TBW 480

ASSIGNMENT 2

BCHD 4

18/08/2023

Group Members:
Chanel Mevalal
Ayesha Goga
Huzaifah Bismilla
Muhammad Carrim
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DESCRIPTON 3
INFRASTRUCTURE 5
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 7
SYSTEMS 9
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY 7
PERSONNEL 8
MARKETING 10
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
10
REFERENCES 13
Description of the practice:
The practice we visited was based in Newclare at 42 Ruben Avenue. It is a private
practice and is owned by Dr IMS Rawat
The practice is run as a sole proprietorship and has locum dentists employed. This
form of ownership is recognized as the most basic type of business structure
because it is owned and operated by just one person. These businesses typically
operate under the owner's legal name, hence the practice is named after the owner.

The advantages of this type of practice:1, 2

-It privately owned and thus the owner can make his own decisions. The owner can
also employ other practitioners and still earn a percentage of their earnings.
-The owner has maximum privacy
-Start up costs are usually low
-The owner decides what to do with the profits
-These companies are subject to very few laws. The most crucial aspects of this
situation are the fundamentals, such as maintaining accurate records, filing tax
returns, and submitting taxes on personal and other kinds of income.

The disadvantages of this type of practice: 1, 2

-The owner has to micromanage all aspects of the practice to ensure sustainability,
this
requires a lot of time and can be stressful to fulfil all the responsibility.
-The have a limited access to capital and funds Those who seek to launch sole
proprietorships must contribute their own funds..
-The owner has unlimited liability when it comes to debts.

Cash/Medical Schemes/Combination (for private

practice)
This practice accepts cash and works with most medical aids such as Gems,
Discovery, Polmed and Fedhealth. In the event that the medical aid does not cover
the full cost of treatment, it is then the responsibility of the patient to settle the
outstanding amount. The patient is made aware of this scenario in advance. Patients
are also allowed to pay cash for their treatment, and claim from their respective
medical aid once treatment is completed.
In certain circumstances patients are also allowed to pay for their dentures in
instalments. This has unfortunately lead to bad debts as people do not return to
settle their outstanding accounts.

Advantages of cash/ medical aid practice:

Cash:3
The amount due by patients is received as soon as the treatment is completed.
Dentists do not have to go through the process of claiming from medical aids and
therefore do not have to wait for medical aid payments.
Disadvantages:
It is unsafe to keep cash on the property. People are aware that cash is kept on the
premises and this could lead to unwanted robberies and break ins.
Advantages of medical aid:
Patients are encouraged to visit the dentist as they can make use of their medical aid
for payments. This therefore attracts patients and increases the overall turnover of
the practice.
Disadvantages of medical aid: 4
Claims need to be processed timeously in order to receive payments. Furthermore,
failing to process payments before the end of the month leads to a delay in payment.
It would be ideal to have a full time receptionist to process these claims.
Types of procedures:
This practice is run by a general practioner dentist and therefore no specialised
procedures are carried out. Procedures include:
o Simple Extractions
o Surgical extractions
o Restorations
o Root canal treatment
o Scale and polish
o Crown and bridge
o Dentures - full/partial /acrylic, chrome cobalt
o Simple orthodontic treatment – treatment includes the use of the Fast braces
system/ active aligners
 o Treatment of paediatric patients- extractions, restorations,
pulpotomy/pulpectomy

Office /Emergency hours:

Working hours: Mon to Fri 10:00am - 18:00pm
Saturday 09:00am - 14:00pm
Emergency hours: none available at the moment

Infrastructure:
Location:
This practice is located in a semi-residential area in Randburg. The practice is street-
facing and is located near a pharmacy. The practice itself is in a house that was
turned into a dental practice by the owner.
There is ample parking just outside the practice on the side of the road.
Unfortunately there are no security guard outside to monitor patients vehicles.
However the area is relatively safe.
At the entrance of the practice, there is a gate that is controlled by the receptionist.
The patients need to ring the doorbell and the receptionist lets them in by checking
the camera that is outside. This is a good security measure.
The entrance door opens up into the waiting room with two benches against the wall.
To the right is the reception desk where patients are assisted by the receptionist.
There are 3 dental rooms available to work on patients, of which 1 has an X-Ray
machines installed. The dentist decides on which room to work in depending on the
procedure he will be performing.
When a patient visits the practice, a room is prepared by the dental assistant, the
receptionist calls the patient from the waiting room and directs them to their chair.
Towards the back of the surgery there is a large open spaced room that is used as a
sterilisation room.

