The Voice of Experience by Dr. Michael Bleeker

Dentaltown Magazine 

A prosthodontist’s advice on practicing and technology

by Dr. Michael Bleeker


After you graduated from dental school, how long before you started your practice, and what is your favorite thing about having your own dental practice?

Dr. Michael Bleeker: I worked in hospitals for 16 years before going into private practice. The thing I’ve enjoyed most since is having the freedom to focus on the procedures and services that I enjoy providing. I can add procedures as my skills and technical knowledge increase, or stop doing procedures that are nonproductive or better done by someone else, such as root canals.

What were the “big items” you looked for in a software system and company?

MB: I looked for something that was affordable and had all the features bridged together: practice management, radiography and intraoral photography. I’ve also turned to digital solutions to send electronic claims and digital attachments, which has been wonderful for my front desk (and the bottom line). We’ve reduced paperwork and human error dramatically and we get paid faster.

In addition, being able to send text messages to remind patients of (and confirm) their appointments has helped improve communication with patients and has decreased no-shows by a lot. One of the main reasons I chose my software was the company’s reputation for great customer support. I like when the techs are able to log on and see your screen and walk you through any issues. This is extremely helpful for learning the software.

What would you say is a key “must-have” clinical component for software?

MB: Each person would have a different answer for this, but for me, it’s having chart notes in a template format. My software allows me to create custom note templates for my most-used procedures, which cuts the time for writing chart notes by allowing you to modify existing notes rather than starting from scratch each time. When your schedule is full and you’re seeing patient after patient, time-saving features are a must-have.

What would you say are the key financial components for software?

MB: For me, the primary financial component for a busy doctor is for software to share financials in a high-level, easy-to-understand way. Even if you own your practice, you want to still focus on patient care, and not spend too much time figuring out the financials. I like my software’s financial calendar because I can quickly see which days and time of day are the most productive, and if I’m meeting production goals for the week and month.

Another thing that has been incredibly helpful is having the option to customize my workflow in a way that allows me to share the details of my completed work with my front desk. This way, my front desk doesn’t have to ask what was done for the patients. Also, my ability to create treatment plans that show the patient’s financial responsibility is huge. Patients appreciate price transparency, and knowing how much the treatment will cost beforehand can actually help with collecting patient payments.

What advice you would give new dental grads?

MB: Be true to yourself and focus on what you enjoy doing. Become very good at those procedures. Don’t try to do everything, or you will be good at nothing. And take advantage of digital tools to get better results for your practice and for your patients. I’ve used DentiMax software for more than 10 years and it’s made a difference.

Author Bio
Dr. Michael Bleeker Dr. Michael Bleeker graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina, College of Dental Medicine and is a board-certified maxillofacial prosthodontist. He owns a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona.
 

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