Real Talk About Hygiene KPIs and Opportunities

 

Authors: Emme Sanders, RDH and Rachel Wall, RDH, BS

Being a dental hygienist is no longer solely about cleaning teeth; it’s a multifaceted profession that has evolved to embrace a partnership with healthcare. This collaboration has resulted in a profound positive impact on patients’ lives, underlining the crucial link between oral health and overall well-being.

Emme Sanders was recently interviewed by Jacquelyn Hurley, Director for Dental Zing, on the Growing Your Dental Business podcast. They talked about what it takes to create benchmark opportunities for a thriving hygiene department. Click the image below for the episode.

To ensure the success of your hygiene department from a clinical and business standpoint, it’s important to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect the effectiveness of your practices. Let’s delve into some of the most crucial benchmarks that can help elevate your dental hygiene department’s performance.

  1. Periodontal Percentage 30-50%

The ADA, CDC and AAP state that a significant portion of the adult population, 50-75%, suffers from some level of periodontal disease. Developing an effective periodontal diagnosis and treatment protocol is essential for a dental hygiene department to properly care for patients. 

Knowing the Periodontal Percentage of your practice is the top KPI to evaluate whether a clear periodontal protocol is in place and being consistently implemented.  Many practice owners are not aware of this KPI and what it means to their patients and practice. 

The goal in a general dental practice is 30-50% of hygiene procedures are periodontal related. When practices find themselves with a periodontal percentage less than 20%, they are often treating periodontal disease within the prophy procedure and active disease is not being consistently identified. Inspired Hygiene has proven results helping teams develop clear, consistent systems that drive improved patient health and business outcomes. To determine the periodontal percentage in your practice, download our Perio Percentage Calculator Tool

  1. Treatment Acceptance 70%

Case acceptance in hygiene directly impacts patient health, billing accuracy, coding integrity, open time on the hygiene schedule, production and the list goes on. Even if hygienists are presenting the appropriate treatment, if patients aren’t accepting at a rate of at least 60-70%, it’s time to consider why and determine if there are skills that can be improved.. When patients don’t accept periodontal therapy, for example, it puts the hygienist and doctor in a difficult situation.Does the hygienist proceed with preventive care? It depends, however, when the treatment is not re-presented at subsequent visits, it can lead to inaccurate billing of what’s actually being done.

Efforts to consistently utilize tools such as intraoral cameras, bacterial testing and clear communication about how active infection can affect overall health can nudge the patient closer to seeing the value of moving forward. If not accepted at the time of presentation, follow up and reevaluation of the disease at the next visit are processes that serve all parties well.

  1. Open Time 8-10%

Striking a balance between efficiency and flexibility is crucial in maintaining a thriving hygiene department. Open time refers to unscheduled gaps in the hygiene schedule and should ideally be limited to 8-10% looking backward in time. While aiming for high efficiency, having zero open time may indicate the need for increased hygiene hours.

Looking forward on the hygiene schedule, it is ideal to have time blocked on the schedule for priority procedures such as new patient hygiene care and periodontal therapy and maintenance. Having available appointment times in the next 3 months allows for flexibility to accommodate unexpected situations, such as patient rescheduling due to illness.

  1. Profitability 3:1

Analyzing the compensation of hygienists in relation to the revenue they generate is vital. A profitable hygiene department creates positive outcomes and opportunities for patients, team and practice. As hygiene drives profit to the practice, there are increasing opportunities for additional investment in technology, continuing education and improved services for patients. Hygienists may also see increased income as their profitability grows.

The standard benchmark for the first point of hygiene profitability is hygiene production at three times hygiene compensation.  A hygienist earning $50 an hour in pay and benefits would need to generate $150 in revenue to hit the first point of profitability. Maintaining a threefold return on investment ensures the financial sustainability of the practice and the current hygiene compensation model.

Partnering with Industry Experts
To ensure the success of your hygiene department, it’s essential to strike a balance between patient care, scheduling efficiency, and financial stability. The team of industry experts at Inspired Hygiene are a valuable resource. They can help identify areas of opportunity in your hygiene department and guide you in elevating your standard of care to ensure your patients achieve optimal health while realizing solid business growth as a result.

A successful dental hygiene department goes beyond routine cleanings. By focusing on key performance indicators like Periodontal Percentage, Treatment Acceptance, Open Time, and Profitability, dental practices can elevate patient care and financial sustainability. Embracing a comprehensive approach with the guidance of industry experts can pave the way for an even brighter future in dental hygiene.

