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Building a Self-Determined Future Through Effective Dental Practice Systems
17 Plays7 days ago
About the Hosts:
Dr. Savanah Craig is a practicing dentist who has navigated her early career with a focus on building a self-determined professional path. Having graduated with a profound skill set in dentistry, Dr. Craig is also a core team member at IgniteDDS, where she contributes her insights into creating effective practices and systems.
Dr. Ronnetta Sartor is an accomplished dentist and a member of the IgniteDDS core team. Dr. Sartor holds extensive experience in managing dental practices and has transitioned through various stages of her professional journey. Her expertise lies in establishing effective processes and patient relationships, which she shares through coaching and mentoring at IgniteDDS.
Episode Summary:
Welcome to another compelling episode of "Beyond Graduation," hosted by Dr. Savanah Craig and Dr. Ronnetta Sartor. Together, they delve into the complexities and strategies surrounding career development beyond dental school. This episode is focused on building a self-determined future through strategic people management, process implementation, and the application of effective systems within a dental practice. Guided by IgniteDDS's principles, the hosts share their personal experiences, shedding light on the significant impact these strategies can have on both personal and professional growth.
Throughout the episode, they emphasize the importance of having the right people in your practice and life. Highlighting the power of establishing rapport and understanding patient needs, they discuss strategies for managing challenging relationships. They also explore how defining and honing processes can relieve team stress and streamline operations, leading to a more efficient practice. The conversation switches to the significance of systematic approaches in managing patient no-shows and cancellations, providing an insightful look into balancing human elements with business necessities.
Key Takeaways:
- Having the right people on your team and in your life is crucial for minimizing energy-draining situations and achieving a self-determined future.
- Implementing structured systems and processes can significantly enhance practice efficiency and patient management, contributing to career satisfaction.
- Comprehensive dentistry involves considering the patient's entire health profile, not just isolated dental issues.
- Properly managing common challenges like patient no-shows requires understanding and communicating policies clearly, ensuring team and patient accountability.
- Engaging in candid conversations with the team about practice systems can foster greater buy-in and improve overall practice culture.
Connect with Us:
- Savanah Craig, DDS: @savanahcraigdds
- Ronnetta Sartor, DMD: @dr_sartor
- FutureDentists Beyond Graduation: @futuredentistsbeyondgraduation
- FutureDentists: @futuredentists
- IgniteDDS and IgniteDDS Coaching: @ignitedds and www.ignitedds.com
Join Dr. Craig and Dr. Sartor on this insightful examination of dental practice management and personal growth. Make sure to tune into the full episode for more captivating discussions and stay connected for future content from the "Beyond Graduation" podcast series.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Beyond Graduation' and Theme
00:00:00
Speaker
I think it's easy to convince the patient that are disagreeing with you that they need to go somewhere else. If they love you, figure out what it is they love about you. always just, when I'm establishing rapport with patients, i always just try to figure out from their interests something that I'm also interested in. Join Drs. Savannah Craig and Renetta Sartor as we navigate life beyond graduation.
00:00:25
Speaker
Real conversations about forging our own paths in our early years and our careers. There's a reason it's called practicing dentistry. Welcome back to another episode of Beyond Graduation. i am Savannah Craig and with me as always... i am Renetta Sartor. Awesome. This week we wanted to highlight...
Controlling People, Processes, and Systems
00:00:45
Speaker
Some of the pivotal metrics and ideas surrounding building our self-determined future um at Ignite, we whittled it down to focusing on your people, your processes, and your systems to help build a all of your different controls. So the controls for your team members, your patients, those are your people, your processes, and your systems. And then we've touched on financial control on one of our other episodes, but all of these things are ways that we can grow and measure how we are able to build our practices, our brands, our lives to be what we want them to be.
00:01:30
Speaker
So that was a long, ah long intro. Renetta, you have had a front row seat to this idea at Ignite, not just on the core team like me, but also through Ignite coaching.
