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Staff involvement pays dividendsDavid L. Turpin, Editor-in-Chief Seattle, Wash

Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2007;131:000889-5406/$32.00Copyright © 2007 by the American Association of Orthodontists.doi:10.1016/j.ajodo.2007.02.036

Reviewing our second annual AJO-DO Prod-uct Resource Guide, I was reminded of 2 col-leagues who used to practice nearby. Doctor

A enjoyed going to an occasional orthodontic meeting but rarely invited or encouraged the office staff to at-tend. Doctor B, on the other hand, regularly attended specialty meetings and frequently involved office staff members—especially when the program looked good. When asked about this, Doctor A would respond that it was expensive to take the entire staff to a meeting, and it was unlikely that office production would be affected the next month. Meanwhile, Doctor B always reported great satisfaction with the meetings and their effect on the office. When I took time to probe the differences in their attitudes more fully, I was pleasantly surprised by what I learned.

Doctor B’s staff started to plan for the meeting nearly a year in advance. The planning took many dif-ferent forms and involved everyone. Together, they es-tablished production incentives to help pay the cost for the entire staff to attend. If the program called for table clinic leaders or clinical presentations by staff, Doc-tor B provided incentives to encourage staff members to volunteer. Finally, Doctor B followed up with what I think is the crucial component when building for suc-cess: 100% involvement by the staff in a brainstorming session to talk about changes in the practice that could be made in the next 12 months, in conjunction with the meeting. These changes might include selecting a new management software program, remodeling the office to provide a second room for consultations, or buying a new sterilization system. Smaller items were also added to the list, including purchasing better distal end-cutters and better mirrors for patient education.

Doctor B then assigned each staff member to a com-mittee and challenged them to look for solutions to these office needs. The committees met several times during the year. Budgets were developed for the larger projects,

and Doctor B always got involved if the budget looked as if it might get out of control. Each committee seemed to build in excitement as the meeting date approached. When the program came in the mail, the staff members looked for lectures related to their committee projects and made sure they were registered to attend them. They also identified the manufacturers and supply companies that sold products of interest and even contacted some of them by phone or e-mail ahead of time. Most vendors were very responsive to this action. The software com-panies, for example, encouraged the staff members to schedule a special showing of the software during the meeting, giving them greater access to the designer of their innovative approach. Most supply companies iden-tified products that would be available for a discounted price only during the exhibit hours. This often resulted in savings for Doctor B.

To make a long story short, the meeting came, and the entire staff went. Everyone worked hard on their as-signed tasks, talking with vendors in the exhibit hall and attending special sessions, and they also had fun social-izing and being together in a new setting. When they re-turned to the office, one important step remained: at the follow-up staff meeting, the committees reported what they learned and any decisions they had made or recom-mendations they had; in addition, they described how they felt about the process. Doctor B knew from experi-ence to pay close attention to the interactions between staff members and to give credit to those who stepped forward with ideas and actions to improve patient care and the running of the office.

I understand Doctor A’s reluctance to take the entire staff out of town to a meeting; it is a significant expense. But I admire the way Doctor B turned the expense into an investment and then made sure the investment paid off, adding value to the practice and improving patient care.

Hope to see you ALL in Seattle for the 107th Annual Session.

EDITORIAL

AAO_S014_1753_Turpin_CP.indd 14 3/27/07 9:15:19 AM