Küster Dental Blog

Posts Tagged ‘dental design’

I Don’t Like Winter, Maybe

Posted on: January 4th, 2013 by admin No Comments

I really don’t like Winter. I think it has to do with being cold all the time and the messy inconveniences of trudging in and out of snow and slush. The persistent gray probably has something to do with it, too.  I often describe myself as a flower, drawn to the sunshine.  I do very much like getting away to Palm Springs for a long weekend each February to sit by a pool in abundant sun reading a good book. This always seems to recharge my batteries.

All of that being said, however, I found myself last evening trudging over snow and ice to the neighborhood pub for dinner and thinking how much more interesting the sidewalk was with the variations from the ice and snow than normal.  Yes, having to slow down and be more careful was a bit of a pain, but it also broke up the routine, the mundane, and the ordinary.  It made my walk to the pub different and unique and infinitely more interesting.  Okay, it would have been really interesting if I’d slipped and fallen but not in a good way.

So, this started me thinking, “Is Winter really all that bad?” Doesn’t the changing seasons, Winter included, create variety in our lives? How much more dull would life be if nothing ever changed – if we walked through each day seeing exactly the same things and never having a pattern interrupt to cause us to slow down and pay attention to our surroundings?  I think I’d get terribly bored.

Now, how about your daily work life?  What do we do to create variety and pattern interrupts in our work environment?  When was the last time you made a change in your dental office design?  This could be something as simple as buying fresh flowers for the reception desk.  Especially during the dreary, gray days of Winter wouldn’t fresh flowers be a great pick-me-up? Or, the artwork on the walls?  One doesn’t have to undergo an entire dental office redesign to achieve a fresh, seasonal look.  Just change up the artwork on the walls.  A rotating collection can do wonders for keeping the space fresh for you and your staff and in keeping a fresh patient experience for your patients.

So, I guess, begrudgingly, I have to admit Ol’ Man Winter isn’t really all that bad. He helps keeps life from being a bore.

Creating a Positive Experience for Disabled Patients

Posted on: December 12th, 2012 by admin No Comments

Bathroom design that fails ADA standards

We are always amazed when we find bathrooms that are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities codes.  These codes provide for universal accessibility and safety for everyone, whether they are experience a permanent disability or a temporary one from an accident.

In this bathroom we visited recently there were several issues, but two of the most glaring were the height of the counter and the pipes underneath.  The counters are not to be more than 34” above the floor with the faucet set back from the edge by no more than 19”.  This particular bath fails on both these measurements.

As far as the pipes underneath, they must either be thermal wrapped or covered by a barrier so one will not burn their knees when rolled up to the counter.

These seem like really simple things to protect one’s patients from harm and make their time at the dental office more pleasant, but as we’ve said, we continue to be amazed at how often these little things fall through the cracks.

The Devil’s in the Details

Posted on: December 10th, 2012 by admin 2 Comments

Upclose shot of mismatched countertops

I’m often amazed at the lack of attention is paid to detail.  For example, take a look at the photo of these counter tops.  Because the long row of quartz counter could not be made in a single piece, several sections were joined, end-to-end to create a long counter.  However, one section was not made as thick as all of the other sections.  Who knows if this piece was originally damaged and this is a replacement section or what circumstances lead to this ending up this way, but it certainly leaves the impression that the proprietor doesn’t really care much about the details and appearance of the shop.

How your dental office looks communicates volumes as to your attention to detail.  Can you imagine what your patients would think if you paid so little attention to whether all of their teeth matched or not?  The same is true when they look around at the design of your dental office and the details in its execution.  These things matter and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  If your dental office has torn upholstery, mismatched counters, worn carpeting, leaking faucets, or other maladies that indicate a lack of interest or attention to detail this will be translated into doubt on the part of patients as to how well the dentist and staff are really doing in taking care of their teeth.

 

The New Era of Patient Experience

Posted on: December 7th, 2012 by admin No Comments

Yesterday we attended the Microsoft Windows 8 launch event – The New Era of Work. We were very excited to see the new Windows 8 and the new electronic gadgets that are hitting the market as part of this launch. We’ve been using Windows Phone 7.5 for a while now and really like the live tiles and swipe motion for navigating through the various apps. Now, we’re looking forward to upgrading our office workstations to touch screen monitors so we can finally use the same touch screen technology we’ve grown so accustom to on our phone.

