Click to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__kd0UUUZRvyb-qVvigufQw
January 22, 2022 11:00 a.m. Eastern. David Schwab, Ph.D. presents: “The Future Isn’t What it Used to Be.” Offered by the International Association of Dental Specialists (iADS), this one-hour dental practice management webinar is free to dental specialists and residents. Future courses in the Business of Dentistry Series require iADS membership. Residents pay only $10 per year! See the registration link above.
Here’s a very timely new dental practice management course. Attention Meeting Planners: This course is available for you to schedule for your dental organization. It’s designed for dentists and dental teams.
Dental Disruptions Course Description: The dental practice environment has changed more in the last five years than in the previous twenty years. Solo practices in particular are facing overhead and staffing challenges; more group practices are emerging; and DSO’s are offering opportunities and challenges. At the same time, technology is revolutionizing not only clinical dentistry but also the business side.
This course teaches dental professionals how to stay ahead of the curve, find the best practice model to suit individual needs, and use technology wisely while retaining the personal touch with patients. This very timely course shows practices how changes in dentistry can liberate dentists and team members from routine tasks and also allow them to take advantage of high-tech, cost-effective target marketing.
To learn more and schedule: contact dschwabphd@me.com
The Consumer Price Index went up 5.4% in July, the largest jump in 13 years. In addition, according to Moody’s Analytics, the U.S. is experiencing “the strongest wage growth in a quarter century.”
Inflation is overhead on steroids. Dental staff salaries and benefits are the largest overhead line items in dental practices.
It’s time to analyze the numbers in your dental practice and raise fees. You want to be fair to your patients, of course, and large increases for fee-for-service patients can lead to pushback. The goal is to proceed methodically, raise some fees more than others; but make sure that the average increase keeps the overhead monster from eating into your profits.
You cannot afford to “hold the line” on fee increases when your suppliers and your staff are demanding more from you. I’ve been going over numbers with my dental clients and making recommendations. Plan now and put a new fee schedule in place no later than January.
David: This is David Schwab. And today I’m really excited because my guest is Linda Harvey, a nationally recognized healthcare risk management and compliance expert who helps dentists and teams understand and navigate regulatory requirements. She is the founder and president of the Dental Compliance Institute, as well as a compliance consulting firm. Her career in dentistry began as a dental hygienist. Since that time, she has worked in corporate risk management and has been recognized as a distinguished fellow in the American society of Healthcare Risk Management. In addition, she was honored to consult with the ADA on three separate occasions regarding compliance.
Linda, welcome to the program.
Linda: Thank you, David. It’s a pleasure to be here.
David: First of all, how did COVID impact your business last year?
Linda: Well, David to say that it was insane would be an understatement with the constant flow of new information that we were trying to learn. As a consultant and coach for doctors and teams around the country, we were trying to stay one step ahead of all the new, late-breaking information. So we ended up coaching doctors remotely across the country, as well as our local clients. And we participated in a number of different social media events and interviews. So, we can help bring that voice of reason and help everyone be calm and understand the requirements so they could sort of settle into those massive changes that we all had to make so quickly.
David: Yes, I can imagine. The regulatory work that you do is so important, but once COVID hit, it must have just added a tremendous number of new questions and people needing help.
Linda: Absolutely. There were questions from everywhere. We began questioning how or why we’d always done something in the past. You know, we weren’t sure if we were handling the possibility of transmission in our practices appropriately and how much should we do and how much was overkill and what was actually regulatory required and what was, you know, something that we were doing to make us feel good and it really wasn’t effective at all. So we were really working hard to get accurate information out.
David: Now that more people are getting vaccinated, do you see things settling down this year?
Linda: David, I have to tell you the short answer is absolutely no. We now are in a better position because we have a year’s worth of understanding of COVID and variants in order to help protect different populations, patients, as well as workers. The regulatory changes are going to keep coming. For example, OSHA launched a new national emphasis program about a month ago, and this was related to worker safety in all industries and their protection against COVID-19. So when this launched, when you read the background on this information, this actually came from the presidential executive order back in January, trying to make sure that all workers in all industries were safe, have protection against COVID-19. So, we’re going to see some inspections being carried out by OSHA, both onsite and remote. And those inspections will include dentistry. They’re going to be looking first at those industries and organizations that had high rates of employees contracting COVID at work, because OSHA is concerned about on-the -job illnesses and injuries. And we know that dentistry was placed in that high-risk category because of the aerosols that are produced. OSHA we’ll also offer training and outreach. So I highly recommend that any of our listeners, if they see or hear about any OSHA outreach training in their area, please be sure to attend it.
