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Insight of the Month: Case Agreement is a Team Sport
As we approach the end of the year, now is the perfect time to pause and reflect on the journey your practice has taken over the past ten months.
Annual planning isn’t just about setting goals for the year ahead—it’s about looking back with intention so you can move forward with clarity.
Here are a few key areas we recommend evaluating:
1. What’s Working—and What Isn’t?
Look at what helped you grow this year. Were there standout months of production? Did your team hit a new rhythm with internal referrals or case acceptance? On the flip side, take an honest look at what didn’t go as planned. This gives you the insight you need to make smart, strategic adjustments.
2. Dive Into Your Data Your numbers tell a story—make sure you're reading it. Run reports on:
- New patient growth (monthly averages and referral sources)
- Production by department, including hygiene and restorative
- Collections trends—are they keeping pace with production?
- Perio percentage in hygiene—is it where it should be?
- Lost time in hygiene—how many hours went unused?
3. Evaluate Your Revenue Cycle Health
- This is a critical part of year-end planning. Review:
- Patient and insurance AR
- AR ratio and AR days
- Collection lag—are you collecting within 30 days of service?
4. Reassess Financial Flexibility for Patients Long-term payment solutions can make a huge impact on patient case acceptance. How many 3rd-party financing applications were approved this year? Did you track how many patients used in-house or external financing options?
5. Get Specific About Services Which services grew this year—and which ones didn’t? Whether it’s implants, Invisalign, or whitening, identify the areas with the most potential for growth. Use this data to shape your goals for next year. Review your schedule on your high production days. How can this information be duplicated with a strong template going forward.
Annual planning isn’t just about setting more ambitious goals—it’s about aligning your numbers, your team, and your strategy so that next year is your most intentional and profitable one yet.
Success Story - Transforming Practices
Last year --2024, Dr. Russell Mann and his team finished strong—jumping from $1.7M to an incredible $2M in collections, thanks to a full-team push in November and December. Their commitment, energy, and alignment made all the difference.
This year, they're dreaming even bigger. Dr. Russell Mann set a two-tier goal: 10% growth to hit $2.2M and a 20% stretch goal to reach $2.4M. And, his team is all in. They even created a visual tracker in their breakroom to keep progress front and center. Click here for to listen to how Dr. Mann's team reviews their collections regularly to work towards hitting their goals.
As of now, they’re tracking at $1,715,759—and we can’t wait to see how they close out the year. Stay tuned for the final results!
Monthly Tip: Small Wins. Big Results.
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A goal your team believes in becomes a goal they achieve.
Resource: Procedure Pricing & Count Sheet
As you plan for 2026, it’s time to get crystal clear on what you’re doing—and how often you want to do it.
Use this month’s resource, the Procedure Count & Pricing Sheet from our Annual Planning Workbook, to answer two key questions:
- How many of each procedure did you perform in 2025?
- How many do you want to perform in 2026?
This simple tool gives you the clarity to set production goals based on real data—not guesses. It also helps your team see the path to hitting your targets. When you know your numbers, you can build a plan that works.
This resource is shared in our Google drive. To save it to your files you'll want to make a copy of it and save it to your own drive or download it.
Did you know?
Practices using visual goal tracking - like a break room whiteboard - paird with a two-tier goal strategy (a realistic target and a stretch goal) are up to 40% more likely to exceed their original collections goal? Dr. Russell Mann's team used both, and they crushed their hourly goal in back-to-back months.As we head into the final streth of the year, remember - reflection fuels growth.
And, we're excited to announce our new website is live! Visit www.dentalcoaches.com to explore how we can support your growth goals and hear directly from clients who've transformed their practices with Dental Coaches by their side.
We're here to help you finish strong and step confidently into the new year. Click here to schedule a call let's make it your best yet.
Warmly,
Susan
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