Latest / My Dental Playbook / 059 The Hygiene Onboarding System That Retains 95%

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059 The Hygiene Onboarding System That Retains 95% · My Dental Playbook

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Comes up a lot, Autumn, as I talk about this publicly, like in social media and stuff, is that I talk about bonus systems and a lot some hygienists are like, that's not ethical.
0:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't think bonus systems are ethical.
0:10
SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
0:11
SPEAKER_00: To be honest with you, I understand what they're saying because they're like, you don't want a hygienist that's coming in to game the system, game insurance, game the office, game the patients.
0:20
SPEAKER_00: You want people who are gonna take care of the patients first.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: How do you protect that culture of ethics?
0:26
SPEAKER_00: Because you do have bonus systems.
0:28
SPEAKER_00: You do want the hygienist pointing out work that needs to be done, but you don't want people abusing the system either.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to another episode of My Dental Playbook.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: I'm your co-host, Gary Bird.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: Along with my friend Dr.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: Blake Hamblin, we're gonna be diving deep into his office and we're gonna be breaking down how you can build your hygiene team.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: I know this is one of the biggest obstacles that offices face, and we created a multi-part series, and it's gonna really help you solve the problem around hygiene.
0:57
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna be talking about the current state of the hygiene market, why you can't find a good hygienist and the recruiting framework that Dr.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: Blake uses that works really well.
1:06
SPEAKER_00: We're also gonna be talking about marketing to hygienists and how to get them to come in and interview and actually get the ones that are talented and want to work.
1:15
SPEAKER_00: That's kind of important.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: And then we're also gonna be talking about onboarding and KPIs, and we're gonna be talking about compensation and structure.
1:23
SPEAKER_00: And lastly, we brought in some heavy hitters to help you understand the difference between fee for service versus in network, rule versus city versus, you know, suburbs type area.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna be talking about every kind of situation that you could possibly look at.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: This is an amazing series.
1:43
SPEAKER_00: If you haven't watched the previous episode, make sure you go check that out.
1:47
SPEAKER_00: All right, welcome back to another episode of My Dental Playbook.
1:50
SPEAKER_00: And today you get a special episode.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: We have Autumn here.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: And if you didn't watch our last episode with her, she did a great job.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: She came on with Dr.
1:59
SPEAKER_00: Blake and they answered all the hard questions about hygiene, about their$49 cleaning, about how their bonus works.
2:06
SPEAKER_00: And today we're actually gonna jump deeper into all of those things.
2:11
SPEAKER_00: And we are, if you haven't gone back and watched our other episodes yet with Dr.
2:16
SPEAKER_00: Blake, with uh Paige, uh the market, go watch those because those are those are gonna help you understand this part of it.
2:23
SPEAKER_00: But today we're gonna talk about three things.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: And we're gonna talk about their onboarding process for hygiene, which is really important.
2:30
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I know some offices, I just watched a video recently where uh temp walked into an office and everything was in disarray.
2:38
SPEAKER_00: There was blood places that there shouldn't be blood.
2:40
SPEAKER_00: There was mold in the in the water.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: And just like you could just tell that they didn't have a good onboarding process for their hygiene, and that's not gonna end well.
2:49
SPEAKER_00: Uh, we're gonna talk about soft skills.
2:51
SPEAKER_00: So, what are the things that Autumn's watching for as the new hygienist comes on that aren't necessarily KPIs?
2:58
SPEAKER_00: And then the part that everybody's gonna love, all the dentists and hygienists are gonna love, is the KPIs, the hard skills.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: What are the hard skills that you're watching for?
3:06
SPEAKER_00: What are the tiers, the numbers?
3:09
SPEAKER_00: And we're gonna finish with the bonus because that's the part that I think there's the most contention over and the most opportunity for other people to learn.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: So, Autumn, thank you so much for coming on today.
3:19
SPEAKER_00: Let's start with your onboarding process.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: I know as a new hire, you guys have a lot of hygienists.
3:25
SPEAKER_00: So you, Dr.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: Blake, dove deep into your two uh two shifts that you're running to give your hygienist a lot of flexibility to be able to work, take care of their family, or do whatever else they want to do.
3:37
SPEAKER_00: So you guys have a lot of flexibility on that.
3:39
SPEAKER_00: So you hire somebody, and the first thing you're gonna do is you're gonna give them onboarding paperwork.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: Usually they're doing that the day before they come in.
3:47
SPEAKER_00: Nothing special about that, I don't think, that we have to dive into.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: But the first day that they come in, they're gonna be shadowing.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: Can you walk me through how you're sharing your process and new patients and things like that?
