One purpose of regular team meetings is to collectively discuss what is affecting the performance of the dental practice. This means going deeper than just production and collection numbers to understand important pulse points. Here are three of those points to include in your team meetings.
First, how many openings went unfilled in your schedule during the month for each provider? What caused the openings? Look into whether the appointments were always open or if they were the result of a last minute cancellation. Consider if your systems for recall and unscheduled treatment follow up are effective. You and your dental team will most likely come up with ideas for how to make the schedule even stronger.
Next, review the list of unscheduled treatment from the month. Clinical teams are often surprised to learn that certain patients did not schedule, and this opens the door for a productive discussion about improving treatment acceptance. Consider specific patients and brainstorm what you can do even better next time to get patients to schedule. Also, if you have not done so already, designate someone on the team to follow up with unscheduled patients.
Finally, use team meetings to review new patients. Consider who completed recommended hygiene care, who started at least the first phase of treatment, and who has an appointment to come back. Ask yourself how you can make the new patient experience even stronger. Also, look closely at referral sources and discuss which sources bring you the best patients. How can you increase referrals from your best sources?
When you put your next team meeting agenda together, consider discussing unfilled openings, unscheduled treatment, and new patients. Use the collective wisdom and experience in your practice to fine-tune your systems and the patient experience, which will ultimately lead to greater production.