WHEW! Have you taken some time to really think about all that has changed over the last 6 months? What a whirlwind! Every position in the office has been affected by this. Some have lower exposure risk, and some have very high exposure risks. But one thing remains consistent: The unspoken fear of what the future holds for dentistry. So many I have reached out to have one main question in mind, “Is this going to be our NEW normal?” Let's talk about what our new normal looks like and spend time thinking about our overall goal in the practice, and what we want to provide to our patients. This, of course, happens to be the main subject being brought up by every single office. As you know, most offices have run into some sort of an issue obtaining the proper PPE. Pre-Covid we were able to wear our scrubs, lab jacket, mask, and goggles. Now we find ourselves with N95, face shields, proper air flow systems, and lots of disinfectants we didn’t even know existed. Is this a bad thing? Were we too lax before? I do see the new standards sticking around for PPE. When you relate it to the goal, safety for all, taking infection control measures SHOULD be a serious topic. Not only is this keeping us safer, but our family, and patients, and our community. As healthcare providers, we have really had to step up, and do what is right for all. Great job all! As part of our protocol, we are pre-screening patients before they come in, to determine their exposure risk. Whether it's the Coronavirus, or another virus, it is always a good idea to do a thorough questionnaire on our patients prior to entering. Since we have already built this into our daily flow, should this become a permanent addition to our everyday practice? Temperature Checks It is recommended for all offices to document employee and patients temperature, prior to entering a dental office. There are a variety of ways we have seen these done, but one thing that remains constant is every patient, every time. Let's think about how this affects us as a dental professional. We know this virus is contagious, as are all viruses and bacterial infections, so keeping the temperature check as part of our daily routine may not be a bad idea. During any time, if a patient comes to the office with a temperature over 100, it may be okay to kindly ask to reschedule their appointment. After all, our overall goal is nothing short of providing excellent care to our patients, while keeping our teams and our patients safe. For me, this is a keeper:) Condensed Waiting Room Before the pandemic, we had a reception area full of families waiting for their appointment. Now, we are either still closed inside, or have very minimal seats, all spaced apart. Although we are not promoting “togetherness”, or “meeting thy neighbor”, we are promoting safety. Patients want to know they are safe. Will this stay around forever? We can continue the option of texting in, or phoning in when we arrive for an appointment, or have the option to wait in the reception area. For me, this is a no go:) Maintaining an AWESOME Patient Experience Has anyone missed the nice firm handshake when the patient arrives? To some extent, we have lost some personalization in the mix. The patient experience is always top priority so finding ways to maintain this during a pandemic can be challenging. We always want to make a good first impression to our patients so finding alternatives is key. A smile is a great way to make a good first impression. Being authentic, introducing yourself, being grateful, making eye contact, and acknowledging the patient in a positive way WILL leave a lasting impression! On another note, taking this time to reorganize your office has been instrumental in moving forward. The rise in outside dental ad ons has really seen an impact. We have seen many not return to the office, causing inefficiencies in the day to day tasks. Therefore, teams have been reaching out to 3rd parties to fill those voids. I do believe this is going to continue long term for the dental community. Call centers, and outside billing companies have seen a major increase this year. With all outside sourcing comes expectations. Setting up the services, and understanding expectations of outcomes, these sources can provide additional, needed support for your practice. All in all, the new standards may stick around for longer than we would like. The further we get down the road, the more these become our new “normal”. I send praise out to everyone in the dental community that has kept a positive attitude, while embracing all of these changes. None of this has been easy, and it may continue into a normal, so KUDOS to all who have made a difference in our world! Not only are you embracing it, but you are picking up, and moving forward to be the best practice you can be! ~Kellie Black, RDH Disclaimer: This article is the sole opinion and research of the writer and doesn’t reflect the opinions of ZenSupplies.