4:00
SPEAKER_00: We're looking for an amazing dentist to partner with us in our local market and maybe even potentially in other markets for us to open up more practices.
4:08
SPEAKER_00: And we just got more new patients at our current practice.
4:11
SPEAKER_00: So we're looking for another dentist here.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: If you're looking for an amazing opportunity where you can have as many new patients as you can handle, learn new treatments, tons of CE mentorship.
4:21
SPEAKER_00: This is the place for you.
4:22
SPEAKER_00: Dr.
4:22
SPEAKER_00: Hamlin is looking for the perfect dentist.
4:24
SPEAKER_00: This sounds like you, reach out to us.
4:26
SPEAKER_00: You can DM us, comment down below.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: We would love to hear from you.
4:29
SPEAKER_00: Can you walk me through how you're sharing your process and new patients and things like that?
4:35
SPEAKER_01: Right.
4:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
4:36
SPEAKER_01: So basically on that shadow day, it's a good day for them to get a feel for how we run day to day in our office.
4:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, we basically they would shadow the lead hygienist or the lead um hygienist in that office.
4:50
SPEAKER_01: Typically, they're shadowing me that first day.
4:52
SPEAKER_01: They can go around and shadow other hygienists as well.
4:54
SPEAKER_01: But the biggest thing for me is getting them um up to speed with our systems in the office, up to speed with what we do for our patients in that office or in our office, and um yeah, run through everything that we do that day.
5:06
SPEAKER_01: We go through sterilization um and everything that we do in the back, basically that first day.
5:13
SPEAKER_01: So that way they can feel like they're set up for success on that first day of care.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: Well, something that makes you guys unique is that you guys are seeing 200 new or so new patients a month and you're growing.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, you can't spend three hours with a new patient, right?
5:27
SPEAKER_00: Like it doesn't number one, it wouldn't work.
5:29
SPEAKER_00: But number two, I don't I don't think you guys think it's necessary.
5:33
SPEAKER_00: Can you walk me through how, like, if I was a new hygienist and you're showing me like, hey, we got 15 new patients today, let me show you how this is gonna work and how long our appointments are.
5:43
SPEAKER_00: Like, walk me through that part because I think that's probably what makes you guys unique.
5:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
5:47
SPEAKER_01: So that is, I will say, whenever I'm onboarding a new hygienist, their biggest question is, well, how long do you get for new patients?
5:55
SPEAKER_01: And when I say an hour, I already know that they're like, oh my gosh, one hour seems crazy.
6:01
SPEAKER_01: But I ease them into knowing that it's actually very doable.
6:05
SPEAKER_01: We do it all the time.
6:06
SPEAKER_01: We see 15 to 20 new patients a day.
6:09
SPEAKER_01: Um, and what that looks like is our system.
6:12
SPEAKER_01: So we have a lot of great technology in the office, and the way that we run things is very smooth.
6:18
SPEAKER_01: Um, and the flow, I guess I should say.
6:20
SPEAKER_01: So we take our panoramic x-ray, we go straight to our photo studio, come into the room, we do our checkup x-rays, um, go through any carryover or gum evaluation, and that's gonna help determine what type of cleaning that they need.
6:34
SPEAKER_01: Typically at that point, doctor may be ready to come in and do an exam.
6:39
SPEAKER_01: So at that point, he'll come in and do an exam, and it's sh it's just moving pretty quickly.
6:44
SPEAKER_00: So, how fast is that?
6:45
SPEAKER_00: Like, usually by the time the doctor's getting in to do the exam, how deep are you into the appointment?
6:49
SPEAKER_01: So, we're probably in a perfect world, we're probably I would say 20 to 30 minutes into that appointment.
7:00
SPEAKER_01: Um I think the only time and how I like to rate it in my head is if I look at them, I'm gonna know pretty much right then and there if they're needing more than a regular cleaning.
7:11
SPEAKER_01: And at that point, you have a little bit more breathing room because that cleaning's not promised that first day.
7:17
SPEAKER_01: So there is breathing room there.
7:20
SPEAKER_01: Now, if they are a regular cleaning, you know they want to get that done.
7:23
SPEAKER_01: And you kind of gotta speed up your process a little bit and then your mindset changes a little bit.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: But I think that's really important to call out because a lot of people do marketing for hygiene.
7:31
SPEAKER_00: And the reason people market hygiene is because all new patients know they're supposed to get their teeth cleaned every six months.
7:37
SPEAKER_00: But when you market hygiene, you're gonna get people to come in that haven't had their teeth cleaned in two years, three years, four years.
7:43
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that's gonna create a problem.
