Case Studies from Dental Practice Management Consultants Debbie Castagna & Virginia Moore

Case Study #1: How to Help the Do-It-All Young Dentist
The demands on your time and energy sometimes seem endless: your family, practice, friends, staff, personal and professional obligations, exercise, faith, finances -- the list goes on and on.

It may be a rich, full life, yet it's not uncommon for many of us to feel as though some one or something on the list is getting the short end of the stick. Without question, it's a common concern for many of the dentists we work with. I recently met with a young dentist. He had cancelled several meetings over the previous 18 months, explaining that he was having problems with the staff he inherited from the previous practice owner. Read the entire case study.

Case Study #2: The Case of the Missed Opportunity
Virginia and I were in Portland on a business trip. Her flight to Redding left two hours before mine so I stayed in town, poked around and had lunch in a busy little café.  I was lucky enough to get the last table. I noticed a woman looking for a place to sit and she asked if she could join me.  We exchanged all the normal pleasantries, "Where are you from?", "What do you do?", etc.
 
As we all know, as soon as someone finds out you're in dentistry, it's only a matter of time before you hear about their own dental experiences - good and bad. My new friend Rhonda was no exception.
 
Having recently moved to Florida, she was the first in her family to establish herself with a new dentist.  Her husband, a successful executive, had a list of dentists on his company's plan, and she chose someone convenient to their home.  Here is Rhonda's account of her New Patient Visit. Read the entire case study.

Case Study #3: The Doctor Who Felt Backed Into A Corner
Dr. Jones has had quite a year!  Here's the Reader's Digest Condensed version:

-- Growing family.
-- Move to a beautiful new facility (along with the highs and lows that come with this kind of project).
-- Added hygiene days.
-- Part-time staff member lost.
-- Lead dental assistant is expecting!
-- New assistant hired -- great person but less than a year of experience.

Wow! Our eyes have been on his expense projections, which thankfully, have been more or less on target. What have not been on target are collections... they're lagging, largely due to a short-staffed front desk. Read the entire case study.