Practice Management Insider: Corporate dentistry challenges & better patient relationships

Dear Practice Management Insider,

With corporate dentistry expanding, the private practice owner can sometimes feel outgunned. But, as stress management consultant Jen Butler writes, there are ways to outlast, outperform, and outsmart the competition by embracing strategic and people planning. Read her column here.

Also featured in the Practice Management Community, Dr. Roger P. Levin notes in his latest Practice Success tip that the better your relationships with patients, the more likely they are to stay with your practice, come in for appointments regularly, and trust your advice. To establish and strengthen practice-patient relationships, you and your staff should use a technique known as the Golden 10 -- learning at least 10 personal facts about each patient. Read his column here.

Do you give your team members an annual raise? Did your practice grow? Did they earn it, or did you give them one just because? As practice management consultant Sally McKenzie writes, there are good reasons to have clear expectations as to how your staff can earn their pay raise. Read her column here.

We've seen numerous treatment and technological advances in oral healthcare, according to periodontist Dr. Alvin Danenberg. While he celebrates these advances and their impact on oral health, what he'd like to see is an emphasis on teaching patients the real causes of tooth decay and gum disease. Eliminate the cause of a disease and you eliminate the disease. Read his column here.

For thoughtful practice management insight such as these columns, visit DrBicuspid.com every day.