7:45
SPEAKER_00: And so could you share with me your scripting of how you deal with somebody who comes in that needs like a deep deep cleaning top and bottom, like there's no way they're getting it that day.
7:56
SPEAKER_00: And they're also gonna be sticker shocked because they're like, wait, I came in for you know the$99 cleaning and now you're telling me$600.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: Walk me through how you are having that conversation with them.
8:08
SPEAKER_01: So I think it's really important to they're already gonna see that we're very thorough.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: So by the time we get in, and I have to explain to them that they are going to need more than just a regular cleaning.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: I think the biggest thing that you need to let the patient know is it's going to take more time.
8:24
SPEAKER_01: We want to make sure we're very thorough.
8:26
SPEAKER_01: We want to do the cleaning right.
8:27
SPEAKER_01: You haven't had it done in X amount of years.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: We want to make sure we spend that extra time with you and schedule you back when we have that extra time to spend with you to make sure we do a good job.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
8:39
SPEAKER_00: And uh uh I love that.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: I love that you guys are explaining that and walking people through that.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, anything else on the system side that you're working through on that first shadow day that you really want to make sure they understand outside of like the normal every office sterilization, things like that.
8:54
SPEAKER_01: Right.
8:54
SPEAKER_01: So the biggest thing that we do in our office, especially for new patients, is how we um basically hand our patient handoff to the doctor as far as what we talked about.
9:06
SPEAKER_01: So our triangle system.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, I really want, and I bring this up to our new hygienists, I really want them to see how that works because sometimes it can be a little newer for people, but it's super important in our office and it works really, really well and makes the patient feel comfortable and that they're heard that we're talking about everything over them to the doctor on the other side.
9:27
SPEAKER_01: And um so why do you guys call it the triangle system?
9:31
SPEAKER_01: Why that's what we call it the triangle because you've got the patient sitting in their chair.
9:36
SPEAKER_01: I am standing on basically to the left side of that patient in front of them, doctors in their chair on the right side sitting in front of them.
9:42
SPEAKER_01: So we're talking over the patient.
9:44
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
9:44
SPEAKER_00: So walk me through that.
9:45
SPEAKER_00: So you got a new patient came in, you see there's some work that needs to be done.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: Like, how are you communicating about that?
9:52
SPEAKER_01: So typically when the doctor walks in, he will either introduce himself or I will introduce him.
9:57
SPEAKER_01: He'll sit down, his cue is he'll always just look right at me after that.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: And so um what we'll do is we'll talk about maybe how they heard about us, how they came into the office, maybe something personal, a little bit personal.
10:10
SPEAKER_01: And then in that break of conversation, I will actually have up on our screen in front of us the big talking points that we talked about that day, whether it be wear on their teeth, buildup on their teeth, um, anything that's bothering them or something concerning that I noticed.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: So then our biggest uh words that we use is awareness and concern.
10:30
SPEAKER_01: So I'll talk, you know, over the patient to the doctor that hey, so-and-so is not aware that they had, you know, all this buildup on their teeth.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: I'm super concerned about it because it's causing a lot of inflammation, bleeding.
10:44
SPEAKER_01: We need to really get in there and get all those cleaned up for him.
10:46
SPEAKER_01: But his biggest concern is his teeth are dark, he wants them whiter.
10:50
SPEAKER_01: And so I let him know that you would talk to him more about options there.
10:53
SPEAKER_00: That's really cool.
10:54
SPEAKER_00: So you're you're explaining the patient's concerns, and then you're explaining the actual medical concerns so that way the doctor can glue them together, right?
11:02
SPEAKER_00: Because it's like, well, I want white teeth for my wedding.
11:04
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, dude, you got like holes with bugs crawling out of them.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: You can't uh we can't do that.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: That would be the easy thing to say, but you're explaining it in a way that the patient can digest it as well as the doctor.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: So now the doctor, what what are they doing from there?
11:18
SPEAKER_00: Are they reconfirming what you're seeing based on their exam at that point?
11:23
SPEAKER_01: Right.
11:23
SPEAKER_01: So they'll look at the patient and say, Daughter miss anything, and they'll say, No, she did great job.
11:27
SPEAKER_01: And he'll just um touch on that and then ask to lean them back and take a look in their mouth and then kind of reconfirm, like, yeah, I agree with Autumn.
11:35
SPEAKER_01: And hey, these are things that we can do.
11:37
SPEAKER_01: Let's get your gums to a healthy state so we can work on getting those wider teeth forty.
11:41
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
11:42
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
11:42
SPEAKER_00: And then um, to get people to understand how to do this as they're shadowing, as they're onboarding, you guys are role-playing with this, right?
