Heather Broughton

Walk into almost any orthodontic practice and ask how things are going. There is a good chance you will hear: "We are so busy." The schedule is full. The phones are ringing. The clinical team is moving from chair to chair. The doctor is bouncing between exams and adjustments. Everyone is working hard, but somehow there still doesn't seem to be enough time. It feels like the practice must be doing well. But busy doesn't always mean productive. A practice can have a completely full schedule...

Your practice has grown a lot over the years. Your team has evolved. Your patient volume has changed. Technology has improved. And the practice management software available today can support workflows that once required paper charts, printed schedules, handwritten notes, and manual tracking. That creates an exciting opportunity. If paper charts are still part of your daily operations, moving more of those workflows into your practice management software can help make information easier to...

When practice owners think about growth, they often think about marketing, hiring, or adding another provider. Few stop to ask whether their schedule is built to support the growth they want. The truth is that every practice has a schedule. But not every practice has a schedule by design. Many templates evolve over time. A few extra appointments are squeezed into the day. Lunch gets shortened. Emergencies start filling every open space. New appointment types are added without reconsidering...