Episode 830: Optimal Efficiency Hacks 

 Kiera goes through different positions in the practice and gives advice on how to streamline. Examples include how office assistants can maximize their time; when doctors and office managers should schedule their week; the power of clustering and cadence; and more.

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Transcript:

Kiera Dent (00:01.102)

Hello, Dental 18 listeners, this is Kira and I hope you're just having an awesome day today. I hope you remember that you are in the greatest profession, dentistry. We get to change lives. I just love it. I love you guys. I hope that you're having just an incredible day wherever you are. If you're driving to work, if you're already at work, if you're driving home from work, I hope it was an awesome day and just remember you are truly changing lives. I think dentistry is one of the most remarkable things.

Our mouths are the way that we eat food, the way that we communicate. I just hope that you guys realize how incredible this is for you, that you get to change people's lives. So go have an awesome day today. And I'm excited. Today is gonna be a quick tactical podcast for you. The conversation, you guys, I think about all these different pieces. This is one that I just, I have a bunch of topics over here.

And this one's the one that I was just excited about. I saw it's kind of further down here and it said, what is the best time saving hack? And I was like, Oh, I'm doing that one. That sounds like a really fun one. So if you guys are excited for that, I'm excited for that. Before we kick this off, please go leave us that five star review. I read these, I look at them, I see you guys, I see all of you. And I'm just so appreciative, but truly more than just like serving my ego, which I always am grateful. Anyone who wants to fangirl about Dental A Team, I'm here for our fan.

guy is that what it is like fangirling or fanguying that seems right I mean fanboying feels weird so I'm gonna go with fanguying but any of you that also feels weird to me I don't know but if you're fangirling or fanguying on Denali team I always love to hear about that be my pen pal send us an email let us know how much you love us be sure to leave those reviews but more than just serving my fangirling ego is you're able to serve and help more practices I've heard so many people tell me

Cure the stuff you tell us, the things you're able to help us implement have been life -changing for our practice and our patients. And that's why I do the podcast. So please, please do me a favor. You're connected to more, Dennis, than I'm connected to. Maybe that could be debatable. I mean, I'm willing to throw a wager on it, but you're connected and people trust your recommendations and they trust the things you do. So please share this podcast with someone who could change their life, could make them better, could do different things for them.

Kiera Dent (02:16.078)

help their practice, whether they're a new startup, they're an existing practice, they need some positivity in their practice, they need to just remember how great dentistry is, or you just want to share and tell them like how much you love them as a friend and share a podcast, please, please help because our goal is to get into 2900 practices in the next three years. That is us physically consulting them. But more than that, it's to serve over a million people. So that's dentists in teams being able to serve them, be a part of that. And this podcast is the way we're going to do it. And I can't do it without you. So please share this with someone.

Leave those reviews, it means the world to me. Okay, best time saving hack. This one feels like I always hate the most and the best and the little, so I'm just gonna give you a couple of time saving hacks. So number one time saving hack is to cluster like projects with like projects. So whatever you're working on, before you even start on a project, put it all together and then cluster it together. We do this in our leadership meetings, I do this in my personal life, I do this whenever I'm looking at like, okay, what task could I do?

and what could I do at the same time? So instead of it being, I start working on insurance verification and then I move into confirmations, get all the insurance verification done, but do all the Delta dentals first, all the MetLife's first, that second, then all the Blue Cross Blue Shields. Because when we're in that zone, it's much faster to just get that done rather than switching gears constantly. And I know some people like to go down the schedule, but really if you will cluster your insurance verification tasks, like the same insurances, and you can make a view on your software.

not too hard. Every software can do it. Then you can actually go to an insurance view. All your deltas are there. All your MetLife are there. And then you just go on the website for all those. Then when you need to call, you've got your whole list of all of them. If they say that they can only help you with five, ask for their next representative after you thank them and move along. So whatever it is, doctors, when you're looking at that, do all your ortho. So get all the Invisalign done and put it on a cadence. That would be my next time saving hack is putting it on a cadence. So

You know, doctors, every Thursday before you take off. So from four to five, maybe we even cut your day at four 30, four 30 to five is when you approve all the ortho cases. So it's just every Thursday at four 30, I do my ortho cases or we do all of our AR billing on every Tuesday for insurances and every Thursday for patients, whatever it is, but getting it to us like tasks put in there, it's a huge time saving task. So there's an insurance verification one. There's one for ortho.

