The coronavirus pandemic is a fluid situation. Bryant Consultants, a top-rated dental consulting firm, is staying informed, minute-by-minute, of these changes and how it affects our dental clients across the U.S. As of March 16, 2020, the American Dental Association announced that all dentists discontinue elective dental procedures for the next three weeks. All non-emergent care will be rescheduled until after the end of the shutdown. Are you prepared?
Find out how to keep your dental practice moving forward during the coronavirus pandemic
First and foremost, remember that you run a business. There will continue to be phones to answer, money to collect, patients to contact, and schedules to set in preparation for reopening your practice. Aside from phone calls, Bryant Consultants has some ideas on how to keep everyone working. There is still a lot to do!
-
Devise a Schedule Plan
Maintain phone coverage and decide which team members will be answering phones, filing insurance claims, working collections, and handling patient calls for future scheduling. Anyone who is answering patient calls should be informed on how to prescreen patients that call to schedule emergency dental care. We recommend following the ADA’s prescreening guidelines to protect the health and safety of you, your employees, and patients that enter your office.
-
Training
Most dentists will say that they never seem to have enough time to complete the training they need. There’s no better time than now! You probably already have a list of training that you would like to partake in, and likely some for your team members as well. This is also an excellent time to cross-train employees, which benefits your practice in the future when someone is out, either short- or long-term.
-
Recertification
Dentists, hygienists, and assistants must maintain current certifications. If you are due to renew OSHA, HIPPA, CareCredit, or any other certifications, contact your representative to schedule a class. Even if some organizations are not sending their reps out into the field, there likely will be opportunities for you to complete these certifications virtually.
-
Spring Cleaning
Time to clean out and purge old lab cases, files, paper charts (scan, let’s go digital), old décor items, and anything else that you do not need to run a successful dental practice. It is time to get your practice clean! Organize cabinets and drawers, and ensure supplies are well stocked and ready for reopening in April.
-
Marketing
Marketing your practice is an on-going effort. Now is the time to collect and organize Before and After photos you’ve been meaning to add to your website, update employee bios, get new team photographs, and beef up your practice’s website. Create videos that can be used for future social media posts, answering commonly asked questions, addressing dental health concerns, or explaining specific services that you offer. Develop an action plan for doing this, and get in touch with your dental practice website designers to add these updates to your website.
-
Business Meetings
Your business is still going to function, even during the coronavirus pandemic. Take time to address financial planning, accounting, tax prep, and referral doctor meetings. Now is the time to address these important items to ensure your practice’s financial success.
-
Emergent Care
There will always be patients that need emergency dental care, even in the midst of a pandemic. Be prepared to receive these patients. Ensure each team member understands how to handle patients as they enter the office, outlining specific protocols for team members to follow for the health and safety of themselves and the patients.
-
Elective Dentistry
Devise a plan to attract patients to return to your office after the lockdown, and to continue with elective dental procedures. The pandemic will be over before we know it, and business will be back to our usual “normal,” except your practice will be operating better than it ever has before because you’ve been working hard this entire time!
-
Continuing Education
Just like training or certification renewals, this is a great time to complete continuing education for all team members. Have you ever considered adding new services or expanding on some of the treatment options you currently offer? Start looking into specific classes for these items and sign up to take online courses, if available.
-
Rest and Relax
You will need mental and physical rest during this time as well. It would be best if you took the time to rest so that you will be prepared to work again once the mandatory closing has been lifted. Don’t look at the shutdown as if it were an extended vacation, but take some time for self-care, and encourage your employees to do the same also.
Bryant Consultants is here to guide you and your dental practice through the coronavirus pandemic and how to keep moving forward during this seemingly challenging time. You must keep pressing forward right now. After the pandemic settles, which it will, your practice will rise back up. For extra guidance, check out our Dental Practice Plan for COVID-19 that helps dentists manage their practice during the coronavirus pandemic. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Bryant Consultants by calling (877) 768-4799 or contact a dental consultant.
