You are a CEO – Create a quality-minded practice

Whether your annual cash receipts exceed the million-dollar mark or you are at a more modest level, the fact remains the same - you are running a business. You are the leader and it is your responsibility to set quality standards.

The pro-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus said that one can never step in the same river twice. He meant that the world is a place of constant change; so, too, is your dental practice. By having an established set of quality standards that act as an anchor, your business can move ahead when the waters are smooth and ride it out during the storms that periodically blow through every practice.

There are eight essentials that really ought to be in place for a practice to qualify as truly quality-minded:

•A deep understanding of the patients so that their wants can be translated into service.
•A plan to keep improving all operations continuously.
•A system for measuring these improvements accurately.
•A strategic plan based on benchmarks that compare the practice's performance to the world's best.
•A close partnership with patients and associates that feeds improvement back into the practice operation.
•A long-lasting relationship with patients, going beyond the delivery of service to include sales, service and communication.
•A focus on preventing mistakes rather than merely correcting them.
•A commitment to improving quality that runs from the top of the practice to the bottom.

These essentials are fundamental standards that are necessary for your practice to move from the here of current quality to the there of its true competitive potential. Commit to complete patient satisfaction and constant improvement, and develop the discipline to build these beliefs into everything you do.


About the Author
Laura Peters is the administrator of Two Suns Marketing & Design. This firm serves dental professionals exclusively. Laura Peters has been in the public relations and marketing field for over thirteen years.