Treatment Coordination – proactive diary planning

Are Your Diary Zones Ready for the Holiday Season?

As the holiday season approaches (yes we are on the countdown to Easter or the May half term) balancing the schedules of your Treatment Coordinator and clinicians becomes a puzzle.

How do we maintain a seamless patient experience while accommodating annual leave?

The key lies in strategic diary zoning. By rethinking your scheduling approach, you can ensure TCOs remain productive and patients receive timely care upon the dentist’s return. This not only prevents backlog but also demonstrates a proactive mindset.

In your next management meeting, why not delve into how minor adjustments in your diaries could lead to major improvements in clinic efficiency and patient satisfaction.

The TCO role should not grind to a halt just because clinicians are on annual leave, and the clinicians shouldn’t be left in the lurch as the TCO is on annual leave either!

One question I often ask is.. is your patient experience protected?

Do you have a backup TCO?

Add these items to your agenda and review how you can protect the business and patient experience.

Laura

Treatment Coordination – are you the 1 in 10?

The one in ten. I may be aging myself but that is a catchy song from my younger years! I was only 2 when it was released but it has remained a classic sing-along that most people I know enjoy.

The meaning of the song related to employment in the 80’s. One in ten were claiming unemployment benefit in West Midlands in the summer of 1981.

These last few weeks I have had personal experiences with recruitment for my new clinic, so many applications for the front-of-house role in a matter of hours and 4 applicants for a qualified and experienced dental nurse within 12 hours and a few more have rolled in since. There were many more for a trainee nurse position too.

However, I shall stop digressing and get to the point… this blog is all about

Treatment Coordination!

Why did I start to think about the UB40 classic one in ten?

The reason why is that I estimate that only 1 in 10 clinics that have a TCO are using the role correctly:

• The role is not being fully utilised
• You do not have different methods for high-value patients and general patients
• You have set up the role to call leads – TCOs do not work from reception and the main aspect of the role is holding appointments with patients such as a free consultation for high-value patients.

If you are not the one in 10 then it is time to start reviewing how you are using the TCO role in your clinic.

You are welcome to book a call from the website or by clicking here

Laura

Dentistry Census – treatment coordinator key for ‘time poor’ teams

See what Laura Horton had to say in Dentistry’s latest article on the Dentistry Census, the profession explains how the role of a treatment coordinator is key to getting ‘time poor’ teams back on track in treating patients.

This is according to three keen advocates of the role who spoke to Dentistry this week, as Dentistry Census statistics reveal only one quarter of practices (25%) in the UK currently include the role within their team.

Figures show 27% of the profession consider a treatment coordinator either ‘very important’ or ‘essential’ to the success of any dental practice but many owners remain reluctant to invest – even though dental teams are ‘overworked and stretched’.

Click here to read the article on the Dentistry website.

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