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October 2019 Newsletter
                              developing clinical excellence
In This Newsletter
New Team Members First Day
Creating a FABulous patient experience
2019 PCSO/RMSO

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How Andrea can help:

· Sterilization review, design and implementation

·OSHA training, reviews and manuals

· Basic and advanced chairside duties

· Clinical training system and manual

· Indirect bonding

· Clinical coordinator

· Verbal skills to encourage compliance

· Reduction of emergency visits

· Personalized clinical manual

· Inventory control

· Instrument set ups and organization in the operatory

· Implementation of your treatment plans

· Reduction of patients beyond estimated completion date



On the web
at AndreaCookConsulting.com



How do you make your newest team member feel welcome?

We all know that an employee's first day at a new job can be overwhelming- not only for the new team member but for the doctor and existing team members as well. Beyond the responsibility of teaching someone an entirely new role, the team is also expected to help him or her transition into a new office culture and work environment.

With some  onboarding preparation, you can turn the typical first-day employee anxiety into genuine excitement. Making the right impression will not only make your employee feel prepared for the new job and respective responsibilities but will also ensure that they feel comfortable and welcome at your office.

1. Before the new hire arrives, send a welcome announcement to the rest of the team. The announcement should include some basic information about them:
  • Name
  • Experience
  • Title or area they be working - clinical, TC, scheduling, etc.
  • Personal information, such as favorite hobbies or foods
Employees can then easily see if they have anything in common, like a shared interest or experience that can help break the ice.

2. Prepare their space
On the employee's first day, make sure someone is waiting to greet him or her at the door. Also, ensure that their space is ready for them, including preparing their computer area or chairside unit

3. Provide a staff directory
Giving your employee a directory of the team and their position in the office will help them get familiar with their coworkers and make them feel more comfortable introducing themselves. This will also help direct their questions to the right people.

4. Assign a mentor
On your new employees' first day, set each one up with a buddy or mentor; this can help them feel more comfortable and encourage them to ask questions. These can be bigger questions like, "how do I chart in the software?" or smaller items like, "where's the best place on this block to get lunch?" A mentor can help the employee assimilate into the culture at a much faster rate.

5. Plan an activity
Having a planned team activity is a great way to make a new employee feel welcome on the first day. A few ideas include:
  • Host a catered or lunch or a potluck in which everyone contributes a dish.
  • Take the team to a favorite restaurant for lunch.
  • Throw an after-work happy hour.
Events like these can give your new and current employees a chance to get to know each other in a more open, casual environment to build strong relationships and channels for collaboration.

6. Give a welcome gift
Everyone loves receiving gifts, so consider giving the new hire a little something to say welcome, including swag like t-shirts, a coffee mug or water bottle with your logo on it.

Make sure you're enthusiastic about your new hire. You want them to know they're you're looking forward to working with them. Even on an employee's first day and a full schedule of patients, there are many ways to show your excitement,


 Creating a FABulous Patient Experience

Creating outstanding patient experiences is what sets many orthodontic practices apart. As we all know there are many options for people to get straight teeth. Whether it is your office, your competition down the street or the online options are available.

Providing an amazing new patient experience from the i nitial phone call to the exam and consult appointment is necessary to give patients a reason to commit to your practice. Once they have committed to treatment, we work hard to make sure their starting appointment ~ whether it is a scan, or initial bonding ~
 is just as amazing and exciting as their new patient exam.

This is where the WOW seems to stop. Patients have shorter appointments in the clinic that are much less exciting. Studies show that providing an amazing experience at the first encounter gives us a 40% return rate. Providing an amazing experience at the second encounter gives us about a 42% return. The third amazi ng experience the patient has increases the return rate to 72%. Making the first appointment back after our start appointment an opportunity to provide that amazing experience equal to the first two appointments.  

Identifying these patients and appointments alerts the doctor and team members to make the FAB (first appointment back) appointment FABulous. Most often the first appointment after the initial bonding is a much shorter appointment (20 -30 minutes) for a simple wire change and can be a very different experience than their previous appointments. This can possibly leave the patient feeling a little like a number after giving you a large sum of money. Identifying these patients at the morning huddle can help the doctor and all team members contribute to their FABulous experience. Stop by the chair to ask how they adjusted to braces, comment on the changes in their smile so soon, or simply saying hello will help continue the feeling that they did chose the right place to get your beautiful smile. Having something at the side unit that identifies these patients will help the doctor be aware that this is the patients' FABulous appointment as they come to the chair.
 
We want all our appointments to be an amazing experience and this gives your office another way to be FABulous in your patients' opinion.

2019 PCSO/RMSO ~ Pearls In Paradise

Aloha! I am honored to be included in the 2019 PCSO/RMSO Annual Session, Pearls in Paradise, as a speaker. I will be presenting a lecture on Saturday, October 5 th at 10:30 am on "How to Run Your Clinic on Time". This is for all team members as it takes the entire team to make our day run on time.
We will be discussing schedule options, doctor time scheduling, building a template and then how to make it work in our world. From late patient verbiage to clinical procedures and organization this lecture is for you.  
For more information and what to expect please visit https://www.pcsortho.org/pcso-rmso-annual-session/
Mahalo



Here is to "developing your clinical excellence" in 2019!

Thank you for your continued support of my clinical newsletter.  I hope you and your team find the information useful.  Please visit my website and feel free to email me with any comments or questions.
www.AndreaCookConsulting.com  andrea@andreacookconsulting.com 

 
Andrea Cook
Andrea Cook LLC
  
Sincerely,
Andrea