Dental Scheduling Tips & Tricks

Many dental offices are understaffed at the front desk. This means that many of the administrative responsibilities are carried out by a single person, including the scheduling of dentists and hygienists. However, this is only one of the many responsibilities, along with billing patients, managing the staff, and processing claims, among others.

If your office is one of these, there are a few ways for you to boost productivity and lessen stress. The easiest way to do this is to work more efficiently and on a strictly monitored schedule.

Simplifying Your Dental Schedule

Below are a few ways to simplify your schedule and help your front office staff be more productive:

• Keep things consistent – It’s important for your office manager to keep your days evenly paced. This means you shouldn’t look at your schedule and see some days full of open appointment slots and other days completely overbooked.
• Time management – You should know the amount of time it takes each of your hygienists to perform different procedures. This will be a big help when scheduling time for various treatments, cleanings, and procedures. This should include setting up and cleaning between patients.
• Communication – Make sure your employees know how to effectively communicate with one another and with the patients. Your hygienists need to be specific with their notes to the front office staff when it comes to scheduling for future procedures and follow-up appointments. Additionally, it’s a good idea to communicate with patients for appointment reminders to cut down on the number of no-shows you get.
• Waiting list – If you don’t already have a waiting list program in place, we suggest adopting one. This means that if you have a cancellation, you can reach out to patients who are waiting for treatment. Just make sure that you match the open time slot to the treatments that will take a similar amount of time.

Here at CTC Associates, we know that one of the best ways for your office to be successful is by efficiently managing time, and keeping the lines of communication open with both your staff and your patients. For more tips on how to create a successful dental practice, or for any of your dental transition questions, please contact CTC Associates today.