4413268 © Kurhan | Dreamstime.com
66fefe5957c632cccdc33306 Untitled Design 20241003t152716

Principles of Practice Management: To increase production, do less!

Oct. 3, 2024
"When a dentist is doing anything other than creating practice production, the dentist is doing the wrong thing."

Here is a simple and powerful thesis, and one that will define success of your career, at least financially:

When a dentist is doing anything other than creating practice production, the dentist is doing the wrong thing.

So, what is the right thing?

Unfortunately, Levin Group often finds that many dentists engage in other responsibilities that aren’t productive and don’t create production. The main role of the dentist is engaging with patients, and this means performing, diagnosing, or presenting treatment. These are the main responsibilities of a successful dentist. Now, by any definition, there are many successful dentists who have different levels of production, revenue, profit, and income. But from a practice management standpoint, you must eventually measure success by production level, and dentists with more production are more successful.

If you aren’t focusing most of your time on practice production and treating patients as described above, then you are doing the wrong things and wasting time. The keys to being able to concentrate all of your energy on patients are to have excellent systems in place, encourage the staff to follow those systems, use measurements to determine staff performance and delegate at the highest levels. This means that you must trust your staff to do their jobs. If you are doing anything other than patient-related activities, you’re doing someone else’s job.

Remember, you’re the dentist and the practice leader. True practice leaders would not even consider doing their staff members’ jobs. Nor would they tolerate staff not doing their jobs. When you build a set of systems and culture that allow everyone to work at the highest level, you as the dentist and practice leader can work productively with patients.

If you want to increase practice production, you must do the right thing. The right thing is for practice leaders to spend all of their time with patients.


Editor's note: This article originally appeared in DE Weekend, the newsletter that will elevate your Sunday mornings with practical and innovative practice management and clinical content from experts across the field. Subscribe here.

About the Author

Roger P. Levin, DDS, CEO and founder of Levin Group

Roger P. Levin, DDS, CEO and founder of Levin Group, has worked with more than 30,000 practices to increase production. A recognized expert on dental practice management and marketing, he has written 67 books and more than 4,000 articles, and regularly presents seminars in the US and around the world. To contact Dr. Levin or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit levingroup.com or email [email protected].

Updated January 23, 2024

Sponsored Recommendations

How to choose your diagnostic imaging technology

If any car could take you from A to B, what made you choose the one you’re driving? Once you determine your wants and needs, purchasing decisions become granular regarding personal...

A picture is worth a thousand words - Increase case acceptance with dental technology

How can you strengthen case acceptance at your practice? One way is by investing in advanced technology that enables you to make a stronger case for treatment and to provide faster...

Discover technology solutions to improve case acceptance

Case acceptance is central to the oral health of your patients and the financial health of your practice. Click here to discover how the right investments in technology can help...

What to expect when you invest in equipment and technology

Hear from 3 seasoned Patterson representatives as they share their firsthand knowledge of what an investment in equipment and technology means to a practice.