Australasian Dentist Issue 89

Category AustrAlAsiAn Dentist 131 t his is a 2-part article – in this article we’ll set the scene for innovation and in the next we’ll explore a system you can implement. the Webster dictionary defines innovation as “the introduction of something new; a new idea, method, or device.” this is a fine definition for linguists, but we at Acumen Dental scoff at this definition, as it applies to practice! Just because something is “new” doesn’t mean that it’s good for the practice. We define innovation more narrowly. We define it as “the act of conceiving and implementing a new way of achieving a result and/or performing work; a way of making things better.” innovation doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. it is the mechanism by which a practice positions and positively differentiates itself in the mind of the patient. Yes, it maybe a new idea, but does it serve the result of helping that practice differentiate itself positively from other practices. was the last time your practice succeeded at making things better? if you’re having a hard time remembering, chances are it has been a while. not to worry, though. it’s never too late to bring the spirit of innovation to your practice. Innovation Criteria Here are six things you should consider that will ensure that you don’t innovate recklessly, and will begin to give you the confidence you need to start innovating in your practice, today: u Is your proposed innovation results- oriented? Do you have a specific result in mind, and why is that result important to your practice? u will the innovation positively impact other areas of the practice? Can you identify the impact this innovation will have throughout your practice? u Does the innovation optimize resources? Will the innovation create more efficiency in your practice? u Is there a balanced input and output associated with the innovation? Will the innovation yield a reasonable outcome/result for the amount of work/energy/resources that it will require? u Is the innovation user friendly? Will the innovation be easily understood and used by your staff; will it make things easier for you and your staff? u Is the innovation simple and trackable? Will you be able to easily monitor and quantify the impact of the innovation? Innovation in Practice We recently went through an innovation process in our practice that illustrates how this plays out in real life. We were intent on increasing appointments and were unhappy with the way their current system produced inconsistent results. We needed to be specific with our intended results. “More existing patients” is too vague. We needed to know exactly how many patients made sense. too many patients could mean too much waiting time and appointments would “blow- out’. too few referrals wouldn’t pay for the amount of team time involved in making it happen. so, determined that being booked out 3-4 weeks in advance and evaluated the financial implications. ultimately, we discovered that ten more new appointments a month was the optimum number for now. With that as a baseline we tackled the resources. How could we make this system as efficient as possible? By evaluating the current system, we identified some quick fixes that would greatly enhance efficiency. specifically, we set up an outbound sMs system directly to patient’s phones in batches and an evaluation system that streamlined the process and tracking. these may seem like small innovations, but these small things have a serious impact. scheduling call times for instance… Previously, marketing which cost the practice a lot of money because not only did the outbound calling cost the front office team time, it distracted from the patients that were in the practice on the day. By scheduling more realistic sMs automated messaging, they were able to solve a management issue. We also built-in tracking and evaluation metrics for the team to track on a monthly basis. After all, what good is an innovation if it doesn’t work? With quantifiable reporting done regularly, they’ll be able to determine if the original goal of ten additional appointments is firstly, feasible with the new system innovations, and secondly if it’s the right number to aim for. in part 2 we’ll apply the thinking to an area of your practice Acumen Dental has proven tools, templates, resources and Youtube videos We can help with this simple innovation that helps you and your patients. simply join and order at www.acumen. dental to get started! u Dr Mike Ryan (DBA) – Acumen Dental Dispensing go to https://acumen.dental , see YouTube, contact at info@acumen.dental, fax to 03 9568 2885 or write to PO Box 608, Carnegie 3163 © Acumen Dental 2020 Your practice innovation criteria checklist By Dr Michael Ryan B. ec, B. Jp, MBA, DBA re aIlIng Mike Ryan innovation is the skill developed within your practice and your people of constantly asking, ‘What is the best way to do this?’ Knowing, even as the question is asked, that we will never discover the best way, but by asking we will assuredly discover a way that’s better than the one we know now. When was the last time your practice tried to make things better? And, when