iDentistry The Journal identistry_jan_april2019 | Page 9

The Journal
*Dr. Bhavdeep Singh Ahuja
My Clinic, My Priority – 25 Practical Tips on Practice
Management
Dental Technology is transforming by the turning hand of the clock. We, the dentists start running this
th
race as early as XI standard in pursuit of glory and as long as we are alive and kicking have to
actually complement the pace to keep up the ante to virtually chase eminence and magnificence. It
has become almost mandatory for most of us to ameliorate our professional prowess and totally
revamp our outlook, perspective and demeanour at the dental science on offer in the quest to offer the
best possible diagnostic protocols and therapeutic regimen to our patients. Those who deduce that
their patients deserve the best, always crave to continually upgrade and keep abreast with the latest.
The plethora of scientific content on offer week after week continues to awaken the common dentist
out of slumber that he has missed the bus and is lagging miles behind all his colleagues in all aspects
viz. technique, expertise, décor, armamentarium etc. That is where the role of Practice Management
comes in.
Introduction
Success doesn’t happen with anyone,
overnight. Running a dental clinic is akin to
running a full-fledged business and can be
attributed as one of the daunting tasks, any
dentist undertakes in his career. Practice
Management is no magical wand that just a
twist here (learn a few tips in the Saturday –
Sunday Workshop) and Monday morning
onwards, more patients start walking in your
clinic. Practice Management is all about
marketing yourself and your practice &
marketing is not only external (and Expensive)
but internal too (and Cheap too). It is difficult for
most of us to presume dentistry as business first
but realistically speaking wherever there is P/L
(Profit and Loss) or I/E (Income and
Expenditure) involved, we have to believe that it
is a business and like in every business, there
are customers. It may be hard for some of us to
think of patients as customers, but they
definitely are customers first. Our customer’s
choices bring thousands and even lacs of
rupees into the clinic's coffers. So treating them
like a customer and offering good service is
paramount.
Most dentists lack the acumen and knowledge
to run the ‘business’ of dentistry where a dentist
has to don multiple hats of a CEO, Accountant,
Manager etc. for the ‘shop’ to grow and thrive.
The base for all this involves certain small but
concrete steps which lay the foundation for
long-term success. At this juncture, the only
thing which is most important is the right
utilization of resources available with us to
march on to the next pedestal called ‘success’.
It is almost mandatory for us to indulge in the
continuous updation and upgradation in the
form of educational seminars and bringing of
newer equipment (in clinic) and the same has
become a permanent phenomenon especially
for those who want to be in sync with the
changing times. With every turn of the hand of
the clock, we have to keep improving the way
we run our practice which helps us breathe
easier under the pressure (competition) and
regain a measure of control over the on-
goings.Our curriculum is such that it doesn’t
teach us the science of ‘business’ as a business
set-up requires a completely different skill set
than our learnt dentistry skills. Sometimes, we
have to be ruthless enough to take valiant
decisions, go against the grain, refuse to
compromise and take the road less traveled by
*Private Practitioner
9
Vol. 15
No. 1
Jan-April 2019