Darcy Lewis

Michael Abernathy, D.D.S., offered Chicago Midwinter Meeting attendees tips on improving their dental marketing efforts last week during his continuing education session.

It may seem harder than ever to build a steady flow of new dental patients, but they’re still out there for dentists who have drive and marketing know-how. “The ability to literally turn on the new patient faucet is still a reality,” Michael Abernathy, D.D.S., told attendees at the Chicago Dental Society 2017 Midwinter Meeting.

“The problem is that most of us just don’t know how,” he added.

 in Dallas and runs a multi-office dental practice based in McKinney, Texas. “My main practice consistently had 250-300 new patients in an area where the dentist-to-patient ratio was 1:695,” he said.

Abernathy started by reminding colleagues that successful marketing is an outgrowth of what is already happening in a healthy practice.

“There’s an old marketing axiom that applies to dentistry beautifully: Good practices who are receiving many new patients don’t need to market, but they should do it anyway,” he said. “Poor practices who are losing patients to better practices need to market, and yet they shouldn’t, because the basics aren’t in place.”

Abernathy suggested evaluating your practice the same way prospective patients judge a dentist.

Key attributes include hours and location, of course. But go beyond these factors to evaluate your practice in terms of how clean and up-to-date your facility is. Also consider the warmth and friendliness of your staff, how long patients have to wait for appointments and the clarity of your treatment plans and payment options, he said.

If your practice is weak on any of these fundamentals, fix them as soon as possible. “Don’t look for an external solution — marketing — to fix an internal problem,” Aberathy said.

New patient specials are a tried-and-true way to build a practice for the simple reason that they are effective. Abernathy suggests experimenting with an introductory rate of $1.00 for X-rays and a dental exam.

Another favorite idea: Buy billboard space in a prominent, local location and use it to offer free teeth whitening. Prospective patients can then call for details.

Abernathy has also wrapped his practice’s front windows in a custom vinyl photo banner that offers the same deal.

Abernathy showed a postcard that he has used in his practice with good results. Each patient receives it at the end of their visit. It includes three key questions: How did you learn about us? What did you like least about your visit? Would you refer your family or friends to our office?

The postcards can either be completed on the spot or they can be returned via Business Reply Mail, so the practice only pays postage on the cards that they receive.

He also goes the extra mile and encourages current patients to generate referrals by offering a $50 certificate to use on their next dental visit. Both the referring patient and the new one receive $50 off.

When people move to your area, that’s a prime time to add them to your practice. Abernathy suggests contacting a mailing list broker.

“Ask for new residents in a 3-5 mile radius from your office,” he said. “Choose an appropriate income level for the demographic area and then send them your best new patient offers.”

Abernathy and his colleagues have long prioritized public outreach to children at schools and other organized settings. He shared a flyer that goes to parents of each participating child.

It reads, “Your child had a terrific time today. There were films, balloons, toothbrushes, a dental poster contest and brushing instructions. As a public service, your child was also given a free dental exam. Areas marked in red (on the accompanying diagram) on permanent and baby teeth require attention. Please call your dentist at your earliest convenience. Provided as a public service by (insert practice name).”

The practice also had a huge success by offering a free dentistry day. They took out a newspaper ad that read, in part, “We will be donating our services to anyone who cannot afford dentistry. … We consider this a mission project; no money will be accepted. … If you or anyone you know needs dental treatment that can be completed in one day, please be at our office on (date, time).”

As a result, 200 people lined up to receive care, and the local paper wrote an article and sent out a photographer to capture the event.

But as noteworthy as these organized events are, Abernathy said there is no substitute for true community participation: “It’s important to shop and dine near your office so that people see you as part of the community.”

He also suggests cultivating relationships with local pharmacies, urgent care centers and hair and nail salons so that they will allow you to display promotional materials on site.

Above all, be consistent in your marketing approach and efforts. “Practice growth is the natural result of practice health,” he said. “Growth occurs when our message and our methods are balanced.”

