Case Study - a Dental Practice in trouble

We were contacted by a Dental Practice owner who was in total despair because his business was in disarray and at risk, with little hope of recovery.  After listening to his concerns we were able to reassure him that through a comprehensive review of his Practice, we would be able to identify the main issues contributing to his current plight and provide an effective recovery plan. 

As is often the case, there was no business strategy in place and his decision making was based largely on perception instead of reality, with little or no measurement capability. 

To establish the true position, we focused our attention on the Key areas of his Practice:

• The Patient Base and journey
• Treatment offer
• Marketing and communication
• Staffing arrangements
• Finances
• Practice growth capacity; and
• working environment. 

This process quickly identified the main causes adversely affecting his ability to manage and grow the Practice.

As the Patient database forms the nucleus of any Practice it must be carefully managed. Our analysis of the data revealed not only the true number of current Patients, but more significantly it identified a large number who had lapsed due to contact detail errors or incorrect recall settings. By targeting these Patients most made new appointments, the Practice became busier, unused surgery time reduced and income rose.  A review of the Treatment offer and pricing structure combined with marketing refinements also dramatically improved income and profitability.  

As is often the case, there was no business strategy in place and his decision making was based largely on perception instead of reality, with little or no measurement capability. 

Practice finances were carefully examined and appropriate changes made to reduce unnecessary running costs, supported by robust systems to monitor spend and provide real time visibility.

By carefully aligning the staff resource and skills to the needs of the Practice, productivity, accountability and staff morale was greatly improved.  The added benefit was marked improvement in the Patient journey which was also reflected in increased New Patient take-on.

Working in Partnership with the Principal and his team, significant improvements were realised over a short period of time.  More importantly they were able, by empowerment, to maintain the standards thereby converting a once struggling Practice into a very profitable and dynamic business.