One of the major causes of this alarming situation is the poorly managed health system in Romania and the lack of sustained education. However, the private sector has brought a great contribution to the improvement and optimization of local dental services.
CARE FOR YOUR PATIENTS, HELP THE MARKET, BUILD A STRONG BUSINESS
The challenge before us is finding the best methods to develop the market and, implicitly, create better and more relevant services for the patients. This is where innovation comes into action and a model worth following for this purpose have been the Western markets.
Bringing and adapting new concepts created by the countries where oral hygiene and health education have already surpassed the barriers we are still confronting with today is a valid solution to the problems of our market.
This is how your business consolidates and gains credibility but also helps raise the standards of the industry. Higher standards mean a stronger market and also more satisfied patients.
WE HAVE SHINY OFFICES AND HIGH-END TECHNOLOGIES, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OVERALL SERVICES?
A trend that I have noticed in recent years is that many clinics introduce ultra-performant technologies and modernize their offices, but still ignore what should be a main priority: the quality of overall services. Starting from unprofessionally handling appointment inquires, omitting to fully inform patients about their dental status and potential treatment solutions to ignoring important internal aspects such as financial, administration and even marketing activities.
Now, I am not disapproving with the modernzation of the offices and the new technologies used by doctors, which is a commendable attitude in any sense, but I have to point out the fact that the patient will rate you for the quality of his/her entire experience at the clinic and every little aspect is vital.
This is where the American model offers a great deal of inspiration that I have used in the development of DENT ESTET. However, adapting a model that successfully functions on other markets is not all about introducing modern technologies and specializing doctors in the most advanced techniques. Innovation means to adapt new services to the local market and make them relevant for Romanians. The difference of mentalities and behaviour between various countries influences your business strategy and the way you communicate with your patients. What works for Americans might not be perfectly suitable for us and might need adjusting in order to be efficient.
THE WORK OF YOUR NON-MEDICAL TEAM IS AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR DOCTORS' WORK
A successful business in dentistry is undoubtedly led by the quality of your doctors' work and the quality of their treatment. But investing in the specialization of your medical team is not enough, every member of your team is responsible for how strong your practice is and is seen.
Nowadays, most doctors who own their office also manage the administrative and organizational tasks and, in many cases, this generates a disorder inside the practice. Delayed scheduals, lower quality of the treatments and a poor administration of the business are only a few of the consequences.
Having a specialized team to handle the internal obligations will determine a noticeable improvement both in the doctor's performance and the overall functioning of the office.
This was the insight that gave birth to a new project my team and I are about to launch: the first school for Dental Office Managers in Romania, destined to the non-medical personnel. With the support of the American Association of Dental Office Managers we are able to bring to our country a tool that I believe will completely boost the local dentistry market's value.
All in all, Romania still has a great growth potential when it comes to dental services. With the right tools and the right ideas we can contribute to achieving this goal and create a healthier environment.
