Get an early start to your spring cleaning!
Baby it’s cold outside! I cannot tell you how many times I heard that song over the holidays and it is VERY true right now. We are in a deep freeze here lately. What do you do when the weather gets cold? A lot of people get depressed or simply don’t want to do things because it is easier to stay under a blanket. I find it is a good time to do some “spring” cleaning…I guess for me it is “looking forward to spring” cleaning. What are some items you need to be accomplishing in your office? This is a great time to look at your office as a whole and determine what you want to accomplish in 2018.
Following are some items that we find practice’s overlook and may need some “spring cleaning”:
OSHA Manual—when was the last time you updated your OSHA manual? Do you have any new products that are not listed? Any new employees that need Hepatitis shots?
Employee Manual—when was the last time this book was taken out of the cabinet? Is it still relevant to your office today? Are there any items you may need to add: password policy, social media policy, PTO, etc.
HIPAA Manual—this is another manual that may need updating. Even if it doesn’t need to be updated, when was your last HIPAA training? Have you had any new employees? If so, they will need to be trained on your HIPAA policies.
Walk through your office—have you done this lately? You would be amazed at the things you will find if you look at your office from an outsider’s perspective. Sit in the reception area and see if there are any cobwebs or dust that needs to be cleaned. Do the same in your dental chairs. We get bogged down in our day to day routines and often miss these things.(GTS has a worksheet we like to use in our offices to help guide you through this process.Email me at Janice@GTSgurus.com and I will send it over to you.)
Insurance Fee Schedules—most PPO plans are going to update their fees for the new year. Do you have the new set of fees? Are they entered in your practice management software? Ensure that you are getting the maximum reimbursement for your patients.
Insurance Benefits—you are going to have a number of patient who have changed insurances at the start of the new year. This is a busy time for the insurance coordinator. Insurance companies need to be contacted to receive the patient’s benefits for the year. Entering this patient in your practice management software ensures that you are giving your patients a treatment plan with the best possible estimate.
There are many things to do in the dental practice on a daily basis. Don’t lose sight of the items that are not completed daily. Like cleaning out my closets, they require attention every once in a while. Make a list that you can tackle over the next few months. Like cleaning your house, it is a never ending process but we have to complete these tasks to keep things up to date, looking good and working well.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact me at Janice@gtsgurus.com