DECEMBER 2015

A N E W S L E T T E R F O R C L I E N T S O F T R O J A N P R O F E S S I O N A L S E R V I C E S , I N C .

VOLUME 17 ISSUE 12 MAY 2017

A N E W S L E T T E R F O R C L I E N T S O F T R O J A N P R O F E S S I O N A L S E R V I C E S , I N C .

VOLUME 19 ISSUE 05

When I consulted with a practice that didn’t display a high degree of teamwork, I asked the group to individually describe the word “teamwork”.

Various interpretations emerged: • Some employees described teamwork as everyone

having a title and duties and everyone doing those duties daily, hoping the outcome is favorable.

• Others said teamwork is a group of people working together toward a common goal.

• Still others stated teamwork means enhanced communication from person to person for the betterment of the outcome.

• Teamwork has also been described as members seeing something that needs to be done and doing it without being asked, often without expecting acknowledgment for the deed.

All these descriptions are correct and lend credence to the others. In other words, they are all important to the overall success of the practice, satisfaction of the dentist and team, and service to patients.

AttitudeOne of the most important aspects of being an exceptional team player is having a positive attitude toward patients, dentistry, and co-workers. Demonstrating “what I can do for the practice” versus “what the practice can do for me” is one of the best attributes of a true professional. One bad attitude can bring everyone’s level of enthusiasm down. Coming to work happy and going home happy-tired (versus stressed-out-tired) is a goal everyone should embrace.

PerformancePerformance at the highest level is exhibited when team members walk their talk daily and share extra duties. The opposite of this is having a “that’s-not-my-job” performance record. Patients pick up on body language and attitude of each person in the practice. Those thinking they are above doing menial tasks are NOT true team players. Luckily, most of those who work in dental offices are true team players who want to be part of a winning practice. Their performance means more than just patient care.

Successful practices thrive when team members are in harmony with the dentist’s vision and the practice’s professional goals. Having a team of dedicated team players is every dentist’s dream.

Teamwork: Every Dentist’s Dreamby Linda Miles

Trojan Today provides a forum for industry professionals to offer a diversity of information and to provide ideas and suggestions in the area of practice management. These articles are meant to be informative and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Trojan Professional Services, Inc. 2

RespectWhen members of the team do not receive the respect they deserve, they cannot be true team players! Why? In order to give respect, a person must receive it. I’ve met some team members who were not treated well because their employers viewed them as a necessary aggravation. Sometimes the employer resented their salaries and transferred this lack of respect to other team members and even to patients. Ever wonder why some practices have eight broken appointments per week in hygiene while others have eight per month? One of the reasons could be the lack of respect from one professional to another. It is impossible to have a team attitude in a negative environment. Patients will not respect the hygienist’s time to a higher degree than the dentist and other team members do. Respect truly plays a significant role in teamwork. People naturally support those who support and care about them!

There’s an exercise client offices can do to improve teamwork. Each person:

1 Writes at the top of a piece of paper the definition of the word “teamwork” and notes one of the best parts of being on this particular team.

2 Writes the following: “One of my goals for this year is to become a better team player. List one thing that I can (or should) do to make this happen.”

3 Passes the paper around the table and asks co-workers to write one thing, folding the paper over twice to protect the previous person’s response.

4 Takes his/her own paper home and reads the suggestions.

In most practices, this simple exercise has been instrumental in creating an awareness of what one person on the staff needs from the others to enhance the team concept. Even the dentists participate as they are certainly part of the team! No one takes the suggestions personally and most practices report it was the best thing they have ever done to communicate needs from person to person. I’ve received thank you notes from dozens of people with comments such as “my dentist has a new employee since this exercise and it’s ME.” A few people have told me it was so effective in their practices they did the exercise with their families to create a stronger line of communication. It’s all about improved communication, which is the major challenge in most relationships.

What does it take to succeed as a team? One third of each staff member’s value is the ability to do the duties they were hired to perform. This includes business staff, clinical assistants, and hygienists. The second third of one’s value is the ability to be a team player and have a positive attitude. The final one third of one’s value is the ability to be enthusiastic about dentistry and able to communicate effectively with each patient to set the stage for positive case acceptance.

When the entire practice realizes the power of the team in moving in the same direction at the same time with a true team spirit, the sky’s the limit.

