Don’t Skip the Outline

Don’t Skip the Outline

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

—James Clear

A while ago I wrote about a business framework called G.O. D.E.E.P. The ‘G’ in that acronym which stands for “Generate a Vision.” Go read that real quick and come back here to learn about the next step, i.e. Outline the Path.

Your team doesn’t know that you bought new medical billing software until the company calls to schedule training. Who’s using it? How are they using it? You did mention it, didn’t you? Maybe not. They don’t know how it’s supposed to fit into their already busy days. What are they supposed to stop doing to free up the bandwidth to take this on?

What are the goals? What is the plan?

I encountered this ad nauseam when I ran a DSM software company. Doctors bought the software with high hopes for higher profits from a new procedure needed by so many patients. Then charged into the office the following Monday only to get deluged with demands on their time. At best, the dentist makes a disjointed attempt to get their team onboard. At worst, they forget about it by the time the second patient is in the chair.

They didn’t understand the vision and they definitely didn’t see the outline of the path forward. It’s like asking the team to be Clark Griswold and Cousin Eddie when they lost a nest egg playing ‘Guess What Number I’m Thinking’ in Vegas Vacation. We know our why. It’s time to shift gears and focus on the how. Start by outlining the path and setting objectives.

OUTLINE = CHECKLIST = MAP

In Checklist Manifesto, Atul Gawande, MD uses a “day-in-the-life” snapshot to emphasize the complex demands on a physician today. One physician. Twelve months. The patients seen in that interval have 250 primary diseases with 900 other active medical issues that must be considered.

As a DSM practitioner, the maladies you’re dealing with are different, but you’re slammed. Like Dr. Gawande, you’re interrupted continually with demands on your time, attention, and expertise.

Later, Dr. Gawande writes that more than 150,000 patients die each year post-surgery. He devotes the remainder of the chapter to underscore the impact a basic five-point pre-surgery checklist had on post-surgery infections. In more than 33% of surgeries monitored, at least one of these steps was skipped. After instituting the checklists—infection rates plummeted from 11% to 0. After one year, it’s estimated that 43 infections and 8 deaths were avoided, and millions of dollars were saved. All from emphasizing a simple, five-point checklist. If they can save lives with lists, you can, too.

Checklist Manifest by Atul Gawande, MD

BULLET POINT EXTRAVAGANZA

?We’re going to outline the path to success. The vision was macro. We’re going micro now. Deep into the weeds. Who’s going to assist with sleep cases? How will you handle medical billing for treatment?

What about sleep testing? Who will you refer patients to for testing? How will you shore up the likelihood that those patients will come back to you when OAT is appropriate? Will you buy and dispense your own units? Who will interpret and diagnose? Will you use a service? How will you get new patients? Who will manage the financial discussion? What will it sound like?

Everyone needs to know their position, the process, and the expectations. The “Who’s-on-first, what’s-on-second, I-don’t-know-is-on-third” nonsense is the off-ramp to bail on DSM. Division of labor. Expectations. Accountability. These must be crystal clear.

List all the steps and processes that come to mind, free-form, freestyle. Just go. You’re not looking for structure now. Just pray and spray those ideas out there. If your practice is just getting into sleep, your list might look something like this (abbreviated for this article):

  • How to get patients
  • Which medical billing company and who sends them files?
  • Sleep testing – buy or use company?
  • Who’s the sleep champion?
  • Hire a new assistant or assign to Michelle?
  • How will the front desk answer the phone?
  • Look into referrals from ENTs across the street?
  • Can Lisa learn enough about sleep to market to MDs?

This example is not an exhaustive list, but it has some of the common items that come up with many practices.

Next, write each item at the top of its own sheet of paper, or give it a first-level bullet point if you’re using a Word Doc. Then create sub-bullets for each item and sub-sub-bullets. These second and third-level bullets should get increasingly granular. Dive deep, like Mariana Trench deep from the main bullet. Don’t think about it too much. Just keep writing.