00:01:48
Speaker
So
Renetta's Experience with Ignite Coaching
00:01:49
Speaker
give the people a little idea, deep dive on what these different areas look like and how it's changing your practice. Yeah. Sure. It's, I mean, it's so many different ways that it's changed my practice and just um my personal and professional journey. And it applies to, you know, like I said, personal and professional. So building your self-determined future, you have to have the right people in your life. So you just think about your life in general. There are people in your life that are energy givers and there are people
00:02:25
Speaker
in your life Hopefully they don't take up up a good part of your life, but um that drain you of your energy. And in offices, know that we all have likely experienced um having both type of um coworkers, even if it's not in a dental practice.
00:02:44
Speaker
You've experienced someone that you're like, oh, Lord, I don't feel like hearing their story today. or and I don't want to deal with that today. But I think to take it a step further in our office, you you know you definitely want to make sure you have the right people on your team.
00:02:59
Speaker
But in addition to that, you want to make sure that you are attracting the right patients. Or if there is
Handling Challenging Patients
00:03:06
Speaker
a patient who, you know, drains you and everyone in the office of your energy, you have to ask yourself, am I best suited to provide the care for this patient? Or would they be better served going someplace else?
00:03:23
Speaker
Because obviously there might be some disconnect. And how do we get around that? What were your thoughts? Yeah. That's a tough one. That's such a tough one. I think it's easy to convince the patients that are disagreeing with you that they need to go somewhere else.
00:03:40
Speaker
But sometimes there are patients that drain you and are difficult, but they... love you and i don't know how to get rid of those well those patients you just find common ground just just that's what i do at least tell me tell me more about that if they love you figure out what it is they love about you always just when i'm establishing a rapport with patients i always just try to figure out from their interests something that i'm also interested in okay and And then most of our discussions revolve around that as it doesn't pertain to dentistry.
00:04:17
Speaker
Gotcha. Gotcha. and So you control that control that situation so that it's not so draining. Right. And then if I see that it's going a different way, I try to stare it back to the things that we have a common goal on. one One being
Benefits of Coordinated Systems with Ignite Coaching
00:04:34
Speaker
dentistry and other being whatever it is outside of dentistry both of us like.
00:04:40
Speaker
There's been my strategy. Easier said than done sometimes. For sure. For sure. for sure
00:04:48
Speaker
For So the way that we think about all of these um parts of getting to your self-determined future at Ignite is looking at all of this like a Venn diagram and how Your people, getting your people and your processes on the same page involves having systems and control over those systems.
00:05:17
Speaker
Getting your processes and your production their best can helps you get financial control. Getting your people and your production on the same page gives you clinical control and all of those different controls get to self-determined future.
00:05:36
Speaker
But you and I have um been focusing a lot on these systems controls and getting our people and our processes involved. situated or on the road to being situated.
00:05:52
Speaker
What has that looked like with Ignite coaching? And are you seeing benefits of getting those things coordinated a little bit better?
Creating Systems for No-Shows and Cancellations
00:06:03
Speaker
For sure. So um when, you know, it was a different time that the office that purchased, you know, the previous owner, it was a different time that he lived in, right? Yeah. So systems and that sort of stuff, it was kind of all in everyone's brain, but it wasn't physically written down anywhere.
00:06:25
Speaker
So it provided me with the opportunity when I came in to create systems that I wanted or based on where I saw the office going, but also systems that were needed so that it took less time of when things happen, trying to diffuse situations and figure it out to more. So, okay, as a team, we need a system.
00:06:53
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. So I think a lot of people, myself included, feel like there can be pushback from team when you start to create these systems or the investment in the beginning of your time and efforts to create them.
00:07:13
Speaker
could seemingly not be worth it because are anyone, is anyone even going to follow this? Is anyone going to write it down? Have you seen the buy-in and is your team realizing that doing doing, and creating these true systems instead of coming at every new problem, you know, with no, with no playing field have, has, has your team bought into this idea I guess.