David: Linda, do you foresee any other compliance issues on the horizon?
Linda: Yes, we have a lot of things going on. There are several other compliance changes on the horizon. In addition to OSHA’s national emphasis program that was launched last month, that’s going to include both remote and onsite inspections, OSHA will be offering training and outreach programs. I highly recommend that you keep your eyes open for those trainings so that our listeners can actually hear and meet with representatives of OSHA firsthand. In addition, we’re seeing a couple of changes on the HIPAA side of the house, so to speak. In January, the HIPAA Safe Harbor bill passed. And now there are also proposed changes to the privacy role, and I’ve been trying to immerse myself in that. Absolutely, a lot of changes going to happen. For example, the privacy rule has always been about patients’ rights to access their information and how we have to protect their information within our practices, but this new section, that’s going to be global.
It’s going to be passed. I mean, it is still under that rulemaking process, but the recommended rules and proposal changes are going to significantly modify the provision of the individual’s rights to access their protected health information. And one of these big things that I’m struggling with here now, they’ve been trying to understand is that in doing so, it’s going to strengthen the patient’s rights to inspect their protected health information, both in person, which is going to allow the patients to take notes or use other personal resources to view and capture images of their PHI–protected health information. This is going to be an eye-opener when we think about how this can impact the practice. I’m curious to follow this more closely during the public comment period for about another month and see what kind of feedback comes and how that’s going to be interpreted by the regulatory bodies.
David: Linda, I’m sure many doctors feel that this could be just overwhelming, and we don’t want that to happen. So what’s your advice for offices so that they can stay current and prepare for these changes?
Linda: You’re absolutely right, David. This can seem awfully overwhelming, and we need to approach it in that calm level-headed fashion. So, we’ve identified three ways that offices can kind of get their arms around this. First, start off by reading your current policies and procedures, know what you have in place, so you can begin to identify gap where you would need to make changes as these rules get rolled up next.
Second, be sure you’re relying upon qualified experts for advice or assistance. You know, in other words, always question why, but question in a good way, not in a resistance way, but in a way that’s going to open yourself and your team up to learning, you know, are you actually doing the process properly? Is that actually the way you should be releasing records? Is that actually the way you should be cleaning and disinfecting an operatory? Sometimes we add in extra steps and do other things, regardless of what regulation we’re talking about. And before we know it, we’re really not in compliance.
And third, I invite our listeners to join us at the Dental Compliance Institute for that extra compliance edge, or better yet sign up for one of our courses or our Inspection Ready Series. That’s our new IRS, David, and that’s those workshops. And the IRS workshops are where we take a deep dive into one of those particular standards. It’s such a great feeling when a practice can go from being confused or crazed to confident competence.
David: Linda, it’s a brave new world. We always needed you for so many things like HIPAA, but now with all of the new regulations, new laws and everything that the pandemic has caused to come into practices, we need you more now than ever before. Thanks so much for speaking with us today. You’re doing great work in the world.
Linda: Thank you for having me, David. It’s been a pleasure.
Contact: www.LindaHarvey.net
Welcome to the first part of my three-part series on the psychology of practice transition. I’ll be talking about how to get an associate into a practice with the goal that they will buy the practice.
Today, let’s discuss today the selling doctor’s concerns. If you’re the selling doctor, one of your big concerns is, “I don’t want to make a mistake. I want to find someone who’s the right fit.” I will tell you, trust your instincts. Don’t ignore any red flags. No, nobody’s perfect, but if something’s nagging at you, if you’re not sleeping at night, if you’re worried that maybe you’re not making the right decision, don’t do the deal. You absolutely want to make sure you find the right person. Don’t settle. You don’t have to sell to this person. They’ll always be another seller who comes along.
How do you determine if something is a good fit, if it’s going to work out, if
this person really is going to be compatible with you and share your values?
I like to use scenarios, hypothetical situations. I give both the associate and the seller a scenario. Maybe it involves, “How would you deal with this situation as it relates to a patient?” Or, “How would you deal with this other situation as it relates to a member of the staff?” They work on these scenarios independently. Then we come together by phone, by Zoom, and sometimes in person, and we discuss.
You learn so much: you learn how people think, you learn how they prioritize.
