Dental Office Management Principles

Some principles of management are universal, however, with dental office management, there are some additional considerations...

Dental Office Management: Theory and Practice

Dental office management is all about adaptability.  Some dental offices are run very strictly.  Customers pay onsite and when services are done, no exceptions.  However, there is a unique challenge where dentists are concerned.  For one thing, dental insurance only covers so much of a procedure and as such, it leaves a lot on the customer.  Look at dental implants for example.  They can run, in some cases, as much as $10,000 a tooth.  As a rule, most people don't have that kind of money lying around.  The clinics that take a harder line with financial matters often have a small patient base.  This is both a plus and a minus.


A small patient base usually means these are core customers that keep the practice liquid.  Without adding new patients, however, a dental practice will lose patients.  Job changes, death, financial changes, insurance changes, and many more reasons cause patients to stop coming to the practice.  Pretty soon, the dental clinic may find itself in financial difficulties or may even close it's doors.  So, where payments are concerned and where patients are involved, the practice must balance getting new patients while keeping the old ones happy customers that return to the practice, as well as being gateway patient.  A gateway patient is a customer that brings in other patients.  They are the sort of patient that makes dentists salivate.  They hae a lot of friends and family, and don't hesitate to tell them all about their visit to your practice as well as your And a dental practice must also know when to arrange a payment play and when to avoid it. 

Dental Office Management:  Your Patients are Your Customers

It may seem odd to a dentist, but patients should be considered more than patients.  They should be considered customers as well.  As a result, they have to be treated well, or they will shop for another dental practice all too soon. 


So remember, there is a lot at stake with your practice.  It is your livelihood and the livelihood of those who work for you.  As such, learn best practices as well as  principles of how to manage a dental office, and your practice will prosper.  Hopefully this will give you some practical advice on how to run a dental office.


DentiMax, LLC
4115 E. Valley Auto Dr.
Suite 101
Mesa, AZ 85206
(800) 704-8494
(480) 396-1798
http://www.dentimax.com