HCD Headlines 6-19-2023

Rachael
Jun 19, 2023
4 min read

Good morning, Team! It's a new day, beautiful sunshine outside, and we're looking forward to a great week! Lots of moving pieces the next few weeks as we have several team members going on vacation and some coming in to help with training. As you may have seen, Leah is joining us on Mondays and a few days the last week of June. She is helping onboard Maui at the front desk.

Please review the updated schedule below for timing. If you haven't turned in a vacation leave form to Kolina for this next week, please know that we're planning on seeing you. If you won't be available, please turn in that form by the end of Tuesday so we know what next week looks like.

NPEX/COMPEX Clinical Note Template

Per our past few team meetings, we have updated the NPEX and CompEx clinical note templates. They are now 2 different notes. There are a few changes made which include the following:

Interview questions: What is the chief concern? Home care habits? Last dental visit?
"Extraoral photo series taken" now included under images a taken. This is our expectation to take the Invisalign series of photos for both NPs and existing patient appointments. If you need practice or help to accomplish this task smoothly, please let Te or myself know so we can help you.
CBCT: This is under the images taken, as well. It gives you an option to say it wasn't taken. If it was, please select or enter the reason as to why it was. This is a VITAL piece of information for us in order to send to insurance.
"Fractured Tooth/Restorations": refers to any fractures on natural or restored teeth that must be fixed. Select the appropriate tooth #.
"Decay or Recurrent Decay: refers to any decay throughout the mouth. These two issues are separate from one another moving forward to help us track why fillings or crowns need to be done. Select the appropriate tooth # when using.
Hard tissue: This was a text box that you'd complete in the past. Now it has two default items: "Existing treatment charted, Recommended treatment charted." This prevents us from duplicate entries for the patient chart note and the images. Please delete the wording if unnecessary or add to the block when using.
Treatment/Financial: This prompt is now included to ensure we are reviewing treatment plans and setting up financial arrangements as needed.
SH: This last line is optional, but very helpful. It refers to "Social History" and is the place to put any personal information provided by the patient, such as favorite football team, where they're goin on vacation, etc.

I know the note is extensive and we should remember that it should be. Both of these exams are comprehensive in nature and require us to spend more time with the patient and with our documentation.

If you choose to copy, paste, and update a previous comp exam note, make sure you include the above items in the new note as this is our standard moving forward.

KOFE with Colonial Life

We wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the benefits that are available to you via Colonial Life. This is KOFE, Knowledge of Financial Education, and is a free financial service available to you whether or not you participate in Colonial Life. You can find financial videos about setting budgets, getting out of debt, and planning for the future. You can find more information HERE.

Chart Audit & Scheduling the Perfect Appointment Check-In

How are those chart audits going? I know we have taken the focus off this vital part of our documentation and scheduling systems, but that doesn't mean we stop. Let me know how you're doing with chart audit. What errors are you finding? What's been the consistent good that you're seeing?

It's always a good reminder for the WHY we do these sometimes tedious tasks. Our goals in committing to Scheduling the Perfect Appointment are:

Prevent bottlenecks in the schedule;
Prevent too many exams from being scheduled for one doctor;
Ensure patient receives quality care during doctor and hygiene appointments.

Is this happening? What hiccups do you see or do we need to work on as a team or individuals?

Our goals in committing to Chart Auditing are:

Ensure patient charts have no errors in any Dentrix module;
Ensure patient’s needs and/or requests are met at every appointment;
Ensure patient receives quality care during doctor and hygiene appointments.

Are their needs being met prior to their appointment? Are we prepared for them by having their appointment scheduled appropriately?

Let's check-in either in person or at the team meeting to make sure we continue to stay in good habits and be well-prepared for every patient that walks through our door.

Appointment Book Timing

From our last team meeting, we discussed implant and ortho timelines for scheduling and costs. I've attached that information for your use. Feel free to print and keep in your binder to help you with scheduling. At our next meeting, we will discuss dentures and timelines as we move closer to creating standards for treatment times for the practice. Thank you for your help and input with these matters.

Reply to Me & Your Team

Yeah, I know the grammar in the header is wrong, but hear me out. Many times after sending this blog out to our departments, I do not hear from 1/2 of the team. These blogs are meant to serve as updates for everyone regarding important protocols, updates to schedules, etc. It's all in one place for you to come back to as needed to ensure you are successful in your positions at Health Centered Dentistry.

For this week, I'd like you to send me the most important thing in this week's blog from your perspective and how you're going to implement it moving forward. Use this as a way to help inspire or uplift your team. Let's make it a positive thing and something we look forward to as a team to make sure we're all on the same page together.

I value your input and I rely on your input. Thank you for helping to keep HCD strong and thriving! Enjoy your week!

~Rachael