PM
SCHEDULING
Amazingly, I’ve been invit-
Dentist to write another
editorial. This one is a
follow up to the last one
which dealt with the absurdly
high fees in dentistry
we have today which
have made many of our
services unaffordable to
the average consumer.
I’m often asked (well, maybe not often, occasionally) how can you provide dentistry
at lower fees when each procedure has a certain amount of time required to do
an adequate job. The answer is to reconsider the amount of time set aside (lower
it), ignore the inevitable complaints that come from being “behind” and take walkin
emergencies, at least in the morning or any time you prefer.
As an example let’s examine my scheduling “system”. I work out of four rooms and
have three hygiene operatories manned by two and sometimes three hygienists as
well as three assistants.
We schedule out of 7 columns on the Easy Dental (yes, Easy Dental) schedule
template. Column 1 is for “major” procedures that I schedule an hour for, such as
crowns, root canals, multiple extractions and insertion of immediate dentures, etc.
extractions. Columns 3 and 7 are for hygiene. Most cleanings are scheduled for
30 minutes but we throw in a few 15 minute appointments in column 3. Since we
don’t show. Columns 4 and 5 are for exams and an occasional child cleaning.
Most exams are given an hour, with an occasional half hour thrown in to accommodate
someone that needs to get in. The reason that an hour is reserved for these
appointments is just so they don’t overwhelm the schedule, not because I “need”
an hour. The same goes for the major procedures, as the full hour for a crown, for
example, takes into account assistant time.
With this type of schedule, it’s possible to provide $400 crowns because in any
given hour I’m seeing another 4 to 5 patients generating additional revenue. Handling
this requires focus and taking advantage of unavoidable pauses in all dental
procedures, such as anesthesia waiting time (unless a PDL injection is used, which
is another great way to speed things up) or material set times. It also requires
alternately apologizing for being behind or just ignoring complaints. I know this is
not for everyone but you did ask.
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