PRACTICE BUILDING b.
Participation in Community Organizations
CRITICAL TASKS AND DECISIONS FOR ESTABLISHING A
PRACTICE
1. PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES
• Foundation of any successful practice.
• Should be documented.
• Should be reviewed and adjusted to account for
practicegrowth and changes in priorities.
1) Establish Personal Objectives FIRST
• Personal objectives help formulate the philosophy
practice and practice objectives.
• PERSONAL OBJECTIVES may include:
✓ Family
✓ financial wealth and security
✓ personal freedom & growth
✓ personal stature
✓ physical environment
2) Establish Philosophy of Practice
• Clarifies the feelings about the delivery of dental care.
• Clarifies the means by which delivery of care is
accomplished.
3) Establish Practice Objectives
• Should flow naturally from the philosophy of
objectives.
• Should be dynamic and updated.
• Should include:
✓ professional stature
✓ professional growth
✓ professional practice parameters (type of
services, auxiliaries, working hours, etc.)
• Should be based on an individual’s interests and
abilities.
2. PRACTICE LOCATION
• Selection of site for a dental office can affect the
growth and success of a practice.
• Can be influenced by the traffic, parking, community
growth and stability, etc.
• Community factors: public oral health awareness,
demand for types of services, type of existing services,
etc.
3. FACILITY DESIGN
• Should reflect a concern for patient comfort.
• Should be aesthetic and nonthreatening to patients.
• Should be functional to the dentist.
4. ROLE OF STAFF
• Can either contribute to or stall the success of a
practice.
• RECEPTIONIST – first contact with patient; should
project a positive impression.
• Should be trained well and informed of the practice’s
philosophy and objectives.
5. PUBLIC RELATIONS – BE KNOWN IN THE COMMUNITY
a. Announcements and listings
• local phone directory, newspaper/magazine
announcements, social media, etc.
• should follow Code of Ethics
• service organizations, community affairs groups,
social organizations, school organizations, church
groups, political groups
• can raise consumer knowledge
• form of diversion from practice
• excellent opportunity to meet people with similar
interests
c. Participation in Political Organizations
• should be civic-minded
d. Contact with other professionals
• sharing of experiences can improve clinical and
managerial abilities
• can improve referrals from other colleagues
• can also improve referrals from physicians
PRACTICE STYLE
Common questions by patients:
• “Is your dentist good? Does it hurt? Is your dentist
expensive? Do you like your dentist?”
• Attitude and practice style should always be PATIENT-
ORIENTED.
4 BASIC ELEMENTS:
1. Accessibility
2. Affordability
3. Comfort
4. Trust
1. ACCESSIBILITY
• Must be accessible to patients.
• Working hours should be desirable for the dentist and
staff but accommodating to the schedule of the
prospective patients as well.
• Willingness to accommodate and treat dental
emergencies.
• Accommodates phone calls as well.
• If a prospective new patient cannot be seen within 2
weeks or a recall patient cannot be seen on a timely
basis, patients may seek care elsewhere.
2. AFFORDABILITY
• Planning for and delivery of care should be
STRUCTURED so that the patient’s actual needs, after
comprehensive diagnosis, become the patient’s felt
needs.
• Understand how much the patient knows regarding
his condition and educate him from there.
• Patients will NOT necessarily accept all of the dentist’s
recommendations immediately.
• PHASED APPROACH can increase px acceptance.
• Phases allows “breaks” in the treatment course and
fees, which is more manageable for the patient.
3. COMFORT
• Establishes an optimal level of patient comfort.
• Presents an environment that creates a relaxed and
secure feeling.
• Combines a comfortable physical environment with
a positive and sincere approach to people.
• Addresses basic needs and fears.
• 2 Types of fear: fear of pain & fear of the unknown.
• Fear can be intensified by high cost of treatment and
embarrassment of their oral condition.
 • Fear can be reduced by: ROLE OF CONSULTANTS
✓ advances in pain control Consultants
✓ positive and open communication with • a broad range of individuals who can lend specific
patients regarding treatment plan and expertise and guidance in critical aspects of building
changes, treatment procedures, etc. and managing a practice.

