Acknowledgements
The American Dental Association’s Department of Product Development and Sales developed this publication.
In addition to the chapter authors, principal contributors to this manuscript were Kathryn Pulkrabek, Manager/ Editor, Professional Products, Department of Product Development and Sales; and Carolyn B. Tatar, M.B.A., Senior Manager, Department of Product Development and Sales.
Legal Disclaimer
The American Dental Association developed Building or Refreshing Your Dental Practice to assist dental practices in office design projects. In making this publication available, the ADA does not, nor does it intend to, provide legal or professional advice. Nothing here represents the ADA’s legal or professional advice as to any particular situation you may be facing. You should seek legal or professional advice from a qualified professional or attorney admitted to practice in your jurisdiction. Any discussion of tax matters contained herein is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding any penalties that may be imposed under Federal tax laws.
Building or Refreshing Your Dental Practice discusses certain federal, but not state or local, laws. Each dental practice must be aware of and comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws. Building or Refreshing Your Dental Practice refers to federal statutes and regulations adopted by various federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. However, this publication has not been approved by these or any other federal agencies.
We have made every effort to make this publication useful and informative. As a consumer of the information, however, you must understand that the law varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and it sometimes changes more rapidly than this publication. For that reason, we make no representations or warranties of any kind about the completeness, accuracy, or any other quality of this publication or any updates, and expressly disclaim all warranties, including all implied warranties (including any warranty as to merchantability and fitness for a particular use).
To the extent we have included links to any website, we intend no endorsement of their content and imply no affiliation with the organizations that provide their content. Nor do we make any representations or warranties about the information provided on those sites, which we do not control in any way.
The ADA does not necessarily endorse the non-ADA resources that may appear or are otherwise referenced in Building or Refreshing Your Dental Practice.
© American Dental Association, 2017. All rights reserved.
Building or Refreshing Your Dental Practice
A Guide to Dental Office Design
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Building a Team You Can Trust Gordon Osterhaus, D.D.S.
Chapter 2: Financial Planning Wells Fargo Practice Finance
Chapter 3: Location Selection and Siting Concerns John Adams, A.I.A.
Chapter 5: Office Layout Michael Unthank, D.D.S. and Architect
Chapter 6: Interior Design Joe Miller, A.I.A.
Chapter 7: Cost-Effective Design David Ahearn, D.D.S.
Chapter 10: Ergonomics in the Operatory David Ahearn, D.D.S.
Chapter 12: Legal Issues ADA Division of Legal Affairs
Chapter 13: Dental Office Design Competition: Case Studies Wells Fargo Practice Finance
Chapter 1:
Building a Team You Can Trust
Chapter 1:
Building a Team You Can Trust
By Gordon F. Osterhaus Jr., D.D.S.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Develop a criteria for selecting a trustworthy team that keeps your best interests at the forefront
Understand and control the inherent pitfalls associated with new dental office development
Reduce the risk of contractor change orders by preparing detailed design documents
Research and find a mortgage that will work for you — and save money in the process
Learn how to turn your dental equipment sales rep into a high-performance ally
Building a trustworthy team is a critical process in office construction or remodeling. While reading this text, you will come to understand the importance of certain steps, procedures, and services, along with the people who provide them. You will also learn about certain flaws that are deeply imbedded in the systems surrounding dental office development. Once you recognize these flaws, you can take command of them and make sure your project not only stays on schedule, but, more importantly, stays within your budget.
Assembling Your Team
The vendors you hire for your new dental office development project play an integral role in the success of your new practice. If any one of them drops the ball, you will lose both time and money, and you may suffer the effects of those losses for years.
Beware: there are far too many “I’ll refer all my clients to you, if you refer all your clients to me” relationships in the dental industry. You may benefit from asking the person who is assembling your team to give you several recommendations to consider in each field.
Here is a list of the team members who can help you successfully complete your dental office:
Dental equipment consultant/supplier
Commercial real estate agent/broker
Financial lender