Dealing with Credit Balances in a Dental Practice
Kevin Brady, Practice Transition Advisor, gives dentists important information about credit balances in a dental practice.
Read MoreAccounts Receivables in a Transition
Buyers and Sellers – One of the things to look out for in a dental transition is Accounts Receivables. What should you be looking for? Megan Urban, Practice Transition Advisor with OMNI Practice Group, will get you started:
Read MoreIncrease Collections Without Spending Money
By Megan Urban, Transition Specialist
After working with hundreds of dentists for many years, we want to share the top 5 areas of missed production/collection. With small changes to your everyday routines, you can increase collections to put towards new equipment and technology, as well as savings and retirement.
1. Patient Retention
Everyone worries about current new patient flow, but what about all the new patients you have seen? If you have 1,500 active patients, you should complete at least 2,550 codes 1110, 1120, and 4910. On average, we see at least $30,000 per year in missed collections in hygiene (patient retention) and that doesn’t include collections from potential treatment diagnosed in hygiene. Small changes to your hygiene program can help you capture more of this missed production.
2. Referrals
Most dentists report they ask for referrals, but do you really? Most dentists state they talk about it at team meetings or huddles, but who is asking and what exactly are they saying? With comfortable scripting and a plan, you can successfully ask for referrals.
3. Incomplete Treatment
How do you and your team urge your patients to complete treatment? How does your team follow up on incomplete treatment? Do you know exactly what they say when they call? We often see about $100,000 in incomplete treatment that can be scheduled by using solid scripting.
4. No-Shows and Short-Notice Cancelations
On average, we find at least $40,000 per year in missed collections due to missed appointments. It’s much higher if it’s large production cases. With proactive scripting at scheduling and confirmations, this can be reduced.
5. Accounts Receivable
At least $90,000 is the average of uncollected production. Setting solid financial arrangements from the beginning will minimize this issue, and I’m not talking about simply stating what their balance will be. Financial arrangements and collections is also customer service. Remember the old saying, “the worst fitting pair of dentures are the ones not paid for”!
Please contact me for a complimentary analysis of these items in your practice to locate areas of opportunity.
503.830.5765
Read MoreWhen to Tell your Staff your Practice is For Sale
By Jen Bennett, OMNI Practice Group
Congratulations, you just accepted an offer on your practice! With all the emotions associated with the transition, when to notify your staff is surely at the top of your “to-do” list. Telling employees that you are selling your practice is an extremely delicate process. Breaking the news too early can come with many risks, so best to wait until all final closing documents are signed by both parties and no more than one week before the new owner takes over.
So, what are some potential risks?
One of the primary risks is that employees will naturally be worried about their job security the moment you make your announcement. Oftentimes if they have too much of an advanced notice they may start searching for other opportunities. Staff leaving could negatively impact the transition and patient experience because of how instrumental they can be in helping the buyer and the patients adjust to new ownership.
The other major risk is that nothing is final until it’s final. Dental practice sales are extremely complex and can be delayed for a multitude of reasons or fall through completely. Making the announcement before the sale is complete will cause stress and heartache amongst your staff during a time that you will be preoccupied with navigating a significant professional milestone. If the staff were to find out before closing was final, you wouldn’t be able to offer any reassuring answers because of unforeseen changes to the closing timeline.
Finally, regardless of your views of your staff’s maturity level, gossip will ensue. I have seen it countless times where a dentist tries to provide honest reasons on why they are selling, only to have their words misconstrued. Comments such as, “I’m selling my practice to focus on my health” can quickly morph into, “S/he is selling because the practice is going under,” or lead to unfounded conclusions such as, “After the new guy starts, we will all be replaced.” This kind of fear and uncertainty will have a profound impact on staff morale during a time where they will be needed to ensure a great patient experience during the transition process.
In the end, you probably have a deep and meaningful relationship with your staff. They deserve to know about ownership changes as they will be impacted, but it is best for them (and for you) that they be kept out of the loop until you have concrete answers to provide them.
Read MoreFinancing for Buyers
Megan Urban, Practice Transition Advisor, has been working in the dentistry industry for over 30 years. One question she is often asked is, “Will my buyer be able to get financing?”
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