Spring Cleaning and Organizing Tips for your Dental Practice

Spring Cleaning and Organizing Tips for your Dental Practice

 BY BETTYHAYDEN

Spring Cleaning and Organizing Tips for your Dental Practice

Hello Friends,

Is your office due or past-due for a good cleaning and organizing? Maybe even some remodeling or redecorating? It’s that time of year when many take advantage of the warmer weather to “spring clean” their homes. This is also a great time to spring clean your dental practice.

I encourage you to make a checklist of all the areas in your office that may need some cleaning.  I’ll help you get started by showing you how to take advantage of using your 5 senses while cleaning your office. This is by no means an exhaustive cleaning list but it will give you ideas of where and what to clean.

Before you read on please remember that the patients’ (and potential patients’) perception of you, your team, the office, and the quality and safety of the care you provide is your reality. This means that everything that you do or don’t do…matters!

Even if you feel like you’re just too busy to tackle a project like this you’ll want to make the time; why? The long-term growth and success of your practice depend on it.

Sight, Smell, Sound, Touch, and Taste.

SIGHT

What do your patients and potential patients see?

Areas to “see” include;

Office Exterior (Curb Appeal)

  • Signage
  • Windows
  • Landscape/Weeds
  • Garbage/Debris
  • Safety Concerns/Handicap accessibility
  • Are you welcoming or turning people away?

Office Interior

  • Reception Room – Sit in your reception room, what do your patients see, touch, hear, smell, and taste? Look high and low. What do you see? Dirty carpeting/flooring? Outdated magazines & decor? Stained or worn chairs? Peeling wallpaper? Cobwebs? Dusty plants/floral arrangements? Light bulbs that are out?  Look over at the front desk area, if you see a sliding glass window that is full of signs and papers telling your patients what to do and what not to do…remove them immediately. It’s very unwelcoming!
  • Restroom – Most if not all of your patients that visit your restroom WILL determine the quality and safety of your care from that experience. (Isn’t that true of you when you’re at a restaurant or any public restroom? No one wants the gas station bathroom experience…not even when you’re at a gas station.) Your restroom should be clean, nicely decorated, and well-stocked with quality paper products and soap.
  • Front Desk Area – Clutter represents indecision. Make a decision to get rid of the clutter! (That includes any sticky notes attached to computer monitors, coats/sweaters hanging on the backs of chairs, and fast-food drink containers sitting out on the counters.) Purchase hot/cold beverage tumblers, preferably with your office logo on them for your team members to use at their workstations – this looks much nicer than your patients seeing soda bottles or coffee shop cups.

While you’re visiting the front office area, don’t forget about cleaning these areas too…

  • Current Protocols–  Hygiene Continuing Care, Incomplete Treatment Reports, Confirmation, A/R-Collections, Greetings, Patient Hand-off,  New Patient Welcomes, and Referral Thank you’s, etc.
  • Paper Communication Materials –Intake forms, Letterhead, HIPAA forms, Financial Policy & Postcards.
  • Job Responsibilities/Descriptions –Have every team member write down a detailed list of all of their job responsibilities. This is VERY helpful in determining more effective ways of doing things as well as finding out what is NOT being done.

Practice Owners – If you’re struggling to reach your goals each month or struggling to get your team on board with your vision for the practice maybe a coaching relationship is just what you need. Feel free to reach out to me to set up a complimentary 30-minute call to discuss how a customized coaching program will help you to reach/exceed your goals.

