Numbers That Matter in Your Practice That You May Be Missing!

Course Objectives

1. Build Confidence in Understanding Dental Practice Metrics
   Learners will increase awareness of essential financial and operational metrics, moving from “gut feeling” leadership to data-driven decision-making.
   
   
2. Distinguish Between Fixed and Variable Costs
   Learners will accurately categorize expenses, understand how overhead is influenced by spending behaviors, and identify misclassified items that skew financial clarity.
   
   
3. Analyze Hygiene Department Performance Beyond 3.3x Pay
   Learners will evaluate multiple hygiene indicators—including percentage of office production, perio percentage, new patient flow, and unfilled time—to identify deeper performance patterns.
   
   
4. Utilize KPI Trends to Predict Practice Growth or Decline
   Learners will use 3–6 month performance trends (e.g., exams, treatment planning, case acceptance, hygiene capacity) to forecast staffing, financial health, and expansion needs.
   
   
5. Assess Practice Readiness for Hiring Associates
   Learners will analyze hygiene demand, operatory capacity, and exam volume/mix to determine when to responsibly introduce a new doctor into the practice.
   
   
6. Improve Accuracy in Bookkeeping Reports
   Learners will identify commonly miscategorized items (e.g., lab vs. supply expenses, marketing vs. office expenses), and work with bookkeepers to improve clarity and reporting accuracy.
   
   
7. Evaluate Production and Case Acceptance Metrics by Exam Type
   Learners will assess their dollar-per-exam metrics, especially for new patients, limited, and periodic exams, to gauge clinical efficiency and strategic use of doctor time.
   
   
8. Recognize Early Warning Signs of Overwhelm and Production Bottlenecks
   Learners will identify signals such as excessive hygiene recall volume, too many doctor exams, or flatlining case acceptance as signs that systems or capacity need to change.
   
   
9. Audit Insurance and Patient AR Separately for Collection Health
   Learners will track AR aging by source, improve narratives and documentation for insurance claims, and proactively address failed payment methods and missed patient collections.
   
   
10. Make Confident, Forecast-Based Business Decisions
    Learners will practice making growth decisions (e.g., hiring, marketing, expansion) based on clean, organized data—rather than fear, urgency, or emotional pressure.