You learn how they process information, and, most importantly, you learn about their values–by using these scenarios, these hypothetical situations. It’s so important because you gain many valuable psychological insights and that helps you make the right decision.
I enjoy using these scenarios and being the facilitator to make this work out.
In the second part of my three-part series, I’m going to discuss the concerns facing the associate.
Free Webinar Presented by David Schwab, Ph.D.
NEW! Fast-paced one-hour live webinar loaded with insightful, practical pearls. In a world challenged by a pandemic and economic uncertainty, this timely and important webinar delivers upbeat messages, clear insights, and step-by-step advice on how run a very efficient and successful dental practice.
This webinar is available for dental specialists to offer to referring dentists, study clubs to schedule for members—and even group practices (two doctors or more) to schedule for team training. Thanks to corporate support, it is offered at no charge.
Attendees will learn:
7 Confident responses to the money objection
6 Action steps to higher case acceptance
5 Critical reasons why patients accept treatment
4 Great responses to the “I’ll think about it” objection.
3 Practical ways to convert leads/inquiries into appointments
2 Important reasons that patients do not accept treatment
1 Essential action step you should take immediately.
Schedule this live webinar now!
David Schwab, Ph.D.
Call or text: (407) 324-1333
E-mail: dschwabphd@me.com
About the Speaker:
David Schwab, Ph.D., is a motivational speaker, consultant, and author who helps dentists grow their practices, educate their patients and train their teams to make practices more profitable.
Here are some comments from seminar attendees:
Dr. Schwab has served as Director of Marketing for the ADA and as Executive Director of the American College of Prosthodontists. Recognized as a prolific and insightful author, Dr. Schwab’s practice management and marketing articles have appeared in numerous publications, including the Journal of the American Dental Association, Dental Economics, the Seattle Study Club® Journal, and the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association. Dr. Schwab works with major corporations and consults with dental practices.
Sneak preview of my new webinar: “Practice Management by the Numbers: Countdown to Success.” This short video covers five critical reasons why patients accept treatment. Webinar is live and available for study clubs or other dental groups at no charge thanks to corporate support. Contact me for details. dschwabphd@me.com
It’s time to gear up for the race to the end of 2020. The upcoming holidays are our signal to turn the page, focus on success, and forge ahead.
I received a very kind note from a client as we wrapped up a long and successful project. “Your counsel provided my practice with the boost it needed to get over some tough times which in turn significantly reduced my personal stress levels,” he wrote.
I appreciated his comments because that is why I am here—to advise, be a sounding board, train the team, help increase production and case acceptance, and chart a path to success.
The best way to prepare for a strong 2021 is to finish 2020 on a high note. There is much work to be done in dental practices to make up for lost time and be positioned for the future.
I am optimistic that, at least from a business point of view, we have turned the corner as we roll into a new year. Better days lie ahead.
Some questions to ask yourself. Will there be changes in the practice related to:
The time to address these issues is now. With good planning, 2021 can be a great success. Let’s have a conversation. To set up a call, contact me at dschwabphd@me.com.
An “insider’s view” is supposed to be valuable. However, “you can’t read the label from inside the jar,” as the wise saying goes.
The pandemic has placed us all in the jar, so to speak. We yearn for perspective, but we don’t know what we don’t know. Through it all, we have marvelously adapted. There are countless new protocols in dental offices, and patients have, for the most part, admirably adjusted.
The Covid crisis is the most significant disruption to daily life and security since World War II. The very act of coping causes us stress. One day, we will look back and gain perspective on how our world of certainty was thrown off its axis but still managed to right itself. For now, we soldier on.
For years we tried to educate those patients who had only sporadic contact with the dental profession. We wanted to bring them in, show them all that modern dentistry has to offer, and turn them into high dental IQ patients who take responsibility for their oral health and consequently also garner general health benefits.
It turns out that there was a larger cohort, those loyal patients of record who would not be denied dental care. They could not wait for offices to re-open; schedules filled quickly as patients rushed back to dental offices.
As dental practices work through the backlog of pent-up demand, the time is now to plan for the future. The post-pandemic dental practice needs to rebrand itself. Patients now have a better understanding of dentistry as an overall healthcare service. Practices need to build on that understanding and redouble marketing and education efforts.
The future of dentistry is bright, but it will not write itself. It’s time to think about emerging from the jar, surveying the landscape, and planning for success throughout the rest of this year and into the next.
