For many offices, they are stocking their operatory drawers with everything and anything needed for all procedures. This makes re-ordering impossible, not to mention the time wasted trying to prep a procedure setup by searching through the endless drawers that are scattered throughout the practice.
What you can do right now
Would you believe me that there is an effective solution for this procedural problem that seems to haunt many dental offices around the world? Oh, by-the-way…it’s free. Create a Bulk Storage Area in one location for all of your commonly used items like the cotton products, masks, gloves, and bibs. The success to this technique is to create ONLY ONE location. Multiple locations for the storage of these products is not effective and will hurt you financially and bog down your productivity.
How to Down-size your Inventory
Start by reading our previous post on operatory organization which discusses how to slim down your operatory drawers to streamline the commonly used items like saliva ejectors, gloves, bibs and so on. By completing this step, you now need a place for re-stocking these items once they are depleted from use. That is where the Bulk Storage Area comes into play and how you can start saving money immediately.
What you can Expect
Yes, it will take a little time to combat your operatories and sift through your procedural items. Yes, it will take some effort to figure out where and how this Bulk Storage Area concept is going to work and how much room you will need. And yes, it will be a time consuming process that initially seems to have not much value to its purpose.
What you can ALSO Expect
While you are swearing under your breath thinking “why I am putting this much effort into this part of my practice when I could be sterilizing and prepping procedures that need to be done before tomorrow?”, you will stumble upon your first expired bonding agent. I am sure you will find another one while you drop half of your composites on the floor, and those other expired items will keep showing their ugly little faces laughing as they hit the bottom of the trash can while you continue your journey through the endless items that are hiding throughout your practice.
Next month, however, you will notice something compared to the month prior. Your inventory re-order amount will be less than before. Your fellow co-workers will know the locations of the procedural items for prep and where to find the bulk for re-stocking. You may even notice that you are getting procedures prepped faster and gaining extra time in between them allowing you to concentrate on other tasks, schedule more appointments or you could take that time to do an awesome slow-motion fist pump followed by a subtle yet passionate “Oh yeah” spoken softly under your breath because you are now becoming an efficient and more profitable practice…with no financial investment.
Break this concept into smaller stages and work on your Bulk Storage Area a couple hours a week so you are not taking too much time away from appointments.
Have questions? Give us a call and talk to one of our Efficiency Experts or leave a comment below.
