Paperwork, phone calls, and production numbers. Were the charts filled out correctly yesterday? How many new patient phone calls were recorded in the past two days? Why are the production numbers low compared to last year? Sadly, these are common themes in the morning huddle. There are days when patients are not even discussed. Why is this? It is not due to a lack of caring. For most it is simply a lack of time. Unfortunately, the business aspect of a dental clinic can quickly overshadow everything else without the proper support staff, who help deflect the everyday tasks from the most important part of any dental practice — the patients.
Having a dedicated team member to focus on patients is not always an option; however, with the right help it is possible to focus more on patients without falling behind. Insurance verification, filing claims, and following up on outstanding claims are necessary parts of any dental office team. This does not even include answering the phones, treatment planning, processing charts, recare followup, and a myriad of other tasks that need to be done daily at the front desk to ensure a well run dental clinic.
What is the solution? How does the dental clinic worry less about the paperwork and concentrate more on the patients? How about a dental virtual office assistant?
Dental virtual office assistants work quietly in the background, helping with the time consuming jobs of insurance, collections, and recare so that the dental office team members can focus on the patients first and foremost. This type of assisting in the dental clinic has many benefits. It not only increases patient interaction, which leads to increased patient retention and in-office referrals, it also increases collections on those outstanding claims and delinquent accounts, and assists in reactivating past due patients.
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Dental virtual office assistants are retained only for the amount of time needed to do the job, and they work from home so no additional office space is needed. This is a huge asset to dental clinics that do not have the time or space to deal with these problem themselves. They have the added benefit of focusing strictly on the assigned duties, with no distraction from outside sources. Dental virtual office assisting is a new way to handle an old problem. The results are virtually limitless!
Lisa Marie Spradley is the “Front Desk Lady,” with more than 16 years experience in the dental field. She is a passionate speaker, trainer, virtual office assistant, and published author, having written articles for several leading industry publications. Lisa Marie targets the dental front office and trains teams to focus on patients while still taking care of daily tasks. She is a lifetime member and Fellow of the American Association of Dental Office Managers. Find Lisa at www.tcbdentalconsulting.com and follow her blog at www.mississippidentalconsulting.com. Email her at [email protected].