Kiera Dent (04:37.646)

Another time -saving hack is dental assistance. This one's for you. When you guys are sitting there assisting, when I used to assist, yes, I was a dental assistant. It feels like so long ago, I always miss my dental assisting days. But when you're sitting there, as soon as you seat the patient down, start your note as soon as you take the blood pressure. If you guys aren't taking blood pressure in your practices, I would strongly recommend it. One, because we should, but two, it gives me that quick 30 seconds that I can start my notes because I've got to put that blood pressure in my notes.

most dentists tend to do the same thing. They're very predictable on what they're gonna do for us assistants. And so I used to have my notes completed before my doctor even came in. Now, of course I go get them so they can have their anesthetic. But before we even started the procedure, most of the time my notes were done with air quotes. And then I was able to go back and just edit them. But like put the anesthetic in, you know what they're most likely going to do. You know the shade that they're most likely going to use. You know what it's most likely going to be. And you can get your note basically,

90 % done. You just got to finalize it when they're at their end of the appointment. Same thing for hygienists. Like whatever it is, take that blood pressure hygienist time -saving hack when it's doing the blood pressure, go make their next appointment. Don't ask them. Don't say here, just go make it. You know, Kira Dent loves her mornings and she's probably going to come in every six months. I travel a lot. And so even just putting it there and be like, Hey, Kira, I know you travel a lot. I've already got your appointment saved on this date. Um, and then if it doesn't work, they'll tell you right then, but you're not sitting here.

Hey, going back and forth, just make the appointment while that blood pressure is going. I love doing blood pressure as clinical team members, because it's a huge time -saving hack to just get those little things done that take time. Same thing, I really, really recommend for assistance to, as you are finishing up the procedure, to make sure that you're cleaning all the disposables. So when I used to have my tray, I would be assisting. And at the end, you know when your doctor's about done. So I'd move all my disposables, my gauze, my...

Cotton rolls my floss everything would move up articulating paper all that would move up to my top right corner So that way quickly I would just go into sterile and dump that in the trash So I was preparing my and anything if you have a trash can by you I just start throwing that stuff away cleaning it up I used to clean as I would go and I learned this actually in a cooking class in college I kid you not and they talked about how to Not have a huge mess at the end because that always was exhausting after you've made this whole meal And then you have to go so they said clean as you go

Kiera Dent (07:00.814)

So I took that same thing into dentistry. And when you're done with a composite or you're done with the impression guns, wipe them down and put them away. Yes, you might have to go back and get them, but most of the time, like that's 10 % of the time versus the 90 % that were just done. So clean them as you go, put that disposables up in the top right corner. I used to move all my instruments over and then doctors usually sit and chit chat with the patients. So while they're chit chatting, I would start wiping down. I would spray, wipe, spray.

and I would start wiping things down as I could, cleaning up while doctor was there. I'm not rude or I would get my notes done. So if my notes weren't done yet, of course that's number one. My goal was always to have my notes done before I took them up to the front office, made sure everything was correct, filled out my route slip, had my notes completed. And that oftentimes was when doctor was like finishing up, making sure everything's good, handing the mirror. You definitely can get that done. Another time saving hack is take notes while your doctor's doing the exam. However your operatory setup is set up.

really do it. I always had a sticky note so in case I couldn't type fast enough but what I did is I actually took typing classes and I would challenge myself to get faster and faster and faster and faster and I'd have a sticky note there in case I couldn't keep up but the goal is get your notes done before that patient leaves and that's for hygienists and that's for dental assistants because one we remember more details that way, two it makes the front office so much happier because now they can grab it send out the insurance claims we're not slowing down their role.

and we're all able to get up to the front office and have everything ready to go for them. Plus you don't have to have all the dreaded notes forever. So if it's taking you and you're also notice like what are you typing and create quick buttons. So like you should be able to click, click, click in just a couple of clicks and have 95 % of your note done. So I think those are some really fast time -saving hacks. For front office, I would always text and call for my AR. Don't send statements.

that's just double the work. So call them as soon as you know that there's a balance and say, hey, let's take care of this today. I can do cash or I can do card. I can do Visa or MasterCard, which do you prefer? And just get the payment instead of having to mail the statement out to them. I think it's a principal, Rachel Hollis, I read in one of her books and she said, like, when we pick it up, we only handle it one time. So that's the Ohio principle is only handle it once. And so if I'm going to handle this statement, like let's not mail it out. Let's just collect the balance if we can.

Kiera Dent (09:23.534)

Of course, if I can't, then I'm gonna mail it out. Same thing like, let's just get those notes done and I don't have to go back to the notes. Let's just get the patient rescheduled for their re -care while we're taking the blood pressure. Of course, I'm gonna check with them, but I've already got it done. With little kiddos, when you come in, mom is busy. So get all those kiddos just scheduled. Like when I work with pediatric practices, I have them all just like, whoever the last assistant is, they just schedule all the kiddos on the same day. If mom needs to move it, we can ask, or dad needs to move it, we can ask.

but I've at least got them pre -scheduled. I'm like, hey mom, made your life super easy for you. I've got your kiddos on this date. If moms know, they've got their schedules planned out like a year in advance. They will tell you, I promise you. Otherwise it's like, yep, that date works great. Thank you so much. Very simple. So just being proactive on that. Pediatric practices, I have a lot of them just print the balances and they can send them out. Oftentimes pediatric is very simple and you can use your clinical team.

to walk a lot of patients out. I know some of you might be freaking out like, Keira, what are you even saying? Don't worry, it can be done and it can be done very effectively. I don't recommend that in GP practices, but ortho and pediatric, it's very simple, it's very easy. So hopefully those are some time -saving hacks, but for doctors and for office managers, I think one of my best time -saving hacks for you is to prep your week on Friday or on Sunday. I have a preference to do it on Sunday, even though I hate working, but I like to just prepare.