Moving on to other areas of the practice…

  • Operatories – Sit in the treatment room chairs. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you taste? What do you smell? How do you feel? Again, your patients don’t measure the quality of care, they measure the quality of their experience. Keep your patients loyal to your practice by making certain they consistently have great experiences.
  • Lab & Sterilization Area – What do these areas look like? Unorganized, Cluttered, and/or Dirty? From the CDC: “In dental health care settings, all instrument cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing should occur in a designated central processing area in order to more easily control quality and ensure safety. The instrument processing area should be physically divided into sections for 1) receiving, cleaning, and decontamination; 2) preparation and packaging; 3) sterilization; and 4) storage. This division is designed to contain contaminated items in an area designed specifically for cleaning, thus preventing contamination of the clean areas where packaging, sterilization, and storage of sterile items occurs. Reusable contaminated instruments and devices are received, sorted, and cleaned in the cleaning area. The packaging area is for inspecting, assembling, and packaging clean instruments in preparation for final processing. The sterilization and storage areas contain the sterilizers and related supplies, as well as incubators for analyzing spore tests, and can contain enclosed storage for sterile items and disposable (single-use) items. When it is not possible to have physical separation of these areas, clearly labeling each area (e.g., from contaminated to sterile) might be satisfactory if the personnel who process the instruments are trained in work practices to prevent contamination of clean areas. ” Here is a helpful article: IS YOUR DENTAL STERILIZATION AREA SETUP EFFICIENT — OR A BOTTLENECK?
  • Closets – Make an inventory checklist. Throw away any expired or outdated products, equipment, manuals, etc. While you’re at it, if there is anything that isn’t being used properly due to a lack of education or training, go ahead and schedule a time for continuing education/training.
  •  Equipment/Technology – What needs repairs, upgrades or to be tossed? Computers, Software, Internet Speed & Access, Printers, Scanners, Copiers, Telephone Systems, TVs, Postage machines, including…dare I say, typewriters?
  • Employee breakroom(area) / staff lounge – don’t forget about the employee break area. Is it clean and organized? Check out the refrigerator, microwave, cabinets, counters, and tables. There is no reason for this room to be messy and/or dirty. While you’re at it freshen up the room decor and stock the cabinets/refrigerator with snacks and beverages for your team. SEE: https://bettyhaydenconsulting.com/2023/02/27/tips-for-sprucing-up-the-dental-office-break-room/
  • The Team – Appearance – Wear clothes that reflect the excellent care you give your patients. Professional, clean, and wrinkle-free clothes.  Clean hair, nails & body).  Attitudes – Remove any toxic attitudes.   
  • Office Policies – Review and update employee benefits and expectations. If you don’t have an office manual and/or employee handbook please get one asap.

TIP: Make a cleaning schedule – including the who, what & when.  When will the parking lot, restrooms & reception room be checked & cleaned? This should be done several times throughout the day. Do not wait for the “cleaning person” to take care of those areas.  If the flooring needs to be vacuumed… vacuum it. If the glass on the windows/doors has fingerprints…clean them. If the restroom toilet and sink are dirty… clean them.  Make a promise as a team that if you see it (and you know you do) clean it.

Online Presence – What do your potential patients “see” when looking for a dentist in your area? Remember to spring clean your online presence too. Your website, Google My Business listing, and Social Media Pages. See: Dental Office First Impressions – Online Presence

SMELL

  • Get rid of the dreaded dental office smell. There are products out there that will eliminate that smell without aggravating patients with allergies. Bake chocolate chip cookies if necessary.  Be cautious when using scented candles, air fresheners, and essential oils – you’ll want to make sure that they are mild and won’t aggravate those with allergies.

SOUND

  • Keep the noise down! Patients want to be put at ease; they don’t want to hear the latest office gossip or a TV that is too loud. Avoid using patients’ full names or complaining about patients when you can be heard from the reception room or treatment chair.
  • Music – Consider playing music in the reception and treatment rooms. Wireless headphones will allow patients’ to listen to music or the TV while in the chair.
  • Telephone Greetings/Messages – What do your patients and potential patients’ “hear” when calling the office? Be sure that what they hear is a reflection of your goals and vision. See How To Effectively Answer The Dental Office Telephone

TASTE

  • Beverage Station in the reception room. Complimentary coffee, tea, cold bottled water, juice, etc. See this Pinterest board for beverage station design ideas.
  • Snacks – Offer snacks such as fresh fruit, granola bars, etc. This is especially nice for patients that may have been in for a lengthy appointment and need a little boost in energy.
  • Allow patients to rinse with mouthwash before and after the appointment.
  • Offer pre-pasted toothbrushes for patients that didn’t have time to or forgot to brush their teeth before their appointment.

TOUCH

  • Reception Room – Is it comfortable & welcoming? (If you emptied the reception room of all comfort and distraction items because of COVID you probably can start returning these items. Just be sure to frequently clean high-touch/traffic surfaces.)

Reading Material – Have a variety of magazines and books for patients to read.

Temperature – Keep the temperature in the reception room at a comfortable setting.

Lighting – Be sure that the sunlight from the windows isn’t blinding some of your patients during the day.

  • Treatment Rooms – Be sure that your patients are comfortable during their visit. Your treatment rooms should be exceptionally clean from top to bottom. Get rid of any clutter sitting out on the counters, floor, or shelves.