As we enter into a new era in the dental world, there are many changes that are happening. There is still a lot of uncertainty on what is to come. This can work both for us, and against us at the same time. We are seeing practices that are having a hard time getting their team to come back, and on the other hand, practices taking this time to slow down, and evaluate the flow of the office. So how do we move forward with what we have? Having this time off has been a great time to look at our team, where are we doing well, and where could we improve? In a sense, going back to basics. Let’s start by discussing “Titles” within the office. I like to use this term loosely because sometimes when we add titles to positions, we get a shift in responsibility. Let’s talk about how to organize the team, in order to maximize what we have! Positions in an everyday office include, Dentist, Hygienist, Assistant, Treatment Coordinator, Scheduling Coordinator, and an office leader. Sometimes the leader is the doctor, and sometimes the leader is a manager, or Business Lead. We all know the best way to get nothing accomplished, is to assign a task to multiple people :) How do we break down the positions, and hold our team accountable? Ultimately the scheduling coordinator is responsible for the schedule, and the treatment coordinator is responsible for presenting treatment plans. IF you are unsure of who belongs in what position have the team brainstorm the tasks they complete and decide if this should be under “Scheduling Coordinator” or “Treatment Coordinator”. Keep in mind this isn’t meant to be set in stone. This may change over time, based on what works and what isn’t working. Step 1: Start by setting up a meeting with the team, and have them write out their daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Here we don’t need to be super specific, just the tasks that are done, and when. What we are doing is…...building the positions in the office!! YES! Your TEAM is going to build their “Job Description”, “Checklists”, and “Objectives”, which will ultimately lead to our “training manual”. Again, our team will participate in what they help create! YAYY!! Just think, how many times have we hired a team member, and put them in the back (or front) without ANY direction? (We have all been there!) Step 2: Now is the perfect time to decide WHEN each team member should be able to complete that task, given their position. Go through and label each task as 1 (meaning they should be able to complete that task in 1 month), 2 (within 2 months), and 3 (within 3 months) of hire date. This will make training SO much easier! Now we can organize this list into our 30, 60, and 90 day objectives! You now have a layout for your next new hire!! Step 3: Have them write out 2-3 sentences explaining how to do each task. (IF this needs more explanation, we can build on that later). Step 4: The doctor, or Office Manager can now compile the job descriptions, checklists (daily, weekly, monthly), 30, 60, 90 day objectives and breakdowns of each task to be completed! The best part...THEY created it!. GREAT JOB! You are one step closer to maximizing your team! Within this simple 1-2 hour meeting you have created accountability within each position, with the help of your team. YOU are no longer the doctor wondering how you can get your team on board to do things YOU created for them. THEY are creating their own positions! Don’t forget to add lunch in there and maybe a fun team activity:) So just because we have downtime, and our teams are changing, some downsizing, it doesn’t have to be a time to panic. By organizing your team, and responsibilities in the office, you are able to maximize what you DO have. It also will create a better dynamic within the whole office. It may seem overboard at first, but I PROMISE you are doing more with less. ~Kellie Black, RDH Disclaimer: This article is the sole opinion and research of the writer and doesn’t reflect the opinions of ZenSupplies.
