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5/21/2019 |
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Overwhelmed? DADS Can Help! |
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Overwhelmed? DADS Can Help!
by Jennifer Schultz
And just like that it’s 5 o’clock and you haven’t even had a chance to look at your task list, let alone eat more than a few bites of the lunch you brought! Every day you come in fully intending on catching up; however, the demands of your team, doctors, and patients often win.
Maybe tomorrow?
As an office manager, you are responsible for a wide variety of tasks ranging from staff management and insurance to scheduling and accounts receivables…and the list goes on. It’s challenging to juggle all of these critical tasks and still find the time to complete them.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list, here’s a simple acronym that can help: DADS.
Delete
Are there tasks on your list that don’t need to be there? Maybe they’re not important any more, or it no longer needs to be done. Delete them or move them to another list, I like to call the Parking Lot, for review in the future.
Automation
Automating tasks is typically the best way to increase your efficiency at the lowest cost. There are many tasks that can be automated in a dental practice, such as:
- Confirming appointments
- Contacting patients to fill last minute openings
- Patient reminders
- Scheduling appointments
- Paying bills
- Sending patient statements
- Patient eligibility
- Ordering supplies
- Running reports
Automation should be considered for each of these. While most require initial set-up, once that’s been completed it will significantly free up your schedule, so you can focus on the tasks that are the highest and best use of your time.
Delegation
Often individuals will say, “I can complete it faster myself than the time it would take to tell or show someone else how to do it.” While this might be true at first, you only (ideally) have to show them once, then they can complete the task over and over again with little to no instruction. Delegating tasks helps team members increase their value to the practice by expanding their duties, which leads to better morale and job satisfaction.
Delegating does not have to be to another in-office team member. There are virtual assistants that specialize in working with dental practices and thoroughly understand front office tasks. This is especially helpful when you have low value tasks and need an extra 5-10 hours a week without having to hire and train a new part-time employee. Additionally, virtual assistants are perfect if you have a project that you would like assistance with, like cleaning up insurance plans or entering fee schedules into the practice management software.
Common tasks that can be delegated are:
- Answering the phone
- Submitting insurance claims
- Following up on unpaid insurance claims
- Getting insurance benefits for patients
- Human resource forms
- Employment compliance
- Payroll
- Bookkeeping
- Marketing
- Website/social media updates
Scheduling
At this point take all tasks remaining on your lists and rank them in order of importance to be completed. Schedule your tasks at a specific time of the day and for the amount of time it will take. This will force you to prioritize your tasks based on importance and due dates. At the end of the day, move any uncompleted tasks forward to another day. If not, tasks will get missed.
The next time you feel busy and overwhelmed, pull out your task list and ask yourself what can you delete, automate or delegate? Any tasks that are remaining, schedule a specific date and time to complete them. This act will give you satisfaction and confidence knowing that you are completing what is truly important.
If you would like to take this a step further, please join Jennifer Schultz at AADOM 2019!
Jennifer Schultz has spent over 20 years in dentistry working in and with dental practices as an employee, software trainer and practice management consultant. She is passionate about helping team members create practical ways to reduce overwhelm and focus on the tasks that are the highest and best use of their time. Jennifer is the founder of Virtual Dental Office and The Achievement Blueprint. She can be reached at [email protected] or 563-542-2546.
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