Let me start off by saying that opening my own practice from scratch was one of the scariest moments in my life thus far. I knew I had a good portion of dental knowledge amassed over the last few years, but what did I know about running a business? I could sit down and talk to patients about decay and occlusal wear; however, could I sit down and talk to a team about the goals of the practice and how to achieve them? What about how much my fees would be for my services, and what insurances I should take? How would I go about preparing my office for HIPAA and OSHA protocols?
Dr. Sinclair
Many of these questions I later found out could be answered through various departments and locations through the ADA’s resources. In this article, I will be discussing several of those resources that can be huge assets when you decide to make the leap into practice ownership.
Another benefit from the ADA I would like to discuss is pretty self-explanatory. What if I told you that before the practice doors even opened you had to make sure all HIPAA and OSHA guidelines were being followed, and if not, you could be subject to fines which could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars? A few months before I opened my doors, I would have had a blank stare on my face. Once again the ADA came to my rescue by having both HIPAA and OSHA compliance manuals readily available. The manuals gave me implementation protocols and procedures to make sure my office was up to date and compliant before anyone even stepped foot inside the door. The ADA Store is an excellent resource where you can find almost any must have item for your practice. Some examples include brochures for patient education, CDT code books updating the latest dental codes, and information regarding creating an internal marketing program. Many of the items are also customizable.
Starting out I mentioned that opening my practice was one of the scariest moments in my life, but I can also say that it has been one of the most rewarding. With the help of the ADA, I have created an environment that I, as well as my team members and patients, look forward to every day. I know that I will still have plenty of successes and failures along the road, but I look forward to sharing and celebrating these moments with all of you, my fellow colleagues.
This blog post, reprinted with minimal edits and permission, originally appeared in the Virginia Dental Association journal. Dr. Cappy Sinclair is a New Dentist Now guest blogger and a 2009 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Sinclair currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, as member of 3M’s Council for Innovative Dentistry, and as an ambassador for the Dawson Academy. He started his own practice Coastal Cosmetic Dentistry 3 years ago from the ground up and is more than happy to share his success and failures with fellow new dentists. He is a member of the American Dental Association and the Virginia Dental Association. To contact Dr. Sinclair, email him csinclair@smilevabeach.com.