Dental Practice Insurance Audits: Proactive Steps
No one welcomes a dental practice insurance audit. But the time to prepare for one is now, long before you receive notification from an insurance company. Remember that an audit of a… Continue On +
Don’t Let Perfection Get in Your Way
We receive conflicting signals about perfection. As Winston Churchill once said, “They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.” Churchill… Continue On +
Medicare – Should You Become a Provider?
Why would a dental practice become a provider for Medicare? Traditional Medicare does not cover dental services offered by most practices. However, opting out of Medicare is a decision that requires careful… Continue On +
The Toll of Procrastination on Dental Staff Management
Napoleon Hill once said, “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.” Too many times dentists find themselves… Continue On +
Accountability in Dental Practices
If you want your team to demonstrate accountability, how do you promote this in your dental practice? And what do you do that might undermine your efforts? For example, if an assistant… Continue On +
Treating vs. Billing Dentists
Adding an associate to a dental practice can bring a lot of positive benefits. But initially it can also add to the complexity of billing for the associate’s services when the practice… Continue On +
Discounted Offers for New Dental Patients
Dentists need to be careful when they attract new patients to the practice with discounted offers. What may seem like an innocent marketing tool can cause a number of headaches if you… Continue On +
Use QuickBooks’ Tools — and Common Sense Procedures — To Prevent Financial Fraud
You work hard for your money. Strong internal controls can keep it from disappearing unnecessarily. You trust your employees or you wouldn’t have hired them. That’s what everyone says as they watch… Continue On +
The Damaging Effects of Denial
What do we gain by ignoring a problem? Does the denial of a conflict or challenge make it go away? Consider major manufacturing companies such as Toyota and General Electric. Both have… Continue On +
Avoid the Dental Tug-of-War
When a dental patient comes in for a perio maintenance visit, can you bill the insurance company for a regular cleaning? How about when a patient receives a comprehensive exam, can you… Continue On +
Speaking the Patient’s Language
Imagine if an exterminator informed you, after inspecting your house, that you had isopterans. What would you ask next? Let’s assume the exterminator noticed a puzzled look on your face, so he… Continue On +
Steer Clear of De-Motivation
If you want to improve morale in your dental practice, you need to not only consider how to motivate your team, but you also need to recognize habits that de-motivate them. Too… Continue On +