11:50
SPEAKER_00: So you just like you and I just role-played with it, is that what you're doing with them?
11:53
SPEAKER_01: Right.
11:53
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
11:54
SPEAKER_01: So we like to do that.
11:55
SPEAKER_01: We have huddle in the morning.
11:56
SPEAKER_01: So about 15 minutes before we start the day, we have huddle.
11:59
SPEAKER_01: And there we just sit it last Friday.
12:01
SPEAKER_01: Actually, we have some newer, newer hygienists that are not super familiar or comfortable with the triangle aspect.
12:08
SPEAKER_01: So we did role playing for though.
12:10
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
12:10
SPEAKER_00: And then how do how do most people take pretty well to it?
12:13
SPEAKER_00: Because I I think it's really I like it because it makes the hygiene, uh, the hygienist really important, right?
12:20
SPEAKER_00: Like you're not now just like, hey, I'm cleaning the teeth, and then doc, you figure it out and decide what to point out.
12:26
SPEAKER_00: You are directing the doctor, and of course the doctor's still doing their exam, but you are pointing out what you see and it's being taken into consideration.
12:34
SPEAKER_01: Right, exactly.
12:35
SPEAKER_01: And so I think most of the hygienists are fine.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: It's more of being confident and comfortable.
12:40
SPEAKER_01: I think for me, when I first started, it felt weird to interrupt the doctor in the conversation, but having that good relationship with your doctor that you work for, he's not gonna care if you mess up.
12:53
SPEAKER_01: He doesn't mind, just try it.
12:56
SPEAKER_01: And then the more you do it, you know, the better it gets.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: So now that we have um the onboarding process, we cover pretty much everything from there.
13:04
SPEAKER_00: They they fill out the paperwork, they shadow, they do a whole shadow day.
13:08
SPEAKER_00: You're really diving deep into all your systems and your processes, especially around new patients, your role-playing around the triangle method, and then you are setting up their column and you have a team, a lot of hygienists because you guys run split shifts.
13:22
SPEAKER_00: So that way it gives more flexibility.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: So everybody's working together and cross-training.
13:26
SPEAKER_00: From there, now you are watching the soft skills, and we'll we'll get into the hard skills, the KPIs, and the hard numbers that you're watching.
13:35
SPEAKER_00: But sometimes people hit their numbers and you're like, no, this person isn't it.
13:40
SPEAKER_00: Like they're not a good fit, or they are a great fit.
13:42
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we want to try to find these people figure this out in the um interview process.
13:49
SPEAKER_00: But when you hire people, you and I both know that sometimes they do great in the interview and they get on and you're like, oh, they were fake in it.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: Um, so your soft skills that you said that you were looking for, there's four of them.
14:02
SPEAKER_00: So, number one, you're looking for attitude.
14:04
SPEAKER_00: So, like, what does that mean in your office?
14:06
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, a positive attitude, we know what that means.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: But like, what are you specifically looking for as they are participating with your team from an attitude standpoint?
14:15
SPEAKER_01: Right.
14:15
SPEAKER_01: So, just being a team player, wanting to help everybody out in the office, being excited about getting the patients back, meeting new patients, um, and just overall bubbly, happy to be here, positive attitude, team player wanting to help out.
14:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, those are things that we look for.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
14:33
SPEAKER_00: And then from there, I think that's probably the easiest one to identify.
14:37
SPEAKER_00: Um, then from there is coachable.
14:39
SPEAKER_00: So I know sometimes hygienists come in and they're like, nope, I'm a hygienist.
14:43
SPEAKER_00: I've been doing this for 50 years and this is the way I do it.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, okay, well, we're a little bit different in our how our office is structured is structured.
14:51
SPEAKER_00: What are you looking for when you say coachable?
14:54
SPEAKER_01: So I think one of the biggest things too, and maybe this might be going backwards a little bit, is checking that box even before they're onboarded.
15:02
SPEAKER_01: Of course, they can say yes, they're okay with everything, but we're very upfront of we are a growing practice, so we're very upfront with um how our offices run and how we do things, and it is a little bit different than other offices.
15:17
SPEAKER_01: And I like to say that I've been a hygienist for 14 or 15 years, and I've done things a lot differently than what I do now, and it's okay to change and learn and grow, and it actually can be good for you.
15:29
SPEAKER_01: Um, as far as in the office, um I think the biggest thing is when you're going through these systems and working with them and you're going through that shadow day and then their first initial day and how much they're taking in, how much they're actually trying to integrate those systems into their day-to-day.
15:48
SPEAKER_00: Love that.
