Meanwhile back at Thrifty’s, Cara Chaos and Hannah Hoarder are showing no respect to Dr. Thrifty. They’ve started soliciting the front desk staff and hygienists for support in why they are right and Dr. Thrifty is wrong. When Dr .Thrifty gets word about this trash talking, he stops everything and calls an emergency meeting.
Every other time something like this had happened before, Dr. Thrifty would place an ad and eliminate those causing trouble in his practice - just like last year when he hired Cara to patch up the dental assisting team. But, things were different now - worse - Greta’s sad and frustrating failure had brought a real cloud to the practice. As much as he wanted to blame the staff for this, and prior setbacks, there was only one common denominator; himself. He finally came to the conclusion that maybe he was the one who needed to open his mind to change. Dr. Thrifty was tired of patching up the holes with temporary fixes. The light bulb had finally turned on. He apologized to his team for letting things get so out of hand and promised to do a better job. So, for the next couple of weeks, he started to take notes for himself:
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Hygienist showed up late
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Cara doesn’t have the bond, again
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Hannah handed me expired lidocaine
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New patient was ignored
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Staff complaining and bickering
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Lights were left on over the weekend
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Cured composite on instrument
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Mrs. Jones arrived for crown delivery, crown not back from lab
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Hygienist in staff lounge on her phone waiting for exam while patient sits in operatory alone
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Candy wrappers on the front desk
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Ran out of cement
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Missing instruments
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Broken instruments
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Patients cancelling last minute
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Excuses, excuses, excuses
Dr. Thrifty had dreamed of having the perfect practice (whatever that means). But after reflecting on his notes, he began to realize that Thrifty Dental was not performing as it should. His idea of a high-powered dental machine was on hold, and what his office needed was a full-scale Reboot!
Cara Chaos and Hannah Hoarder and the rest of the team might not be lazy, but it was time for a true Come-to-Jesus moment. No one was being held accountable, and that started with Dr. Thrifty. At the end of the day, he called us, the efficiency experts; Reboot Practice Productivity Training and Design Ergonomics.
Dr. Thrifty and I had a long conversation. I reviewed pictures of the practice. I looked at the numbers. I knew we could help, so we set up a 2-day Reboot training. We finished the call covering the most important point to remember: Change is Good. He’d come to believe that (or at least that it was necessary) and he was ready to embrace it… but he was worried about getting buy-in from the staff.
Here’s what I told Dr. Thrifty:
“Reliability comes with simplification”
If the staff is aware that changes are happening, they will likely embrace them. If the issues are delivered clearly and concisely, and the staff understands the challenges the practice is facing, implementation becomes easier. As their leader, Dr. Thrifty must clarify the issues at hand.
Sometimes you can lose your team by making a bunch of demands without much follow through. Demands don’t turn into resultsy without direction, and if you want the team engaged, you must set clear expectations.
Some of the most common challenges offices face are:
- Supply management
- Standardization Systems for Consistent Delivery
- Staff Motivation and Training
- Technology Integration and Deployment
..... 
Is everyone still with me??
These are the main points we’d address at his Training - areas that clearly lacked defined, functional systems. Just by fixing these 4 elements, I assured Dr. T that we’d turn his practice around and make it a more comfortable and efficient place to work. His staff would understand it, embrace it, love it - and so would his bottom line!
Next week, I’ll finish the tale of how Thrifty Dental became a shining light of efficiency and profitability. And give you just one example of what I faced when I arrived - but be warned, it will probably give you nightmares (maybe because it’s all too familiar to you!!).
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