Sally
McKenzie's Monday Morning Management Memorandum
#1
Print this Memorandum, distribute to your team, discuss at your morning meetings!
March 4, 2002
WEB: | http://www.mckenziemgmt.com
This issue is sponsored in part by:
McKenzie Management and Associates -
A full service, in-office dental
management consulting company specializing in the business,
clinical,
and hygiene areas of practices nationwide. Their clients
include thousands of dental practices
in over 40 states throughout the U.S. Sally McKenzie,
President founded the company in 1980.
You can find McKenzie Management at http://www.mckenziemgmt.com
More than 30,000 healthcare practices
nationwide use Care Credit as an alternative means of
helping
their patients finance treatment. You can find Care Credit
at http://www.carecredit.com
Never practice solo again!
DentalTown.com is a free community, hosting dentistry's MOST
ACTIVE
message boards, classified ads and a dental event calendar.
The site is open to dental professionals
throughout the world, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. Once
you visit, you'll wonder how you ever
practiced without it! Log onto http://www.dentaltown.com
TODAY!
is a full service lab providing fixed
restorations that combine science,
precision and artistry. Clients can expect the best
laboratory work possible, delivered in a
timely manner. Call David French at (800) 336-3053 or visit
their web site at http://www.burbdental.com
Is your practice operating at peak performance? Take this test to find out.
Fixing The Time Wasting, Money Draining No Shows
Broken appointments and no shows are
among the biggest practice frustrations.
You're doing everything you can to provide an excellent,
high quality dental experience
for your patients, and some of them have the nerve to just
blow off their regular dental
appointments with no concern for the impact on your
business. How do you break
the cycle of these time wasting, money draining thoughtless
oafs?
Sally McKenzie, President of McKenzie Management and founder
of
mckenziemgmt.com
has a few suggestions.
- Establish a policy for broken appointments.
- Communicate the policy to new patients and remind existing patients of the policy periodically.
- Designate and train the appointment coordinator to handle confirmation calls.
- Make personal contact with the patient 48 hours in advance of the appointment.
- Do not leave messages.
- Request a daytime phone number when scheduling appointments so the appointment coordinator can confirm with the patient directly.
- Schedule time for the coordinator to contact patients after hours at home.
- When making appointments state the day, date, time, and length of the appointment.
- Ask patients if they would consider changing their appointment if one becomes available sooner.
- Keep a list of those patients willing to move their appointments to fill unexpected voids in the schedule.
- Keep a list of patients who cancel, don't show, or don't reschedule appointments and follow-up.
- Contact "no shows" within 10 minutes of their appointment time.
- Show concern for their absence.
- After two "no shows" consider the
patient unreliable. Tell the patient you will contact
them when an opening is available and they can determine if that time will be convenient. - Consider offering some appointments in the evening and/or weekends.
With a smile on your face, continually
reinforce to patients the importance of keeping
appointments and your appreciation for their willingness to
do so.
Copyright © 2002 http://www.mckenziemgmt.com - All Rights Reserved.
To Subscribe: http://www.mckenziemgmt.com
To Unsubscribe: simply reply from this email.
Please address all other inquires to: webmaster@mckenziemgmt.com