3 Common Challenges a Dental Office Faces

The daily activity in a dental clinic is usually very intense. Patients are being seen and are continually passing through the office. Many people come in and out of the clinic at the end of the day. On countless occasions the day to day consumes us and we don’t stop to analyze some indicators that are warning us that something is not going well.  

It is necessary to stop and pay attention, even more so with common problems in a dental clinic related to patients and their experience in our facilities, which may require the help of a management program and dental consultants. In this case all the alarms should go off, since patient satisfaction is an absolute priority in any dental clinic.

#1: Appointment Attendance Rate at Your Clinic

No clinic is free from this problem. In fact, it’s one of the most common: patients who, without prior notice, don’t show up for their appointment at the dental clinic, leaving a gap in the doctor's schedule. The problem can become serious, significantly affecting the annual bottom line. The most common causes of non-attendance at appointments? Too much time between the date the appointment is scheduled and the date it is made, and forgetting the appointment.

This situation would leave you with an empty slot and another patient unattended. There are computer tools that facilitate appointment reminders, and these must be automated to avoid human error.

#2: Management Problems and Lack of Team Coordination

Organization is essential for the successful management of a dental clinic. Without it there can be undesirable situations both for patients and for workers and collaborators. The staff must be perfectly coordinated, so that each one of them knows their functions and the tasks they have to perform to perfection.

Unequal Distribution of Tasks

This is one of the clearest examples of lack of coordination among staff. It happens that one of the workers is overloaded, while others are more relaxed or even totally free. This happens due to a lack of control of the work flow, which causes a poor allocation of tasks to workers.

Occupied Clinical Areas

As you may know, dental studios are composed of clinical areas in which the actual dental work is performed. That is, the place where the patient is treated.

They are usually places where different professionals work and are booked according to the needs of the patients. Reservations can also be made by the hour, but if time isn’t well managed, they can be overbooked, which will increase the waiting time of the patients. This can improve with a customized management plan

#3: Disorganization of Patient Records

In any office, important documents can get misplaced. In dental centers, the results of a test, a diagnostic photo, contact information and many other things that should be kept in order to provide the best service could get lost.

Having a management system that covers all the processes of the clinic is ideal, without the need to have files scattered throughout the clinic's computers. So, take your time to look for and study a good program for dental clinics.

Consider Dental Consultants Services

These are some of the most common problems related to the administration of dental clinics and the ones you will have to solve to ensure the smooth running of your business. Consider the help of a professional service such as The Dental Practice Management Agency. Contact us today!