The bad news is that our industry has been and will be fundamentally and permanently changed because of the pandemic. A lot of the changes affecting processes, procedures and protocols (especially as they relate to PPE’s) will probably remain. One guarantee therefore, is that things will not be going back to “the way they were”. The good news for everyone is that a vaccine is being rolled out. The good news for employers is that the FFCRA has expired (as of 12/31/2020), which means one less thing to have to administer and manage. The good news for most practices is that they have successfully navigated the COVID crisis and survived! What’s that all mean? It means we are getting closer to some sense of new normalcy and with the crisis abating, now is the time to proactively change hats from crisis management (back) to leadership. Nowhere is leadership more important than with employees. Business success is almost always related to people success—your “Human Resource”. You can’t do it alone (as much as you might wish you could some days!). The foundation for people success is leadership. To build long-term organizational success, leaders must spend more time focusing on people and outcomes, not just surviving or results. One starting place is to take a serious look at these questions: What kind of employer are you? What Is your reputation as an employer/boss/leader? Is your practice/business one where people want to come to work? Would you work for you? A lot of marketing time, attention and money is spent on getting positive Google and/or Facebook reviews. But what would your Google or Facebook reviews be of you as an employer? Positive? Negative? Mediocre? Cheap? Supportive? Caring? The difficulties you may have finding, hiring or retaining employees are indicators of your reputation as an employer/boss/leader. Many practices and businesses don’t or haven’t had problems in the recruiting, hiring and re-employment process. Why? Because those practices and businesses have reputations as good places to work. This is a result of leadership that truly embraces the “human” in human resources. For these practices and businesses, employees are not an expense; employees are rather a resource to be truly valued and supported. Today, many practices are asking: “where have all the good employees gone?” Our economy goes through cycles where there are lots of quality employees available and times where there are not. We are clearly now in a time where there are not, and the reasons are many. Due to the pandemic, many former dental employees have changed careers, others have retired or decided to permanently stay home for childcare or schooling reasons. Whenever there is a tight labor market, employers look for some type of “magic bullet” for finding and hiring employees (the proverbial needle in the haystack). Sorry to inform you, but there is no magic bullet for that. There is a magic bullet though that can make a difference and help. That magic bullet is focusing on principles that lead to long term retention of your existing employees. Long term retention of quality employees is the holy grail of leadership. Leaders understand that turnover is a killer. Turnover impacts time, revenue, overhead, profits, performance, consistency and quality of service. The costs of turnover are insidious. There is an emotional toll, as well as a financial toll. The stress and impact on morale is a significant emotional toll. Financially, the costs of recruiting, the time reading resumes, screening applicants, interviewing, plus the costs for reference checking, skills assessments and background checking all add up. And then there is the financial impact of how long it takes for the new person to be fully up-to-speed. Ouch! Leadership’s goal is modeling and leading in ways that engages, appreciates, recognizes and supports employees, that results in performance and long-term retention, i.e., little to no turnover. Notice how you solve the problem, by eliminating the problem. Creating and fostering a safe and trusting work environment is another hallmark of people leadership. Trust is the life blood of any relationship and is a pre-condition for all teams. This is created by respectful and trustworthy behavior, which reduces mistrust, fear and insecurity. It is impossible for even the best of employees to thrive when the work environment is one of mistrust, fear and insecurity. This also requires communication because in the absence of communication: People will assume the negative; you don’t like them or didn’t like what they did Will be less likely to seek out assignments or tasks or offer ideas in the future If asked or assigned in the future, the effort won’t be 100% -- why bother? Confidence and engagement will go down Everyone “says” they’d like their turnover to be lower. But ironically most don’t invest time and energy in efforts that can directly lower turnover, i.e., people leadership principles. Turnover is otherwise accepted as a given. What do employees want? In answer to that question, many employers say: “money, all employees care about is money!” Yet study after study shows that that is not the case. Things like: Ethically sound business principles and quality healthcare. A consistent and fair management style. Policies that are friendly, frank, fair and firm. A pleasant and harmonious work environment-minimal stress. Adequate facility, instruments, tools, equipment and supplies. A competent and compatible staff/team. Assistance in learning: communication, decisions and initiative. Clearly defined job responsibilities. Recognition: acknowledgement contribution and appreciation. All rank higher than money in most surveys in the dental industry. Note how not only don’t these cost you money, they truly represent the embodiment of good people leadership. As we begin moving beyond the COVID pandemic, the level of success you experience will hinge in large part on your leadership. Leadership that is people and employee centric, i.e., “people leadership”. Where there is a strong commitment to create a safe and trusting work environment, built on communication and truly putting the “human” in human resources. Want to reduce your turnover through retention of your quality employees? Let me leave you with this “to-do” list to get the ball rolling: Become a better leader Give people the benefit of the doubt Approach employee absences (particularly due to childcare or school closures) with a positive problem-solving attitude Show appreciation Provide recognition Thank your team every day for being there Communicate, communicate, communicate Train, support, train, support Create a safer and more trusting work environment Seriously, become a better leader; most of the time your employees are not the problem, it is your leadership, don't take it out on them The end result will be less stress, less turnover, longer term retention of quality employees, a happier work environment, and greater financial rewards for everyone—now that’s a winning combination. -Tim Twigg Tim Twigg is the President and co-owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates. Bent Ericksen & Associates is the leading authority in human resources and personnel management in the healthcare industry, helping dentists successfully deal with the ever-changing and complex labor laws.
