Dental Associates Blog

Our Experts. Your Oral Health

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Oct 25
Dental Associates Presents at Press Ganey National Client Conference

As consumers and industries change, organizations must adapt to meet the demands of the marketplace. Our success at Dental Associates is driven by providing patients superior care, and evolving to meet their changing needs. The 2016 Press Ganey National Client Conference For the second consecutive year, I have been invited to speak at Press Ganey’s National Client Conference. Press Ganey is the recognized leader in patient satisfaction in health care and is used by many of the nation’s top health care organizations. We’re honored to share our knowledge about patient satisfaction alongside prominent groups such as Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, and will benefit from this opportunity to learn from leaders in the health care industry. In our session this year, titled “Using Our Patients’ Voice: Restructuring Our Practice Model to Improve the Patient Experience,” my colleague Christina Villarreal, Patient Experience Specialist, and I will dig deeper into the process we’ve gone through to assure our patients’ expectations are being met by better educating staff on our patients’ wants and needs. Our session takes place on Wednesday, November 2 at 4 p.m. We’re honored to present at this highly-regarded conference and look forward to sharing our successes with other leaders in the health care industry. Dental Associates’ Journey to Constantly Improve Patient Care Since our first clinic opened in 1974, Dental Associates has continued to improve its care delivery model using the patients’ comments as a guide. We were built on the idea of family: our founder, Dr. John Gonis, wanted to make his first clinic a family-friendly experience, and today Dr. Tom Manos, his nephew, continues that vision since he took over the company as owner eight years ago. Over the past ten years, we’ve made significant changes to our business model. We are no longer a Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO), a model where patients see a different dentist at each visit. Now we have established a dental practice within a practice where the patients see the same dentist, hygienist, assistant, and patient care coordinators at each visit. This change in was driven by our patients’ feedback, and in the end, it helps our patients to have the most personalized, coordinated care possible. Our mission was to listen to the patients’ voice and we did this by engaging Press Ganey patient surveys where are patients are able to rate our care and provide comments on how we doing and how we can improve. To effectively monitor the patient experience, we created a Patient Experience Specialist to our team. Christina Villarreal’s responsibility is to read patients’ comments and implement improvements to the patient experience. In her role, Christina trains our clinical and management teams to be more responsive in addressing the patients’ expectations. This has resulted in more of our doctors receiving higher ratings and higher mean scores from patients. You can learn more about our dentist reviews on our website. We will continue to make changes with one thing in mind: what is best for our patients. We know that our patients want to be treated with respect and receive the most caring, personalized dental care possible, so we vow to actively listen to their feedback and adjust accordingly.

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Jul 7
Online Dentist Reviews Provide Absolute Transparency

In a world where you--as a consumer--have an endless stream of information at your fingertips, it’s no wonder you turn to the internet to do research before making major decisions. Because of this information, you are a more knowledgeable consumer who expects a higher level of service, and we want to meet your expectations. You deserve to make an informed decision about your health care, and we’re determined to help you do that. That’s why we display doctor ratings and comments from patients on our website for the public to see. We supply this data through Press Ganey, the leading independent patient satisfaction firm. By sharing this information with you, we know it will provide value for you and your family’s health. The Press Ganey Survey Process After an appointment, patients receive an email with a brief survey about their experience at the clinic and with their dentist and staff. Patients complete the survey online with the link and access code provided. Press Ganey organizes the results and sends them to our clinics where they are reviewed. Our team members respond to feedback and implement changes that will improve future patient experiences. We post the doctor ratings and comments anonymously on our website for potential patients to see. Each doctor profile page* features an overall five-point rating for the doctor, nine ratings based on specific questions related to the patient’s interaction with the doctor, and comments from patients. In addition, we also post the overall patient rating for each of our clinics. * Doctors need a certain number of surveys returned before their results are statistically valid. Thus, some newer doctors many not have patient ratings and comments on their profile page (yet). Are you looking for a dentist to provide you and your family with exceptional, family-centered care? Find a Dental Associates clinic near you and see the patient ratings of the clinic and its dentists here: Dental Associates Locations

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dentist examining a patient with a dental assistant
Apr 17
Teaching Students the Wide Variety of Dental Careers

Not All Dental Careers Require a Four-Year Degree Not all careers in the dental field require a four-year degree. In fact, there are many careers that provide enriching environments with ample opportunities for growth besides being a dentist. Dental Associates’ clinics are full-service, meaning that we provide all dental specialties. To ensure our patients receive the best all-around care possible, we employ both clinical team members as well as administrative and management staff to take care of day-to-day operations and our patients’ overall experience inside our clinic(s). Careers in the dental field can appeal to a large variety of people and personalities. From a clinical perspective, dentists need assistants, hygienists, and receptionists with excellent people skills to ensure that patients have a well-rounded experience and feel comfortable at all times during their visit. However, you don’t have to be on the clinic floor to reap the benefits of working in a dental clinic. By working in clinic administration or management, you get the satisfaction of working in a health care environment and helping patients, but without the clinical aspect. Dental Associates also fosters an environment of growth and development for our employees. For instance, Brenda Boyd has been an employee at Dental Associates for over 35 years. She started as a dental assistant and has had 12 roles since then. Brenda’s journey is just one of many that illustrate the ample room for growth and development as a Dental Associates employee and longevity with the proper attitude and work ethic. As Dental Associates grows, you have the opportunity to grow with it. Dental Associates Mentors Wisconsin Students Dental Associates is active in Wisconsin communities teaching students how they can prepare for a successful career in the dental field. Recently, we participated in a health careers awareness day for Milwaukee-area high school students. We spoke to nearly 250 upperclassmen who were interested in a career in health care and told them about the various opportunities at Dental Associates clinics. Our focus was to get students excited about working in dentistry and show them that it is a fulfilling and rewarding career. We’re also involved in an initiative for local students enrolled in dental assisting programs. Through the initiative, we’re helping students learn more about the importance and benefits of involvement in a professional organization. Interested in a Career with Dental Associates? Thanks to our continued growth in Wisconsin, we’re always looking for talented new team members. For more information about careers at Dental Associates, visit our careers site.

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