Massage Pads on Chairs

Blankets (If you have a patient that is always cold, pop the blanket in the dryer for them right before appt). Consider offering a weighted blanket during treatment to help reduce anxiety.

Distractions –  (Movies, Music, Digital Aquarium, Etc.)

Give Painless Injections…always.

Put your patients at ease by talking with them before you start looking in their mouth.

  • Free Stuff – Give away items imprinted with your office name, website, and phone number to each patient at their appointment. Such as; toothbrushes, hand sanitizer, calendars, pens, and lip balm.

Using your 5 senses, look closely at yourself, your team, the exterior, and interior of your building, all office systems, your lab, sterilization procedures, website & social media sites, marketing materials, marketing programs, and the patient experience.

Your goal should be to find ways to consistently exceed your patients’ expectations, attract more new patients and remove anything that is hindering you from reaching that goal. You and your team need and deserve to enjoy a nice, clean, and welcoming work environment.

If you appreciate the ideas that I share or if they’ve been of help to you and your practice –  I would love it if you would please take just a second and leave a review/recommendation for me on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you!!!

Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Management and Marketing Ideas in your email inbox each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Yours for Greater Success!

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedIn and Pinterest

January 2023 Dental Practice Management and Leadership Ideas

January 2023 Dental Practice Management and Leadership Ideas

Hello Friends,

Are you looking to make this a great year? If you want different or better results than last year you’ll need to do something different this year. Start now – make your action plan for any wanted and needed improvements to your office including setting your production, collection, treatment, continuing education, new patient, administrative time, and happiness goals for 2023.

Here you’ll find some office management, leadership, and team-building ideas for January.

If you’re looking for dental marketing and additional practice growth ideas for January visit here: Marketing Ideas for January 2023

Leadership and Team Building

“Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton

Training – Are you investing in your team by making sure they have proper training and retraining? For example, are you utilizing your practice management software to its full potential? Have you all been “properly” trained on how to use it?

January is Get Organized Month – This is a great time to get rid of any office clutter! Check the closets, cabinets, drawers, and desks for any clutter that can be organized, put away, or tossed. Clutter equals chaos. There is no room for chaos or clutter.

National Bagel Day: 15th – Bring in bagels for breakfast for the team to enjoy during your morning huddle.  

Fun at Work Day: Jan. 27th – Schedule a fun team-building activity, games, or contest for the team. Be sure to share the fun on your social media platforms.

Office Management Ideas

CDT Codes – Have you reviewed the 2023 CDT Code changes, additions, and deletions? If not, I strongly encourage you to make sure you’re up to date with coding and billing correctly.

Insurance Renewals: Many of your patients’ dental insurance maximums renewed on January 1. Phone, text, and/or email your patients with a friendly reminder of their renewed benefits and encourage them to make a reservation to come in for their hygiene wellness visit or to get started on their unscheduled treatment needs with the doctor. Include reminders on your social media pages.

Credit Report – Run your credit report. Check for any errors. Unless your patients have requested that you leave a credit on their account for future treatment – you shouldn’t have credits just sitting there.

What are your practice goals for 2023? I would love the opportunity to work along with you and your team to help you set and exceed your practice goals. If you would like to schedule a no-obligation, complimentary consultation to learn how our coaching program works, please email me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Growth Tips & Ideas in your email each month? If not, please start following us today – simply click on the subscribe tab. Or If you prefer, send me your email address (to bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Have a great month!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty – Dental Coach

Before you go – would you kindly leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook, please? Simply click the following links:   GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much!

Dental Practice Growth and Marketing Ideas for December 2022

Dental Practice Growth and Marketing Ideas for December 2022

Hello Friends,

Wow, I can’t believe we’re already at the end of the year! It doesn’t feel like that long ago that I was sharing practice growth tips and ideas for the start of this year. Where are you at with your practice growth goals for this year?

Doctors, if you are not happy with where your practice is at and would like to grow and improve your dental practice and have wondered what it might be like to work with me and what coaching is all about, or would like to learn what opportunities for improvement exist in your practice... please feel free to reach out to me to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation coaching call at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

The ideas that I am sharing for the month of December when implemented, WILL help you attract more new patients, build relationships within the community, as well as exceed your current patients’ expectations. Get people talking about you! As always, my goal is to also help you all stress-less and have more fun at work!

