Things can only get better…
There’s an upside to that affirmation as relates to the challenges dentistry (and perhaps your practice) has faced and overcome. It also speaks to the focus of improving your core KPIs – such as how to use your data to increase your dental practice production.
Is production overemphasized?
Few would argue that dental practice production is anything but an essential and trackable KPI. In the context of recovery and ongoing survival it really can’t be over monitored.
And yet it’s the monitoring that requires emphasis!
Your dental practice production…
- Generates revenue
- Builds cash flow
- Increases income
Of course, that’s a success cycle you want to repeat as often as possible. Thus it pays to consider how to increase production.
What’s your data telling you about your production (or lack of it)?
Patient volume dips. This can be attributed to a variety of factors.
- Cultural upheavals (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic)
- Shifts in the insurance industry
- Patient transitions, etc
It’s a good idea to create data-markers that give you an ongoing idea of why and how your practice’s patient volume is up and down.
Another is identifying the source of your production. Generally speaking, you’ll discover that production is a result of the systems or workflows and the team you have in place.
According to the Levin Group’s “30-year ongoing study of top 10% performing practices, (they) found high levels of consistency in excellent systems that are continually upgraded.” [1]
Also, remember that your team drives these “upgraded” systems and daily workflows. You help them by identifying the systems and the related data that support production increases.
Data points you can follow to increase production
Schedule analysis
This is more than a glance at your schedule volume. Your better use of scheduling data is how you’re using your time for those scheduled patients.
- How much time can you realistically save for each hour of scheduled treatment? Five minutes per patient procedure? Ten minutes per procedure?
- Find your time-saved “sweet-spot.” Then do the math on how much additional scheduled production you could add over six months or one year.
Team availability, workflow adjustments and flexibility, and your own capacity to create and maintain procedural efficiency without compromising care standards must be considered.
Comparison of no-shows to treatment value
Ultimately you want to eliminate or lower your no-show percentages. Even so, it’s helpful for production analysis to determine what treatment is being missed by scheduled patients who fail to show.
According to the Levin Group, “81% of general dental appointments are single-tooth treatment.” [2]
It’s difficult to avoid loss of production dollars for any patient no-show. Set a target percentage for no-show reduction and do data analysis to determine how much production time could be increased by hitting it.
Systemized patient follow-up
The emphasis here is on patients who haven’t been appointed for planned treatment, patients who are overdue for treatment, or patients who require reactivation.
It’s helpful to know why patients haven’t scheduled, rescheduled, or returned for routine dental care. This data can provide insight into how you communicate with them.
Communication flow is key.
- Know individual patient preferences. Do they respond best to email, text, reminder postcard, or phone call? Flag this data in your dental dashboard.
- Log their reasons for cancellation. Life events or a specific “season of life” are important for notation and reference in their patient data.
- Focus on reactivating patients of record. Time since their last appointment could create unfamiliarity. But keep in mind that they have a history with your practice unlike the uncharted territory of a new patient.
Production requires intentional effort and strategy. Drift occurs when you allow your data to go untapped.
As with most practice builders – your data is a source you can mine. Production is among the “gold” you’ll discover there.
Check out the following resources for data usage and its value to dental practice growth – including increased production:
“Mine” Your Data for Unscheduled Dental Treatment and Increase Your Revenue
6 Actions That Can Increase Dental Practice Production
Increase your production by monitoring your data on an all-in-one dental dashboard
The Jarvis Analytics platform helps assure that you’re tracking the important data and keeping your production goals on track.
Jarvis…
- Integrates seamlessly with your chosen practice management software/platform
- Presents the metrics you want and need in an easy-to-view dental dashboard that reduces data complexity for growing dental practices, dental groups, and DSOs
Experience Jarvis in action. Request a demo today!
Or…
Contact us for more information about data tracking that leads to profitability.
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