Case 2

Dr. Beckett’s Dental Office

The classes taken by Dr. Beckett in dental school taught him many things about the technical side of
dentistry but not about the business side. He did not receive formal training in the mechanism of
running a business or understanding customer needs. In fact, professional guidelines do not encourage
marketing or advertising in any form. This was not a big problem 22 years before when Dr. Beckett
began his practice, because profit margins were good at that time. However, the dental care industry
has changed dramatically. Costs have increased as a result of labor laws, malpractice insurance, and the
constant need to invest in equipment updates and staff training when new technologies are introduced.
Dr. Beckett's overhead is now between 70% -80% of income (without calculating wages or office rental
costs).

Because more quality care is more expensive, Dr. Beckett often has to pay fees for fees that are not
covered by their insurance policies. So, if the difference in quality is not substantial, this patient may
decide to switch to a cheaper HMO or other provider.

Redesigning the service delivery system

Moving to a new office gave Dr. Beckett's unique opportunity to rethink almost every aspect of his
service. He wants the work environment to reflect his own personality and values and provide a
pleasant place for his staff to work.

Facilities and equipment

Beckett first looked into the office space available in the city of Northern California where he practiced.
He didn't find anything he liked, so he hired an architect from San Francisco to design a contemporary
office building with lots of light and space. This increases the building cost by $ 100,000, but Dr. Beckett
felt that it would be an important factor in distinguishing his services. Dr.'s new office Beckett is
Scandinavian design, reflects his Swedish heritage and his attention to detail. The reception area and
reception area are filled with modern furniture in shades of brown, gray, green and purple. Living plants
and flowers abound, and the walls are covered with art. Classical music is played softly in the
background. Patients can enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and browse current magazines and newspapers
while waiting for their appointment.

Functional and attractive treatment area. There is a small, soundproof conference room in front of the
office where children can watch movies or play with toys while their parents are cared for. Educational
videos and readings are available here to show different dental procedures and to explain what patients
need to do to maximize the results of their care.

Service Personnel

There are eight employees in dental practice, including Dr. Beckett (who is the only dentist). The seven
staff members are separated by the job function of being "front office" and "back office" workers. Front-
office tasks (borne by two employees) include receptionist and secretarial duties and financial /
budgeting work. The back office is divided into hygienic and assistant side chairs.
Three chair side assistants assisted health experts and Dr. Beckett with treatment procedures. They have
special training for their work but do not need a bachelor's degree. Both hygiene experts handle routine
examinations and dental cleaning, plus several treatment procedures. In many dental offices, health
professionals tend to act like "prime doctor" because of their education (bachelor's degree plus special
training) and experience. According to Dr. Beckett, such an attitude can destroy all possible teamwork
among office staff. He feels very fortunate that his hygiene experts see themselves as part of a larger
team that works together to provide quality care to patients.

Procedure and Patients

By the help of consultants, all office systems (including billing, ordering, practicum, and patient care) are
redesigned. One of the main objectives is to standardize several routine procedures to reduce the
occurrence of errors and ensure that all patients receive the same level of care. Special time is given for
each procedure, and staff work very hard to ensure that these time requirements are met. Office policy
stipulates that patients must continue to wait no more than 20 minutes without being given the option
to reschedule, and employees often call patients first if they know there will be a delay. They also tried
to fill out cancellations to ensure office capacity was maximized. Staff members replace each other if
necessary or help with tasks that are not specifically in their job description to make things run more
smoothly.
Dr. practice Beckett includes around 2,000 "active" patients (and many rarely come). They are mostly
white-collar workers with professional jobs (university employees, health workers, and managers /
owners of local companies). He didn't put up advertisements; all of his new businesses come word of
mouth positively by patients today. Practice Dr. Beckett is so busy that patients often have to wait 3-4
months for cleaning and regular checks (if they don't have an scheduled appointment automatically
every six months), but they don't seem to mind the delay.