dentalblogs.com

Hire good people to start with. For example; a successful business owner was asked, “Who trained your staff to be so polite and well-groomed?” The owner answered, “Their mothers and fathers.”

[Read more →]

Look here: 2007, Annual Meeting Beyond Success, [1] for more details

Join Us in Jump Starting the Next 50 Years of AADPA with Beyond Success
You are invited to the 51st annual session of AADPA at the beautiful Hyatt Regency at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona, February 28-March 4, 2007. The phenomenal Sonoran Desert will provide the backdrop for our historic gathering. The ambiance, beauty and service at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch will care for your every need or want. Don’t miss this experience of learning, fellowship, camaraderie and fun. It begins with our opening session reception, followed by our kick-off presenter Dr. Carl Hurley. Carl’s humor and excitement for life will provide all of us a take home message with the Process of Success and Beyond. Thursday morning Keynoter, Brian Biro, grabs your heart and your energy with Beyond Success – a journey of success and principles
I have been a member of the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration for over twenty years. I can honestly say this group , the members and the meetings, have had a profound positive effect on both my personal and professional life. Check it out. Plan on attending, you will be glad you did.

[1] http://www.aadpa.org/pages/2007_meeting.htm

[Read more →]

Half of American Business PCs Can’t Run Vista [1]

Half of American Business PCs Can’t Run VistaREVIEW DATE: 05-DEC-2006By Peter Galli
About half of the average business PCs in North America are unable to meet the minimum requirements for Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system, while 94 percent do not meet the system requirements for Vista Premium.Within these figures, 41 percent and 78 percent, respectively, require RAM upgrades to meet the minimum and premium system requirements of Vista, says a new study by Softchoice Corp., which is expected to be released later this week.

[1] http://www.channelinsider.com/article/Half+of+American+Business+PCs+Cant+Run+Vista/195571_1.aspx?kc=CWTCIEMLP112906CWS1

[Read more →]

One of the best influences on my practice in the last five years has been Bob Maccario. I met Bob at LVI where he was presenting the Dental Concierge. His techniques were extremely helpful in helping us develop an insurance independent practice. Bob is now taking the Concierge concepts and creating a new plan he calls the Independent Practice Model or IPM.
The IPM is a private fee for service practice, that is insurance independent, offers superior customer service and the latest in clinical services. For example in our office, with Bob’s help, we have completely eliminated accounts receivable, we help the patient file for insurance but do not accept assignment of benefits. We get paid in advance for most cases and we regularly have patients agreeing to treatment plans in excess of $10,000.
I will be working with Bob to develop and present the IPRN (Independent Practice Resource Network). This is a web based service that will provide dentists with the resources necessary to develop a successful IPM. Plans call for the launch of the network early in 2007. More later.

[Read more →]

I  got the following of the Internet. so I don’t know if it is really accurate but it is interesting none the less.
The year is 1905 – 101 years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. statistics for 1905…
90 % of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as “substandard.”
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year.
A mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
A veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents an hour.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents.
Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.00
Only 14% of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 MPH.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn’t been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented.
There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Two of 10 U.S. adults couldn’t read or write. Only 6% of all Americans had graduated high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”
Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.

[Read more →]

Dentrix Dental Systems – Dentrix G2 New Features [1]
The following comes from the Dentrix web site. I saw G-2 in October and was very impressed. Click the link above for all the details. There is a nice video demo.
DENTRIX G2: Overview of new featuresDENTRIX G2 is the latest release of the profession’s most popular dental practice management software. With a host of new features and enhancements DENTRIX G2 will increase patient case acceptance, accelerate the return on investment and improve the overall productivity of your office. DENTRIX G2 takes functionality and integration to a new level allowing data to flow effortlessly between the operatory and the front desk—enabling you to go from x-ray to eClaim in just a few clicks!
New Chart & Presenter Impressive and simple to use, our Chart is more patient and dentist-friendly Powerful New Treatment Planner & DENTRIX Software Customization The DENTRIX G2 Treatment Planner offers an elegant way for you to propose treatment plans to your patients
New Clinical Note Enhancements & Improved Image Integration With DENTRIX G2 we have automated several processes. This means when you complete one task DENTRIX can automatically complete several others for you
Electronic Signature Pad Integration Electronically capture and store patient signatures on consent forms and more

[1] http://www.dentrix.com/g2/new_features/index.asp

[Read more →]

Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again.

Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers.

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness, didn’t know where to shop.

Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems, but then again, neither does milk.

Most people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them.

Forgive your enemies, but remember their names.

The number of people watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your action.

Don’t worry that the world ends today; its already tomorrow in Australia!

[Read more →]

From the NYT tech section
Hard drives spend their waking hours spinning constantly and contain several moving parts. And as with most motorized mechanical devices, the moving parts can wear out or break down, causing the drive’s performance to decline. There is an adage to the effect that “all hard drives will fail eventually,” but depending on how long you use the drive, “eventually” may be long after you have upgraded and moved on to a new drive.
The signs of a hard drive in decline can include grinding or clicking noises, frequent crashes or other erratic behavior. (The fan that cools the computer’s power supply can also make a buzzing noise, so you may need to listen carefully to pinpoint the source of the noise.)
Hard-drive performance may also seem slow or sluggish if the drive is packed full of data or is in need of reformatting. At www.microsoft.com/atwork/getstarted/speed.mspx [1], Microsoft has some tips on increasing the speed of a hard drive, using utility programs that are included free with Windows. Mac OS X includes its own Disk Utility program that can fix certain issues that may be causing odd hard drive behavior, and there are many third-party disk-repair programs for both Windows and Mac systems.
 

[1] http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/getstarted/speed.mspx

[Read more →]

Look here [1]for more info on Windows Vista

[1] http://www.microsoft.com/business/launch2007/default.mspx

[Read more →]

News from PC Magazine: Microsoft’s Vista Business Is Off and Running [1]

Office 2007 and Windows Vista are “two of the most significant releases we’ve ever done,” noted Ballmer. The CEO also noted that while there’s significant innovation in Office, Vista, and Exchange, today’s launch actually comprised nearly 30 new products, which he called part of “this wave of innovation.” While the company plans on spending hundreds of millions of dollars on marketing these products, the largest part of that marketing push will not start until after the consumer launch on January 30th, Ballmer said. In the meantime, Microsoft will be working with partners and existing customers to integrate Vista, Office, and Exchange into their businesses.
Both hardware and dental software vendors have been preparing for Vista. However there is no need to rush out and get it immediately. If history is a guide there will be a number of fixes needed before it is really ready for trouble free everyday use in dentistry.
There are five editions of Vista. The versions released Nov 30 are designed for business. Dental offices should be looking only at the Business and Enterprise versions. Analogous to Windows XP Pro,

[1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2066108,00.asp

[Read more →]