A full schedule can look productive while still falling short of a practice’s financial goals. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Miranda Beeson, Director of Education at ACT Dental, about why busy days underperform and how production-per-day goals, schedule utilization, patient selection, and block scheduling create greater predictability.
You will learn how to evaluate schedule quality, protect high-value clinical time, and help your administrative team make more intentional scheduling decisions. To build a full schedule that supports production, profitability, and a better workday, listen to Episode 1066 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- A full schedule can still underperform when appointments are not aligned with the practice’s production goals.
- Production-per-day goals should be visible in the practice management software and understood by the entire team.
- Schedule utilization measures how much available clinical time is being used for patient care.
- Administrative team members should consider procedure value and patient reliability instead of filling every opening with the first available appointment.
- A and B patients create greater schedule stability because they are more likely to attend appointments and pay their balances.
- Block scheduling protects prime clinical time for higher-value treatment and creates more predictable daily production.
- An ideal day schedule should balance the owner’s preferences, patient needs, and the practice’s production goals.
Snippets
00:00 Intro
01:31 Full schedules can still produce underperforming days.
02:18 Why filling every opening does not guarantee productivity.
03:13 The importance of production per day and schedule utilization.
05:03 Working backward from annual goals to a daily production target.
06:39 What an underperforming full schedule looks like.
08:13 Why practices should replace like with like when appointments change.
10:30 How intentional scheduling supports production goals.
12:20 Protecting prime clinical time with block scheduling.
13:00 Using the production figure in practice management software before scheduling an appointment.
15:05 How comprehensive treatment blocks can create peaceful, productive days.
17:06 Displaying production-per-day goals in the practice management software.
17:46 Building an ideal day schedule for greater consistency.
19:03 The ideal day scheduling guide in the ACT Dental community hub.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
Guest Resource:
Ideal Day Scheduling Guide in the ACT Dental community hub:
https://www.actdental.com/blog/cut-the-chaos-from-your-schedule
More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:
