K.I.S.S.ing Oral Systemic Health
Funny, isn’t it? The K.I.S.S. principle. It seems so normal. Simple is better, right? What about science? Healthcare? Not so simple. Managing a practice, navigating insurance and third party payers, managing patients, and the litany of daily thought processes and decisions that encompass practicing health care. Or, the art form of medicine-how we practice it. Not simple So, how can we blend the complex processes of science and research, with the complex processes of healthcare delivery and be able to streamline that into simple, easy to understand therapies that our patients can be excited about and want to pursue?
As healthcare providers, we are often caught in the middle, between our patients and the science. Meaning, our patients don’t know the science like we do. On the other hand, scientific research often does not have to worry about patient finances or things like insurance write offs.
Personally, I am a scientist in my own mind. I love the biologic process involved in healing. And, in what creates disease. For those of you that now use companies for salivary diagnostics, like Hain and OralDNA, science and curiosity is how those companies were born in the United States. My father and I brought the largest salivary diagnostic lab in Europe, Hain Diagnostics, to the U.S. not for consumers, but because we knew that the science had evolved. That saliva was going to be an amazing diagnostic tool and we wanted our colleagues to be able to use it in a way that enhanced the ability to diagnose and treat periodontal inflammatory diseases. That led to forming OralDNA Labs, which became first salivary diagnostics lab based in the U.S. None of which were simple processes, nor was the science behind them.
What we learned in these primarily scientific and business endeavors was that without practical implementation into practice, just because we know how to heal, the patient and the practice must understand why it’s so important that they do so.
Preventive care is far different than reactive care. The patient’s “why” is the most important aspect in the discussion. In reaction-based care, the patient is either in pain, or can often see visible symptoms that need correcting. In preventive care, we have to help the patient see years from now and how making changes that may cost money now, may save much more money later, and even affect the quality of life. The correlation between heart disease and periodontal disease is far more important than discussing bone loss or “probing.” Understanding your patient’s medical history and tying their personal story to the recommended treatment is critical to success. The science itself is legitimate. It is there and can be used when needed. However, understanding the patients “why” is the most important aspect in communication.
Which leads to another dimension of patient care. Communication. In my opinion, an aspect of health care that we are sorely under-trained on.
First and foremost, the psychology of emotion and decision-making, along with verbal skills must be studied and learned. As much as we might understand the scientific method, we must communicate it in a way that is simple and relates to the patient.
Financial communication is next. Meaning, once treatment is agreed on, there must be a simple payment structure that is easy to understand and obtainable. Having a financial plan for the patient that keeps them focused on treatment acceptance and provides simple instructions on how its paid for, is critical to case acceptance. Laundry lists of coding and numbers are often overwhelming. Keep it simple.
Insurance communication is number three. Remember, insurance is not the “why” people seek treatment. It is an assistance to help them get what they want. AAOSH practices are ahead of the curve. Meaning, insurance coverage is primarily reactionary, or after a health problem exists. As we know, prevention is not something covered in the same way in terms of insurance benefits. We must be able to work within the guidelines of insurance coverage when called upon.
Finally, team communication. We must empower our team members to be the best they can be. Team happiness is critical to everyone’s personal and professional success. Empower your team to be cross-trained and be leaders in their respective areas of the practice. From the initial patient phone call, to scheduling, therapy, and payment, each patient point of contact must be held to a high standard.
In the art of providing healthcare, we must devote time in learning systems for team building, human psychology, verbal skills, and financial planning for the patient to emotionally connect to us. It takes a great deal of behind the scenes work to build systems in these areas. However, when in place, you will find the patients will often say, “Wow, that was easier than I thought.”
Stay tuned over the next few issues as we break down these four areas in more detail to help you build systems to K.I.S.S. oral health care. Next up: The psychology of decision-making and verbal skills.