by Front Office Rocks | Apr 7, 2021 | Dental Team Training, Office Manager Articles
The last year has brought about many changes in dental practices. Most offices have spent the last 12 months trying to keep the office running and that has meant pushing aside some of the important systems and protocols that we rely on to keep things running smoothly...
by Front Office Rocks | Mar 24, 2021 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: How can we get our patients to leave online reviews??? ANSWER: Great question! First, let me say CONGRATULATIONS! I am glad you realize how important online reviews are to the practice. People are looking online for help with making decisions about...
by Front Office Rocks | Feb 25, 2021 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: How are you handling rescheduling patients due to the pandemic/shut down? QUESTION: How are you handling rescheduling patients due to the pandemic/shut down? ANSWER: Take a breath. This has been an unusual and stressful time for everyone and we...
by Front Office Rocks | Feb 18, 2021 | Interviews & Podcasts, Office Manager Articles
As Originally Published in Dentistry IQ on February 9th, 2021. Here is the problem with the idea of buying an operations manual “off the shelf”: Every office is different. Every business does things differently. Each task is done specifically the way that particular...
by Front Office Rocks | Jan 17, 2021 | Dental Team Training, Hiring
When a new person is hired, typically the team is excited as it not only offers a new, fresh face to add to the team but it means additional help. The issue with the new fresh face is that when it arrives at your office, most of the team has not prepared for the idea...
by Front Office Rocks | Jan 14, 2021 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: My front desk team is having a hard time scheduling new patients right now because we are booked out so far. What can they say to these patients? QUESTION: My front desk team is having a hard time scheduling new patients right now because we are...
by Front Office Rocks | Dec 17, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: I have filed a claim with Delta Dental for an impacted wisdom tooth and they denied it because they want myself, the dentist, to file a claim with medical first. I have never filed a medical claim and I am not what necessary steps need to be taken....
by Front Office Rocks | Dec 3, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: My front desk team is spending too much time on the phone with patients. They get involved in long conversations that do not go anywhere. How do I teach them to cut back on the "chit chat" and get people scheduled! QUESTION: My front desk team is...
by Front Office Rocks | Nov 17, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: I have systems in my office but no one is using them properly? How do I get my team on the same page? QUESTION: I have systems in my office but no one is using them properly? How do I get my team on the same page? ANSWER: Great question! The...
by Front Office Rocks | Nov 5, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: I am concerned that her lack of experience is reflected in how she communicates with people. What can I do to help her speak more professionally? Question: I have just hired a new team member. She is young, this is her first “real” job...
by Front Office Rocks | Oct 8, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: Laura mentioned outsourcing A/R and using a collections agency if needed. She talked about interviewing the companies. What would we ask and what’s important to know? QUESTION: Laura mentioned outsourcing A/R and using a collections agency if...
by Front Office Rocks | Sep 23, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: If you have an employee, who steps away too many times from the desk for snacks and bathroom breaks, how would you suggest to address this matter? How many times is too many? ANSWER: I have two ways to go about answering this question for you. First...
by Front Office Rocks | Sep 4, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: Patients continue to come to the office without proper face coverings. We tell them on the phone prior to their appointment that masks are mandatory. What is the best way to handle those who do not follow the rules in place? ANSWER: You are not...
by Front Office Rocks | Aug 27, 2020 | Patient Communication
A member asked me for help and I wanted to share this with everyone. “Right now we have a Huge number of patients that are non responsive to calls/texts I know in some of my forums other office managers are pulling their hair out too but if the pt isn’t...
by Front Office Rocks | Aug 27, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
PPE payments have become the latest problem for all Insurance Coordinators in the dental field. Many offices have decided to not charge PPE but you now are getting a bulk payment for PPE and you are unsure what to do with it. What to do with these payments are what...
by Front Office Rocks | Aug 19, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: Our schedule is full right now but we expect to have an empty hygiene schedule in a few months. What do we do? ANSWER: You are already ahead of the game because you are being proactive and not waiting for things to fall apart. How we handle the...
by Front Office Rocks | Aug 13, 2020 | Patient Communication, Receptionist Articles, Uncategorized
The phone is definitely not the most high-tech device in your office, but it’s the most important and it can make or break a dental office. Without it, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to use all those other pieces of equipment. The phone is the technology that keeps...
by Front Office Rocks | Aug 12, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
We are wanting to offer some payment plans for our patients.... QUESTION: We are wanting to offer some payment plans for our patients. I am looking more for an agreement that we can have the patient sign. How can we best track these...
by Front Office Rocks | Jun 25, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
What is everyone doing with clinical staff coming up to the front area? We have extra computers for them to work on and they have lab slips up here. Answer: I believe right now, there should be a clearly defined clinical and non-clinical area. Everything clinical...
by Front Office Rocks | Jun 25, 2020 | Dental Team Training
Henry Ford said The only thing worse than training an employee and having them leave is not training the employee and having them stay. The Best Investment You Can Make In Your Practice Is Investing In Your Team. 40% of employees with poor training will leave the...
by Front Office Rocks | Jun 23, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Question: There was and is a lack of management and direction in the front office. So I am looking to help them create more structure and be more systematic. How can this be done? Answer: Our team members today are very different than in the past. They are very...
by Front Office Rocks | Jun 18, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Q: *How to avoid patients walking into the office vs them calling/texting the office to let you know that they have arrived? A: Make sure when you confirm their appointment you go over the new protocols. It should also be added to any communications – texts,...
by Front Office Rocks | Jun 16, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Q: How many patients does Front Office Rocks recommend for a healthy 1 doctor & 3 hygienist practice? We currently have 3314 active patients who have been in our office in the past year and a half. The staff has been killing themselves for 2 years so we are...
by Front Office Rocks | Jun 12, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Q: When should offices replace team members that have left because of child care, or other obligations, due to the effects of COVID 19 even though production/profits are down? A: Add team members as needed…. just like when a practice grows. There is no...
by Front Office Rocks | Jun 10, 2020 | Ask Laura Dental Office Q&A
Q: We had a patient (nurse ) get very upset . We asked the COVID-19 screening questions when she came in and she answered that she saw a COVID-19 patient yesterday. We told her we couldn’t see her for the prophy until after 14 days or if she tests negative. She thinks...