Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists

1 DEMONSTRATION COPY Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists Marsha Freeman, DEMONSTRATION COPY Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists Copyright 2006 by Marsha Freeman & Associates. Fifth edition. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book or the accompanying CD may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in two situations: (1) in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews and (2) purchasers of this book are permitted to copy its contents solely for in-office use in their own practice. Copyright violations will be enforced. For further information, please contact: Marsha Freeman & Associates, Box 68, Nipomo, CA 93444 (800) 253-2544 FAX (805) 929-0931 E-Mail: Websites: and Portions of this book are available on computer disk.

2 Please contact Marsha Freeman & Associates for details. Other books available from MFA: Standard Marketing Procedures for All Dentists Specialized SOPs for Pediatric Dentists Specialized SOPs for Periodontists Other sections of Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists available from MFA: Dental Front Office SOPs Specialized SOPs for Endodontists Dental Bookkeeping and Data Entry SOPs Specialized SOPs for Oral Surgeons Dental Back Office SOPs Specialized SOPs for Orthodontists Dental Hygiene Department SOPs Risk Management for Dentists Dental Management and Marketing SOPs Designing Your Perfect Dental Practice Get Paid For Your Services ISBN 0-910167-62-1 (Binder Format) The purpose of this book is educational. The author and Marsha Freeman & Associates shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book.

3 If you do not wish to be bound by the above, you may return the book to the publisher for a full refund. Why we created a DEMONSTRATION COPY of Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists We want you to see and experience why Dentists nationwide are buying this book and the five supplementary SOPs books for specialists (orthodontists, endodontists, periodontists, oral sur-geons, and pediatric Dentists ), as well as the SOP marketing counterpart, Standard Marketing Procedures for All Dentists the DENTAL SOPs LIBRARY. The reasons for a SOPs book are many, but the most important is that the best organizational tool for the dentist to be able to create, maintain, and perfect the kind of practice that he or she wants is a practice Procedures manual. Marsha Freeman then took that maxim, used the mission state-ment concept (put in writing the ideal practice you want), and developed a way to make Standard Operating Procedures help make your dream come true, by building the SOP around a desired outcome and a measurement to see if it is living up to the ideal.

4 Better that you see examples of what your colleagues are putting into practice. So we have as-sembled this demonstration copy of selected sample SOPS (from the fifth edition of Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists ) describing tasks that every dentist can immediately relate to. The accompanying disc contains editable versions of the SOPs, to serve as the starting points for SOPpifying the tasks in your office. Together, you have the foundation of the whole pro-gram. Could it be any easier to create your own manual? The full book contains three opening chapters that walk you through that process we even have a great 80-minute, seven-part program, The Video Implementation Guide for Dentists , that will further help you. The rest of that book is full of SOPs, job descriptions, task sheets, forms, charts, and guidelines.

5 And every one of them can be changed with a keystroke. We provide a model manual based on actual, excellent practices that you can easily modify to meet your style and needs. We are proud of our support service, before the purchase and after. So please call, fax, e-mail, or write us if we can help explain anything we offer. Thank you for your interest; we look forward to helping you and your practice. Marsha Freeman & Associates _____ For further information concerning this book, its accompanying CD, the Dental SOPs Library, or any other products offered by Marsha Freeman & Associates, please call (800) 253-2544, fax (805) 929-0931, e-mail to or check our web-sites at and Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists DEMONSTRATION COPY Table of Contents Document Title File Name Cover Information about reproducing the book and disc Why We Created a Demonstration Copy of SOPs for All Dentists Demonstration Copy Table of Contents DENTAL SOPs LIBRARY information sheet Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists 5th : Table of Contents The Missing Link.

6 A Dental Procedures Manual an article about SOPs Socks or Coffee, an Introduction by Marsha Freeman Model Standard Operating Procedures Front Office Department Task List Patient Treatment Coordinator Performance Agreement Appointment Scheduling: Emergencies Chart Preparation OSHA and the Back Office X-Rays Basic Tray Setup Extractions Treatment of the Dental Hygiene Patient Facilitating and Conducting Staff Meetings Agenda Forms Emergency Phone Slip Applying the Minimum Necessary Standard Product Flyer and Order Form _____ For further information concerning this book, its accompanying CD, the Dental SOPs Library, or any other products offered by Marsha Freeman & Associates, please call (800) 253-2544, fax (805) 929-0931, e-mail to or check our web-sites at and DENTAL SOPS LIBRARY Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists is the core book of the DENTAL SOPs LIBRARY.

7 Chapters One, Two, and Three explain how to create and customize your own dental Procedures manual, plus the philosophy supporting that process. In summary, it starts with a Mission State-ment a paragraph, two, or many that clearly defines how the dentist wants his or her practice to look and act. Then the doctor and staff create a task sheet for every department listing each job to be done. A SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure) is then produced that describes the task, step-by-step, through completion. Each one begins with a Desired Outcome what must be done to realize the doctor s dream and support the Mission Statement and a Measurement how that SOP is evaluated to see that it is fully and properly completed. Two elements make this process of creating a Procedures manual easier and faster. Chapter Two explains the SOPs Productivity Pyramid, which provides a systematic progression from the Mission Statement to the finished manual.

8 To coordinate the actions of the doctor and staff, The Video Implementation Guide for Dentists breaks the process into seven basic steps, to be imple-mented collectively on a regular basis, such as weekly or monthly, until the manual is completed. The rest of Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists provides an actual model Procedures manual for about 80% of all Dentists in-office activities, whether they are generalists or special-ists. To conform to the Mission Statement, most SOPs will have to be modified or adapted. That s where the accompanying disk is useful. The user calls up the corresponding file on their computer, makes the needed changes, prints the page, and replaces the original with one describ-ing how the process or task is performed in your practice. The table of contents follows to clarify the scope of the book. Five smaller books are part of the DENTAL SOPs LIBRARY, each with key SOPs related to a dental specialization: oral surgery, endodontics, orthodontics, periodontics, and pediatric den-tistry.

9 With accompanying computer disks, they are modified in the same way. Since marketing is a critical element of successful dentistry, Standard Marketing Procedures for All Dentists is likewise a valuable module in the larger DENTAL SOPs LIBRARY. It relies upon Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists to explain how a manual is created and modified, while focusing on how the doctor and staff can implement their own practice s inter-nal, referral, and external marketing systems. If we can answer any questions or you wish to augment your DENTAL SOPs LIBRARY, please contact us. _____ For further information concerning this book, its accompanying CD, the Dental SOPs Library, or any other products offered by Marsha Freeman & Associates, please call (800) 253-2544, fax (805) 929-0931, e-mail to or check our web-sites at and Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists .

10 All rights reserved by Marsha Freeman & Associates. Other than for in-office copies reproduced for noncommercial purposes, no part of this report may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means includ-ing information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the publisher. For further information, you may contact us at Box 68, Nipomo, CA 93444, telephone (800) 253-2544, fax (805) 929-0931, websites and Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists Marsha Freeman ( ) Introduction Chapter One Strategic Planning for Peak Performance, Service, and Profits The SOPs Productivity Pyramid Level 1: Mission and Objectives Level 2: Teamwork Level 3: The Service Cycle and the Nine Moments of Truth Chapter Two Building Your Own SOPs Productivity Pyramid Step 1: Read This Book Step 2: Prep Questions Step 3: Get Team Support Step 4: Supplies Step 5: Choose A Strategy Step 6: Use Meetings and Work Sessions to Complete Each Level of the Pyramid Step 7: Monitor Work Progress Step 8.