When the dental team wraps up its morning huddle, team members should walk away motivated, informed and with an extra pep in their step. Like preparing for a big game, a successful morning huddle will boost morale, create excitement and focus everyone on the day ahead.
Generally, morning huddles must be short but packed with good info. About 10 to 15 minutes is enough time to get through your agenda. And yes, you must have one prepared to make the best use of the time.
Timing out the meeting could get tricky. If patients will be around during your scheduled huddle, make sure to stagger appointments and schedules accordingly and give notice at the front desk. Give your patients specifics about why you’re away and reassure them that their dental care and well-being are your top priority. Taking extra steps as a team to prep for patients is evidence of that.
A sample sign could be: “Welcome to our office! We are currently in a meeting to ensure you receive the very highest level of care during your treatment today. We will seat you soon. Thank you for your understanding.”
As you develop a flow to your meetings and craft agendas, keep the following in mind:
- Meetings should go beyond reviewing schedules.
- Short and informative are your goals.
- Everyone must be made aware of scheduling and appointment gaps.
- Motivation and morale-lifting are standing agenda items.
- Focus on the patients and the details. Remember their birthdays and review notes about their preferences during treatment and visits.
Depending on your office setup, you can also huddle by office position. Here’s what a typical agenda outline for your meeting will look like for the schedule coordinator, hygienists and doctors and their team.
Schedule coordinator
- Review the day’s schedule and note new patients. Pinpoint referral source.
- Assess scheduling and logistics for emergency visits.
- Communicate special needs of patients.
- Coordinate and support team members on patient balances, late accounts and other billing matters.
- Discuss patients who might provide a review.
Hygienists
- Prior to huddle, audit all charts for X-rays and perio exams.
- Review patients for the day.
- Discuss exams, coordinate with doctors and assistants.
- Coordinate support from dental assistants.
- Coordinate assistance for special needs patients.
Doctors and assistants
- Prior to huddle, audit patient charts.
- Review patients for the day.
- Discuss special needs patients, new patients and possible treatment for emergency cases.
- Ensure support, front desk coverage and post-op instructions are in line.
- Confirm lab cases.
- Highlight overdue continuing care.
- Review patient treatment plan and discuss any unscheduled dentistry.
- Identify one patient for same-day treatment or overdue exam.
All meetings should end at least several minutes before the first or next patient will be seated. Before you break, reassure your team that they are superstars and that the dental office couldn’t operate without their contributions and passion for excellent dental care.
At Adams Dental Consulting, we understand every dental office has its unique needs and goals. Our job is to be partners and gain insights on how we can best support the entire team. We do so with a range of services, customized action planning and comprehensive strategies that are designed to put your practice out front and ahead.