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It's always possible to bring new patients into your dental practice. You just need to use the right marketing approach. That was the message of Michael Abernathy, D.D.S., during his continuing education session at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting last week. According to Abernathy, the key to successful marketing is to make sure that the proper practices are in place before you begin.

Chicago Midwinter Meeting: 5 Ways to Turn On the New Patient Faucet

That old saying about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure has rarely been more true than when it comes to cybersecurity in the dental practice. That’s because the stakes of protecting your practice from computer hacks and other crimes have never been higher, says Pat Little, D.D.S., president of Dental Risk Concepts LLC, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Little told attendees at his Chicago Dental Society 2017 Midwinter Meeting session that a cyber breach may lead to state dental board involvement if patients file complaints. And of course a breach has HIPAA implications, too, in the form of stiff fines: “I have seen many dental practices hit with fines in the $50,000-$100,000 range for a breach,” he said.

Direct fines aren’t the only potential financial hit, either: Nearly half of dental patients say they would switch providers in the event of a breach, Little said.

Little, who also holds the Certified Fraud Examiner credential, noted that dental offices are vulnerable to several types of cyber crime:

· Hacking — Gaining direct, unauthorized access to another’s computer and/or data.

· Phishing — Posing as a trustworthy source online to fraudulently acquire information.

· Scareware — Specific type of malware that uses frightening messages to trick victims into purchasing useless and/or dangerous software.

· Ransomware — Similar to scareware but uses encryption to hijack another’s computer until a ransom is paid.

Little discussed five key ways to prevent cyber criminals from wreaking havoc in your practice.

To defeat a criminal, it pays to think like one, Little said. “Criminals hold a different worldview than the rest of society: They’re self-centered, narcissistic and entitled,” he explained. “They see opportunities for crime where others don’t and enjoy the challenge.”

Go with the experts, Little advises. “I always recommend that dental practices work with a good IT company,” he said. “If you get hacked, the DIY approach can get you into hot water because of the issues of HIPAA compliance.”

Little has found that many practices balk due to financial reasons. “You may not enjoy paying that retainer fee every month, but all it takes is one incident to make you realize the pro’s value,” he said.

This is especially important for your workhorse programs, typically Microsoft Office products and your practice management software. “Remember, you’re more open to attacks with older software,” he said. “The updates are often done in response to other users being hacked.”

Click to the next page to see the last two tips.

It can be tempting to have one or more employees take the lead in managing your computers, but don’t. “The dentist should be the only administrator, and everyone else should be a standard user,” Little said, adding that the dentist should log on as a standard user, too, except when performing administrative tasks.

No one else should be able to download or delete software. “I learned this one from personal experience,” Little said. “One of my dental team members loved kittens. She downloaded a kitten calendar that happened to contain a virus.”

You should also activate email and text alerts so you’re notified if any business accounts are accessed or modified.

You and all your employees should disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth unless they’re needed. That includes avoiding unsecured computer networks whenever possible. “You could be logged on at Starbucks or at the airport and some hacker nearby can gain access to your network without you even knowing it,” Little said.

“Our phones are so much part of our lives now, it’s easy to forget that they are computers and are also vulnerable to cybercrime,” Little said.

Put a password on your phone — six digits are better than four — and consider encryption apps that use a master password and change other account passwords automatically at preset intervals. Make sure any apps you’re downloading come from a trusted source and are not lookalike apps created by criminals.

Finally, consider how you and your staff use patient’s protected health information on your cell phones. “Many practices text patient information. You need a secure way to text in order to be HIPAA compliant,” noted Little. “Most offices put way too much info on their phones.”

Pat Little, D.D.S., president of Dental Risk Concepts LLC, encouraged attendees of his continuing education session at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting to be proactive about their practice's data security on Friday, Feb. 25. I have seen many dental practices hit with fines in the $50,000-$100,000 range for a breach, he said. Those breaches can also result in censure from state dental boards.