Elizabeth starts at 5am everyday at the gym to start moving and prepare for any challenges the day can bring. Then the work starts at 6:30am with one of the 6 locations at River Run dental. Her job role is a Clinical director, but she wears many hats to help achieve the goals. We spend a good amount of time discussing goals, and how to find a dental practice that has goals and focused on growth. Elizabeth shares her simple questions to identify the right practice for yourself. Know what you are looking for and find the practice that can help you get there. We talked a little about early days of the pandemic in 2020 and how Zen was able to help River Run during PPE shortages.
Today my guest is John Demma, COO of a very unique DSO, Light Wave Dental Management. We discuss leadership, team culture, and leading through service. John has a unique story, growing up in the family restaurant business, learning important skills early on. As John said during the interview "When it comes to leadership and management, there is nothing new under the sun" it's important to establish your decision framework, principles and guiding values to become a great leader. We go into details and examples from John career at Sleepy's (10 year career path) and National Veterinary Associates (4 years) and how the idea of Servant Leadership has led John to the current role at Light Wave. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAAYfmtQh24[/embedyt] My Takeaways: - Good people do great things - First line of team and management is the most critical part of the organization and senior level management is the least important - Empower the front line management - Principles for growth: - Self Exploration - Decision Making Framework - Values - Work life balance always comes with the question: "What are you willing to give up to achieve X" - No Foundation leads to firefighting. Strong foundation, leadership, long term planning leads to high performance - One important skills to transition from junior management to more senior is to "Learn how to Story-tell" - Walk and take calls to manage Hope you enjoy it!
As ZenSupplies has continued to grow, naturally, our team has focused increasingly on how we can imp...
This is a repost from Becker's Healthcare, written by Gabrielle Masson on March 30, 2020. President Donald Trumppasseda $2 trillion emergency spending bill March 27 to combat the economic effect of COVID-19. Below are provisions of the legislation relevant to dentists, as explained by Chad Gehani, DDS,American Dental Associationpresident. Provisions the ADA believes are most critical for dental teams: 1.Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The emergency grant will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to those who apply for loan advances of $10,000 or less. Applicants won't have to repay the money even if denied the loan. 2.Loan forgiveness for certain small business loans. Eligible employers may have a portion of federal small business loans forgiven for certain payroll, sick leave, family leave and other expenses occurring between Feb. 15 and June 6. 3.Additional Small Business Administration loan payments. The Small Business Administration will pay the principal, interest and associated fees owed on 7(a) loans, 504 loans and microloans for a six-month period. 4.Retirement account withdrawals. A dentist can withdraw up to $100,000 in 2020 from retirement funds without paying a tax penalty if the dentist, their spouse or dependent tests positive for COVID-19, or experience adverse financial effects as a result of being quarantined, furloughed, laid off, or having reduced work hours. 5.Student loan interest deferral. Federal student loan borrowers will not be required to make a payment and no interest would accumulate on federal loans through Sept. 30. 6.Deferred Social Security tax. Employers and self-employed individuals will be able to defer payment of their employer share of the Social Security tax until Dec. 31. 7. Federal tax rebates. A one-time federal income tax rebate of $1,200 would be available for individual tax filers making less than $75,000. 8.Unemployment benefits. Emergency unemployment compensation benefits will be dramatically increased. Original Article Click HERE
