Ten Step Program

By Dental Sleep Solutions

Congratulations on your activation of the DS3 software and welcome to the family of doctors committed to providing the best care possible for sleep disordered breathing patients.  We have included, within DS3 itself, many “add ons”, above and beyond the practice management system itself, and we hope you will take advantage of all DS3 has to offer.  You have 24/7 access to the educational videos and webinars, to the dental sleep medicine procedures manual, and the dental sleep medicine practice manuals.  Our “Ten Step Program” to dental sleep medicine implementation is a soup to nuts way to get you up and going in as short a time as possible.  Providing dental sleep devices for patients is not rocket science, but it does require a system, practice protocols, and a thorough working knowledge of the disease itself. 

We recommend that you log in to DS3 and play around with the software for a while just to familiarize yourself with the various screens and menus.  Most people find it very simple and intuitive to navigate and use.  You should familiarize yourself further by watching the software overview video.  You will want to make sure that you have internet capabilities, preferably through a wireless network, and that you have downloaded Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome internet browsers on each of your work stations / laptops / and tablets.  You will also want to create staff log ins for each of your staff members.

·       Internet (preferably wireless)

·       Install Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome web browser on all devices

·       Watch DS3 Software Overview

·       Create Log Ins for staff members

As you prepare to add dental sleep medicine into your practice, you should understand from the onset that this is a noble though time consuming endeavor.  It is not easy, but it is do able.  Commit yourself to the Ten Step Program, to each of the 90 minute sessions, along with the homework and associated action steps, and you will find yourself over the hump in just a few months.  Remember that most dentists do not do this, in spite of their best efforts, and we think we have figured out why (many reasons) and have therefore created the program you are about to undertake.  It does take time and effort.  And it definitely takes having your staff on board.  Completing the Ten Step Program in ten weeks is a lofty goal and well within your grasp, but 90 minutes of complete staff involvement per week (in addition to the homework and action steps)  has been difficult for many doctors.  One step per month, though easier to implement from a time stand point, has proven to be even more difficult for doctors because too much time goes by between sessions; too much is lost from the previous steps; and loss of continuity becomes difficult to overcome..  Our recommendation, therefore, in order of preference, is:

·       Three consecutive Friday mornings (8-12:30)

·       Three Friday mornings, every other

·       One session per week during extended lunch

·       One session every other week during extended lunch 

You have more than likely sat through at least a full days’ course in dental sleep medicine and if you are lucky, you had some of your staff along with you.  You must have your staff on board in order to successfully implement dental sleep medicine into your practice; we can’t emphasize that enough!  If your staff has NOT attended a full days’ course from a reputable educator in sleep, then you will want to preface the ten step program and process for implementation with tender loving care.  Our experiences with doctors and staff all over the country have taught us some valuable lessons.  Your staff wants to be on board, but they don’t know how to get on board.  Don’t count on your staff to do this on their own; you must lead them.   They want to know that they are helping patients and that they are not “just selling something.”  Remind them again and again that identifying, testing, and treating patients’ sleep apnea saves lives and is a noble cause. 

Now we can begin the Ten Step Program.

FIRST things first. 

·       SCHEDULE all 10 sessions.  Grab your office manager right now; sit down with your schedule(s) and calendar(s), seems like we all have more than one these days, and commit your time to doing this.   Discuss with your staff the best way to fit this into your schedule (preferably half days on Friday).  Schedule the 90 minute sessions.  Make every attempt for every staff member to be present for every session.  EXCEPTION:  Sessions 6, 8, and 9 for Dentist and Assistants only.  Do NOT proceed until you have done so.   Again, congratulations.  Committing the time and resources to doing this is indeed the most difficult step.  Now muster the RESOLVE to see it through to completion.  There is no easy way to do this; it takes time, effort, energy, and resources.  Keep the end in mind:  saving lives!

·       INSTALL Firefox or Google Chrome web browsers on all computers, work stations, laptops, tablets (cut and paste link below)

o   http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/

o   https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95346?hl=en

·       INSTALL a wireless network and secure it appropriately

·       PURCHASE a scanner if you don’t already have one

·       MAKE available an easy way to view the videos and tutorials.  We recommend a flat screen TV in your break room, or wherever you gather for morning huddles / staff meetings, making sure it is big enough for everyone in the room to view the material appropriately.  Everyone sitting around a laptop or computer monitor can work but not as well.  You will find that you will use this set up for educating staff in many other ways.  Make sure you have a way to connect your computer to your flat screen (HDMI cable works well) so that you can stream the information through your internet/computer to your television monitor.  Don’t be cheap here; make the purchase; install the flat screen and wireless; the return on your investment will be a hundredfold!