DH300
Jennifer Miller, RDH, BSDH
Wednesdays 9 am – 12 pm
jlbaker@concorde.edu
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Objectives
 Explain the dual role of dentistry as a business and a
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healthcare service.
Describe the importance of patient service.
Define organizational culture.
Describe common organizational cultures that could exist
in a dental practice.
Define communication.
Differentiate between leadership and management.
Identify common leadership traits.
Describe management responsibilities
List characteristics necessary for establishing relationships.
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Chapter 1: The Business of Dentistry
 Dental practice will remain a people-oriented
health profession.
 Intelligence sourcing or I sourcing: when dental
purchases will be made virtually and jobs will be
transferred from people to virtual programmers.
 The administrative role: achieve mission of the
practice, increase productivity, demonstrate skills
in computer technology, and human resources.
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Mission Statement
 “To provide the highest quality of dental care and
service, and to treat each patient as a welcomed guest.”
 Mission statement can be printed on statements,
letterhead, or any other printed communications.
 EVERYONE WRITE THEIR OWN PERSONAL
MISSION STATEMENT TO SHARE WITH CLASS.
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Business of Dentistry
 Dentistry must face the same issues as other
healthcare and business systems.
 Dentistry must be able to address issues of: diversity
of race, ethnicity, gender, and age.
 Dentistry has a two-fold rule:
 1. provide healthcare service
 2. make a profit as a small business.
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Standards of care
 Standards of care established by governmental
agencies and the profession itself:
 Promote optimal oral health in a culturally sensitive
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manner.
Provide oral health education.
Promote prevention.
Emulate the highest standards of patient-centered care.
Use the most advanced knowledge and skills to meet the
changing needs of a diverse patient population
A willingness to share knowledge.
Participate in professional activities.
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Question?
 Case scenario: It is a Friday, your 4:00 patient does not
arrive to her appointment until 4:30. She has told the
front desk many times that she will be late because she
works across town and Fridays at 4 is the only time she
can come in for an appointment. As her hygienist,
what would you do in this situation?
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Business practice criteria
 Practice ethically
 Operate efficiently
 Operate safely
 Be productive
 Utilize technology
 Create a profile
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Dentistry in the 21st century
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Faces an ever-changing population.
Culturally diverse workforce and patient clientele
Heightened consumer rights
Changing economy
Increased state and federal regulations
Aging population
Managed care
Satellite offices
Expanding group practices
Redefinition of dental assistant and dental hygienist
utilization and credentialing.
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The successful dental practice
 Led by individuals who look at all situations
as opportunities to create excitement and
enthusiasm in meeting new challenges.
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Business Office Manager
 Vital professional:
 Maintains records
 Implements business systems
 Manages business operations
 Maintains communication among the dentist,
staff, patients and community.
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Dentistry as a Service Profession
 Service: an intangible product in the form of care.
 Service is a system of accommodating or providing
assistance to another person.
 Patients remain with a dental practice only if they are
satisfied with the services rendered.
 Patient retention is based on: communication- the
ability to understand and be understood.
 Service is not a result of clinical and cognitive skills,
but rather attitudinal skills that evolve into a
commitment to the welfare of others.
 THE BASIS FOR PATIENT RETENTION IS
COMMUNICATION!!
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Activities that Promote Service
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Maintaining regular office hours
Providing emergency care during the dentist’s absence
Keep appt schedule without delays
Keep professional ethics
Practice quality care
Recognize the patient’s needs and respect his or her right to
choice
Provide alternative treatment plans
Hire qualified employees
Seek staff input in office decisions
Operating safely
Being genuine and honest
Pg 4 Box 1-1
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Organizational cultures
 Organizational culture: comprises attitudes,
beliefs, experiences, and values of an organization.
 “Specific collection of values and norms that are
shared by people and groups in an organization
and that control the way they interact with each
other and with others outside the organization or
dental practice.”
 Can also include: dress code, office arrangement,
and design.
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Organizational Cultures
 Power culture: power among the few; few rules, little
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bureaucracy; compares with authoritarian leadership.
Role culture: people have clearly delegated authorities
within a highly defined structure; hierarchical
bureaucracies.
Task culture: formed to solve problems; power derives from
expertise so long as a team requires expertise.
Person culture: when all individuals believe themselves
superior to the organization.
Work-hard/play-hard culture: characterized by few risks
being taken, all with rapid feedback; seen in large
organizations; strive for high-quality customer/client
service.
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Organizational Cultures
 Bet-your-company culture: big stakes decisions are taken,
but it may be years before the results are known.
 Process culture: in organizations where there is little to no
feedback; people are bogged down with how things are
done, not with what is achieved; seen in public dental
clinics.
 Blame culture: cultivates distrust and fear; people blame
each other to avoid being reprimanded or put down; results
in no new ideas or personal initiative because people do
not want to risk being wrong; fatal to a dental practice staff.
