Spring is here and it’s that time of year for dental offices to spruce up their external environments and internal protocols to improve their patients’ experience and dental billing processes. Here are 10 of our best tips for dental office spring cleaning that are sure to boost patient retention and alleviate staff stress.
Why is spring cleaning important?
Dental offices everywhere have established extensive cleaning and sanitizing protocols over the past year to keep everyone safe, but it’s not just the external environment that needs cleaning. Take the opportunity this spring to also knock the dust off your internal processes, and guarantee growth and profit in 2021, with these 10 best tips.
10 of the best tips for dental office spring cleaning
1. Take supply inventory
Spring cleaning means taking it all out, cleaning, and organizing, right? Get elbow-deep in your dental supplies and take inventory. Get an idea of what you need to order, what you have ordered that you aren’t using, and check with the clinicians on their favorite supplies for treatment. Patients receive better treatment when providers enjoy the tools and supplies they are using.
2. Get in all the nooks and crannies
Walk through your dental office and look at it from a patient’s perspective — from the lobby to the patient restrooms. What do you notice? Could you spruce things up by just moving a few pieces of furniture around to make it look fresh? Does the lobby need updated magazines or flowers? While you are rearranging, clean under, around, and behind everything to reassure your patients that the office is clean and comfortable.
3. Inspect and evaluate equipment
Technology is constantly evolving in dentistry and keeping that technology in good working order is crucial to the level of patient satisfaction in your dental office. Check your patient chairs in the treatment rooms, the x-ray units, handpieces, and sterilization units. It’s important for the treatment equipment to be in good shape, but don’t forget to check the front desk equipment too. Evaluate the printer, fax machine, practice management software updates, and any other equipment that gives patients confidence that the practice is up-to-date and efficient.
4. Streamline your dental billing processes
The average dental practice leaves around 9% of revenue on the table due to missed dental billing steps. These missed steps are what the insurance companies are counting on and this uncollected revenue could mean losing out on dental office upgrades, employee bonuses, and more. eAssist Dental Solutions invented and perfected the dental billing process, and are here to put that expertise to work for your practice.
5. Dust off your recare report
With all of the cancelled and missed appointments in 2020, your recare report may be overwhelming. Let us help re-engage your patients and get them back on your schedule where they belong! Whether it’s been weeks or months since you’ve seen your patient, eAssist will provide a personalized, professional message to welcome them back to complete treatment and get back on a cleaning routine. As we know, cleanings are essential to patients’ overall health.
6. Make sure your Financial Agreement is squeaky clean
Evaluate your office’s Financial Agreement and clean it up to ensure it is clear and consistent. Not sure if yours sets the right expectations for patients? We have a free Financial Agreement template for you. Want to spring clean all of your office financial protocols while you’re at it? Follow these 7 Office Financial Protocol & Process Essentials for Your Practice to implement winning financial systems without risking your relationship with your patients.
7. Organize and focus your front desk
If you have a larger office, set up regular meetings with your front desk and administrative staff to keep them updated on proper protocols, ensure consistency, and bring the focus back to what grows the practice: patients. These meetings are also great brainstorming sessions for improving patient experience, verbiage, morning huddle efficiency, and developing internal and external marketing and referral strategies.
8. Declutter
Does your lobby and front desk area tend to accumulate clutter? Go through all of your paper documents at the front desk — even if your office is paperless, you may still have some paper documents — and decide what needs to be filed, stored, scanned into patient charts, or shredded. Discard any outdated magazines from your lobby. Clutter causes anxiety for employees and patients, so decluttering will decrease anxiety and give your office a fresh, clean look.
9. Clean up patient accounts
Have you been watching your outstanding patient collectibles increase month after month? Does your office receive an overwhelming amount of patient phone calls regarding statements? Sounds like your patient accounts need some attention. eAssist has extremely knowledgeable team members that can help clean up patient accounts, streamline statements, handle patient balance phone calls, and free up your time to give excellent patient care!
10. Develop a pre-appointment readiness plan
Do you see outstanding claims denied due to incorrect insurance plan information? This is the mother of all insurance denials, but is very preventable with a pre-appointment readiness plan. Download a free copy of Becoming the Ultimate Office Manager: Rocking Pre-Appointment Readiness to learn how developing a plan can help set your dental billing processes off on the right track.
Now that you have utilized these best tips for spring cleaning in your office, you can move forward in 2021 with the confidence that your office is delivering 5-star patient care, your dental billing processes are being completed, and you are collecting 100% of what is produced. You deserve this peace of mind, and at eAssist Dental Solutions that is our core purpose.
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