As part of one of the sessions a new app was demonstrated that has been written for hospitals that allow doctors and healthcare teams to more effortlessly track patient care, locations, and instant message one another. While this app probably doesn’t have relevance in most dental offices, it did get us thinking about how the new technology that exists be it Microsoft, Apple, or Google, to enhance the patient experience.

We’ve been a big advocate for apps that allow patients to sign-in, update their patient information, and even make appointments electronically. As was so clearly demonstrated yesterday, we are ever increasingly living in a digital world and the sooner a dental office incorporates digital into their design and practice management the more attractive they’ll become – especially to younger and more tech savvy patients.

Of course, going digital does not mean that the interior space needs to become cold and clinical – quite the opposite really. While we love high-tech, modern design, we firmly believe the more digital society becomes the more calming, relaxing, and comforting patients are going to expect the dental office design experience to be.

Converting to EHR Can Boost Revenue

Posted on: December 5th, 2012 by admin No Comments

At my networking luncheon yesterday with other healthcare professionals the discussion of the pending electronic health records (EHR) mandate came up.  As there are several people in the group that specialize in providing either software for EHR or assistance in adopting a system or both, quite a bit of the discussion focused around the costs of implementing a system and the grants available to assist with doing so.  If you are a dentist practicing in the United States then conversion to EHR is required for you along with all other healthcare providers by the end of 2015.

I’ve been fortunate with many of our recent remodel clients to be able to assist them in finding alternative uses for the floor space previously required to maintain paper charts.  In most cases we’ve been able to convert this space, at least in part, into revenue producing space that helps to offset the cost of system adoption.  In new spaces we’re able to leverage the conversion to EHR by encouraging adoption at the same time as the move so that less square footage is required or maximum revenue generating space is carved out of the available area up front.  Rather than looking at an EHR conversion as a major expense item viewing it as an opportunity to redesign your dental office to increase revenue will give a boost to your practice.

Do They Bring Friends?

Posted on: December 3rd, 2012 by admin No Comments

Are you providing an incredible patient experience?  Are your patients telling their friends about your dental office and inviting them to join in the experience?

While on the road last week I stopped in Osteria Papavero a small Italian restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin that friends told me about.  I was dining alone so I sat up at the bar and Kevin the bartender took amazing care of me. His wine and food recommendations were spot on and I left having had just an amazing meal and dining experience.   The next night I’d met up with a group of friends from all over the world that were also attending the same meeting and we decided to go out to dinner.  The first restaurant we tried could not seat a table of nine for over an hour so I suggested going back to Osteria Papavero even though the restaurant isn’t large.  I told my friends that I’d had a really amazing meal the night before.  They agreed and so off we went.

The restaurant was busier than it had been the night before but they squeezed us into a table and added another once it became available.  Once again the service and food was amazing.  Stephanie served us with charm, grace, and an amazing command of the menu offerings making spot on suggestions.  My friends all left raving about the food, wine, and dining experience.  I’m sure the next time this group of people are in Madison they will return to tiny Osteria Papavero.

Can you confidently say your patients say the same thing about their time in your dental office?  Are you and your staff offering amazing customer service, attention to detail, meaningful explanations of your service offerings in an atmosphere that is charming and relaxing?  If not, why not?  If your patients aren’t consistently telling their friends and family about your dental experience and bringing them in as new patients then perhaps there is room for improvement in the level of service.  One doesn’t have to be big to be amazing.

An Incredible Patient Experience

Posted on: November 30th, 2012 by admin No Comments

Are you providing an incredible patient experience?  How do you know?  Do you ask your patients or are you just assuming that you do?

Remember this scene from the hit movie, “When Harry Met Sally,” where Sally very effectively demonstrates for Harry that perhaps the “experience” he’s been providing isn’t necessarily the one he thinks he is?  The scene is a very effective demonstration that we cannot take for granted that we really know what patients are thinking.  We must ask them in a non-threatening manner whereby we can expect to get honest responses.

Sally is about to demonstrate what we think of a as a great patient experience isn’t always accurate

The great follow-up to the fact that appearances can be deceiving happens right at the end of this same scene when another patron in the restaurant is asked by her server what she’d like and she responds, “I’ll have what she’s having.”  This is obviously the response we want all prospective patients to give about the dental experience you and your staff are offering.  If this level of patient satisfaction is achieved the practice is going to continue to grow and prosper.

So, I ask again, “Are you providing an incredible patient experience?  How do you know?”

