Sally McKenzie's Monday Morning Management Memorandum #8 Print this Memorandum, distribute to your team, discuss at your morning meetings!   April 22, 2002   WEB: | http://www.mckenziemgmt.com     NOTE : To be removed from the list, click on the link at the very bottom of this page for instant removal or just simply reply to this email. If you have any problems, please address your inquiries to: webmaster@mckenziemgmt.com     How does your practice measure up? Take this test to find out.   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.You can find McKenzie Management at http://www.mckenziemgmt.com CareCredit: More than 30,000 healthcare practices nationwide use CareCredit as an alternative means of helping their patients finance treatment. You can find CareCredit at http://www.carecredit.com Burbank Dental Lab: is a full service lab providing fixed restorations that combine science, precision and artistry. Call David French at (800) 336-3053 or visit their web site at http://www.burbdental.com Lares Research: Practice Profitability Soars! Sally Mckenzie, President of Mckenzie Management recommends Laser SoftCare to boost your hygiene department profitability to a new level. Lares Lasers will also make your dentistry faster and easier... To learn more, visit us at http://www.laresdental.com/products/lsc/default.asp or call and schedule and educational presentation, 800-347-3289, ext. 1. HPSC Finances, via lease or loan, dental and office equipment, leasehold improvements, working capital and supply contracts at fixed competitive rates, with no points, variables or hidden fees. HPSC also offers a variety of financing programs to dental professionals seeking to set up, expand, buy into, or acquire a practice. http://www.hpsc.com/ INFORMS: Allow InForms to participate in your successful practice by becoming the "ONE STOP SOURCE" for your front office needs. We carry a full range of products including: recall and appointment cards, registration forms, exam forms, statements and envelopes, folders and labels. Call us at 1-800-722-4884 or email us at informs@belllsouth today to receive your catalog.       Mystified by dwindling patient numbers? Like lemmings over the cliff, patients are taking a flying leap right out of your practice. And you don't have a clue as to what's prompting this apparent mass exodus. There are a number of reasons why your numbers may be dwindling, including: 1. Ineffective patient retention. Patients that cancel, fail appointments, or say they will call back need to be tracked by the patient coordinator. Make a specific number of calls everyday to pull errant patients back into the system. 2. An ineffective or non-existent marketing plan. At a minimum, provide patients readily available, pre-printed brochures on dental services you offer. 3. Lack of treatment planning. Treatment planning is not a list of oral health needs. A treatment plan details the number of appointments necessary, time necessary for each appointment, and the cost for each appointment. Keep it on file in the computer system and sell it to the patient as a plan. 4. Ineffective case presentation. Measure your case acceptance. Rehearse and role-play case presentations. Seek training to learn how to effectively "close the sale." 5. Reputation for being expensive. Perception is reality, doctor. It's going to take a lot to overcome the perception that you may be good but exorbitantly overpriced. It is possible to establish a fee structure that is affordable for patients and fiscally sound for your practice, but you will need to base your fees on solid data. Establish a fee schedule that has a standard for each service, look at each procedure and determine the time required, the fixed expenses necessary to run the office, variable expenses such as supplies and lab fees, and the income required per hour to compensate you, the dentist. Most patients don't want to switch dentists once they've established a trusting relationship. Keep them informed. Keep them involved. And keep them in your practice.       Copyright © 2002 http://www.mckenziemgmt.com - All Rights Reserved. To Subscribe: http://www.mckenziemgmt.com To Unsubscribe: Simply reply from this email and click send. Please address all other inquires to: webmaster@mckenziemgmt.com