A Reality Check for Your Capacity

In a recent article I talked about the difference between busyness and real productivity. Another great way to determine whether your state of busyness is fact or fiction is to examine your hygiene numbers.

Often a dentist who runs a "busy" practice will say, "We have more than 2,000 charts and see about 25 new patients a month." But when asked if they have added any new hygiene days in the past few years, the frequent response is "no." In reality this "busy" practice probably has only about 900 charts, with 25 patients walking out the door each month as 25 new patients walk in.

Know your numbers. Say your hygienist works four days a week and sees a patient every hour – 32 patients a week. Presuming every patient shows up for two visits a year, then the hygienist can handle only 800 to 900 charts a year. If that is the capacity, how is the new-patient flow looked after? And how does this match up with what you think your patient numbers are?

Also, look at hygiene downtime. Downtime should never be more than 5-8 percent. If you are having ongoing problems with hygiene downtime – and a chart audit reveals excess patients – then either your recare system is not being effectively administered, or both your team and your patients need training on the value of dental hygiene.