THE VALUE OF HAVING A DAILY PRODUCTION MEETING TO IMPROVE SERVICE TO YOUR PATIENTS

Coordination is one of the most vital functions of running a successful practice and can often be a turning point for a practice in improving service and working as a team to deliver exceptional service to patients.

I recommend starting each day with a fast, 10 minute, production meeting to provide an opportunity for all staff to get in communication and get coordinated with regard to the following.

1. which patients are coming in
2. what the production looks like for the day and what needs to be produced to make financial benchmarks.
3. any special announcements that all staff should be aware of
4. monthly promotions
5. who is going to be working on reactivation calls to get past patients back into the office
6. coordination on existing or new protocol

All staff, including office manager, owner, associates and general staff, play an active role in this meeting by being:

1. on time
2. prepared with relevant charts and information
3. focused on what needs to be accomplished for the day
4. Keep the meetings up beat and positive

A good example of how a staff member could greatly contribute during this meeting is as follows. 

A patient who is coming in today has a lengthy treatment plan but was only scheduled for a small aspect of the treatment plan today.  You just found out there is a cancelled appointment and/or free time in the schedule.  You suggest that the patient could be quite willing to extend the time of the visit to have more treatment done. By conveying this to the entire staff at the meeting, everyone can act in coordination.  When the patient arrives, a concentrated effort can be made to motivate the patient to complete more treatment during today’s visit. 

This approach is of benefit to the patient and the practice.  It is always best for a patient to complete his/her treatment plan as soon as possible to avoid additional problems and costs.

Another example could be the office manager using the meeting time to go over a promotion that the office is running and role play drilling the staff on how to inform patients of the promotion so that the staff feel comfortable and can provide all the information necessary to scheduled patients.

You could also use this meeting, if you are the owner, to go over any new treatment protocols and can drill the staff so they are comfortable with the new protocol, ensuring that patients receive the best possible service.

These are just a few examples of the value of the morning meeting.

Implementing a daily morning meeting can establish a better team, improve service and care to patients and increase the financial viability of the practice as a result!