Busyness is a sign of a healthy dental practice, but dentists should pay attention to how the office environment feels during those times. Is it hectic and stressful or calm and efficient? An efficient front office is essential to a dental practice’s success. Standards and practices should be put in place to ensure your front office dental team members aren’t stretched too thin.
Implement these three tips to improve the efficiency of your dental front office today:
1. Delegate
Understanding your dental practice’s must-do administrative tasks and your team members’ strengths and weaknesses is essential to creating a productive environment. Strategize how to delegate tasks and make sure no employee is responsible for more than one or two extra tasks.
To determine your team member’s strengths, ask questions like the following:
- What experience does this person have?
- Who has the best patient communication skills?
- Who thrives on organization?
- What skills does each person possess?
A team member who has been on your team for a while will be helpful in determining who is best for certain tasks. Taking the time to delegate tasks will help your practice run more smoothly and save you time and money.
2. Digitize
Modern technology can also save you, your staff, and your patients time, money, and headaches. Digital services like online scheduling and electronic databases will streamline your office and help it run more efficiently.
When patients have the option to schedule, modify, and cancel appointments online, it significantly reduces the number of phone calls to your office. As a bonus, many patients feel more comfortable scheduling appointments online, so they’re more likely to do it than if they had to call! This extra time allows your team members to focus more on the patients walking in the door and completing their daily tasks.
Do your new patients fill out information on paper only to have one of your team members key in the data later? Investing in a tablet or laptop will reduce the amount of time spent entering a new patient’s personal data or updating their information. It also reduces the likelihood of input errors and misplacing or exposing information.
Digitizing your dental practice may seem overwhelming at first, but it’s so worth the major benefits in the end!
3. Automate
When delegating tasks, you’ll quickly realize that some take much more time than others. For example, calling patients to remind them of upcoming appointments and preparing paper claims. Automating these tasks will free up your team members to complete other important jobs and give more of their attention to their in-office patients.
Automated appointment reminders can be sent out by phone calls, texts, or emails that can be digitally responded to. That response will go directly into your database so there is no extra work placed on your staff.
Automated billing systems are much easier on your team members, insurance providers, and patients. As long as you invest in a highly recommended billing software receiving funds will be faster, easier, and more secure than paper claims. Your team members will have to keep track of the automation process, but there will be less risk of errors and less money spent on postage and envelops.
For More Helpful Tips
To learn more about improving the efficiency of your dental practice’s front office, contact our team at Dental Practice Enhancement today! We specialize in all things that make your practice run smoothly and efficiently. Call (833) 373-3678.
