Fall 1999 Practice Management Diary

Each day, wouldn't you like to know whether and when certain appointments are available in the next two to eight weeks?

If you knew there was a deband available in two weeks, you might be able to fill it with one of the patients you see today - a win for both you and the patient, who really does not want to wait another five-week cycle for an appointment.

This information is easy to produce if your appointment book is on a computer. Your appointment coordinator can do a search for each appointment to determine what's available over the next six weeks. She can present you with a chart every Monday listing appointment availability for six weeks in the future. You can immediately see the short-term trends.

* Few exams for the next four weeks - trouble ahead - time for some DDS lunch visits?
* No debands for six weeks - need to schedule a deband day?
* No retainer check appointments available - treatment times out of hand? Schedule a retainer check day?

While short-term trends are not a basis on which to make strategic changes, momentum is a powerful force in any business. The prudent manager always looks for ways to interrupt a trend that is headed in the wrong direction, before it becomes so powerful that it damages the business.

A busy practice works best if the flow is even and steady. Massaging the practice flow based on short-term trends can be very useful in keeping the flow steady and sure.

Another helpful trend to monitor is the availability of recall appointments. Post-treatment recall volume must be controlled in order to avoid clogging your schedule with appointments that produce no income. It is easy to inadvertently fill your schedule a few months in advance with recall patients if you have not allocated a fixed number of available slots and monitored the allocation carefully.

Your weekly report can list the number of recall appointments available in each of the next six months. You might find that next May has 40 recalls requested, while April only has 19. This information would let you focus on April this week as you request the upcoming recall visits.

If you monitor appointment availability on a weekly basis, you have a jump on unwanted future trends and the opportunity to manage the situation to your and your patients' advantage.

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