15:48
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
15:49
SPEAKER_00: So coachable is something that you're like up front, you're like, we're different.
15:53
SPEAKER_00: So you're I know you guys pointed out and your page was really good about explaining what's in your job, uh, descriptions and things like that.
15:59
SPEAKER_00: So that way people already know this is a different kind of office.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: Um, so it's probably scaring away the people who don't want to change or don't like the way that you guys do things.
16:10
SPEAKER_00: And then one thing that I love about your hygiene team, you want people who are growth-minded.
16:15
SPEAKER_00: So a lot of dentists, I think, are looking for people who are just kind of stuck and they're just gonna stay in one lane forever.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: You're looking for people who are looking to expand their hygiene career and their future opportunities.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: Yes, most definitely.
16:29
SPEAKER_01: A growth mindset is good because we are constantly changing and learning, learning, and different technology.
16:35
SPEAKER_01: And technology is not a bad thing, it can be a great thing.
16:38
SPEAKER_01: So there's a lot of different things we do in the office, and I don't think there's anything stopping Dr.
16:43
SPEAKER_01: Hamblin, that's for sure.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: Yes, he's very determined.
16:46
SPEAKER_00: Okay, and then lastly, and probably most importantly, is ethics.
16:50
SPEAKER_00: So what comes up a lot, Autumn, as I talk about this publicly, like in social media and stuff, is that I talk about the bonus systems, and a lot some hygienists are like, that's not ethical.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: I don't think bonus systems are ethical.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
17:03
SPEAKER_00: To be honest with you, I understand what they're saying because they're like, you don't want a hygienist that's coming in to game the system, game insurance, game the office, game the patience.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: You want people who are gonna take care of the patients first.
17:17
SPEAKER_00: How, how have you uh how do you protect that culture of ethics?
17:23
SPEAKER_00: Because you do have bonus systems, you do want the hygienist pointing out work that needs to be done, but you don't want people abusing the system either.
17:32
SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
17:32
SPEAKER_01: And I think it's very important.
17:34
SPEAKER_01: So I think that the biggest thing is making sure that all of our guidelines are roughly the same.
17:40
SPEAKER_01: So there may be somebody that thinks that somebody needs an a deep cleaning where the next hygienist may not.
17:48
SPEAKER_01: So I think the biggest thing is getting on the same page with the doctor as far as how he would like us to help treatment plan and how come up with a middle ground of when we diagnose certain things so that way we're all pretty much they may see another hygienist in the practice and have a total different opinion as far as the cleaning and what they need, and then come to me and I'm like, wait, you don't need that.
18:12
SPEAKER_01: So it's very important that we're all on the same page.
18:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: So just so that that just comes from communication and learning.
18:20
SPEAKER_00: And I think your triangle method probably helps with that, right?
18:23
SPEAKER_00: Because you're out here saying stuff over the patient, and the doctor's like, they gotta have received that.
18:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and they need you to be on the same page.
18:31
SPEAKER_00: So if something doesn't align with the triangle, is the doctor pulling somebody aside and saying, Hey, I didn't see that, here's why.
18:38
SPEAKER_01: Yes, or they'll even come to me.
18:39
SPEAKER_01: So, hey, they may think, which I've had this before too, is they may come to me and say, I think so and so might need to take a step back, and they're kind of diagnosing certain cleanings a little bit more aggressively than maybe our office aligns with.
18:55
SPEAKER_01: Um, so then that's when I can take that hygienesis side and make sure that they're on the same page as the rest of us.
19:01
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's awesome.
19:03
SPEAKER_00: Sorry, I dropped dropped something there.
19:04
SPEAKER_00: Um that's amazing.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: And is that is that normal to happen?
19:08
SPEAKER_00: Like, is that a normal thing?
19:09
SPEAKER_00: Uh that like, hey, we need to we need to make sure we get aligned on this.
19:13
SPEAKER_00: Is that something that happens regularly?
19:14
SPEAKER_01: Um, I don't know if I would say that it's normal.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: I think we're unique.
19:19
SPEAKER_01: I don't think every practice does that.
19:21
SPEAKER_01: I don't I haven't worked in a practice that's been more like they want to be similar and um, you know, work as a team.
19:29
SPEAKER_01: So I think it's more Yeah.
19:31
SPEAKER_00: Most offices are like the hygienist cleans the teeth.
19:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
19:34
SPEAKER_00: And then the doctor comes in and decides what they're gonna talk about.
19:38
unknown: Right.
19:38
SPEAKER_00: Right?
19:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
19:39
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
19:40
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
19:40
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
19:41
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so now let's get into the thing that everybody loves.