 Multidirectional culture: loyalty is to specific groups or
departments; cliques are formed; causes gossip.
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Organizational Culture
 Live and let live culture: mental stagnation and low
creativity; staff members have little future vision and
have given up on their passion; none or little growth.
 Leadership-enriched culture: people view the
organization as an extension of themselves; feel good
about personal achievements through the
organization; promotes exceptional cooperation;
individual goals are aligned with goals of the practice
and people do what it takes to make things happen;
more like a family; ideal culture to promote in a dental
practice.
 Dental practice should contain: leadershipenriched combined with task culture.
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Leadership v. Management
 Leader in a dental office is commonly the dentist.
 Manager in a dental office is often the
administrative assistant or front office manager.
 To be a good leader you must possess the
characteristics of a manager; managers must also
be able to assume a leadership role if needed.
 What does it take to be a good leader?
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Leadership Values
 Leaders must:
 Work within the office to identify and define
principles of ethics and acceptable behavior.
 Ensure principles are being carried out
routinely.
 Make difficult decisions to stand on their values.
 Values must start at the top and permeate
through all levels of the practice.
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Shared Vision
 Ethical dental offices have a visionary leader.
 Someone (usually the dentist) builds on a shared
vision and involves employees at all levels.
 Determines a practice mission statement.
 Effective leaders work with the staff to determine
how the practice vision and individual goals and
objectives meet the vision of the practice.
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Commitment to Service
 Dentistry is a commitment to service.
 Can be overshadowed by the need to make a profit.
 A balance can be made it the dentist (the leader)
runs a successful business while at the same time
helping patients and helping his/her staff be
successful.
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Empower Others
 Power: the capacity to influence others.
 Empowerment: putting power where it is needed.
 An effective leader empowers his/her staff by:
 Providing employees with information that will help
them increase productivity and effectiveness.
 Allow staff members to take on more responsibilities.
 Allow staff members to have a voice in making
decisions.
Empowered employees are happier individuals;
Empowered leaders believe their staff is good,
honest, and trustworthy.
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Reward Risk Taking
 Leaders of successful dental practices are willing to
seek new answers to problems, try new
approaches, utilize technology and be flexible.
 Keys to successful risk taking:
 Trust in one’s own abilities
 Be open-minded
 Overcome the fear of mistakes
 Develop support teams
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Elements that build Effective Leadership
 Trust
 A willingness to understand change
 Humility
 Commitment
 Focus
 Compassion
 Integrity
 Peacemaking
 Endurance
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Achieving Practice Goals
 Considering long-term over short-term results
 Thinking strategically rather than operationally
 Being proactive rather than reactive to situations
 Being driven by plans rather than problems
 Dental offices of today must not only serve the
local community but also recognize its role in the
global community.
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Personal Characteristics of an Effective
Leader
 Communication: must be able to
communicate well with patients and staff.
 Attitude: can give a patient a positive
impression or convince that patient to seek
treatment elsewhere.
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Characteristics of a Leader
 Self-Confidence: identifying strengths and building on
them, and accepting weaknesses and not dwelling on
them.
 Genuineness: person is sincere and straightforward;
not afraid to reach out and touch someone; putting
oneself in the patient’s place and showing the kind of
concern one would like to receive.
 Acceptance of a culturally diverse population: might
need to communicate with people who speak English
as a second language; important to concentrate on
seeing the person and not a disability.
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Characteristics of a Leader
 Enthusiasm: being interested in work, being
expressive, and leaving problems at home; happy to go
to work, enjoys sharing others’ experiences,
appreciates good humor, has a positive outlook on life.
 Assertiveness: person who is bold and enterprising in a
nonhostile manner; requires tact, initiative and
willingness to take a risk.
 Effective Listening: good listening is a combination of
hearing what a person says and becoming involved
with the person who is talking; important to look at
the speaker when he/she is talking.
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Characteristics of a Leader
 Recognizing other’s needs: office colleagues should be
willing to work cooperatively together to accomplish
the objectives of the practice.
 Sense of Humor: humor lessens conflict and eases
tension.
 Willingness to be a team player: offices committed to
building a team can achieve results more effectively
than offices in which each individual works
independently.
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Dental Office Leadership
 Today’s leader: must embrace trust, willingness to
understand change, humility, commitment, integrity,
compassions, focus
 Try to achieve practice goals by:
 Considering long-term results over short-term
 Stressing effectiveness over efficiency alone
 Thinking strategically rather than operationally
 Being proactive rather than reactive to situations
 Being driven by plans rather than problems
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Question:
 What if you are working in a practice with 2 other
hygienist who do NOT like each other and you always
feel put in the middle of their disagreements. How
would you handle this situation? What course of
action would you take in this situation?
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