Seminars

Dianne Glasscoe Watterson offers the best of both worlds - clinical and business. Her educational and professional background in the dental profession has given her a broad perspective related to dental practice dynamics. In addition, her affiliation with several professional speaking organizations has helped Dianne develop platform skills to a level that keeps her audiences interested and engaged. Dianne speaks on a broad range of practice management and clinical topics related to dentistry.

Practice Management Presentations

Manage Your Practice Well (Full day, dentists, office administrators)

Managing the business aspects of a dental practice presents challenges that extend far beyond dental school education. This course is an intensive practice management course offering practical, reality-based information on all aspects of the most critical business systems, including staffing, policies and procedures, overhead control, financial policy, recare management, and scheduling. The attendee will learn usable information that can be implemented to enhance practice efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

Course Objectives – Attendees should be able to:

Learn how to hire and retain excellent staff members.
Understand how to develop a policies manual.
Learn the proper protocol for employee termination.
Conduct productive staff meetings.
Understand practice overhead benchmarks.
Understand the importance of a written financial policy.
To learn how to schedule efficiently and reduce disappointments.
Recognize factors that influence practice ability to thrive.
Operate a profitable hygiene department.
Learn profitable marketing techniques.
Learn what is necessary for a healthy associate relationship.

Course Topics -

Where to Find Prospective Employees
Newspaper Ads that Work
Employment Tests
The Policies and Procedures Manual
Checking References
Smart Interviewing
Creating the Right Environment
Ways to Keep Employees Motivated
Embezzlers and How to Protect Your Practice
Reasons Why Staff Members Leave
Compensation for Long Term Staff Members
The Ten Commandments of Firing
The Exit Interview
Leadership Style and its Effect on Staff Members

Manage Your Practice Well – Staffing, Staff Meetings, and

Employee Manuals

(Half Day– Dentists, Office Administrators)

Course Description –

One of the most challenging aspects of practice management for many clinicians is staff management. Given the high cost of staff turnover, it behooves every business owner to hire and retain high quality employees for practice success. This course provides the tools needed to find qualified candidates, conduct a high quality interview, and provide a work environment conducive to staff nurturing and growth.

Course Objectives - Attendees should be able to:

Write an effective ad that attracts the kind of person desired.
Conduct a high quality interview.
Develop an effective policies and procedures manual.
Understand what motivates staff members.
Create an atmosphere conducive to staff growth and happiness.
Measure employee job performance.
Discover the necessary elements of a high quality staff meeting.
Learn how to conduct an exit interview.
Understand legal parameters of employment termination.

Course Topics

Where to Find Prospective Employees
Newspaper Ads that Work
Employment Tests
The Policies and Procedures Manual
Checking References
Smart Interviewing
Creating the Right Environment
Ways to Keep Employees Motivated
Embezzlers and How to Protect Your Practice
Reasons Why Staff Members Leave
Compensation for Long Term Staff Members
The Ten Commandments of Firing
The Exit Interview
Leadership Style and its Effect on Staff Members

Developing a Sound Financial Policy
Managing Third Party Reimbursement
Understanding Key Overhead Benchmarks
Schedule Control – Reducing Downtime
Managing a Successful Hygiene Department
The Assisted Hygiene Model

Manage Your Practice Well – Financial Policy, Scheduling, and Hygiene Department

(Half Day– Dentists, Office Administrators)

Course Description –

This practice management course covers three critical systems in the dental practice - financial systems (including overhead management), scheduling systems, and hygiene department. Attendees will learn usable information that can be implemented to develop sound financial policies, reduce cancellations and disappointments, understand and track various overhead categories, and run a profitable hygiene department.

Course Objectives – Attendees should be able to:

Understand practice overhead benchmarks.
Understand the importance of a written financial policy.
To learn how to schedule efficiently and reduce disappointments.
Recognize factors that influence practice ability to thrive.
Operate a profitable hygiene department.
Learn how to implement the assisted hygiene model.

Course Topics –

Developing a Sound Financial Policy
Managing Third Party Reimbursement
Understanding Key Overhead Benchmarks
Schedule Control – Reducing Downtime
Managing a Successful Hygiene Department
The Assisted Hygiene Model

Manage Your Practice Well – New Practitioners

(Half Day– Dentists, Spouses, Office Administrators)

Course Description – Business success for the new practitioner is dependent on making good business choices and getting started right. This course examines many aspects of dental business for the new practitioner, including buying an established practice vs. starting a new practice, staffing considerations, overhead control, and effective marketing.