Quote-WorthyComing together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.

— Henry Ford“ ”

Linda Miles, CSP, CMC, is Founder of Linda Miles and Associates.

FMI: lindamiles@cox.net or www.AskLindaMiles.com

Trojan Today provides a forum for industry professionals to offer a diversity of information and to provide ideas and suggestions in the area of dental practice management. These articles are meant to be informative and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Trojan Professional Services, Inc. 3

Ask the Consultant

We have recently had two different insurance companies deny code D4341. Both our patients have class 3 perio and qualified

in every quadrant. We submitted a FMX along with current perio charting. They denied it, saying benefits are only available when loss of attachment consistent with destruction of the periodontal ligament and loss of the adjacent bone support. I appealed twice and they denied both times. We’ve been submitting claims the same way for 20+ years and now this has started happening. Any advice would be appreciated.

You have done everything you could to help the patient. At this point, my recommendation is to have your patient take a copy of the

claims and denials to their employer. The employer pays for the benefits and has more clout than the dentist.

If we are contracted with an insurance company that does not cover a particular dental procedure, do we have to bill the

patient the contracted fee or can we bill our office fee?

Most PPO plans say you must charge the contracted fee. Check the PPO contract to see what the contract states.

Responses provided by Kathleen Johnson, President of Kathleen Johnson Consulting.

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Trojan Today provides a forum for industry professionals to offer a diversity of information and to provide ideas and suggestions in the area of dental practice management. These articles are meant to be informative and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Trojan Professional Services, Inc.

Trojan provides support services to dental practices: improving case acceptance, production, and collections.

T R O J A N T O D A Y PHONE: 1-800-451-9723 • E-MAIL: nikkim@trojanonline.com • www.trojanonline.com • Published monthly by Trojan Professional Services, Inc., P.O. Box 1270, Los Alamitos, CA 90720 and distributed to members of the dental profession. Statements of opinion in TROJAN TODAY do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Trojan Professional Services, Inc. or the Editor. Neither Trojan Professional Services, Inc., Trojan Today, its Editor or staff assume any liability in connection with the use or implementation of any policies or procedures discussed in this newsletter. Trojan Today is distributed as a newsletter and with the understanding that neither the publisher, the Editor or the staff is rendering professional or legal services of any kind. If legal or professional advice of any other kind is required in connection with topics discussed in this newsletter, competent advice should be sought.

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Meeting Place May 4-6, 2017 Anaheim, CA2017 CDA Booth #1520

July 7, 2017 Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Dental Society Technology Panel

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June 15-16, 2017 San Diego, CA Hands on Dental2Medical Billing with Christine Taxin www.links2success.biz/

June 23, 2017 San Diego, CAJumpstart with Debbie Seidel-Bittke www.events.dentalpracticesolutions.com

Seminars

TROJAN Closings May 29 Memorial Day

July 4 Independence Day

Magic of LinkingDo you have Trojan Benefit Service with the ability to attach Trojan Benefit Plans to your patient’s coverage table? If you answered yes, you need to know this!

For every Trojan Benefit Plan you link, those patients’ insurances and coverage tables may update without your even knowing it. How can that be? Here’s an example.

• Each Trojan Benefit Plan has its very own Trojan Plan Number. Let’s say you have linked Trojan Plan Number 12345 to five patients in your practice management system. These five patients all have three things in common:

1. Same employer

2. Same group/policy number

3. Same Trojan Plan Number linked to their file in the practice management system

• Next, you, or maybe even another Trojan client, asks Trojan to update Trojan Plan Number 12345 for just ONE PATIENT.

• While only ONE PATIENT was researched by Trojan, when you process your update, ALL FIVE OF THOSE PATIENTS WILL BE UPDATED. Same Trojan Plan Number, same employer, different insurance and/or different benefits are populated into the patient’s file in your practice management system.

We’d say that’s downright magical! Each time you process your weekly update, you’ll have no idea how many of your patients are actually being updated behind the scenes!

To make the best use of your time, prioritize the patients for linking in this order:1. New patients

2. Patients of record with new insurance

3. Patients whose coverage hasn’t changed.

Don’t forget to link! Take a little time today to save a lot of time in the future.

To learn how to link properly, please contact your Trainers at 800-451-9723, Ext. 5. We’re here to help!

Service Savvy