After a fun, busy, and eventful holiday season, the new year has arrived, and we are ready to take on a new beginning and a fresh slate. I hope each of you enjoyed your time off of work (or school) and have embraced the holiday season with family, friends, and loved ones. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
With a new year upon us, it’s certainly time to evaluate your aspirations, both personally and for your practice. What can you resolve to do better in 2023 to improve yourself and your dental practice so you can, in turn, benefit your patients? While goals certainly are great, they can tend to take some time to fulfill, and often, there may be a few obstacles and detours along the way. Did you know that Jan. 17 is known as Quitters Day because it’s said that most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by then?
So, instead of setting lofty goals, how about improving your systems by incorporating a few checklists into your practice? In the September 2022 edition of Pediatric Dentistry Today, the story of the first aviation checklist, created by Boeing, was discussed, proving just how effective checklists are in increasing communication, detecting potential problems before they occur, and enhancing safety and efficiency. Today, checklists have taken the airline industry by storm, and every airline completes one preflight.
You use checklists every time you have an OR, Surgicenter or IV anesthesia case. It starts the minute the patient is brought in, through the time-out review, completion of the case and discharge criteria. Checklists ensure procedures are followed with patient safety in the forefront.
Just as checklists streamlined the airline industry and made processes and procedures easier and more efficient which increased safety for passengers and crew members, checklists can have the same beneficial effects on your practice and increase your efficiency, productivity, and profitability. If every position in your office has a checklist that outlines what each is responsible for on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis, I promise that everything will run much more smoothly.
We have developed all the CHECKLISTS you need! Here are some that we offer:
1. Staff positions: Beginning of day, Daily duties, End of day
Office manager
Front desk
Financial coordinator
Scheduling coordinator
Dental assistant
Dental hygienist
2. Office cleaning: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annual
3. Equipment maintenance: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annual
Get your FREE copy of the PDTA Office Cleaning Checklist – HERE
Get your FREE copy of the PDTA Equipment Maintenance Checklist – HERE
For our PDTA members, you will find some checklists you can use in your practice in the Members Area of our website, under the Member Resources section. Whether you need a checklist for a new hire, a team member coming from another practice, record-keeping, or for cleaning and administrative tasks around the office, we have you covered!
Frequently, we get so bogged down in the office, and without a set checklist in place, it’s tough to delegate those smaller tasks that are so easy to overlook. These are the tasks that are small, but without them, it’d be tough to keep the practice running smoothly. Thus, implementing checklists in 2023 can help take a lot of stress off the doctor and ensure that everything is completed as directed.
Make 2023 the year you systematize your office — use this fresh start to enhance and streamline your office’s processes!
What checklists are you interested in implementing?
P.S. Dr. Haugseth discusses these checklists and gives a tip to help with Emergency office Visits.
Watch the video HERE
Rhea M. Haugseth, DMD maintained a private practice in Marietta, GA from 1982- 2017. She attended the University of Louisville Dental School and completed her pediatric dental residency at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital / Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She is proud to be a Fellow the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy – National Honorary Organizations for Dentists.
Dr. Haugseth is a Past President of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), the Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry (SSPD), and the Georgia Academy of Pediatric Dentistry(GaPD). Dr. Haugseth has been a National Spokesperson for the AAPD since 1989 and has been frequently interviewed for radio, print, and national television.
Dr. Haugseth is the Founder (2013) and Director of the Atlanta Pediatric Dental Assistant School in Atlanta Georgia. She is also the Founder (2014) and Director of the Pediatric Dental Team Association. She is committed to pediatric dental team members and continues to develop ways to enhance their knowledge and skills both in and out of the dental office.