682: The Data Accountability Prescription: 3 Vital Strategies for Your Practice - Christina Byrne

Ever wonder how to best use data to improve your practice? This episode is for you! Kirk brings back Christina Bryne, Director of Operations for ACT Dental to talk about the topic of data. The two discuss data accountability and Christina provides three vital data strategies that you can apply to your practice. This insightful episode promises valuable takeaways for practitioners seeking to elevate their dental practices through strategic data utilization.

Episode Resources:

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• Reading: “Traction” by Gino Wickman

Main Takeaways

• Data is the Prescription for Practice Improvement
• Three Vital Strategies for Data Accountability: These strategies provide tangible improvements and a better overall experience for both practitioners and patients
• Setting clear and personalized goals for the practice is key. 
• Dentists need to define their own parameters for success, focusing on progress that matters to their specific team and objectives.
• Leading and Lagging Indicators: Lagging indicators, such as production and collections, provide a retrospective view, while leading indicators are crucial for achieving monthly goals and keeping the practice on track.
• Simplifying the measurement process is stressed as a best practice. Concentrate on what truly matters, avoiding the trap of measuring everything all the time. Incremental progress is emphasized as the key to sustainable growth.
• Weekly Team Meetings for Course Correction: Weekly team meetings as a means to efficiently analyze data, identify trends, and course-correct if necessary. This proactive approach allows practitioners to address issues in a timely manner and work on the practice rather than just in it.
• Involving the Team and Fostering Accountability: The importance of involving the entire dental team in goal-setting and tracking is highlighted. Team members are seen as valuable contributors who can offer suggestions and help hold each other accountable for achieving the established goals.
• Care and Transparency: Practitioners are encouraged to schedule meetings that focus on meaningful data discussions rather than generic issues. Transparency and vulnerability are seen as essential for building trust and making data an integral part of the conversation.

Quotes:

“If you don't have the data, you don't know how well you're doing.” [1:52 - 1:56]

“It's the accurate number that is real and not just how you feel about a thing.” [2:24 - 2:29]

“If you and I don't have any data, we're just talking. What's cool is when you can make the transition to grounding your conversations in data or facts. You'll see how healthy they get and how much faster that becomes.” [3:43 - 3:58]

“When you see data that you don't like, you can chart a new course.” [5:21 - 5:28]

“When you're talking about leading indicators, these are the things that you can actually do on a day to day basis that are going to help to improve those numbers.” [8:00 - 8:08]

“All of your data that you're tracking should relate to a stated outcome and goal.” [9:09 - 9:14]]

“The three vital strategies for this prescription - number one, you’ve got to know what to track. Number two is you got to know what it means.” [12:16 - 12:24]

“There's so much narrative around growing and scaling, and that's great if that's your thing, but you still have to find a way to keep it simple. And even the best businesses in the world don't measure everything all the time.” [17:48 - 18:00]

“If you care about your people, you've got to schedule a meeting to talk about things that matter, not just garbage, not just problems.” [29:06 - 29:12]

“The data matters. Make data part of your conversation.” [32:09 - 32:13]

Christina Byrne Bio

Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!