what I'm doing for my next week. So that way I don't come into Monday scattered and confused and all those different pieces. I'm really there. I'm present. But what I recommend is blocking in deep work. So I'm going to throw out deep work by Cal Newton. Make sure that you have the one to two hour block in your schedule every week and then actually plan what you're going to do with that. I have gotten so much done in that one to two hours of uninterrupted time than I would throughout my 40 hour week. And the discipline,

and the dichotomy of this is so profound to me, but so many people just don't do it. And it will save you so much time, because then things aren't looming over you, they're not stacking on you, you can just get things done. And you know you always have this dedicated time, but so many people feel like they, it's like lovingly, it's ego driven, right? We think that we can't step away from the front desk or we can't take an hour away from patient care. And I'll just lovingly, gently offer another perspective that that might be ego.

Kiera Dent (11:48.814)

And reality is nothing's going to break down, fall down, or fall apart if we spend one hour working on the business because that never gets done. And so really, I think that that's honest to goodness, my best time -saving hack for you. And then get as much of it as you can on cadences. So that way you don't have to use the brain power to remember, meaning like the first Tuesday, I always do my one -on -ones. The second Tuesday, I always do my AR. The third Tuesday, like just have it. So I know for me,

My first and third Tuesdays are my coaching call days and it's fun and I call them magic moment days and I don't do anything else but coaching calls. The first Thursday of the month is usually when I do podcasts and that's when I have guests on and that's when we get to do it. But it's very easy now for Shelby to go schedule when I do podcasts and then I'm ready to go. I podcast the whole day. I have the best freaking day of my life. I have so much fun with you and I'm very intentional because I'm not trying to fit podcasts in my week. I'm just very intentional. I'm very present. I'm delivering my best content.

So the first Thursday is always my podcasting day. Sometimes you have to flip it around due to travel. I typically travel second and fourth so then I can plan my vacations in there. I travel to offices during that time. We speak to conferences during those times, but people ask me to speak. That's when we're going to do it. Of course, I got to sometimes juggle that around and we'll move it. But generally speaking, like 85 % of my year can be that way. Doctors, pre -plan out your vacations. I know that that sounds annoying, but if you can pre -plan that out, it's going to actually save a ton of time for you and a ton of time for your team because we're not.

Constantly shuffling your schedule and so just get it in there if you want to be out early do that Another thing you can do is block scheduling It's a huge time -saving hack because then I'm not so like scoping through the schedule looking for different things It's the same thing like all we know when we do crowns. We know when we do root canals We know when we do bridges. We know when we do implants I'm not having to use as much brainpower and search through my schedule as much because I know when it's there

And so I just think like so many little things will save you so much time. But if I could only choose one, I would say it's literally like clustering your tasks and blocking one to two hours per week. And then putting those lights with likes, like I podcast on certain days. I do my marketing on certain days. I do my, uh, my, what am I trying to my coaching calls on certain days. And really during that time, I don't check emails. So another time saving hack is we're constantly looking at our emails.

Kiera Dent (14:09.998)

I check my emails in the morning, make sure there's nothing pressing and urgent, and then I respond to all the rest of them at the end of the day. I have two times I do my emails throughout the day. Other people choose to do it not that way. And I've just found people ask, Kira, how do you create so much content? How do you get things done? And I'm like, honestly, I live on very structured time. And I think that it's just a matter of the more we can structure and master our time, the less that time structures and masters us. And so if I can help in any of these ways, we...

We make it for whomever the team is, whomever the office is, but I really do think that there is a dichotomy. We feel like it's limiting us by having cadences and structures and little things. Like I've mentioned for all the different departments, like billers, hit your highest accounts first on the 90 days. Like go after those first, you're going to feel like a million bucks because you got all your money collected and just stay on a regular cadence of those two. And then your AR doesn't ever get out of whack. Like it's really just being structured with our time.

makes the freedom and those are some of the best time -saving hacks I've got for you. But truly become a master of time instead of being mastered by time all the time. That was a lot of times in one sentence. I hope you guys got it. But if we can help in any way, I love to do this for practices. I love to think outside the box. I love to find the one or two little shortcuts that will honestly save you so much time, like collecting before they leave. Let's just do that. Collecting the balances when they come in and check in. So many little things.

And I look for where can I shave 30 seconds to a minute? Because that honestly will stack up throughout a day. And so honestly, if we can help with that, sometimes having someone outside of your practice, look in your practice, help you just think in a different way. We're here for you. So reach out, hello at thedentaleateam .com. Those are some of my best time -saving hacks. I would love to hear some of yours. So email me, hello at thedentaleateam .com. I'd love to hear some of yours. If you have any other great things that save a ton of time in your life.

I would love to hear about them. So reach out, hello at thedentaleateam .com. As always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on The Dental Elite Team Podcast.