Business Basics for Dentists

Preface vii SECTION 1 CAREER PLANNING Introduction 1 1 Career Planning 3 2 Employment Opportunities 11 3 Practice Ownership 31 4 Practice Transitions 41 5 Valuing Practices 59 6 Securing Financing 67 SECTION 2 PERSONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Introduction 77 7 Personal Money Management 79 8 Personal Insurance Needs 95 9 Retirement Planning 113 10 Personal Taxes 129 11 Estate Planning 139 SECTION 3 BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS Introduction 145 12 Basic Economics 147 13 Business Entities 161 14 The Legal Environment of the Dental Practice 171 15 Financial Statements 185 16 Basics of Business Finance 195 17 Business Taxes and Tax Planning 211 18 Management Principles 223 19 Planning the Dental Practice 229 SECTION 4 DENTAL OFFICE SUCCESS FACTORS Introduction 239 20 Financial Analysis and Control in the Dental Office 243 21 Maintaining Production 257 Part 1: Duty Delegation 257 Part 2: Scheduling Patients 265 Part 3: Dental Fee Policy 275 22 Maintaining Collections 283 Part 1: Patient Financial Policies 283 Part 2: Office Collection Policies 290 23 Generating Patients for the Practice 297 Part 1: Generating New Patients 297 Part 2: Managing Continuing Care 309 24 Gaining Case Acceptance 315 Part 1: Communication in the Office 315 Part 2: Case Presentation and Acceptance 324 25 Controlling Costs in the Practice 329 26 Promoting Staff Effectiveness 337 Part 1: Selecting and Hiring Employees 337 Part 2: Compensating Employees 346 Part 3: Motivating Employees to Perform Well 355 Part 4: Assessing Employee Performance 362 27 Maintaining Daily Operations 369 Part 1: Office Operations 369 Part 2: Office Accounting Systems 373 Part 3: Instrument Management Procedures 388 Part 4: Office Supply and Lab Management 394 Part 5: Dental Insurance Management 397 28 Managing Risk in the Office 417 Part 1: Office Risk Management 417 Part 2: Regulatory Compliance 435 Part 3: Quality Assurance 445 Index 453