00:07:42
Speaker
So I think, like you said, there are certain systems and processes that are a lot easier to, you know, be okay with. Implement. And implement. um But for the ones that there are some pushback on, you know, we have meetings and we talk about it.
00:07:59
Speaker
um Because there may be some viewpoints that I didn't consider as well as them. So it's good that when we have our team meetings that maybe it's on the agenda.
00:08:12
Speaker
Can you give an example of maybe one of those systems that really received a little more hesitation? So one of the systems was like no shows and cancellations.
00:08:25
Speaker
And so, um you know, we had one front desk person because they're constantly on the phone and get the calls and everything. Their standpoint was, okay, okay.
00:08:38
Speaker
we should charge them because I think this person's just canceling just because they know that they can and they can easily get in another appointment. But then it was some, you know, different situations for different people where there were people on a team that felt like,
00:08:56
Speaker
Okay. I think that people should get, at least get the benefit of a doubt at least sure once, you know? Okay. um But it led to us hearing each other out to know what all of the different aspects of the situation were and together formulate in a system to where now, you know, you get,
00:09:21
Speaker
you get one chance, but we also started tracking it too. It led to that because how do you know when, how do I know when I answered the phone? Cause my front desk team is busy or an assistant's answering phone.
00:09:33
Speaker
How do I know that that person didn't, you know, canceled before and canceled last minute. So we had to start tracking. So that's not just holding the patient accountable. We had to start holding ourselves accountable because if they're late or canceled no show and it's no note in there and it's their third time doing it, well, they get the opportunity to do it again because we didn't do what we're supposed to do to make sure that it was documented.
00:10:01
Speaker
Yeah. Um, But then from there, you know, it led to bigger conversations because it's like, how are we holding the patient accountable if we're not even putting a note in to say that right they did that, you know, right or put a note in to say that we called to confirm the appointment.
00:10:17
Speaker
They said they'll come, you know. um So that
Perceptions of Dental vs. Cosmetic Appointments
00:10:22
Speaker
was one of the biggest ones. And sometimes it's not something that. you create a system on and, you know, that one meeting, will say that one took, um you know, several different meetings and us, you know, at one point we tested out things like, um you know, charging a ah no call, no show fee.
00:10:44
Speaker
um But how do you do that for a new patients, right? They have no um loyalty to you because they haven't met you yet. Right. And you don't have any financial...
00:10:56
Speaker
information to yeah Right. um So it's more so creating systems. So, you know, you could have those patients pay to reserve the appointment. And if they don't show, then they lose the money or you could have a card on file for those patients. um And those are one of the things I think when you as a team on those bigger hot topic issues um come together to develop what your system and process is for you have more buy in.
00:11:27
Speaker
Absolutely. That's so interesting. That's such a big one. i don't know. For me personally, it fires me up when there's no shows.
00:11:39
Speaker
But I also understand the the business team. They're taking the brunt of that. phone call or potential argument from the patient in some aspects. so I think there their thoughts on that need to be taken into consideration. So that's cool that you guys all sat down and figured that out.
00:12:01
Speaker
What have you, if you don't mind sharing, what have you decided is the no-show policy? So the no-show policy. broken appointment, whatever you want to call it. So we definitely make sure that we're tracking it.
00:12:14
Speaker
Yeah. And, you know, the reason or if there wasn't a reason. Yeah. And, um you know, you get, you know, if someone's sick, that's understandable. Absolutely. Yeah. um Or, if you know, it's something that's catastrophic and they can't make it, that's understandable.
00:12:32
Speaker
these are This is the the the hardest part about all of these systems. is And then there's gray area. Right, right, right. Here is our policy, but also we're all human.
00:12:45
Speaker
Right. And that gets really hard. So you get two shots pretty much. um And the third time pretty much you have the opportunity to either pay for your treatment in full at the time that you schedule. Okay.
00:13:01
Speaker
um Or you can call us on a day that you know you're available. Same day. Then we'll see you. um yeah But for new patients, pretty much, we ultimately decided that in order to book that appointment, you have to um pay a reservation fee.
