{"id":8961,"date":"2022-07-15T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-07-15T17:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/?p=8961"},"modified":"2022-07-14T15:14:04","modified_gmt":"2022-07-14T20:14:04","slug":"whats-a-hygiene-visit-worth-with-dr-michael-goldberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/2022\/07\/15\/whats-a-hygiene-visit-worth-with-dr-michael-goldberg\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s a \u201cHygiene Visit\u201d Worth? With Dr. Michael Goldberg"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/practiceperfectsystems.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8497 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/logo-practice-perfect-systems-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"547\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/logo-practice-perfect-systems-1.png 547w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/logo-practice-perfect-systems-1-300x165.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 547px) 100vw, 547px\" \/><\/a>Price becomes an objection when a patient does not perceive \u201cmeaningful value.\u201d Without such a value-based context, people use money as a benchmark.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is your hygiene visit worth $39, $59, $99 or more?<\/li>\n<li>Or is it only worth it if the \u201cinsurance will cover it?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>And now that the new hygienist you just hired is making 20% more than the previous one, how does that figure into the profitability of the practice?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We are in complex times, made more intense by the pandemic-effect, which accelerated and amplified pre-existing trends.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeaningful value\u201d is what something is worth to the patient. Often, the value isn\u2019t readily apparent to the dentist or team. Not unless it\u2019s discovered through a series of questions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why is that important?<\/li>\n<li>And, why is THAT important?<\/li>\n<li>Why is that important now?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The sooner a patient-defined meaningful value is exposed, its use will facilitate the entire patient flow process.<\/p>\n<p>Though there are no simple solutions to the many challenges ahead, I\u2019d like to offer a few ideas that you can use that might help you weather economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Promote outcomes-based value, not procedures.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your messaging is consistent.<\/li>\n<li>Communicate MORE, not less.<\/li>\n<li>Use technology appropriately.<\/li>\n<li>The fortune is in the follow up.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Promoting meaningful value is an activity that should permeate the entire patient flow process. There isn\u2019t a procedure that we do in the dental office that doesn\u2019t evoke some fear in our patient. Any discussion of WHAT is being done without connecting it to a vision of what the patient sees as a benefit, is doomed to resistance. Finding out a patient\u2019s definition of \u201cmeaningful value\u201d is the key. And it can be a tricky lock to pick.<\/p>\n<p>Listening and spending time with a patient throughout the journey through the practice will help eventually open the lock to the door that leads to a vision of what VALUE the patient wants to get via the outcome they expect.<\/p>\n<p>The word \u201ccleaning\u201d is perhaps the greatest enemy of meaningful value. A housecleaner gets $15-25 an hour. That\u2019s what people who utilize those services think of. For those who can\u2019t afford a cleaning service, the term conjures up a chore that is unpleasant, if not objectionable. Please stop using \u201ccleaning\u201d as a description of what the highest paid team member in your practice does. It\u2019s demeaning and devaluing.<\/p>\n<p>When a Doctor doesn\u2019t give the hygiene visit the importance it deserves, value is lost. It also is disrespectful towards the hygienist. And messaging is more than what is said. A misplaced wave of the hand, an eyeroll, smirk, or tone, can communicate more than any word or phrase. \u201cActions speak louder than words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But what do you do that adds value? Do you offer\u2026<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Screening for oral cancer and other pathology?<\/li>\n<li>Screening for sleep related breathing disorders?<\/li>\n<li>Reducing the root cause of chronic disease?<\/li>\n<li>Adding years of longevity?<\/li>\n<li>Prolonging the life expectancy of dental restorations?<\/li>\n<li>Blood pressure screening?<\/li>\n<li>OralDNA\u00ae Labs testing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Do your patients know this? How do they know? Does a \u201ccleaning\u201d infer these benefits?<\/p>\n<p>Start telling people what a hygiene visit truly means to them and their loved ones. Do it in multiple ways. One and done doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n<p>Not only will such communication build value but it will decrease cancellations, no-shows and patients lost to attrition. It will overcome the \u201cprice\u201d objection. It will decrease dependence on insurance, as some of these life-promoting activities aren\u2019t covered by insurance.<\/p>\n<p>Insurance companies are squeezing doctors so they can boost their profits. Patients are at risk of getting compromised care. Let people know this too.<\/p>\n<p>Tell people what you do. Stop assuming they know because even if they were once told, they\u2019ve long since forgotten about it.<\/p>\n<p>Tell people WHY you do what you do. Everyone is selfish and wants to know what\u2019s in it for them. But they also want to feel good about the people that put their hands in their mouths.<\/p>\n<p>With the recession upon us, now is NOT the time to stick your head in the sand and hide, and now is not the time to cut down on marketing. Now is not the time to reduce communications. Now is NOT the time to keep doing things the same way.<\/p>\n<p>Now is the time to change, adapt and evolve. OralDNA\u00ae tests are an evolutionary step in the oral health assessment process. Let your patient know!<\/p>\n<p>Now is the time to boost your communications and transmit meaningful value.<\/p>\n<p>How much is a hygiene visit worth?<\/p>\n<p>PRICELESS!<\/p>\n<p>To better communications,<\/p>\n<p>Michael<\/p>\n<p>P.S. We discuss issues such as these regularly in the <a href=\"https:\/\/practiceperfectsystems.com\/coffee-with-the-coach\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Coffee With The Coach<\/a> Program. It\u2019s aimed at the entire practice team so that everyone is onboard with a practice\u2019s mission and goals. By joining now, you\u2019ll also get access to a treasure trove of resources.<\/p>\n<p>For more from Dr. Michael Goldberg, visit the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/practice-protocols\/PPS\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Practice Perfect Systems<\/a> page of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/practice-protocols\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Protocol Directory<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oraldna.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8303\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/JOIN-ODNA-TODAY-QR.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1050\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/JOIN-ODNA-TODAY-QR.png 2828w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/JOIN-ODNA-TODAY-QR-300x86.png 300w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/JOIN-ODNA-TODAY-QR-1024x293.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/JOIN-ODNA-TODAY-QR-768x219.png 768w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/JOIN-ODNA-TODAY-QR-1536x439.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/JOIN-ODNA-TODAY-QR-2048x585.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listening and spending time with a patient throughout the journey through the practice will help eventually open the lock to the door that leads to a vision of what VALUE the patient wants to get via the outcome they expect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":8497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,110],"tags":[152,3],"class_list":["post-8961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practice-management","category-salivary-diagnostics","tag-practice-management","tag-salivary-diagnostics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/logo-practice-perfect-systems-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7W16z-2kx","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8961"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8961"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10559,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8961\/revisions\/10559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oraldna.com\/trends-in-salivary-testing\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}