1045: Metric Mondays: Volume Masks Inefficiency Longer Than Any Other Metric - Robyn Theisen

When your schedule is packed, it’s easy to assume your practice is healthy—but “busy” can hide low productivity and weak profitability. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in ACT Dental coach Robyn Theisen to explain why volume masks inefficiency longer than any other metric, how “busy” becomes a false proxy for performance, and what to measure instead.

You’ll learn how to compare number of visits with production per visit and production per hour, what inefficient schedules look like, and how to build a strategic schedule that slows down on purpose while producing more. Listen to Episode 1045 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• A full schedule can look healthy while profitability is not there because volume can hide inefficiency.
• “Busy” is a false proxy and has zero value unless you connect it to productivity and profitability.
• Compare number of visits with production per visit (PPV) and production per hour (PPH) to see whether you’re churning through patients or producing efficiently.
• Low PPV and low PPH often show up as lots of short, low-value appointments and reactive treatment planning that keeps the day running long.
• Inefficient volume creates physical fatigue and mental fatigue when the activity doesn’t match what ends up in the bank account.
• A practice that gets it right builds a strategic schedule with the right mix of procedures, not just filled spots, and matches time to clinical complexity and value.
• Start by planning the year (days worked, vacations, holidays, CE, meetings), set an annual production goal, and break it down into a daily target to build the schedule around.

Snippets:

00:00 Why a busy schedule doesn’t automatically mean a profitable schedule.

03:10 Why “busy” is a false proxy and what “time is the new rich” looks like.

04:05 The homework metric: calculate PPV, PPH, and compare them to number of visits.

06:00 What inefficient volume looks like in the schedule and treatment planning.

08:05 What it looks like when a practice gets it right with a strategic schedule.

11:05 The first step: plan your year, set annual goals, and convert them into a daily production target.

12:00 Why write-offs matter and how inaccurate assumptions can hide the real numbers.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.

Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Pro Coaching (ACT Dental): https://www.actdental.com/pro
• To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
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