today Pacific Dental Conference Mar. 06, 2014

practice matters6 Pacific Dental Conference — March 6, 2014 AD 8 see COO, page 8 By Roxanne Moulden Founder and Executive Director, DOMACAN  In today’s world, dentists have to be savvybusinesspeopleaswellasexcellent clinicians.Organizingasuccessfuldental practice has become more time consum- ing and definitely more complex as each yearpasses. The list seems endless: ever-changing human resource issues, complex govern- ment/provincial/dental regulations, the  There is a new organization to help you train and continually guide your future COO: The Dental Office Managers and Administra- tors of Canada (DOMACAN), created to bridge the gap between the clinical and business sides of dent- istry. (Photo/Provided by DOMACAN) NeedaCOO?Successful practices have a chief operations officer. Does yours? needtotrainnewteammembers,promot- ing the practice in a highly competitive marketplace, meeting patient needs and expectations, mastering new technology —allwhilekeepingtheschedulefull.This is just a sampling of what a 21st century office manager (or, as the position is now called, “practice administrator”) deals withonaweeklybasis. Why the name change from “office manager” to “practice administrator”? It’s because most people do not like to be “managed,” which is something we learned a long time ago. The question is: Should you have an “office manager” or hire a “chief oper- ations officer”? By definition, a COO is responsible for the corporation’s oper- ations. This individual looks after issues related to marketing, sales, production andpersonnel. Morehands-onthantheCEO,theCOO looks after day-to-day activities while providing feedback to the CEO (the den- tist/owner). Doesn’t this sound like what everymoderndentalofficeneedstoday? ‘Ijustwanttododentistry’ I hear over and over again from dentists across the country: “I just want to do dentistryandletsomeoneelsehandlethe rest.”Easiersaidthandone! A dentist in the 21st century office is working harder than ever before trying to balance office hours and family life. He or she is often working evening hours and Saturdays, bringing charts home to treatmentplan—andstayingoncall24/7 for emergencies — to provide exceptional caretopatientsandremaincompetitive. A COO may be just what your office needstorelieveyouofthemanytasksthat couldbedelegatedtosomeoneelse. Mosteffectivepracticeadministrators or COOs are not born that way. You may have a very skilled team member with manyyearsofexperience,butthatperson mostlikelydoesn’tpossessthenecessary leadership skills and abilities to be your COO. WhatmakesagoodCOO? Let’sexaminethequalitiesofagoodCOO. AneffectiveCOOmust: •Possessanattitudeofgratitude. •HaveahighdentalIQandbeemotion- allyintelligent. • Demonstrate strong communication skills. •Excelatmotivatingandleading. •Leadbyexamplesootherswillfollow. • Take initiative and think “outside of thebox.” •Thinkquicklyandsolveproblems. •Understandallsoftwarereports. •Bethemostpositivepersonyouknow. • Be the liaison between the office and accountant, bank, sales reps, market- ingcompanies,etc. •Shareyourpracticevision. Inanutshell:YourCOOmustbeevery- thingyouarenot! Ifyoualreadyhavethispersononyour team,remembertothankthemdaily. If you need someone like this to join yourteam,wheredoyoustarttolook? Whether you promote someone from within your office or hire someone from outside, the key to success is in the train- ingofthisindividual. Did you know there is a new organ- ization to help you train and continually

today Pacific Dental Conference Mar. 06, 2014

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