Every medical practice needs to focus on the issue of patient retention. It’s the bread and butter of the entire office team. Retaining patients happens not just because you are good at what you do but because of the personal touch and genuine concern you have for your patients. On this episode of T-Bone Speaks, Tarun speaks with a dentist from his own neighborhood, Dr. Jennifer Matthews. She tells how she got into dentistry, why the personal touch with her patients is so important to her and her office team, and the goals she has for the next year of her practice. It’s a very interesting conversation that turns toward very practical tips you can apply to your practice today. Be sure you take the time to listen.
Patient retention happens because of the EXPERIENCE you give your patients.
Patient care is definitely part of the experience you provide to your patients. Do you do your work with excellence? Are things explained to the patient’s satisfaction? Do you do your best to ensure they are in as little discomfort as possible while undergoing procedures? All of those are important considerations, but there’s more to it than that. There’s a mindset of compassion, even love that goes into good team/patient relationships. On this episode, Dr. Jennifer Matthews tells how she and her team approach patient care and the incredible retention rate they experience as a result. It’s all on this episode of T-Bone Speaks.
Opening your own dental practice will likely mean a pay cut for you.
It’s not uncommon for dentists who practice in an associate role to believe that establishing or purchasing a practice of their own is the key to increased personal income. But most of the time the exact opposite is true. On this episode, T-Bone and his guest Dr. Jennifer Matthews discuss how she discovered that reality when she purchased the practice where she had been serving as an associate and how both of them think about the issue after having a few years as owners under their belts. Don’t misunderstand, there are distinct advantages to owning your own practice, but for the first season, financial benefits will not likely be one of them. Get the whole story on this episode.
Building a dental team through clarity and generosity.
One of the things Dr. Jennifer Matthews didn’t like about serving as an associate dentist in an existing practice was that she had little power over how or whether the office team received compensation increases, bonuses, and other perks that she felt they deserved. Once she purchased the practice those were things she addressed immediately, and the morale in the office has only gotten stronger as she’s implemented even more opportunities for the team to benefit from the excellent work they do. You will learn a lot from Jennifer’s example of generosity – and T-Bone throws in some thoughts of his own on the subject as well – so be sure you take the time to listen to this conversation.
Without clear goals for your dental practice, you will eventually fail.
Every dentist who owns his/her own practice knows that improvements and changes have to come in order to grow the client base and increase revenue. But too often those desires remain ambiguous hopes rather than becoming clearly-defined goals. T-Bone spends a good portion of this conversation with his guest, Dr. Jennifer Matthews drilling down into the goals she has for her practice to help her gain clarity and specificity that will enable the actions that will bring her goals to fruition. It’s a coaching-type conversation that you’ll enjoy immensely if you want to grow your practice.
Outline of This Episode
- [2:13] T-Bone’s introduction of Dr. Jennifer Matthews.
- [4:25] How Jennifer decided to go into dentistry.
- [7:03] How she got started: a Medicaid practice that was a wonderful experience.
- [10:36] The lessons Jennifer learned in the Medicaid practice.
- [12:01] Lessons learned from her first more traditional practice experience.
- [16:20] The dream of working with lifetime patients.
- [19:03] The changes Jennifer made once she purchased the practice.
- [21:59] The pay cut Jennifer took to own the practice.
- [26:20] Running her practice as a single mom.
- [30:03] Working to be generous to her team and the difficulties involved.
- [41:52] The bonus system Jennifer has established for her team..
- [47:25] Areas Jennifer is looking to improve her practice.
- [55:20] Considering outsourcing to increase revenue.
- [1:00:00] Learning to produce more in less time.
- [1:07:35] How you can connect with Dr. Matthews.
Resources & People Mentioned
- http://www.reflections-dental.com/
- Dr. Jennifer Matthews: matthews.jc(at)gmail(dot)com