Course Objectives – Upon completion of this course, attendees should be able to:

Understand the profit margin difference between an established practice vs. a start-up.
Understand the importance of overhead control.
Identify key practice health indicators.
Compare building ownership vs. leasing.
Identify roadblocks to profitability.
Determine how many staff members are needed.
Practice appropriate staff utilization.
Know when to hire a hygienist.
Understand which types of marketing will bring the best results.

Course Topics –

Buying an Established Practice vs. Starting a Practice – Expenses and Profit Over Time
Practice Profit Comparison as it Relates to Overhead
Buying or Leasing Your Space
Roadblocks to Profitability
Being Properly Staffed
Smart Marketing

Clinical Presentations

Care Considerations and the Periodontal Patient (dentists, hygienists, half or full day)

Excellence in patient care is the goal of the consummate dental hygienist. This course examines the latest information related to patient care protocol including systemic factors related to periodontal disease, patient classification, blood pressure guidelines, pain control modalities, new technlogies related to detection of periodontal pathogens, intrapocket therapies, and treatment sequence and protocol. In order to provide our patients with optimum care, staying current is very important for the dental professional. This course will provide the clinician with up-to-date, evidence-based information related to complete care for the hygiene patient.

Course Objectives - Upon completion of this course, the attendee should be able to:

understand many of the links between oral and systemic disease
classify the periodontal patient through expanded classification guidelines
implement effective sequencing protocol for the periodontal patient
use proper pain control techniques
understand the new pre-medication guidelines
write an effective narrative
discuss the usage of intrapocket therapies
learn about new and emerging treatment protocols

Communication Tools for Dental Professionals (dentists, hygienists, and assistants, half day)

Good communication skills are vitally important in patient care issues. Far more than the words we speak, this seminar examines all facets of communication with patients. Communicating one-on-one about patient care issues, barriers to communication, developing a superb chairside manner, reducing disappointments, verbal and non-verbal communication, using effective analogies to assist patient understanding in discussions about dentistry, and tips on improving the clinician's own communication skills will be addressed.

Course Objectives - Upon completion of this course, the attendee should be able to:

recognize the importance of good verbal skills in patient interaction
understand the cycle of communication
recognize barriers to communication with regard to patient care
implement new strategies for reducing disappointments
use effective analogies when discussing different aspect of dental treatment
respond effectively to treatment concerns

Systemic Influences on Oral Health (Full or half day, dentists, hygienists, assistants)

Good oral health is not just the product of good oral hygiene. A growing body of evidence points to a wide array of systemic influences that affect oral health. This course examines various systemic diseases and medications that have a direct impact on oral health as well as the periodontal/systemic disease link. Attendees will enjoy participating in ‘Oral/Systemic Jeopardy’ as a review of information presented.

Course Objectives -

To increase knowledge about many systemic diseases that have oral implications
To learn the latest information about the periodontal disease/systemic disease link
To increase awareness of the importance of a thorough intraoral/extraoral examination
To study various medications and their effects on oral tissues

Course Topics -

Focal infection theory
Bacteremias
Infective endocarditis and premedication issues
Cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis
Diabetes mellitus
Respiratory diseases
Pregnancy factors
Chemotherapy and radiation patients
Crohn's disease
AIDS
Other diseases

Prevention vs. Prosecution - Patient Care Issues in Dentistry (dentists, hygienists, assistants - half day)

The practice of dentistry and dental hygiene involves adhering to strict standards of care. This course examines the best methods for producing desirable results to avoid injury. Clinical standards are reflected in various case histories.

Course Objectives -

To increase knowledge about occurrences in the dental office that can result in injury to patients
To learn the latest information about the top ten causes of liability
To increase awareness of the importance of a thorough charting protocol
To study the role of the patient in decision-making
To implement informed consent protocol in treatment planning

Course Topics -

Clinical competence for doctors and hygienists
The top ten patient care issues for doctors and hygienists
Charting defensively - tips on chart notes
Various case histories of actual liability cases against doctors and hygienists
The importance of open communication between clinician and patient
Informed consent and informed refusal
How to handle patient refusal of recommended care

Please contact Dianne through the information provided on the home page if you wish to have her speak for your dental group.

Dianne Glasscoe Watterson, MBA, CEO • 2825 Roderick Rd. • Frederick, MD • 21704
Phone: (301) 874-5240 • Fax: (301) 874-5240• E-Mail: dglasscoe@northstate.net