00:13:20
Speaker
And then if you show fine, it just goes towards whatever treatment you have. If you do not, then pretty much you lose the money.
00:13:30
Speaker
I love that. That's hard. That's hard. A hard line to keep. But I love that. hmm. And i I would imagine it's made all of your lives easier. it has. I think part of it is what you'll realize is the same way in any other type of relationship.
00:13:47
Speaker
You teach people how to treat you and you teach people what your expectations are. Yeah. um But it goes both ways, right? So we're expecting those things from our patients. We have to be held accountable to and do hold up our end of the deal.
00:14:05
Speaker
We've had this conversation a lot with the the no-show stuff because i think it obviously it it it impacts so much of the business. But I don't know. When I go get my hair cut, if I don't show up to my hair appointment, I'm getting charged full fee.
00:14:21
Speaker
huh Or I'm not welcome to book there anymore because I wasted their time. And obviously life happens. But I think we were talking just this past week um about how For some reason, we've allowed dentistry to be this weird in-between gray area where, for some reason, as a society, we don't understand the expectations put on us as a patient, but we can like get it with our like haircuts or you know like your nail appointments. like Those people aren't messing around, but for some reason, we don't do it in dentistry.
00:14:57
Speaker
Ooh. So my theory is anything in the cosmetic realm, especially us ladies with getting our hair done, right? huh We find so much value in having it done because we want to look good.
00:15:11
Speaker
Sure. Sure. And a lot of times with dentistry, we're in a profession where people already don't want to come see us. Yeah. So they really don't need much of a reason to not show.
00:15:24
Speaker
Absolutely. Versus you're going to think twice about not going to get your hair done because you have to look in the mirror and other people have to look at you. Yeah.
00:15:35
Speaker
You know, especially if it's a tooth in the back, who knows it but you. Right.
Transition to Comprehensive Dental Care
00:15:40
Speaker
You know, if you're patient. That's honestly not a bad theory. frustrating but you're not wrong you're not wrong and so i think the the last realm of it that we were talking about is you know the controls in terms of like production and you know transitioning from one tooth dentistry to comprehensive and complete care dentistry
00:16:09
Speaker
um And I know for a lot of dentists that can be hard because in school, you know, we work on number 19 crown prep for four hours. Right.
00:16:20
Speaker
but For four hours. And now you know, in the real world, you know, You have to take it into consideration what's going on around number 19, but in addition to what's going on around it, um the patient as a whole, the patient's other medical um ailments or um health concerns that could be contributing to the dentistry.
00:16:50
Speaker
The other part of that for me, and I don't know how you guys were taught, but we had this like... And to some extent, you still treatment plan this way where it's like emergent, you know, teeth and pain, that sort of thing. But like we would have to do...
00:17:05
Speaker
all carries through the whole mass like fillings everywhere even if you knew number 19 was going to get a crown all of the fillings had to be done so you'd have to do your mod and that was basically your build up but we we didn't think of it that way and then you would get all of the cavities taking care of all of the perio and then you would get signed off on to be able to move forward with like fixed or removable mm-hmm And then you would take your beautiful MODBL that took you 70 years to make out of composite and spin it down for a crown and and none of it mattered anyway.
00:17:42
Speaker
But it took me forever to like get out of that mentality of like, if 19 needs a crown and 18 and 20 have cavities and we need to do fillings, like I can actually do all of that together. hmm.
00:18:00
Speaker
Because the patient's already numb over there together. like Right. And patients appreciate it because right they get to get their treatment done and, you know, more efficient and less appointments.
00:18:15
Speaker
Yeah. And less times getting poked by my needle. So it's a win-win, you know. Patient has to see you less. They're getting a treatment done that they need to get done. It's helping with your production um and all of those goals.
00:18:33
Speaker
And the biggest thing, you know, from a business perspective that I had never thought about till... Do you remember the cotton roll project in residency? Oh, yes. You'll have to tell them about that project. Yes. So we...
