Wrap-ups: Should be performed by the assistant/hygienist after you leave the treatment room. Before removing the bib they should sit eyeball-to-eyeball and explain what was done today and what treatment needs to be scheduled next.
Appointment Reminders: Never “confirm” an appointment, rather give a courtesy reminder. This changes the tone from ‘are you coming’ to ‘I know you’re coming, I just want to remind you.’ “Fred, Mary, your hygienist, is looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at 3:00.”
Front Desk Handoffs: No matter the clarity of your written communication, this is critical for the patient’s benefit. The assistant/hygienist should state what treatment was performed today, what needs to be scheduled next and, gracefully, take their leave.

Here’s to your success!

More and more frequently, patients are communicating with practices via email. Just as verbal skills are important, so too is the ability to communicate via email in a warm, friendly, welcoming manner that sets your practice apart.

A speedy response is, of course, fundamentally important. Thank the patient for making the connection, let them know how you will meet their needs, give them a point person to connect with in the practice and let them know that you welcome hearing back from them.

Implementation:
The administration team will familiarize themselves with the verbiage
Either laminate copies for the administration team or place the document on the desktop for them to pull from
Let the team now that you expect them to use it as a guideline for all correspondence and want them to add examples over time.

Following are some basic examples. Feel free to add to the list as you need to.

“Do you accept my insurance?”
Thank you so much for contacting our office! We gladly accept all private care insurance plans (plans that do not require you to select a dentist from a list or require our office to accept a reduced fee for service). This means that we work with literally hundreds of companies. Once we have the details of your insurance, we will be happy to verify your coverage and estimate your portion. Please remember that it is only an estimate. Please give us a call and we’ll get you scheduled.
“How much do you charge for a filling (or other services)?”
Thank you so much for contacting our office! As with many dental services, it can be difficult to give an exact amount without seeing you first. There are many variables such as where the tooth is located in the mouth, how deep and large the cavity is and whether you need a silver or white filling. If you’d like us to take a look at that tooth specifically, we’ll be happy to do just that and give you an estimate. We will have to take an x-ray to determine the extent of the decay. Please give us a call and we’ll get you scheduled.

“Do you have evening/Saturday appointments?”
Thank you so much for contacting our office! While we do not have evening/Saturday appointments, we work very hard to find the time that works best for your schedule.

“ Good day, I have an infection/toothache in upper right rear of my mouth
and I would like to get that looked at. I am also wanting to look at a
longer term solution to a better looking mouth as my teeth are certainly
far from perfect.”
Thank you so much for contacting our office! Since you have a toothache, we’ll want to take care of that as soon as possible. Once we’ve got that under control, we’ll do a thorough exam, take some x-rays and let you know what we can do to restore your mouth. Please give us a call and we’ll get you scheduled as soon as we can. My name is so feel free to ask for me directly. We’re looking forward to speaking with you.

Putting the right forms in an employees’ personnel folder does take some time, however, it is hugely beneficial in the long run. Not only do you have all the documents you need in one place but you have them easily accessible when the time comes for performance appraisals, compliance with government audits, in case you need to discharge or lay an employee off and it just generally keeps you on the right side of the law.

What to keep in employee personnel files:
Applicants’ resume, reference and background checks
Job description
IRS Form W4 (Employee’s Withholding)
I-9 Form (US citizenship and work status)
Acknowledgment of employee manual
Performance appraisals
Any forms relating to employee benefits
Next of kin and emergency information
Licenses and certifications
Customer and co-worker complaints
Disciplinary action
Attendance records
Salary records
Records of completion of training
Tardiness records
Any other agreements e.g. employment contract, non-compete agreement
Documents relating to the departure or termination of the employee

What to keep separately:
Medical records: Businesses are legally required to keep medical records in a separate file that has limited access

Other considerations:
Review your employee files at least annually
Your employees have the right to have access to their employee files. A good general rule is that you don’t want to put anything in there that you would not want a jury to see. Avoid any references to the employee’s private life, race, sex, religion or political beliefs.
Employee files should be kept under lock and key with limited access.