4. TRUST
• To establish a relationship, it may take several
treatments or recall visits.
• Once trust and confidence are established, credibility
and referrals will follow.
• One of the most positive and long-term referral
sources for practice growth is SATISFIED PATIENTS.

TECHNIQUES
• Begins with the first visual or verbal contact between
the dentist or staff member and a patient.
• First visit – get acquainted with the patient.
• INFORM BEFORE YOU PERFORM.
• All clinic policies and practices should be discussed
with patient (schedule, diagnostic approach, clinical
approach, payment of fees, etc.).

2 Approaches to Tx Planning:

1) Treatment plan stating all available treatment options.

• Eg. CC: Missing 46 Tx Plan:
A. Patient Education
B. Scaling and Polishing
C. Prostho Rehab
➢ RPD
➢ FPD
➢ Implant
D. Recall
2) Optimal treatment plan subdivided into phases of disease
control and definitive treatment
• 1. Disease control
A. scaling and polishing
B. caries control
• 2. Definitive treatment procedures
A. Prostho rehab

Techniques…
• Dentists should be decisive when discussing
treatment charges.
• A dentist cannot treat everyone who may desire
treatment. If practice philosophies are compromised
to accommodate more patients, the dentist is NOT
building a practice, but succumbing to pressure and
losing control.
• Non-receptive patients – just refer to someone else
politely.
• Recall methods.

PRACTICE ANALYSIS
• Without a periodic review, a practice may grow
rapidly, but not in the desired direction.
• Growth should be channeled to maintain practice
philosophy and attain practice objectives.
• Nature of patients should be considered to know
better on how to serve them effectively.
• Should be recognized that being a dentist needs
study of the human nature and practice management.
Patients are not just “mouths” and staff are not just
“help”.
 Services Provided When Used
Accountant ▪ Bookkeeping ▪ Continuous
▪ Tax planning and preparation.
▪ Suggests business forms, control of cash, and handling of funds.
▪ Provides pro forma and periodic financial statements
▪ Can also manage monthly fees for SSS, Philhealth and Pag-ibig funds.
▪ Usually charges monthly, quarterly, or annually.
Lawyer ▪ Drafts and examines contracts and leases. ▪ Initially during
▪ Draws up partnership and incorporation agreements. contract draft and
▪ Arbitrates disputes, gives consultation to dentists on legal rights and analysis of lease
obligations. ▪ As needed
▪ Represents dentist in legal proceedings.
Insurance ▪ Evaluates insurance needs and sets up program to meet those needs. ▪ Initially
Representative ▪ As needed
Other ▪ Provide insight and expertise based on personal experience and ▪ As needed
Dentists/Specialists credentials.
▪ Usually charge consultation fee to the patient.
Architect/Builders ▪ Help plan and implement office construction, redesign, etc. ▪ Initially and during
▪ Best to hire those that have experienced designing and building a construction
dental office.
▪ Usually quote a package fee including design, materials, construction
fee, and labor fee for workers.
Banker ▪ Helps with personal and practice loans, budget planning, and full bank ▪ Ongoing
services. relationship
Financial Planner ▪ Assists with total financial program. ▪ As needed
▪ Works with budgets, diversity of investment suited to personal
objectives and capabilities of client.
Interior Designer ▪ Assists with initial design and finishing a new office or after ▪ Initially and during
remodeling or expansion. construction
▪ Works with the architect. ▪ As needed
whenever.
Remodeling or
redecorating the
office
Supply and ▪ Provides advice on purchasing supplies and on purchasing or leasing ▪ When purchasing
Equipment equipment. new equipment
Salesperson ▪ Responsible for maintenance of equipment. ▪ During regular
maintenance
schedule