Chicago Midwinter Meeting: 5 Ways to Stop Cyber Crime in its Tracks

Is this how your front desk has been handling patient calls? Maybe it's time for a heart-to-heart with some of your problematic employees. According to Judy Kay Mausolf, changing problem employees is about establishing and sticking to behavior standards. That was part of her message during her continuing education session at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Dental practices, like any other business, can have their share of discontented, toxic employees who make coming to work feel like drudgery.

But if you think you don’t have the time or knowledge to tame your drama queen employees, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only is it your responsibility, you have more resources to help turn around team morale than you might expect.

That’s the message Judy Kay Mausolf gave to attendees at her Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting session on Thursday, Feb. 23. Mausolf, a popular speaker and dental practice consultant, runs Practice Solutions, Inc. in Lakeville, Minnesota.

The dynamics of each practice may be unique, but employee problems often stem from a common root.

“Usually the dentist hasn’t set clear standards as the practice grows, especially when problem employees have good technical skills or are good with patients,” Mausolf told 

 in a separate interview. “Dentists may be reluctant to address problems or may not realize how damaging it is to allow employees to treat patients better than their coworkers.”

According to Mausolf, dentists often experience an “aha” moment: “If toxic behavior is no longer allowed, it will stop,” she said.

But, she cautioned, change requires that the entire team decide as a group what their work culture should be like.

To her, the basis of change comes down to two key questions dentist and staff must ask themselves: What is foundation of the practice? And what behaviors support that foundation?

Mausolf offered several pointers to help dentists create a more caring atmosphere at work.

For Mausolf, infusing the team with positive energy is an essential part of improving workplace culture. That’s why the acronym “Optimistic Radiant Attitudes Nurture Great Energy” (ORANGE) encapsulates her message. “The color orange creates a feeling of happy, positive energy,” she said. “That’s exactly what happens once you start putting positive energy into the world: you get it back and then some.”

According to Mausolf, your focus creates your attitude: “Focus on the positive and you will be positive.”

It’s too easy to define our day by the negatives, Mausolf said. She encourages her clients to instead look for three positives in every situation: “If you find a reason to feel good, you’ll feel good.”

Mausolf reminded attendees that using words precisely is a powerful tool for improving workplace attitudes. “Labels create energy, so when you call something negative like ‘stressful’ or ‘difficult’, that’s what you’re creating,” she said, noting that she prefers neutral words like “interesting” instead.

Mausolf encourages clients to work together to develop rituals that foster teamwork and shared workplace values. One way to do this is to create a “kudos environment,” that encourages employees to recognize their coworkers’ positive contributions. The most common way to do this is to create an appreciation board with a supply of sticky notes for people to write and share for all to see when someone does something nice for them, she said.

Another option is to hold a monthly book club at team meetings, focusing on nonfiction books that promote teamwork and other related qualities. Mausolf recommends classic business titles like 

 by Spencer Johnson, as well as Mac Anderson’s pithy books (like 

). She has also published two books herself.

How you run a book club depends on the team’s level of engagement, Mausolf said. “Some teams love this idea and want to read the whole book on their own, while others just want to review a single chapter for 5 minutes at the beginning of a meeting,” she explained. “The important thing is how the book’s concept can help your team work together better.”

Mausolf closed by urging attendees to take time to enjoy when things go right for the team. “What we do is stressful and it can be too easy to see patients as sets of teeth and not people,” she said. “But if you stop celebrating the joy quickly goes out of life.”

Mausolf believes dentists are in the midst of a cultural change, one that will benefit them and their employees. “Dentists are tired of coming to a place they’re not excited about themselves, so they’re eager to improve their practice culture,” she said. “The most important questions dentists need to answer is what they want in their culture, and then what is standing in the way of achieving that.”

Speaker Judy Kay Mausolf equipped those gathered for her continuing education session on Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting with skills they can use to fix the problem employees in their dental practices. The key, Mausolf explained, is putting in the time and effort to tame the drama queens. Often, that's as simple as setting and maintaining standards.