Dental Administrative Training Schedule to Consider
Dental Administrative Training Schedule for 90 Days
Ninety days is the usual probationary period for new team members. And during this time, we train. We mentor. And we evaluate progress. Here’s a recommended dental administrative training schedule for your practice.
Training is Everything!
Every new team member needs a solid 90-day training period. With support, direction, and revision. Even those with experience. Because we do not know what they know. Or how they do what they do.
True stories. In a multi-doctor practice, I saw some damaging hires take place. One front desk manager referred existing patients to other dental practices for emergency care. And another new hire did not know how to bill secondary insurance in a PPO driven general practice.
Take the lead. Provide exactly what you need. In black and white, lay it all out. So, there is no room for misunderstanding. And make corrections right away.
Dental Administrative Training Schedule Month 1
Customer Service & Phones
Dedicate a new team member’s first month to customer service and phone management. Introduce the new team member to patients. And encourage them to introduce themselves.
Be very detailed and specific. Discuss tone, body language, and how team members and patients are treated. Review how quickly the phones are to be answered. And how emergency, new patient, and rescheduling patients are managed.
Introduce Practice Software Training
Many software companies provide support and training. These first weeks is the time to get the basics down. New patient intake and scheduling. As well as rescheduling appointments and confirmations.
Patient chart notes are also important. How do we access these and when do we make a note? And what do we include in a patient chart note?
Month 1 Accomplishments
Dental administrative training schedule for our first month is complete. Our new team member now displays the ability to manage phones very well. New patient intake is complete. And scheduling skills begin to grow.
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Dental Administrative Training Schedule Month 2
Hygiene and restorative schedule management are my focus in month 2. Communicate the purpose of each. And be sure the new team member is familiar with all providers. Each provider’s name, schedule preferences, and any other pertinent information is shared.
What procedures are scheduled where is important. And a basic knowledge of the procedures is also key. Allow the team member to shadow or view videos to help with understanding of clinical procedures.
Dental Administrative Training Schedule with Treatment Presentation Too!
Another critical piece of the puzzle is treatment presentation. Train this well. Every scheduled appointment begins with a treatment presentation. And that includes financial presentation too. Allow the team member to watch and to practice before their first live presentation.
Then, by the end of month 2, schedule skills are strong. And include how missed appointments are managed. As well as what to do when patients are late. How soon into their appointments do you reach out to them. And what to do when clinicians are running behind.
In our last 30 days, the focus is collections. Although it’s introduced along the way, this month it’s the key element. How do we ask a patient for payment? When do patient statements go out? How do we generate patient statements?
Insurance training takes time. What carriers do we participate with? How do we verify benefits? Be sure accurate treatment estimates are generated. And that claims go out each day.
Patient Payments & Billing Questions
Entering patient payments correctly each day is a necessary task. Reading a patient ledger is a skill in itself. So, be sure this is clear. Patient adjustments are important to understand and learn.
There are reports to learn as well. Daily, weekly and monthly reports. You may choose to bring your new team member into payment entry sooner. If you can avoid that, I recommend it. There is too much at stake.
Dental Administrative Training Schedule to Train the Team!
To better support the practice, train the entire team on basic business functions. One person out sick can disrupt the entire day immensely. But it doesn’t have to stop business. As long as everyone knows the basics and can jump in to help out.
Dental Operations Manual Template