19:43
SPEAKER_00: The doctors love this, hygienists love this.
19:45
SPEAKER_00: The KPIs, the hard skill stuff, right?
19:47
SPEAKER_00: The stuff that we can put on a piece of paper and we can measure.
19:50
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so you have four different levers that you're watching.
19:55
SPEAKER_00: So you you onboard somebody and then you have a lot of hygienists and it's very busy.
20:00
SPEAKER_00: So you need easy numbers to be able to look.
20:03
SPEAKER_00: Are people in range?
20:05
SPEAKER_00: Are they out of range?
20:06
SPEAKER_00: Are they overdoing something?
20:07
SPEAKER_00: Are they underdoing something?
20:09
SPEAKER_00: And there's four different things that you look at.
20:11
SPEAKER_00: So the first one is their reappointment rate.
20:14
SPEAKER_00: So if they're below 90%, like huge alarms are going off.
20:20
SPEAKER_00: Like, and you're looking office-wide as well as individual, 95% is like or above is amazing.
20:27
SPEAKER_00: And then 90% is like that's where everybody should be.
20:30
SPEAKER_00: That's like your your your baseline.
20:33
SPEAKER_00: Um, you use practice by numbers to track this.
20:35
SPEAKER_00: Any any added context to that KPI that people should know?
20:39
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's really, I think the biggest thing, and what I love about tracking it on practice by numbers, then I actually just this morning in our huddle brought it up with our other hygienists that were here because we are below 90%.
20:52
SPEAKER_01: So it's a matter of like, why is this 90%?
20:55
SPEAKER_01: Even my number was low.
20:56
SPEAKER_01: So I was panicking.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: But that's a good time that when we have downtime, you look we get busy.
21:03
SPEAKER_01: There's days that patients get missed, or a treatment coordinator took over because your next patient was here, and maybe that that person just got missed and didn't get their appointment scheduled.
21:13
SPEAKER_01: So it's just very important that we go through those patients and look to see who didn't schedule so we can keep on track with that because it may be Joe that comes in every six months and we didn't schedule his next appointment for him.
21:26
SPEAKER_01: So it's just a good um, it's a good number to have and it helps keep us on track and helps keep the patients on track too.
21:33
SPEAKER_01: Cause they rely on us to make sure that their appointments are scheduled or that we're reminding them.
21:39
SPEAKER_01: They're not going to remember.
21:40
SPEAKER_00: I know, I know medical professionals hate when I use this comparison, but it it's it's a good comparison.
21:44
SPEAKER_00: It's it's no different than your oil change on your car, right?
21:47
SPEAKER_00: Like you know you're supposed to get it done every three to six thousand miles.
21:51
SPEAKER_00: And if you get out of there, like they have processes that like they put a sticker on your on your window, right?
21:56
SPEAKER_00: They're like, here's a little sticker right by where you're driving, so you remember your next.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: Appointment and how long it needs to be, and then they also know ballpark when that time will be.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: They don't know exactly how many miles you're gonna drive, so they start reaching out to you around that time as well.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: So um that's huge.
22:11
SPEAKER_00: The patients need that, the patients forget, they get busy, and uh, so that's that's a huge number.
22:17
SPEAKER_00: The other thing that you look at is fluoride.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: So how many patients are being present or what percentage of patients are being presented fluoride?
22:25
SPEAKER_00: So it's below 50%, is like red flag, 50% is your baseline, 60% is like stellar.
22:32
SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
22:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we look and the good thing in our office too is we have two different I call it vitamin treatments.
22:39
SPEAKER_01: So we have a fluoride treatment, we have a non-fluorate, because you know we got to speak to everybody out there because some people don't want to do fluoride right now.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: Fluoride, fluoride, rot your brain out.
22:48
SPEAKER_01: Yes, exactly.
22:49
SPEAKER_01: So we have two different options with that, and so I think the biggest thing, and I always tell the hygienists too, like these numbers and KPIs are not to beat down on anybody.
23:00
SPEAKER_01: They're to if I have a 40% fluoride acceptance rate and so-and-so has 70%, I want to know what she's doing differently than she's gonna have more healthy patients.
23:12
SPEAKER_00: She's gonna have like, yeah, because the fluoride, I'm I don't like eating fluoride, like I don't drink fluoride, but I I know it does help your teeth, like for sure, right?
23:21
SPEAKER_00: So um I'm one of those patients that's like, hey, what are the options?
23:25
SPEAKER_00: So I'm actually interested.
23:26
SPEAKER_00: How do you how do you present the two different options?
23:29
SPEAKER_00: Or do you just present fluoride and they're like, no, I don't like fluoride, do you just pivot right to the vitamins?
