The team is the driving force when implementing new services in the dental practice, and Dental Sleep Medicine (DSM) is no exception! A common trait we see amongst the most successful DSM practices is a well-trained & motivated team. With that in mind, here are 3 tips for cultivating a team with both the skills and passion to implement and maintain this life-changing and life-saving treatment option in your practice.
1. Include your team in continuing education for dental sleep medicine
We cannot stress enough the importance of including your key team members in continuing education and training for dental sleep medicine. This should include any team member that may come into contact with patients suffering from sleep-disordered breathing! The administrative and clinical teams alike should exude confidence and empathy while speaking to prospective patients over the phone and in the practice setting, and your billing team should be familiar with the appropriate coding & documentation requirements to successfully work with medical insurers. Nierman Practice Management (NPM) offers excellent continuation education seminars for Dental Sleep Medicine and medical billing in dentistry.
2. Make your team (or their spouse/partner) a custom sleep appliance
There is no better “sales tool” out there than a positive personal experience to share! Encouraging your team members or their spouse/partner to get tested & treated for sleep-disordered breathing (snoring and/or Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)) is a relatively small investment that can result in a large payoff. That personal touch will make all the difference between a “Yes” and an “I’ll have to think about it” from your patient when presented with the decision of whether to move forward with oral appliance therapy for snoring and/or OSA. An added bonus is your team members getting a good night’s sleep & improving their overall health!
3. Consider incentivizing your team for case acceptance
Helping patients improve their quality of life, quality of sleep and overall health is extremely rewarding for both dentists and team members. Even so, additional incentives for your team will only help your dental sleep medicine services thrive! These incentives don’t necessarily need to be monetary, but certainly can be! It is important to understand what most motivates & excites your team when forming incentives. While money can be a motivator, so can other forms of rewards. For example, consider recognizing your team members for a job well done by awarding them a “sleep champion of the month/quarter/year” that they can tout in-office, on your website, and on social media channels!
Team unity toward a shared goal will be apparent to your patients and will reinforce your patients’ confidence they made a good decision by seeking treatment at your practice. We encourage you to take the first step to get your team on board for dental sleep medicine education!
The Leading Dental Sleep Medicine Training
If you want to implement sleep apnea appliance therapy or 10x your cases per month, this course is for you
This is the premier seminar that since 2010 has helped thousands of dental professionals establish a successful dental sleep medicine practice.
Obtain the proven blueprints from dental sleep medicine mentors and gain hands-on training for you and your team to achieve powerful practice growth and transform the lives of obstructive sleep apnea patients.
Contact Us
Please feel free to contact us with any questions related to this article. We host a variety of online and live courses for dentists, including topics such as dental sleep medicine, TMJ, craniofacial pain, and medical billing in dentistry. We also have a comprehensive, online course series for medical billing in dentistry. For more information, contact Nierman Practice Management at 1-800-879-6468 option 1, by sending us an email at contactus@dentalwriter.com, or by visiting niermanpm.com.
Article by: Rose Nierman & Courtney Snow