Timeline of Tasks
Opening a new dental practice is both exciting and overwhelming! It can be easy to miss an important step potentially resulting in a delayed opening. Use these tasks to keep track of essential steps along your journey to practice ownership and a successful grand opening.
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6-12 Months Before Opening
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- Secure your location
- Develop your business plan
- Prepare a budget
- Select an attorney, a CPA that specializes in dental, and a financial planner
- Review your lease (or purchase agreement) with an attorney
- Develop your office design
- Determine equipment needs with your Burkhart Equipment Specialist
- Secure financing
- Determine the office phone system and obtain a phone number
- Write your vision statement
- Establish a business checking account and activate a business credit card
- Determine a bookkeeping method and establish your chart of accounts
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3-6 Months Before Opening
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- Notify your state dental board of your address and phone number
- Notify the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of the new address and phone number
- Register for your business license with the City Clerk’s office in the city of your practice location
- Request a Tax Payer Identification Number (TIN)/Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Request an inspection and one-time Pressure Vessel Permit for your Air Compressor (See your dental equipment representative first, as this isn’t necessary with some smaller compressors)
- Get started on your office policy manual
- Select your practice management software and take the initial training
- Determine which insurance plans you will contract with directly
- Complete the insurance credentialing process
- Obtain professional liability, life, and overhead protection policies
- Secure general liability and renters or comprehensive building policies
- Obtain workman’s compensation policy
- Obtain health and disability policies
- Develop a marketing plan
- Burkhart clients – set up a complimentary coaching call with the Practice Support Team to discuss dental insurance plans, office policy manual, practice vision, or your marketing plan
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5 Months Before Opening
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- Develop a marketing plan
- Design website
- Finalize office design
- Order large dental equipment (or one month before construction begins)
- Create a fee schedule
- Negotiate with insurance plans you wish to contract with
- Establish an account with a printing company for printing needs.
- Burkhart clients – set up a complimentary coaching call with the Practice Support Team to discuss website design, fees, and insurance negotiations
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4 Months Before Opening
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- Order small dental equipment
- Download practice act for your state with allowable procedures for dental assistants and dental hygienists
- Establish an account with a medical gas supplier, if needed
- Select compliance partners for OSHA/HIPAA/CPR and first aid training
- Establish a waste management account
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3 Months Before Opening
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- Finalize the office policy manual
- Create job descriptions
- Meet with a Burkhart Account Manager to start dental supply order
- Interview and hire front office staffing
- Join national and state dental associations
- Purchase malpractice and liability insurance
- Meet with CPA to develop your operating and personal budget
- Incorporate front office systems
- Burkhart clients – set up a complimentary coaching call with the Practice Support Team to discuss staffing, marketing, and a website review
- Develop a marketing plan
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2 Months Before Opening
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- Order office supplies
- Launch website and establish a social media presence
- Order patient informational handouts and post-op instructions
- Meet with local specialists to develop referral partners
- Determine lab partners you will use
- Determine janitorial and uniform services
- Establish the credit card processing system
- Determine signage
- Register your x-ray machine(s)/laser(s) and obtain a Radiation Machine Registration within 30 days of installation
- Establish fire extinguisher testing and certification service
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1 Month Before Opening
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- Place initial dental supply order with a Burkhart Account Manager
- Put together your emergency medical kit and supplies
- Interview and hire a dental assistant (possibly RDH if you purchased charts or have an existing patient base)
- Equipment support to train dental assistant
- PMS support to train team
- Determine scheduling protocols
- Plan open house for referring dentists, if a specialist
- Launch marketing campaign
- Network with local businesses
- Burkhart clients – set up a complimentary coaching call with the Practice Support Team to discuss interview tactics for clinical staff and scheduling
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3 Months After Opening
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- Initial team meeting to share vision and philosophy of care
- Establish a patient satisfaction survey
- Focus on the front office, practice systems, and staff training
- Practice Support Team Coaching Call: Topic TBD
- Check how your practice is performing, request a Practice Analysis from the Practice Support Team
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6 Months After Opening
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- Focus on the front office, practice systems, and staff training
- Evaluate marketing ROI and adjust as needed
- Review patient satisfaction surveys
- Practice Support Team Coaching Call: Topic TBD
- Check how your practice is performing, request a Practice Analysis from the Practice Support Team
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9 Months After Opening
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- Focus on the front office, practice systems, staff training, and marketing ROI
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12 Months After Opening
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- Focus on the front office, practice systems, staff training, and marketing ROI
- Complete an annual Practice Analysis