DTUS2010

f DT page 11A, ADVERTISING DENTAL TRIBUNE | September 2010 Practice Matters 13A a fine, injunction, censure, suspen- sion or revocation of the dentist’s license. Clearly, dentists who advertise must comply with the Federal Trade Commission, and dentists must com- ply with the advertising laws of the state in which they practice (and dental board requirements). The Internet With the explosion of the Internet, many state dental boards are taking an active role in monitoring dental advertising on the Internet. A grow- ing area of concern regarding adver- tising on the Internet is that dentists are claiming they are specialists in areas that are not considered or rec- ognized as specialty areas. For example, if a particular state dental board does not recognize cos- metic dentistry as an area of specialty and a dentist advertises on the inter- net that he or she is a “cosmetic den- tistry specialist,” then that particular state dental board may consider the advertisement as false and mislead- ing, which could result in disciplin- ary sanctions against the dentist. In addition, “buffing” ones cre- dentials on the Internet (or any other form of advertisement) may be con- sidered a violation of certain adver- tising rules as set forth by a particular state dental board. If a dentist claims that he or she is a “nationally recognized expert in implant dentistry,” the advertise- ment may be concerned deceptive advertising. The rule of thumb for dental advertising is that a dentist must be fully aware of his or her own state regulations regarding advertising, and every dentist should review the the growth of your practice. Transforming your team into a profit-making machine This transition starts with you. You need to be the leader in your prac- tice, hold people accountable to stay focused on their area of genius and reward them for it. When team members have something to work toward on the job, they feel like they are making a real contribution and they tend to be happier. By putting an incentive plan in place, this helps everyone feel like they are all an integral part of the machine. You also need to make sure that you’ve delegated the respon- sibilities according to your team’s genius areas. Each person should About the author Stuart J. Oberman, Esq., has extensive experience in repre- senting dentists during dental partnership agreements, part- nership buy-ins, dental MSOs, commercial leasing, entity for- mation (professional corpora- tions, limited liability compa- nies), real estate transactions, employment law, dental board defense, estate planning, and other business transactions that a dentist will face during his or her career. For questions or comments regarding this article, visit www.gadentalattorney.com. f DT page 12A, PRODUCTIVITY be concentrating on the thing that he or she is the best at. If U2 held a concert at Madison Square Garden, they wouldn’t put the sound crew in charge of mar- keting the event. The results would cost them money in the same way mismatching a staff member to a position in your office would affect the productivity of your practice. Most dentists have a barrier set up where they say they cannot afford to hire one person to handle new patient calls and another to greet patients at the front desk. You need to get rid of that block- age. You’re investment in these staff members will make you more money. You have to look at the math. In the long run, if you have a focused and genius-driven team, you’re productivity and profit will grow, your dream team will be happier on the job and you’ll be well on your way to reaching your highest potential as a practice. DT AD Jay M. Geier is the founder and president of the Scheduling Institute. He is a well-known dental speaker and has helped more than 10,000 dentists nationwide grow their practices. Geier offers free practice analy- sis on his website. If you’d like him to do this for your practice, please visit www.scheduling institute.com and click on “Take the 5 Star Challenge” at the top. Geier can also be contacted at jaygeier@schedulinginstitute. com. About the author guidelines as set forth by the Ameri- can Dental Association, even if a particular state has not adopted the ADA’s guidelines. DT