When the patient comes in late greet them with concern, “, I’m so glad you’re here, your appointment was ten minutes ago, we were getting worried. Is everything alright?” There are three possible options at this point; reschedule the patient, do the treatment or an abbreviated version thereof. “I’m not sure that is going to be able to do your treatment today. Let me go back and find out; I’ll be right back.”

Using this strategy and these verbal skills, allows the practice to make a point to the patient in a non-blameful way.

Some guidelines to follow are that the calls should be made at the end of the day before the doctor goes home or from a mobile phone on the way home. Most of the calls will go to voicemail and it’s very rare that a patient keeps you talking even if you reach them. Doctors should call at least 50% of their patients. Preferably everyone who receives anesthetic will be called and this includes the hygienist calling their scaling and root planing patients.

Keep the verbiage simple: “Fred, this is Dr. Smith calling, I’m calling to check in with you to make sure you’re feeling comfortable after your procedure today, (pause—wait for a response). Great. Fred thanks for coming in, we really appreciate patients like you and we look forward to seeing you next time.”

There are so many things wrong with this scenario that I hardly know where to begin.  At this point, it is quite clear, that this employee is not salvageable.  Anyone who expresses such disdain for their employer is past the tipping point of no return and needs for their own sake and that of the practice, to be let go.

I wonder how things progressed down this slippery slope of no return. The only thing that could have salvaged the relationship was communication and this communication needed to start right at the first signs of dissatisfaction and distrust.  Communication may well have resulted in a mutual agreement to part ways, however, it almost certainly would have averted the distractive outburst in front of patients and co-workers.

Talk early, talk openly, talk respectfully.

I think back on the times I go to my medical doctor.  The nurse will stand in the door of the reception room, look around somewhat blankly at the faces looking back at her and say, “Janet……..”   It doesn’t make me feel particularly good since I’ve been going to the same doctor for years and have been seen by that particular nurse frequently.

In dentistry, we can’t afford to make the same mistake.  Dentistry is, for the most part, elective.  Furthermore, it’s highly competitive.  The goal of every soignée practice should be to find ways in which to consistently deliver  higher quality of service.  So, with this in mind, find out who your patient is (if you don’t already know) by asking the administrative person who checked him/her in.  Then, walk confidently right up to her in the reception room, introduce yourself and invite her back.

I love the idea.  Talk about a bonus tied directly to that individual’s job description.  Apparently it’s working very well.

Exit interviews are interviews conducted with the employee who is leaving. The chief goal of an exit interview is to learn the reasons for the person’s departure with the premise that it can provide helpful information of how to improve to the organization. Many organizations ignore the opportunity that exit interviews provide because they have not been performed in the past and it can be a daunting task to implement. In addition, like people, organizations often do not like criticism. Do not allow practice insecurity and defensiveness to become an obstacle to holding them.

It is not mandatory for employees to attend exit interviews nor is it mandatory for them to answer the questions. Accept gracefully if they decline to answer any questions.

Exit interviews provide the platform for the employee to voice their opinions, to feel heard and potentially to leave on a positive note. It should be emphasized that it is up to the employer to keep the meeting positive and to listen more than speak. The interviewer should be reassuring rather than put pressure on the interviewee. A calm, objective demeanor without blame and finger pointing always provides the best outcome. Prepare your topics ahead of time and take notes during the interview. The objective is to make peace, shake hands and leave friends, not enemies.

Exit Interview Questions

What is your main reason for leaving?

______________________________________________________________________

Do you have any other reasons for leaving?

______________________________________________________________________

Is there anything that could have been done sooner to prevent the situation from developing?

______________________________________________________________________

What have you enjoyed about your time with us?

______________________________________________________________________

What has been frustrating or difficult about your time with us?

______________________________________________________________________

Describe the culture of the practice.

______________________________________________________________________

Describe communication within the practice.

______________________________________________________________________

What improvements can the practice make to customer service?

______________________________________________________________________

What improvements can the practice make for its employees?

______________________________________________________________________

Would you consider working for us again in the future?

______________________________________________________________________