May 2017 - How long have you owned your dental practice?
My dental practice has been in the same location for 35 years, however there has been a dental practice on this premises since 1942!!
What was your first Prime Practice workshop?
I was working with another practice management group for a few years, but had found my practice and growth plateauing very quickly, very soon after completing the curriculum. I made an appointment to meet Dr Phillip Palmer and met with him. It would have been around 2005. I have been working with Prime Practice ever since then! I have completed the Management Program curriculum and am currently a Prime Master.
What were your first impressions of Prime Practice?
I had a very capable, wise, knowledgeable coach who had the answer to pretty much everything. He supported the whole team, not just me, not just the back office. I found that any facet of growing a successful dental practice, Prime Practice knew how to support me.
What have been your biggest achievements working with Prime Practice?
I have always found that the biggest battle is always within…
I wasn’t born to be a leader and I wasn’t trained to be a business owner. So, I didn’t have the skills to lead a team and I didn’t know what it takes to run a business. Growing as a person to understand the things I didn’t even know I needed to know and accepting my weaknesses was a huge thing that Prime Practice helped me with. And then learning the systems to run a beautifully, self-managed hygiene department, getting preblocking in place, having a way to skills practice with the team, the morning huddle etc. These have all been a godsend for me and the team. Priceless.
Where were you up to pre-Prime Practice?
Patients were packed in- I was seeing as many as possible in a day. Running from room to room. On a Tuesday, I would see 30-36 patients on average (it was the day I worked late). I was stressed, stretched and not practicing great dentistry. In comparison, now on a very busy day I might see 10-12 patients.
What has changed?
With my 10-12 patients I see per day, I have a much more rewarding outcome- both financially and I’m doing better quality dentistry that I and the patients are happy with. We have reduced re-doing treatment, improved the work we do and the service we are able to provide. We are a tighly run, efficient and happy practice.
How has this happened?
We have the treatment timing right, so we book the right amount of time to do the right amount of treatment. We have a huddle every morning to set the tone for every day. We have a weekly ‘numbers’ meeting which monitors our reappointment rate among other numbers, so everyone can see how their performance affects the business. Every 8-10 weeks we go out one Wednesday morning and do a mini training session. We have an agenda which we post 2 weeks before and everyone can add to that. Anything anyone has issues with. BUT there is always something left to talk about. All the team are heard. We adjust how we run things according to their needs.
How has your hygiene department helped you?
Prime Practice were instrumental in helping me set up the hygiene department, which has certainly taken a lot off my shoulders. All hygiene and perio are done by my amazing hygienists, which frees my time up to do more comprehensive dentistry.
The hygiene department and I speak the same language. Their communication skills with patients is perfect, so the patients truly understand the importance of treatment and active maintenance.
How have your team benefited from being involved with Prime Practice?
When I came and announced to the team that we were going to work with Prime Practice, they rolled their eyes and wondered what I had got involved with! However, they immediately felt and noted the difference in comparison. They love working with Prime and they love the changes that have been implemented since starting to work with Prime. Instead of 35 patients a day (including 35 change-overs/sterilising, 35 bills, 35 phone calls, 35 bookings etc) they are now only seeing 10-12. They are loving the constant improvements and feeling empowered by being able to make decisions.
How have you found coaching?
The coaching is a godsend. You always have someone to answer to. I have been gifted with beautiful coaches. They have all been fantastic. All a little bit different in approach, but they are there to support me. On the very very rare occasions that they are not sure about anything, they refer me to Dr Palmer, who is a wealth of knowledge for me.
Do you have a self-managed team?
We definitely had a self-managed team, however with 2 new team members, some things aren’t quite there yet. However, this is definitely our goal. Fortunately, the team are quickly stepping up to make me feel like I have a self-managed team again. We have a reappointment rate of 97% that requires the whole team to be working together. This comes from everyone doing with they have to do.
Have any questions? Email us here.
Learn about Primespeak
Want to know more about Prime Management Programs?