Designing a new office
If you reach a point that the practice simply cannot be expanded and the patient demand is still high, it may be a good idea to expand or move to a better location. When you do, it is an excellent opportunity to create more ideal treatment rooms than you may have now.
Design all treatment rooms to be uniform. The more similar treatment rooms are, the more efficiently dentists and staff will move from room to room. Why? They know exactly where equipment is located or stored. Not only does the sameness of rooms increase the speed of the dentist due to the familiarity of the room, but it makes the job of the dental assistant faster as well. When people don't have to adjust to different environments, they are able to work much faster.
Don't get artistic with uniquely designed treatment rooms. This may be desirable in other settings, but not a dental practice. Time studies by Levin Group indicate that dental practices that have similar treatment rooms are able to work 10% to 12% faster than those who do not. Remember that wasted time equals lost production. Anything that helps dentists and teams work more efficiently is worth doing.
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