I recently saw a dental community Facebook post asking if anyone tracked their steps during the day. Much to my chagrin, it was not a post on how to eliminate steps, but rather a post on the utilization of step trackers like Fitbit while working in a dental practice. Hmmm. How can I respect the use of these devices (which I do for tracking my personal goals) and help you eliminate the number of steps you take in order to increase profitability?  

Dr. David Madow, Admin of the Facebook Group, The Dental Place posts: “Dentistry is pretty much a sedentary profession. I would like to know who clocks their steps and how many do you strive for?”

Let me clarify; when I talk about steps, I am not just
talking about feet on the pavement.

The fact is, I coach dental practices on ways to reduce steps. I am talking about process motions. Have you ever considered the steps required to process a patient from check in to check out? Ok, we know how to do the procedures. There are certain steps that must be taken. But how many motions are involved in the process altogether? Have you ever broken this down? Every time you open a drawer and close it, it is a step. You will need to change instruments throughout a procedure which is a step, but it is also a step every time you take your eyes away from the tooth and another step when you bring your eyes back and return focus on that tooth. Make sense? These steps require time. What if you could eliminate “wasteful” steps and save yourself 5-10 minutes per procedure, would you want to learn more?

Implement smart systems into every aspect of your dental practice.

I want to improve your processes.
I want to reduce the number of wasteful steps.

It is important to know what your production per hour number is. The national average one dentist produces per hour is $432. What do you think about that? Is it high? Low? Where do you fall? Do you know what your PPH is? Once you determine this number, now let’s determine your production per minute. If I take the national PPH average, then your Production per minute is valued at $7.205.

Now, you could raise your fees and increase this production number, but what if you reduced the number of motions throughout the day and saved yourself 5-10 minutes per hour? What would that do to your bottom line? For one, you could add another patient who deserves your care at the end of the day which would increase your production. By improving processes and saving 5 minutes every hour at $7.20/minute, I’ve just increased your production by $36/hour. In 32 hour work week, that’s $1,152, which is $4,608 a month or $55,296 a year! These are real numbers, justified by real results. I’m not trying to pull the wool over your eyes, I’m trying to tell you it is possible to increase your production and improve your way of life by making a few improvements to the way you work.

The thing is, you may not even know these
inefficiencies exists in your dental practice.

That’s why you call me. I help you sort through these day to day frustrations, most of which are due to inefficiencies that exist in your dental practice. You might reach out because you need a change. GREAT! I will call them opportunities for improvement or opportunities for development. When your processes are clean, then your staff will function well. When your staff functions well, then you’ll have what you need when you need it - and when that happens your patients return and you produce. Get it? 

When you’re ready for a Dental Reboot, I’m here. In the meantime, I have a small project for you. Write down all the procedures you do and jot down how much time you actually spend chair side. This is not a question of how much time the patient is in the chair, but how much time you, the doctor, need to be in the op with the patient. It’s important to do this first. Next, ask someone in your practice to take a video of a procedure from start to finish. Set up to break down. Watch it. Think about what I said. Every motion is a step. If you don’t want to count the number of steps, send it to me.  

My door is always open. You might need to share your frustrations with someone who feels your pain; someone who has spent the last 14 years providing dentists with answers. If you need to vent, give me a shout. Have you made a New Year’s resolution? Is more exercise on the calendar? As far as tracking your steps, I’d rather see you increase the serotonin levels in your brain by reducing stress and start walking. Let me take care of the worthless motion.  

I’d love to hear your feedback. Please share in the comments section below.  

 If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?