A New Word

Posted on: November 28th, 2012 by admin No Comments

Okay, I’ll admit.  It is not often that I hear or read a term that I’m unfamiliar with, especially when used to describe a room’s interior, but this past weekend I was reading the Off Duty section of the Wall Street Journal which is my normal Sunday morning ritual (while sipping a Grand Skinny Mocha at my neighborhood Starbucks) when the term “twee” was used, not once, but twice in the article.  I’d never seen or heard this term before and the way it was used in the sentence did not immediately imply a meaning.  So, I had to jump on my cell phone and text two younger designers to ask them if they were familiar with the term.  As a boost to my ego, neither of them had heard it either; however, they were much more tech savvy than me and googled the term before replying.  Why didn’t I think of that?

According to Wikipedia, twee is a UK pejorative term for overly quaint, dainty, cute, or nice.  Hmm…  The usage in the article now made sense, and I immediately was relieved that no dental office design by my firm could ever be described in this manner.  I think I’m allergic to “cute” and as the principal designer can safely say, set the tone away from anything “cute.”  I guess if you are a dentist looking to have your new dental office design done as “cute” we are not the firm for you, but if you want your clients to feel relaxed, calm, and surrounded in a spa-like sensation, even your younger ones, definitely give us a call.  After all, not every pediatric dental office needs to come across as sickeningly “cute”.

How Does Your Office Handle Patient Registration?

Posted on: November 9th, 2012 by admin No Comments

I was in a conversation the other day about the impact of moving to electronic health records is having on dental office design and especially patient registration.  How often have you gone into your health professional and the first thing they do is hand you a clip board with pages of forms to fill out?  If you are like me, you just hate this.  Oh, yes, I take the clip board over to one of the available chairs and sit there and start answering all of the questions as my eyes glaze over.  I’ve always thought, “Why can’t this be done electronically?”  Isn’t this a terrible waste of a staff person’s time to type my responses into a computer?  I’ve heard of one oral surgery office that has a 17 page form!  They must allot an extra 30 minutes for every appointment to give patients time to wade through that.

Well, guess what folks, with the looming conversion to electronic health records I can see the end of these paper forms!  Hurray!  However, this poses new issues.  How will the practice collect this data from patients?  Some of the things I’ve been seeing is the creation of data entry centers in the Reception Area.  These centers are comprised of a small desk, chair, and work station connected to the network. This can be a costly approach.  Unless the practice is a small one, chances are at least two of these entry centers.  Also, from a HIPAA compliance consideration they can’t be located in an area where there is regular foot traffic behind them such that others might be able to see what is being displayed on the screen.  Also, if located side-by-side they will need a divider between them for privacy.

Another approach we’re seeing is to take the patients into the consultation room and have a staff person have a conversation with the patient asking them the questions and entering the data.  This can be a much more effective approach as the staff person is much more familiar with the questions and can focus in on the truly relevant data.  Plus, it allows for face time with the patient that helps build rapport and ease anxiety.

Now, the approach that we’re currently fond of is using a tablet for this data collection.  They are less expensive than purchasing multiple workstations and additional floor space isn’t required for the desks.  Each patient can pick up their tablet at the front desk and go sit down in a comfortable chair to click through their responses.  If there is a concern that the patient might walk out of the office with the tablet, something I can’t really see happening, then hold onto their driver’s license until you get the tablet back. Wouldn’t you rather sit in a chair that looks like this

Comfy Reception Area Chair

rather than this one?

Not as comfy desk chair

So, how does your dental practice handle data collection?  Are you using any of these methods or another one we haven’t run into yet?  We’d love to hear from you.

A Dental Office Design Flooring Alternative

Posted on: November 5th, 2012 by admin No Comments

Always in search of flooring options for operatories we’ve recently come across a new options that offers some interesting design options for your next dental office design project.  Gerflor has a very high density (VHD) design option that offer some really fun patterns.  This product, since it is a foam, offers sound insulation up to 18 dB, which significantly reduces impact sound and walking resonance.  The foam also offers greater comfort which sanding for long periods of time, yet recovers rapidly from impact marks.  The surface treatment has a 100% PVC wearlayer that can withstand most commonly used chemicals, is non-absorbant, impermeable, and non-porous which all inhibit the growth of harmful micro-organisms.

Another reason we like this product is that it can be rolled up the walls to form a seamless cove base for surgery suits.

Additionally, the product is 100% recyclable, which along with its low VOC’s makes it a great green design option.

We can hardly wait to use this in our next design project!