23:34
SPEAKER_01: So typically when I'm talking to the patient while I'm cleaning them, I'll talk to them about how a vitamin treatment could help them.
23:40
SPEAKER_01: And then after the appointment's done, I'll set them up and say, Would you like any of the vitamin treatments?
23:45
SPEAKER_01: And they'll ask me what that is, and then I'll let them know, well, we have a fluoride and a non-fluoride.
23:50
SPEAKER_01: We have basically a more natural version that's hydroxyapatite, and then we have our actual fluoride.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: And at that point, most of the time, they'll ask me, Well, which one would you do?
24:00
SPEAKER_01: And I'll just give my opinion and I'll say, Okay, we'll go ahead and do that.
24:03
SPEAKER_00: What is your what do you do?
24:04
SPEAKER_00: Uh no, I want to know.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: Fluoride.
24:06
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: Okay, cool.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: Okay, cool.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: And then um, and then when a hygienist is lower, like let's say someone's new and they're at 40% or 30%, what are you doing to walk them through to get them to the 70%?
24:19
SPEAKER_00: Are you just having them shadow the 70% person?
24:22
SPEAKER_01: No, so again, that's where kind of not necessarily role-playing, but just going over that verbal.
24:27
SPEAKER_01: Like, hey, just what you just did there.
24:30
SPEAKER_01: Uh what are you saying to your patients that you have a 70% fluoride rate?
24:34
SPEAKER_01: What do you tell them?
24:35
SPEAKER_01: And that's what we've done in the past.
24:37
SPEAKER_01: And it really does help because whatever they're saying is working.
24:40
SPEAKER_01: So we may as well all be on the same page there.
24:43
SPEAKER_00: What's your scripting for that?
24:44
SPEAKER_00: Like, what do you what would you say if I can't, if I was a hygienist and I'm like, I'm at 40% and autumn, you're amazing.
24:49
SPEAKER_00: You have 70% of your patients saying yes.
24:52
SPEAKER_00: What's your scripting for that?
24:53
SPEAKER_00: Like, what's your go-to?
24:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, for fluoride?
24:57
SPEAKER_00: For fluoride, which is it just what you just said with the vitamin pack?
25:00
SPEAKER_00: Is that all it is?
25:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
25:01
SPEAKER_01: Well, that that is our big thing, is while we're cleaning the patient, is going over maybe reasons why they would need it or why you would recommend it.
25:12
SPEAKER_01: Um, most of the time the biggest complaint is sensitivity or they've got like certain root exposure that's suquasensitive or maybe more prone to cavities.
25:22
SPEAKER_01: So then I'll talk to them about that treatment, and then that's what I'll set them up and say, which one would you like to do today?
25:29
SPEAKER_00: So you're not giving, you're not saying, do you want to do it?
25:32
SPEAKER_00: You're saying which do you want to do?
25:33
SPEAKER_00: I want, I want the audience to catch that.
25:35
SPEAKER_01: Which one would you like?
25:36
SPEAKER_01: And then they'll ask you, well, which one do you think is better?
25:38
SPEAKER_01: Or the biggest thing is cost difference.
25:40
SPEAKER_01: They both cost the same.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: So they both cost okay, yeah.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: And and I love that.
25:45
SPEAKER_00: It's like anybody who has kids, no, you don't ask your kids, hey, do you want vegetables with dinner tonight?
25:50
SPEAKER_00: You say, Do you want broccoli or green beans?
25:52
SPEAKER_00: You're eating one.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: And so when you do that, you have a higher acceptance rate than if you just said, Hey kids, do you want broccoli tonight?
26:00
SPEAKER_00: The kids are always gonna say no.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: So you it's same the same thing with with uh with fluoride and then lasers.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: So you guys' office, and I hygienists love this.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: So, this, as I talked about this in our podcast, like the hygienists were like, This is awesome! We love the lasers, we love the microscopes.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: They you guys are really, really big on that.
26:19
SPEAKER_00: And I know the doctors really support you guys in using this technology to help the patients.
26:25
SPEAKER_00: So, your target for lasers every month is 70 lasers um total.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: How are you like how do you think through that?
26:34
SPEAKER_00: How do you get to that number?
26:36
SPEAKER_00: Is it like each person's getting a certain amount?
26:38
SPEAKER_00: Or how do you guys tackle that?
26:40
SPEAKER_01: Right.
26:41
SPEAKER_01: So um most of us or the hygienists in the office, our goal is to have about two lasers a day.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: Um, if most of us get that, then we're we'll hit our goal.
