How Does Your Dental Practice Process Lab Cases?
The case of the missing lab case. The practice of Dr. Michael Stipe was closed on Friday’s but on occasion, he would open for patients who needed a bit more care or for larger cases that required his attention without distractions. On the Friday of December 13th, Dr. Stipe opened his practice to a patient for extractions and immediate denture placement while under sedation. The patient showed up on time, the doctor confirmed she had taken her premedication and had reliable transportation (this person, by the way, had taken a day off work). When the dental assistant set the operatory up for the procedure, she discovered the immediate denture had not yet been received from the lab.
This scenario occurs more often than you might think. Lack of dental lab management can be costly - both in terms of money and patient satisfaction. So, what happened? Where was the denture? Who was to blame? How did this happen?
The question you should be asking is, “How can I prevent this from happening again?”
Have a system!
Signs you have a poor lab case management system in your dental practice:
- Doctor always has to ask if the case is here.
- Patients are not scheduled properly for follow up appointments.
- Dental labs call to speak to the doctor to better understand Rx.
- Vital information about the prescription is missing from the patient’s chart.
- Too much paper.
- Patient scheduled and product has not been delivered from lab.
- Intra-office miscommunication.
Trust us, you don't want your lab looking like this!
Now, let’s get to the good stuff! Here are a few smart ways I’ve successfully coached practices into improving their lab case management system.
1. Assign a dental assistant to the system.
2. Utilize your practice management software.
I know there are still a few of those paper people around, but for everyone else, investigate how you can utilize your practice management software for lab tracking.
- Enter lab information
- Write lab prescriptions from patient chart (HINT: TYPE THE SHIPPING TRACKING NUMBER INTO THE SCRIPT)
- A copy is printed from patient chart and doctor signs
- A copy is auto saved in patient chart
- Lab case is attached to patient appointment
3. Schedule follow up appointments (deliveries, try-ins, impressions, etc) in the operatory.
- If scheduling in the operatory is not an option, be sure to utilize a written form of intra-office communication like route sheets or Yapi
- Understand your outside lab calendar: Travel times, pick up times, process times, days off, holidays, etc.
4. Clinical Department checks in lab cases.
This is critical! A lab case is not checked in until the contents have been removed and meets practice standards. Make sure the appointment description is accurate. Ask me how I know.
5. Pull lab cases at least 3 days in advance.
Confirm at least 3 days in advance the lab case has arrived and checked in. Your lab manager will make the necessary inquiries to the lab and patient for any changes in appointment times.
Lab of Sala Family Dentistry, NV
6. Designate one area for cases out.
Whether you are shipping through Fedex or a local courier, let them know where to pick up.
7. Designate one area for cases in.
If your local courier or big box courier delivers to the front desk, the front desk is responsible to get the case to the designated area, ideally next to a workstation.
8. Routine follow ups.
A patient may cancel an appointment from time to time without making a new appointment. The individual assigned to the lab must follow up on those missed or cancelled appointments.
9. Lab communication.
Be sure to have a point of contact from each lab and let them know who will be managing your lab.
If you work with an outside dental laboratory or do some in house lab stuff, manage it. Have a streamlined system for tracking. Don’t duplicate work. Eliminate waste (muda), have a streamlined, standardized work flow and grow! For help with your dental lab and all things clinical, call me or shoot me an email. I’m here to help and I always answer my phone.