00:18:46
Speaker
To get an idea of overhead and running a business, it was super informative. Basically, we were all assigned a different set of procedures and we needed to calculate how much supplies we needed, how much it cost to keep the lights on in your practice and how much your team needed to be paid and then how much you needed to produce and collect on that procedure to keep your business going, basically.
00:19:13
Speaker
And you realize that your chair covers and your gloves and your bibs all have a cost associated with them. And so if you can keep one patient in your chair and do more dentistry, you're actually going to save on your overhead rather one appointment to number 19, 18. Not that anyone's still doing that, but that's what we did in dental school.
00:19:42
Speaker
And so... Not only is it better for the patients, it's also better for your business's bottom line. And then I think to kind of take it one step further, you know, looking at their health history and other comorbidities and relating that to what's going on in their mouth. I've had so many patients tell me, you know, I've gotten cavities in my mouth all the time and no dentist has ever sit down and talk to me about how these other things that I have going on is impacting my ability.
00:20:19
Speaker
to keep my mouth cavity free. Yeah. And I think, you know, just taking the time to take it a step back and look at big picture um and not so much focusing on that one tooth that helps bring so much more to the table for your patients and help build value in what they're receiving from from you.
00:20:44
Speaker
Shocker, it's all connected, right?
Writing Operating Procedures with Team Input
00:20:46
Speaker
Yeah, who would have thought?
00:20:50
Speaker
Yeah, so there's there's a lot to it every every day. But i do think getting getting things on paper, getting everybody on the same page as as much as you can, who even though it's an investment up front...
00:21:09
Speaker
I do think it just makes things run a lot easier. It makes me hopeful hearing that you've had so much success because I've been writing all of these operating procedures and i am just praying people use them because that would be sad.
00:21:25
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's worth definitely going through, like having a team all read through them. You know, what I do is have everyone read through them and then they have their own copy. Yeah. Mark it up.
00:21:39
Speaker
Yeah. Tell me what you love and don't love and what needs to be edited. And then we talk about it. I like that. So if it's something that needs to stay, you know, you get the opportunity to let them know why the importance of it staying there.
00:21:55
Speaker
Yeah. But it might mean that the way it's written needs clarification. Because it could be that we meant one thing, but how it's being received as it's written isn't what we, yeah the intention was, you know?
00:22:10
Speaker
Absolutely. writing this down. Right. Because at the end of the day, it's, I'm not creating a book of rules. <unk>s trying We're trying to make everybody's lives easier.
00:22:23
Speaker
It can feel that way, though, if your team doesn't have input. Right. Imagine coming to work and then like someone just hands you a book and like, yeah, read this. This is what we're doing moving forward.
00:22:35
Speaker
Right. I would have some feelings. but speaking Absolutely. Yeah. So I think that's really good because giving people time on their own to digest it is also really important so that it's not such a pressurized situation.
00:22:51
Speaker
Yeah, you know your team and it might be that maybe you only give them a section of it and you guys do that first. Yeah. Rather than giving the whole shebang.
00:23:02
Speaker
I love that. Look, i'm ideas for me, ideas for you. yeah we're learning so much over here. So speaking of learning um to our listeners out there, if you all have any tips or tricks for you know systems, processes, production, um definitely let us know. We'd
Listener Interaction and Social Media Engagement
00:23:24
Speaker
love to hear so much about it.
00:23:26
Speaker
And you can find me on Instagram at Sartor. Yeah. And me at Savannah Craig DDS. Thanks again. We'll talk to you next time. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Beyond Graduation. If you enjoyed this week's episode, be sure to share it with a friend.
00:23:41
Speaker
Connect with us on social media at Savannah Craig DDS and at Dr. Sartor. And remember, you are not alone on this journey. Thank you for listening to Beyond Graduation brought to you by Ignite DDS and Future Dentists. This episode was sponsored by Ignite DDS Coaching. We build self-determined futures. For more information, please reach out to the Ignite DDS team.