Your list might look something like this:

  • How to get patients

  • Get team trained on signs and symptoms
  • Online training? Go to a course? Contact company for in-service?
  • Screen all hygiene patients
  • Ask Dr. John Tucker which forms he uses
  • Ensure new AND existing patients complete the form
  • Get patient brochures

  • What is protocol if we see signs/symptoms?
  • How will we prevent schedule falling behind?
  • Who talks about it with patients? Me? RDH? Sleep champ?
  • What is the script?
  • SAY:Research shows …Have you had a home sleep test? What treatment have you previously tried?
  • DON’T SAY: We can cure sleep apnea. CPAP is bad. Don’t quote fees over the phone

Your outlines probably won’t look like turn-by-turn GPS instructions. Your practice is unique, but these suggestions are like a well-worn path. You can stray from it a bit if you see something interesting, but keep the path in sight. E. L. Doctorow said the following about writing, but it’s relevant here, too: “… [it’s] like driving a car at night in the fog. You can only see as far as the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”



If you’re interested in a deeper dive of the OUTLINE process including how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for your sleep team, then pick up a copy of my new book TRANSFORM DENTAL SLEEP: The Step-by-Step Guide to Doubling Your Sleep Patients, Increasing Physician Referrals, Simplifying Processes, and Improving Your Life.



LILIANE DUBOIS-ESNARD

Ingénieur chez Canada National Defence

5 个月

Powerful.

回复
John Tucker, DMD, DABDSM, DICOI

Dentist at Erie Sleep Therapy, and lead presenter at Tucker Educational Excellence

5 个月

Excellent, JT! Thanks for mention. I will help anyone with forms.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Jason Tierney的更多文章

  • An Open Letter to the Dental Sleep Medicine Field

    An Open Letter to the Dental Sleep Medicine Field

    The field of dental sleep medicine is under a multi-front assault. Never in the history of history has there been a…

    16 条评论
  • Step-by-Step Process to Drive Physician Referrals to Your Dental Sleep Practice

    Step-by-Step Process to Drive Physician Referrals to Your Dental Sleep Practice

    At the next annual sleep conference, try playing “Six Degrees of Angela Kowaleski.” She’s spent over two decades…

    4 条评论
  • Leadership P0rn Is Junk Food...

    Leadership P0rn Is Junk Food...

    If you aim to go from good to great, every 4 hour work week should start with why before you eat the frog. Whether you…

    5 条评论
  • A Message to My Younger Self About Work

    A Message to My Younger Self About Work

    This isn’t some nonsensical, mythical LinkedIn story. This really happened—actual factual.

    13 条评论
  • The Tyranny of Small Differences

    The Tyranny of Small Differences

    They live a block away from each other, played sports together growing up, and went to the same high schools. They have…

  • Sleep Apnea Kills Dreams

    Sleep Apnea Kills Dreams

    My best friend since we were teenagers—who I hadn’t seen in years—came to visit a few months ago. I had a week of…

    2 条评论
  • Snoring Almost Killed Me at the Grand Canyon

    Snoring Almost Killed Me at the Grand Canyon

    I hiked with a neighbor down South Kaibab and up the Bright Angel Trail. We hiked around 17 miles with ~4k feet of…

    7 条评论
  • A Flat Tire Changed My Life

    A Flat Tire Changed My Life

    I hate myself. What am I doing, I thought while driving from Scottsdale to Phoenix.

    5 条评论
  • QUIT YOUR JOB!

    QUIT YOUR JOB!

    Thank you for the congratulatory messages on the 5 year anniversary of Transform Dental Sleep. I didn’t realize it’d…

    11 条评论
  • WHY GENERATE A VISION?!?!

    WHY GENERATE A VISION?!?!

    I’ve seen it happen in hundreds of dental practices, and I’d be shocked if it hasn’t happened in yours. You went to a…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了