I recently had the opportunity to meet with a dentist who was seeking help with his practice. He was proud of how much continuing education (CE) he had completed—at least three times the amount pursued by even the most CE-minded dentists—and believed that this made him a superior clinician. Unfortunately, that did not translate into having a better practice.

Practices don’t need more CE; they need rules—clinical rules.

Clinical rules help dictate diagnostics and treatment planning, procedural steps, and acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. There must be strict clinical rules and guidelines because providing a negative outcome can expose a practice to malpractice claims. Malpractice lawsuits are extremely unpleasant whether you are right or wrong. However, they also provide strong motivation for following established protocols.

Dentists must follow rules for another reason as well: they are dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes for their patients. I have met tens of thousands of dentists throughout my career, and I genuinely believe that 99.9% want to do the best possible job for every patient, every day. That is one of the reasons dentistry is such an outstanding profession.

But there is a problem. We don’t have the right rules—or enough rules—for the nonclinical side of the practice.

All successful businesses operate with rules. Restaurants have food safety rules. Hospitals and medical practices have patient privacy rules. Airlines and airports have strict procedures governing flight operations. When employees fail to follow the rules, the consequences can be significant.

The following are examples of administrative rules that practices should always follow:

• Collect 99% of all money due within 7 to 10 days.
• Maintain an 85% or higher case acceptance rate.
• Keep all patients current on fluoride treatments and radiographs.
• Have 95% of active patients scheduled for their next appointment.
• Keep no-shows below 2% of patient appointments.
• Follow scheduling protocols for complex treatment, routine treatment, new patients, and emergencies.
• Implement daily actions, such as contacting overdue patients.
• File all insurance claims on the same day treatment is completed.
• Contact insurance companies to appeal denials of reasonable and necessary treatment.

Rules provide guidance, accountability, and clarity. They also define the expected result. Notice that several of the rules above include specific targets or percentages. If people do not know the target, they cannot be held accountable for achieving it. Without a defined standard, any result becomes acceptable because no expectation was ever established.

Hardly a day goes by at Levin Group without us speaking to a dentist seeking help with their practice. Some are doing exceptionally well and want to maintain their success. Others are thriving but want to continue growing, open additional locations, or expand their services. Still others are facing varying degrees of challenge and uncertainty.

Practices that want to improve must become rule-based organizations on the clinical and business sides of the practice. Rules help ensure that every opportunity for production, collections, and profitability is maximized—something that is increasingly necessary for success in today’s environment.