Most dentists believe they need more new patients, but the real problem may be how well they are using the patients, providers, and chair time they already have. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Ariel Siegel, ACT Dental coach, to explain why active patient count, pre-appointment percentage, capacity utilization, and annual patient value matter before investing in new patient growth.

Learn how to identify whether your practice has a patient problem or a utilization problem, and how to start improving schedule efficiency with the data you already have. To grow more predictably with the patients already in your practice, listen to Episode 1060 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Practices should evaluate utilization of current patients and provider capacity before pursuing more new patients.
New patients can add pressure because phone calls, relationship building, and appointments require more time and energy.
A healthy active patient count is often around 1,200 to 1,500 patients per provider.
Unscheduled active patients and low pre-appointment rates reveal opportunities within the existing patient base.
Chair time utilization around 90% to 95% creates productive schedules while leaving some flexibility.
Annual patient value helps determine whether a practice needs more patients or better production per patient.
Capacity tracking should be reviewed consistently so each provider column has accountability.

Snippets:

00:00 Metric Mondays Intro

01:50 Meet Ariel Siegel

02:14 More Patients Myth

04:18 Active Patient Benchmarks

08:07 When Utilization Fails

10:33 Redefining Growth

11:56 Capacity Utilization Targets

14:36 Action Plan With APV

18:06 Vision And Wrap Up

18:33 Final Goodbye

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
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