To encourage patients to keep their scheduled appointments during December, consider having a drawing for a gift basket (ie: filled with cozy winter items & hot cocoa supplies) or a gift card to a local business/restaurant that your patients can enter to win when they come in for their dental appointment before December 23rd.

Patient Appreciation Gift Ideas – Cookie Day: 4th and Hot Cocoa Day: 12th – All month long you can give away individually wrapped cookies with a packet of hot cocoa mix and a tag/label attached that says “Warm Wishes for a Sweet Winter“.

National Hand Washing Awareness Week: 4th-10th

Purchase small bottles of hand sanitizer with your office information on the label.  Give away to your patients during this week or throughout the month.  “Hands down we have the best patients around.”

Travel Toothbrush Bags – Many of your patients travel during the holidays – Surprise them with a small gift for their travels. Put together toothbrush bags that include a toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, and a “what to do in a dental emergency” handout. You could also include other travel-sized items such as lotion, Advil, lip balm, etc.

Gift Certificates: Remember, Gift Certificates/Cards for Teeth Whitening or Dental Treatment should always be available for your patients to purchase as gifts for their loved ones.

Community Involvement: Donations – Open your office as a Drop-Off Location for donations of non-perishable food items or winter gear for families/individuals in need.

Do you like the ideas and content that I share each month? If you do, would you kindly leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook, please? Simply click the following links:   GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much! – Looking forward to hearing from you!!

Social Media Post Content Ideas to Improve Engagement during the month of December

National Pear Month  

National Cookie Day: 4th 

Monkey Day: 14th 

Winter (Winter Solstice): 21st

National Chocolate Day: 28th-29th 

Wishing you a happy & healthy December!

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. Or send me your email address (bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) and I will send you an invite to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty (Dental Coach)

Would you kindly leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook, please? Simply click the following links:   GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much! – Looking forward to hearing from you!!

Dental Marketing and Practice Growth Ideas for May 2022

Dental Marketing and Practice Growth Ideas for May 2022

Hello & Happy Spring, Friends ~

Here are a few dental marketing and practice growth tips and ideas to help you, your team, your patients, and potential patients smile during the month of May…

Theme: National Family Wellness Month

Focus: Healthy & Beautiful Smiles (Preventive & Cosmetic Services)

Goal: Welcome More New Patients, Improve Your Patients’ Health, & Exceed Patients’ Expectations

Contest/Raffle – Family Fun & Wellness Gift Basket (Tote/Cooler) – Fill with Lawn games, BBQ supplies, Sunscreen, Citronella Candles, Toothbrushes, Paper products, Chalk, Gift Card, etc.

Patients earn entries for Facebook likes, check-ins, reviews, Google reviews, and for referring new patients.

Community Engagement and Appreciation Ideas – The month of May has National Police Officers Week, Nurses Week, and Teacher Appreciation Week.

Click this link for tips and ideas Dental Office Appreciation Ideas for Teachers, Nurses, and Police Officers during May 2022

Doctors, if you’re struggling to reach your practice goals or feel there is too much chaos in your practice– feel free to contact me for a complimentary, no-obligation 30-minute telephone consultation at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com to see if a coaching relationship is right for you.

Dental Health Education In-Office and Social Media Educational Ideas for May 2022

National Root Canal Appreciation Week: 1-7 

National Piercing Day: 16th

World Hypertension Day: 17th  

dental office blood pressure betty hayden consulting

 World No-Tobacco Day: 31st

Would you please do something for me? If you appreciate and enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month  – I would LOVE for you to PLEASE leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook. Simply click the following links…    GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much!!

Dental Social Media Post Content Ideas for May 2022 to help you build and improve engagement.

dental social media content ideas from Betty Hayden Consulting

World Laughter Day: 1st

Herb Day: 7th  

National BBQ Day: 16th  

World Bee Day: 20th  

World Turtle Day: 23rd

Eat More Fruits & Vegetables Day: 26th  

National Smile Day: 31st  

Wishing you and your team a month full of smiles!

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. This way, you won’t miss a single idea! Or, if you have an area(s) in the practice that you’re struggling with, feel free to email me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty – Dental Coach

Would you please do something for me? If you appreciate and enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month  – I would LOVE for you to PLEASE leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook. Simply click the following links.    GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much!!