HCD Headlines 8-17-2026
- Rachael
- 11 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Please remember this is the week to have your provider 2027 calendars in. We need them ASAP to avoid rescheduling patients multiple times to accommodate vacations, etc. Please have them to me by this Thursday.
September Schedule - DRAFT
We seem to have multiple changes that happen often. With that in mind, this is the current schedule according to the requests that have been turned into me thus far. Providers have just changed their schedules, school starts for Ikaika and Bianca on Tuesdays, and other team members have vacations this month. Please, please, PLEASE keep an eye out for where you're needed this month. If I have anything wrong here, please let me know so I can correct it and keep us all on the same page. Thanks!
Courtesy Codes
We have a few codes that have $$ attached to them and then we write them off. Things like "Cleaning/Inspecting Dentures." This is a real code with a real cost when patients are coming in specifically for that treatment. Patients that receive this treatment during their cleanings with the hygienist and/or the doctor visits, it is something we write-off as a courtesy. This is to show the monetary value of such treatment and our generosity to give it to them at no cost.
The cleaning/inspecting denture codes are the primary ones we're having this issue with at this time. Please remember to write-off as a courtesy for these codes when patients are checking out at the front desk.
Late Protocol
When our patients are running late, it can mess with everyone's schedule regardless whose patient it is. Our official "Late Protocol" is to call the patient at 10 minutes to let them know they are late and find out where they are. If they are in the parking lot, we keep them in the schedule. If they are more than 5-10 minutes out, this opens up the need to review the protocol with them.
If the provider still has time to see them, advise the patient they are late and the provider is still able to see them this time. If it doesn't look like there's time to see them, please talk with the provider before immediately refusing to see the patients. This will ensure all our team is on the same page regarding the Late Protocol and giving the patient "one last chance."
If you know your patient is "always" late, let us know at the front desk. PbN has the option to tag these patients and send appointment reminders accordingly. I.E. If your patient is always late, PbN will send a message stating their appointment starts 10 minutes early than it actually does in order to have the patient arrive right on time.
It's a fine balance between compassion for the patient's situation and honoring the provider's time. This is the best way for us to find that middle ground.
"Off-Label Gabapentin: Where Science Meets Practice"
I wanted to share this with the team as, according to this article/video, Gabapentin is the 5th most prescribed drug in the US. What does that look like for our team when we come across this medicine in our patients' health histories?
All Roads Lead Back to Us
As we welcome new team members to our practice, it's important for us to remember these insights from LionSpeak:
As LionSpeak continues to grow, my team must grow also. Apparently, this presents an opportunity disguised as a challenge for me.
Every time we add a new person, I’m eventually, if not immediately, confronted with my own personal leadership abilities (or lack thereof). I learn and relearn that everything they contribute which delights and pleases me is due to a multitude of factors: their own skill level, growth, work ethic, and passion for this work and, to at least a small degree, my own leadership communication about LionSpeak’s vision and standards. But I’ve also learned that when they do not perform to my standards or vision, it is a direct and proportionate reflection and result of a gap in my leadership abilities and communication skills. Everything. Every time. 100%.
When I really analyze it, usually I determine that I’ve not been as clear as I could have been or thought I was. Sometimes, there is behavior that I’m ignoring, tolerating, actually participating in, or a result of something to which I’m blind myself. This constant “in-my-face” reminder felt heavy at first, and many times since, at various intervals along my entrepreneurial journey. But I now perceive it as a freeing notion because if it’s me, then I have some control. There’s something I can work on, something I can do about it.
I see personal leadership as the ability to actualize our potential, manage our emotions, reframe our circumstances, and make decisions. It’s also our ability to communicate our ideas, instructions, desires, and needs in a clear, non-judgmental, and inspiring way to others, no matter the circumstances and with all types of people. Our ability in this regard is as important at our dinner table as it is at the boardroom table.
If strong leadership skills are missing or undeveloped, one thing I’ve learned is that we cannot coach ourselves. We can make small, incremental improvements, but if we want to quickly and radically change our results and that of our team, we must seek coaching. We all have blind spots that other qualified professionals can spot and often coach us through. Investing in my own leadership growth and that of my people has been the lynchpin in our rapid development as a team and company.
This article may seem like it's directed towards team members that are leaders in title. While that is true, it's also true that this is directed towards team members that want or are developing leadership characteristics. Everyone carries the title of "leader" at one point or another in their job and personal life, especially when it comes to training a new team member. You're a "leader" to the new team member as they need your guidance and direction in order to succeed in their new position.
I thought about the Johari's Window theory brought to us by Greg at Cornerstone Credit (go HERE to the Headlines discussing it). As leaders/team members, we have to acknowledge there are things that exist in the Unknown Self and Blind Self that will be revealed to us during the onboarding process of new team members. It doesn't make you weak; it makes you human. It's not a moment to be defensive; it's a moment to be reflective. It's not the time to withdraw in embarrassment or shame; it's the time to be vulnerable and open to change.
The only way we succeed for our patients, our team, and ourselves is to be open to "Coach and Be Coached," to "Not Complain & To Instead Present a Solution," and to "Choose Your Attitude" in order to level up as professionals, as a team, and as an individual.
401(k) Site: ICanRetire
For those of you participating in the 401(k) program, they just sent us information on their free resources for retirement planning. Check out their page: ICanRetire. You can find information on how to manage your money in the 401(k) and regular life. Even if you're not a participant, you can access this information for your benefit.
Here is another great tool for retirement planning or investing in YOUR future planning.
Extraction Protocol
We want to make sure all our providers and assistants are on the same page regarding primary teeth extractions. After reading recent articles regarding patients swallowing or inhaling objects because their airway was not protected properly, we are moving forward with this protocol for extractions.
Primary Teeth: Place gauze in throat at the beginning of the procedure. If the patient swallows the tooth, immediately sit the patient up, ensure airway is clear, and refer them out for a chest x-ray. They have the right to refuse the referral, but we will make sure they are aware of the risks.
Permanent Dentition: If an Isolite is not being used, place gauze in the throat at the beginning of the procedure. Same requirements for adults that swallow any item during procedures.
Remember to give everyone a post op bag with both verbal and written instructions. Even if they've come in multiple times for extractions, do not assume they already know the process for post-op care.
There's a lot of information to remember in dentistry and patient care and self care and any other important topic. To show you've read everything for the Headlines, please share some tips on how you remember the important points when you're at work.
For me... LOTS of sticky notes and utilizing my planner.
Have a great week, HCD!
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