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DT U.S. Edition, Nov./Dec. 2010, Vol. 5, No. 23

DENTAL TRIBUNE | Nov./Dec. 2010 Practice Matters 9A in your community. Possibly yours is an HMO office or maybe your practice is in a rural setting. Certainly, there are management systems that every practice must implement — such as scheduling, collections, produc- tion, etc. Yet, no two practices are exactly alike. You want a consulting com- pany that has the experience and breadth of knowledge to address the uniqueness of your practice. What type of follow-up will this company or consultant provide? Is this a once-and-done operation? Does the company representa- tive spend a day or a few hours with you, hand you a manual to follow and leave you to imple- ment the recommendations on your own? In most cases, that’s a strat- egy for failure. The dentist cannot make major changes in his or her practice singlehandedly. Alternatively, are the consul- tants on-site for as many days as the dentist would like? Regardless of the number of onsite days, it is imperative that you have a partner walking through the change pro- cess with you and your team for a full 12 months. Ultimately, you want to work with a consulting firm that is pre- pared to provide individual atten- tion and specific assistance to your practice over the long haul. DT the strengths and weaknesses of practice systems and protocols? What changes would they recom- mend to improve them? What protocols could be devel- oped to reduce stress and improve the patient experience, practice productivity and the total culture of the office? Develop your plan for each area and put it in writing. Focus on the specifics of each practice system and create a timeline for address- ing individual areas. Remember, keep it manage- able and establish realistic goals. Change efforts frequently fall short because businesses attempt to take on too much too soon and quickly become overwhelmed. Some sys- tem changes can be implemented in a few weeks while others may require up to a full year. When to seek additional help Face the reality of your individual situation. In other words, recog- nize that there are many dental teams that simply cannot make the necessary changes on their own. Some dentists can success- fully direct true system and cul- tural change in the practice on their own. However, most don’t have the time, the energy or the mental fortitude to push through when seemingly everyone else is push- ing back. Often, dentist and staff are too close to the situation to be able to objectively consider what is truly working and what needs to be cor- rected. Tough decisions become cloud- ed by personalities, turf wars and tenure. In those circumstances, it’s critical to seek outside help from a professional. Nevertheless, how do you dis- tinguish between those that can deliver results and those that can’t? Like dentists, there are excellent consultants, good con- sultants and, unfortunately, bad consultants. Rather than lumping all prac- tice management consultants in the same category, I suggest you conduct a simple evaluation. Con- sider the following questions. First, is the practice-manage- ment consulting firm you are con- sidering endorsed by a credible outside organization, such as your state dental society? For example, McKenzie Man- agement is the only national practice management company endorsed by the California Dental Association. Does the company or consultant you are considering come to you or must you and your team go to them? Certainly, it’s valuable for your team to go off-site for a team retreat and continuing education, but there is no substitute for what happens on-site, day-after-day in your practice. If you are trying to make major changes to critical systems, a consultant cannot make effective recommendations until he or she stands in your office, witnesses the challenges you face, understands your goals and vision, studies your practice data on-site, evaluates the demographics and psycho- graphics of your community and stands alongside the team that makes or breaks your success. Does the company have a record of proven success? You want numbers, you want data and you want references. The credible companies and consultants will not hesitate to share this informa- tion with you. Can this company tailor its recommendations to address the specific needs and uniqueness of your practice? Perhaps yours is a specialty practice or maybe you have certain economic challenges AD f DT page 6A About the author Sally McKenzie is CEO of McKenzie Management, which provides success-proven man- agement solutions to dental prac- titioners nationwide. She is also editor of The Dentist’s Network Newsletter at www.thedentists network.net; the e-Management Newsletter from www.mckenzie mgmt.com; and The New Den- tist™ magazine, www.thenew dentist.net. She can be reached at (877) 777-6151 or sallymck @mckenziemgmt.com. Change in the dental practice is tough, and you may not be able to go it alone. The first step is admitting that you assistance. The next step is know- ing how to choose a reputable company to help you achieve the goals you’d like to set before you give up on them out of frustration. (Photo/www.sxc. hu)