By now, the coronavirus has most likely shut down your office.  Leaving you without patients and work. New laws are going into effect on April 2nd that should help us out during this crisis, and while there is still a lot of uncertainty this time does present some opportunity.

Depending on your office’s situation, now can be the right time to get organized and handle tasks that were previously set aside. Many tasks can be done from home and others can be planned for when you return to your office.

What’s important is that everyone stays safe and makes appropriate health choices. Check with your Dentist to see if any of these tasks can be of help over the next couple of weeks.

8 ways dental professionals can earn a paycheck during the COVID-19 Pandemic

#1 Get Caught up on Accounts Receivables

Dental insurance companies are still up and operational. So use this downtime to follow up on all unpaid claims.  This is an excellent way to help your practice bring in cash while not seeing patients.

#2 Evaluate your dental insurance providers

Use this time to reach out to the Dental Insurance companies and apply to raise your Fee Schedule with them.  You can also use this time to close dental insurance that no longer serves you and your patients as well as add additional insurances that will bring in more patients once this Pandemic dissipates.

#3 Go Paperless

Most offices already are, but if you have not, assist your practice in doing so.  This is usually a huge undertaking, but without patients to see, you can finally get it done and do it right.  Before you get started, make sure you have an excellent scanner (or 2) on hand to make sure all your paper documents get uploaded into your patients charts.

#4 Do inventory and get organized

Is your lab and sterilization area cluttered?  Are you unsure if you have all the supplies you need for certain emergency procedures?  Do you have a storage unit that everyone in your office is terrified to go into? Use this time to get that organized, do inventory and have your office be in perfect condition when it comes time to reopen.

You could also sell equipment you are no longer using to bring in additional funds to the office!

#5 Automate Social Media

If your dentist keeps talking about getting better at social media now would be the perfect time to get that going.  Offer to set up all the necessary social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest). Once you have those up, use a service like Hootsuite or Later to schedule out posts.  This is a great way to plan ahead, stay in touch with your patients while your office is closed and an easy way to do marketing without the big spend.

#6 Find ways to save money

Do some research on programs and services that you currently use, such as your appointment reminder service and your internet provider, to find ways to lower your costs.  Many vendors are willing to negotiate right now to keep you as customers.   Make a report of the changes that could be made, let your dentist review and once they have approved changes, get to work on implementing them.

#7 Update your forms

Are your new patient forms or health history forms ancient?  Offer to get them updated so they are more aesthetically appealing and easier to read.  The ADA offers help on patient intake forms.

#8 Be kind to your Dentist

Economic relief for dental offices is still unclear and being sorted out. So try to be patient and understanding with your dentists and practice owners. The responsibility of taking care of employees while managing expenses and lack of income is not easy during this time. Kindness goes a long way.

There are also ways you can be proactive on your own with 6 financial tips for Dental Professionals out of work due to the Coronavirus.

You can also keep an eye on DirectDental for potential temp jobs that may come up until your office opens again.

Remember, we will get through this, and we will bounce back better than ever!