Dental Sleep Medicine Insider September 2017 | Page 18

SOMETIMES YOU NEED
A SECOND OPINION
Y
ou are doing everything right.
You are screening and testing pa-
tients. You have medical billing
processes all set up. You stay up
on the latest devices and tech-
nologies. You have a sleep med-
icine marketing program. But……
Is your practice where
you want it to be?
You know you could do better.
There are many small things we
can do to increase the number
of patients in the door, the num-
ber of cases we treat and the ef-
ficiency of treatment. But when
you are treating patients every
day, on top of your regular busy
schedule, it can be hard to see
what needs to change to take it
to the next level. Sometimes it
takes a fresh set of eyes to see
the problem staring you in the
face. An outside perspective can
see past all of the details you deal
with daily, and find a clear path
forward. Forest and trees. You
get it.
So where do you find
your team of experts?
The first place you should look is
in your office. You are surround-
ed by people who know your
practice inside and out. Your
team keeps the office running.
They talk to patients, they are
on the ground, in the thick of it
every day. The key is to ask them
the right questions, so they can
help you find the right answer.
Increasing efficiency is about
small steps in the right direction.
Where are the bottlenecks in a
process? What leads to delays?
How can we shave a few minutes
off of this task or procedure? They
are the experts on these tasks,
asking them the right questions,
listening, and discussing could
lead you to the right answer.
The next place to look is in your
peer group. Other dentists have
encountered the same challeng-
es you face. Perhaps they have
a solution that would work in
your practice. Again, the key is
to ask questions about things
you would like to improve. Have
a specific goal in mind: increase
screenings, streamline billing,
address a patient need, etc.
Sometimes the problem needs
a further step back. Maybe you
BRETT BROCKI
BRETT BROCKI
Brett Brocki is Founder and CEO
of N3Sleep and DreamSleep,
a national sleep consulting
and training firm. If you need
help getting your whole team
on board screening for OSA,
contact N3Sleep for in-office
training for your entire staff.
need someone with knowledge
and experience outside of your
own. Maybe you need more in-
volved approach, more hand-
on intervention. This is where a
specialized consultant can help.
A good consultant brings a fresh
set of eyes to the situation. They
have seen how many other prac-
tices operate and can dive deep
into treatments, workflow, sys-
tems to increase your efficiency
and performance.
The key to improvement:
Mindset
Improving your practice is not
one step process or piece of
technology. It’s a state of mind.
Observe. Ask questions. Make in-
cremental changes. Compare re-
sults. Repeat. Whatever challeng-
es you face, the right mindset and
a supportive network will help
you achieve your goals. And if
you aren’t sure what those goals
are, ask someone you trust.