26:52
SPEAKER_01: Um there's going to be off days with that, or all of a sudden you're gonna see all these patients that don't have any bleeding, you don't see any need for it.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: But most of the time, if you can hit one to two lasers a day per hygienist, you'll hit that goal.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's easy then.
27:06
SPEAKER_00: So two a day.
27:07
SPEAKER_00: And then how are you incorporating the microscope into the lasers?
27:11
SPEAKER_00: Like, how do how do you guys think through that?
27:12
SPEAKER_01: So we always do microscope on every new patient.
27:16
SPEAKER_01: Um, if I have a patient that maybe's been coming in for a while and they're not new, and we've got a microscope, and our office is fairly new.
27:25
SPEAKER_01: I might have a stubborn patient that has had bleeding consistently every six months for the last two years.
27:32
SPEAKER_01: I would bust out that microscope and do a sample on them so I can physically show them the bacteria that's in there.
27:39
SPEAKER_01: And then maybe that would help increase the acceptance that you know he's been turning down for the last two years.
27:46
SPEAKER_00: Okay, perfect.
27:46
SPEAKER_00: And then lastly, and probably the biggest is your bonus system.
27:51
SPEAKER_00: So you guys actually don't, you're not making top of your market, your hygiene team, their, you know, the if if everybody in your market's making, I forget the number, but it's like let's say it's$65, you're not paying$65.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: You're probably playing closer to$60,$55.
28:06
SPEAKER_00: But you guys have a bonus system that if you use the triangle method, if you're using the microscopes and the fluoride, and you are doing all the things that you're supposed to be doing, you actually make way more than what the going hourly rate is in your market.
28:22
SPEAKER_00: How do you explain that to your hygiene team?
28:25
SPEAKER_00: Because I I remember from our last episode that we did, you were like, when you came on board, you were like, hey, I don't, how's this gonna work?
28:32
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
28:33
SPEAKER_00: Like, is this really all it's cracked up to be?
28:36
SPEAKER_01: Right.
28:36
SPEAKER_01: So it was.
28:37
SPEAKER_01: It was a little, it made me nervous a little bit, but I think one, we have a good base pay, and then everything else on top of that, if we're doing everything, we're supposed to, if we are hitting our KKIs.
28:50
SPEAKER_01: Um and basically I always just tell the other hygienists, treat everybody like your family and how you would, you know, treat them as far as what you would recommend for them.
29:01
SPEAKER_01: Treat them like your family, like your sister or your brother.
29:04
SPEAKER_01: And I think the money just comes with that, um, as far as bonusing.
29:08
SPEAKER_01: I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary, I'm not doing anything unethically, I'm just treating them as if they're a family member.
29:15
SPEAKER_01: And then, you know, we're getting compensated for that.
29:18
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, dude.
29:18
SPEAKER_00: So I think sometimes too, and maybe I could be wrong about this.
29:21
SPEAKER_00: So correct me if I'm wrong, but it's like we kind of prejudge people, right?
29:25
SPEAKER_00: I know I do when I talk to Dennis.
29:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, oh, they're not going to be able to afford this, or they're not, they're not, they don't want this.
29:31
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to bug them about this.
29:33
SPEAKER_00: But I think what the bonus system does for your office is just like what you said, everybody gets treated like it's your mom.
29:39
SPEAKER_00: And mom, you really need to do this.
29:41
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
29:41
SPEAKER_00: Like, I know it's a little bit more, but you need your gums need it.
29:45
SPEAKER_00: Your teeth need it.
29:46
SPEAKER_00: Um, I I absolutely love that mentality.
29:49
SPEAKER_00: And I love that Dr.
29:50
SPEAKER_00: Blake, as well as other doctors, have empowered you guys to do what's in the best interest of the patient.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: And that usually ends up in an economic upside for you guys as well.
30:02
SPEAKER_00: That's great.
30:02
SPEAKER_00: For sure.
30:03
SPEAKER_00: Totally.
30:04
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
30:04
SPEAKER_00: Anything, any last words, Autumn, or anything else that we didn't cover that I might have forgot to ask?
30:09
SPEAKER_01: I don't think so.
30:10
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
30:11
SPEAKER_00: Well, you did a great job.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for coming on.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: I know podcasting isn't like your main thing.
30:15
SPEAKER_00: So I appreciate you being like, you know what?
30:17
SPEAKER_00: I'm not a podcaster, but I'll come on and share with you.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: You did a great job.
30:20
SPEAKER_00: And I know a lot of people are gonna be scary.
30:24
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
30:24
SPEAKER_00: You did a great job.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much, Autumn.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: Awesome, thank you.
30:27
SPEAKER_01: Bye bye.