We are happy to show you your areas of opportunity in your hygiene department and where you can increase your standard of care to get your patients to their optimum health. 

Book your Discovery Meeting today!

Empowering Hygienists Podcast Episode

 

This week, I’m sharing a recent podcast I did with Ross Brannon on the Financial Flossing Podcast.

In this episode I share some valuable tips on empowering hygienists to elevate care and their role in the practice. Here are a few takeaways and a link to the podcast. I hope you enjoy it.

TAKEAWAYS:

✅ Inspired Hygiene emphasizes elevating the hygienist’s role in dental practices to improve patient care and overall practice profitability.

✅ How the IH Team works with dental practices to set achievable goals for growth and help them achieve those goals through coaching and consulting services.

✅ How Inspired Hygiene emphasizes the importance of comprehensive patient care, including periodontal therapy, oral cancer screening, restorative treatment, and sleep apnea screening.

✅ Inspired Hygiene aims to shift the mindset of the entire dental team to that of healthcare providers, focusing on the patient’s overall health and well-being.

✅ Inspired Hygiene offers free Hygiene Opportunity Assessments to help dental practices identify areas of growth and improvement.

You can listen to the interview on:

iTunes  Spotify  TuneIn iHeartRadio C-Suite Radio Amazon Pandora and YouTube

A Look Inside the Bootcamp

 

You’ve likely seen in the last few weeks that we’re launching a brand new version of our Perio Protocol Online Bootcamp on January 26. It will be available for purchase until February 2 so if you’re interested, watch this quick video to see what the program looks like from the inside and then go over to periobootcamp.com and we’ll let you know when it’s ready for purchase.

This self-paced program is perfect for getting your team on the same page with a clear, written periodontal protocol and it offers CE credit for every participant in your practice.

Learn more about the Perio Protocol Online Bootcamp and, if you share your email with us, we’ll let you know when the bootcamp is open AND you’ll be in the first group to get a great discount on the PPOB.

“Our practice first worked with Inspired Hygiene nearly 10 years ago. The PPOB was an impactful first step in developing our periodontal protocol and it has grown from there. As we have added new hygienists to our team, watching these webinars is part of our onboarding process and a great way to introduce our perio program to new team members.”

Laura Woyciesjes, RDH
Milford, CT

Are the Doctors the Bottle Neck?

 

If your doctors aren’t calibrated, how can you expect the team to support them in recommending treatment? Our Standard of Care worksheet is a great way to start the year off and finally get your team on the same page.

Download the Standard of Care worksheet.


Below is an overview of each module included with the new Perio Protocol Online Bootcamp!

Learn more about it here and, If you share your email with us, we’ll let you know when the bootcamp is open AND you’ll be in the first group to get a great discount on the PPOB.


Team On Same Page with Perio?

 

If you follow us on social or you’ve been reading these emails lately, you might know we’re launching a new version of our classic program Perio Protocol Online Bootcamp in January.

This bootcamp is a great way to get your team on the same page and set clear periodontal standards for diagnosis, enrollment and treatment. Oh, and they can all get 6 hours of CE credit.

Go check out our program at www.periobootcamp.com.

If you share your email with us, we’ll let you know when the bootcamp is open AND you’ll be in the first group to get a great discount on the PPOB.

Are you interested in learning how Inspired Hygiene can help your dental practice? Use this link to schedule your Hygiene Opportunity Assessment.

Happy & Healthy Holidays

 

With the holidays upon us, it’s a good idea to remember these four easy steps to ‘Fireproof’ your arteries, complements of Dr. Amy Doneen and the Bale Doneen Method.

Step 1: Practice mindfulness – Chronic stress, which repeatedly activates the body’s fight-or-flight system, has long been linked to increased risk for heart attacks and strokes. Devote 10 minutes a day to mindful meditation and focus on your breathing and the present moment as you let stressful or upsetting thoughts float away.

Step 2: Step up physical activity – The number one cardiovascular benefit of regular exercise is reducing inflammation. Aim for at least 22 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, or biking, daily.

Step 3: Eat the rainbow – Consuming a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables has amazing cardiovascular benefits, including lower risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and several forms of cancer.

Step 4: Get optimal dental care – A landmark BaleDoneen study is the first to show that oral bacteria from periodontal disease (PD) can actually cause cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading killer of Americans. Studies show that excellent oral health can add years to your life!

We at Inspired Hygiene have one mission, to help you save the lives of your patients through excellence in Dental Hygiene care.

If you’d like to learn more about the potential of your hygiene department, schedule a complimentary Discovery Session.