Case Study: Dental Lecture Series Improves Patient Care and Compliance Statewide

CASE STUDY: DENTAL LECTURE SERIES IMPROVES PATIENT

CARE AND COMPLIANCE STATEWIDE

Teaching proper dental care is part of the program at Pet Crossing Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic in Bloomington, Minn. And they aren't just teaching their staff members. Co-owners Drs. Katherine Knutson and Stephen Barghusen are using a dental lecture series to help practices statewide improve their standard of dental care and improve client compliance.

One such practice is Alexandria Veterinary Clinic, P.A., in Alexandria, Minn. "Since we attended, we've developed a dental team that has put together programs and protocols to better educate our staff members and our clients," says Renee Deitz, practice manager.

When Drs. Knutson and Barghusen built their new hospital last year, they designed the lobby to accommodate up to 63 seats for the series and other community outreach programs. They also installed an audiovisual screen. Now, every four to six weeks, practice teams come from across the state to attend a one- or two-day seminar.

"We believe that dental care requires a practice-wide commitment if compliance is to improve," says Dr. Knutson. "We designed our seminars to train representatives from each segment of the hospital, so the team leaves ready to put a comprehensive dental program in place."

Deitz says the team concept was the best part of the continuing education (CE). "Taking one person from each department builds a team atmosphere and brings the whole hospital together to provide excellent medicine," she says. Plus, the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association approved the seminars for four to 12 hours of CE.

On average, each practice sends six to eight team members, who listen to an overview and a series of case studies. Then the presenters split the attendees by job function, grouping client-services personnel, practice managers, technicians, and veterinarians, to discuss the job-specific aspects of a dental program. Two-day participants reconvene to work up and treat a real case from a local rescue organization.

Three to five practices attend each session. Pet Crossing Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic charges $895 and $1,500 per practice for the one-day and two-day seminars, respectively. More than 35 practices have attended the lecture series so far.

For the attendees, such as Deitz, the increase in compliance is measurable, though she can’t quote exact numbers yet. Alexandria Veterinary Clinic team members attended the lecture about a year ago, and she's been tracking client compliance since then. "We hope that information will show our current rates of compliance and point out areas we can focus on to improve," she says.

In the short term, Dr. Knutson says her dental referrals have decreased because nearby practice teams now have better dental training. But she's not deterred. "As practices learn what diagnostic and treatment options exist for their patients, we'll receive referrals for procedures that the referring veterinarian might not have known were necessary before attending our lecture series," she says. "In the end, everyone profits."