technique of strategic planning; however, Levin Group recommends that multilocation practices have a five-year strategic plan that identifies what the organization will accomplish, when it will be done, and what the results will be within a certain time frame (i.e., one year or five years).

Dr. Roger P. Levin is CEO of Levin Group, a leading practice management and marketing consulting firm. To contact him or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit LevinGroup.comor email [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.