The total number of employees at dental offices declined in the first quarter of 2022. Between February and March 2022, dental practices lost about 1,500 combined jobs, according to data compiled by the American Dental Association (ADA). This shows that no economic sector has been immune to “The Great Resignation”—a nationwide wave of people who left their jobs, beginning in early 2021.
Every time your staff experiences a position turnover, you have to seek out, hire, and train a replacement. Consequently, many dental practices currently are operating at less than full strength. These labor shortages have led to an 11% drop in practice capacity. Is yours one of them? As this staffing strain continues to impact the entire industry, you need to be prepared. That’s why the dentistry experts at Bryant Consultants compiled this list of five ways you can streamline your practice.
Fine-tune your scheduling
Appointment cancellations have always been one of the biggest problems vexing dental practices. Right now, in the midst of this staffing shortage, each of those cancellations hits that much harder. Incorporate new and more efficient scheduling practices: online scheduling tools, appointment reminders, and cancellation prompts. Use the technology at your disposal to identify schedule gaps and fill them.
Go paper-free
Billing and remittance forms, patient scheduling forms, paper copies of images, patient records… it’s easy for a dental practice to drown in paperwork. Streamline your operations and take some of the burden off your administrative team by going entirely to an electronic system if you have not done so already. Going to a cloud-based system makes your office more efficient and organized while providing greater protection for patients’ personal health information and your staff access to patient records, X-ray results, and scheduling no matter where they are.
Consolidate patient care on one platform
If your practice uses two more systems for clinical care and practice management, you’re slowing down your overall process. Sticking to one platform makes it more convenient to toggle between schedules, patient notes, and other applications. This decreases the total amount of time spent on administrative tasks, making it easier to complete billing and allowing more time for patient care.
Enhance communications
How are you connecting with your patients? This doesn’t just refer to contact during appointments or face-to-face conversation. Even emails and voice messages provide another potential point of contact between your practice and your clientele. Every single communication impacts various factors, ranging from patient retention to ensuring their health plan information is correctly submitted. Consider incorporating a text messaging app into your workflow, which can help with tasks such as appointment confirmations or filling canceled appointments.
Avoid burnout
The risk of professional burnout is real but has magnified since the pandemic began. The findings of last year’s Dentist Well-Being Survey Report determined that the percentage of dentists diagnosed with anxiety had increased by more than 300% compared to 2003 data. Keep aware of the triggers that may lead to burnout: inconsistent work schedules, a lack of empathy from supervisors (you), or an absence of staff support. From there, you can determine where to intervene and give any staff members at risk of burnout the reassurance they need.
Professional Dental Consulting
We can help you weather the storm of staffing shortages and ensure that your practice continues to thrive. At Bryant Consultants, our staff includes dental industry experts with combined decades of experience in our profession. Our professionals provide consulting services for dentists to manage all aspects of your practice, and right now, we are offering a free one-hour consultation to practicing dentists like you. Find out more by calling (877) 768-4799 to schedule your consultation today.
