As your dental practice grows you may need to expand or revitalize your waiting room. It’s imperative to provide a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere for your patients. People are busy – they don’t like waiting – and many are uneasy about visiting the dentist!

Below are a few items you may want to consider to make their wait as comfortable as possible.

Music
According to a study by MusicWorks.com, the majority of patients feel more relaxed and happier when music is playing in a waiting room. Music can also mask the sound of drilling. Adult contemporary or light “pop” stations typically work best. However, always be mindful of your target population. If your office is in more of a rural area you may want to play country music. You may also want to use a satellite station to add more variety and cut down on commercials.

Furniture
Patients seem to prefer a waiting room that is decorated more like a well-decorated home rather than a sterile or industrial environment. Choosing comfortable furniture with contemporary style can make a huge impact. Provide a variety of furniture styles to be considerate of all body shapes and sizes. Also be mindful to have chairs that are easy to sit in and to rise from for your patients with limited mobility.

Color
Most color theorists suggest shades of blue and neutrals are the best choices for a relaxing atmosphere. It’s fine to add small items in an accent color like orange, red, or yellow to add warmth.

Decorations
The key is to be “homey,” but not busy or cluttered. Display a few relaxing pieces of art like paintings or framed prints. Add live plants, but take care of them regularly. Remove dead leaves and keep them dusted, watered and otherwise maintained. If you have a display case of curios, such as antique dentist tools or manuals, rotate the display seasonally.

Reading Materials
If you choose to offer newspapers and magazines, update them frequently. Out dated and tattered periodicals can be off putting to patients. Offer neatly kept scrapbooks with patient testimonials or before and after photos. If you and your staff volunteer in the community, a scrapbook could also be a great platform to show pictures from golf outings, fundraisers, local sporting events, etc.

Kids
Have dental-themed coloring books or worksheets for children. There are numerous websites that allow you to design your own puzzles! You may even find adults doing crosswords or word find games to pass the time. If you provide toys, make sure they’re disinfected and inspected regularly. Keep any choking hazards out of reach from smaller children.

Smell
Use a light air freshener, potpourri or a candle that may mask the smell of disinfectant. Vanilla or Mint work well and are less offensive than other scents.

Windows
If at all possible, have attractive landscaping that patients can see from the window. Make sure the flowers, bushes and trees are well maintained to show that you pay attention to details. Window coverings such as blinds and curtains will soften the look and should be cleaned often since they tend to collect dust.

Lighting
Use softer lighting rather than fluorescent. Track lighting or interesting lighting fixtures will add visual interest.

Education
Display framed flyers or posters and other collateral that educates patients about the services you offer, such as implant restoration, whitening services or other health information. You may want to have a display board that’s updated weekly with interesting information on a wide variety of dental health topics.

Extra amenities
Show you care about their comfort with a complimentary drink station, a coat rack, tissues, hand sanitizer and WIFI.

In today’s times, it can be difficult to find someone that does not own a cell phone! Most employees justify reasons for using their phones on the job, such as communicating with their children. However in many cases, cell phone privileges are being abused. Case in point: I once called a hygienist that I needed to speak with, and to my horror and dismay, discovered that she answered my call while working on a patient!

In addition to the loss of paid time, many of the extra features on today’s cell phones can create serious problems for employers. The ability to take photos, record voices, and create videos provides several avenues for employees to use technology against the employer.

In the event a wrong hire has been made, an employee could take videos or photos of confidential documents and use them for various illegal purposes and/or set in motion HIPAA violations. Since confidential information and trade secrets can be easily photographed, the practice could be vulnerable to costly litigation. Issues of privacy invasion can also arise from other employees when their picture or video is taken without their knowledge or consent.

Although personal cell phones are employee property, the employer can establish policies regarding how and when they may be used within the practice. Call our office and we will gladly provide you with a sample of such a policy.

The policy can include language that require cell phones to be turned off when the employee is not on a meal or rest break and that the employee can be contacted via office line in emergency situations.

As with any policy, the rules are only effective if they are enforced. Employees violating the Internet or cell phone policies should be subject to discipline, up to and including discharge.

Technology has contributed to improved communications between staff & patients; as well as, improving the team’s efficiency. However as business owners, you cannot afford to allow your team to misuse it, especially when the stakes are high. You can chose to take a back seat until an unfortunate situation presents itself, or you can choose to safeguard the practice. It’s your choice. Employers interested in protecting their practice should determine how they want to manage their business, establish policies to communicate their expectations to their employees, have systems in place to correct employee misconduct, and when necessary, enforce the rules appropriately.

The dental industry has finally caught up with the advancements in the world of technology. Practices are running more efficiently and patients are noticing the improved customer service and care being provided. Technology is great, but on the flip side, technology is similar to a pill. While it can cure one set of ailments , it can also cause side effects. The side effect in this case is regarding employees utilizing technology for personal use.

It is increasingly frequent that dentists find their employees using the office computers, Internet access, e-mail, and other technology for personal use, along with their cell phones to carry on personal conversations, when they should be working.

As you are aware, all of the above listed actions involve compromised data, identity issues, and/or the introduction of computer viruses, spyware, and adware. If you have already experienced this, you are aware of how frustrating and time consuming it is to repair.

Here’s one example of how a confidentiality breech over the internet cost a practice a referring doctor and exposed them to litigation: An employee emailed risqué jokes to other co-workers in reference to a referring doctor to the practice. The consequences to their empoloyer were devastating. He lost a referring dentist and therefore incurred a loss in production. He also was charged with sexual harassment and the resulting litigation and settlement were costly.

This is just one example of many that emphasize how improper use of office computers can lead to actions where the employer can be held liable– even if they were not aware of what was happening. Most dentists feel they do not have the time to actively monitor employees’ Internet activities or nothing is going to happen to them; therefore, they have not taken proper safety measures. You need to ask yourself the following question, “What would it cost the practice by not safeguarded it?” and ” Can you afford NOT to make the time to have proper policies and procedures in place to monitor Internet activity?

Computer Use

Many employees mistakenly believe that their use of the Internet and e-mail at the workplace is private and confidential, and employers should not be permitted to review such private communication. Are you aware that courts have found no reasonable expectation of privacy in such use and the law permits employers to monitor employees’ Internet and email use, especially when the employees have consented to such monitoring.

Among the legitimate reasons for monitoring employees’ activities are:

1. Maintaining the company’s professional reputation and image
2. Maintaining employee productivity
3. Preventing and discouraging sexual or other illegal workplace harassment
4. Preventing possible defamation liability
5. Preventing employee disclosure of confidential information
6. Preventing employees from illegally downloading software
7. Preventing exposure to viruses throughout the office computer system

As previously mentioned, it is imperative employers adopt and enforce a written policy that prohibits employees’ computer use and Internet access for personal activities. Employers should have employees read the policy and sign an acknowledgement that they agree to adhere to the policy. Call our office and we will gladly address any concerns or questions you might have.

The policy should include a statement that employees should not expect privacy with respect to any of their activities using the practice computer, and the employer reserves the right to review any files, messages, or communications sent, received, or stored on the practice’s computer systems. Furthermore, inform employees to keep passwords confidential and to adhere to HIPAA guidelines relating to confidentiality of electronically transmitted patient information.

To help decrease this problem, many practices have a “staff” computer with Internet capability that is not on the practice’s main network. The computer is located in a common area such as the lunch room and is specifically for staff to use before and after work, during breaks, or during lunch to:

• Write personal e-mails at work
• Access unsecured websites
• Sends personal text messages
• Conduct personal business