Décor:
Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the receptionist.
The layout of the reception area was not the neatest. The 2 benches were not very
appealing and inviting. The coffee table with magazines and brochures was very
untidy and [Link] lighting was also poor and the reception room had a
dark ambiance.
The dental rooms were also untidy and unkept. Wires were hanging loosely and
tabletops were cluttered and untidy
Our overall first impression of the practice was not the best, and many would feel
uncomfortable being treated in a practice of such standards.

Technology and equipment available at the practice:

The Practice has a Kodak 8000 panoramic digital system which gets serviced
annually. The practice also has a Kodak digit X-ray machine which takes periapicals
and bitewings. The practice also owns an Endomate cordless rotary motor for
endodontic treatment and uses an autoclave in their sterilization room.
Strategic management: 6
The management of an organization's resources to accomplish its goals and
objectives is known as strategic management.
Setting goals, assessing the external and internal environments of the firm, reviewing
strategies, and assuring that management implements the solutions across the
organization are all part of strategic management.
Vision: To keep up to date with the newest innovations in dentistry
Mission: To provide quality service to the communities of different demographics and
to keep up to date with the newest innovations in dentistry
Short term objectives: to provide the quality affordable services to patients.
Long term objectives: to invest in advanced dental technology for the practice and to
improve décor and appearance of the practice.
Challenges experienced by the practice: there is no manager employed so all the
practice management needs to be done by the owner, this can become
overwhelming as it is difficult to attend to patients and try and cope with all the needs
of the practice. This results in some things not being attended to. Another challenge
that the practise faces is that of recurrent periods of load-shedding. This affects the
practice financially as well as puts a pause to certain treatments which the dental
practice offers.

Occupational health and safety:7

Needle stick injury protocol:
In the event of a needle stick injury, the affected doctor needs to clean the injured
area with soap under running water. The patient and doctor are asked to take an HIV
test. The doctor then will be placed on appropriate medication while awaiting the
blood results(post exposure prohpalyxis).
Sterilisation methods: The practice makes use of a Class B autoclave to sterilise
instruments. This autoclave prevents bacterial growth and the spread of disease.
The practice also uses steriwipes to disinfect all surfaces and chairs and all burs are
soaked in cold sterilant before being places in the autoclave.8
Vaccinations: Dentists were only vaccinated against hepatitis B during their
undergraduate studies. They also received the SARS-Covid 19 vaccine.
Occupational Hazards: The Dental assistants are always at risk of injuries during the
cleaning of instruments and discarding of sharps thus the practice ensures that thick
rubber gloves are used when handling these items to prevent injuries.
Waste disposal: Each dental treatment room has a yellow sharps container to
dispose of needles,scalpels, suture needles and local anaesthetic ampules as well
as a red bin for disposal of contaminated cotton rolls, gauze, gloves, organic tissue
and other biohazards. The practice makes use of the company ‘Dynamic enviro
clean” to responsibly dispose of their waste materials.
Radiation protocol: The Pan machine is placed in its own enclosed room with a
sliding door to protect the operator from occupational radiation. The practice has
lead aprons that are worn by the patients whilst taking radiographs.

Personnel
Organogram:
Owner of the practice and head dentist: Dr IMS Rawat
Locum dentist: Dr Z I Munga
Receptionist: Aamina Moola
Assistants: Charmaine, ester and Daphney

Management structure:5
Patient appointments and walk ins are processed by reception. Payment and
medical aids are
preauthorised before treatment and claimed for after by receptionist.
Stock taking of materials and other consumables are done weekly by the Dentist and
assistant on duty.
Ordering of stock is done by receptionist. The owner, Dr Rawat oversees this.
Practice makes use of an external accounting firm to manage books as well as tax
returns.
Assistants and receptionists report to the locum Dentist. The locum Dentist is
responsible for the day to day workings of the practice and reports any bigger issues
to the owner of the practice.
Salaries are paid by the owner of the practice monthly.
Recruitment and selection processes
Positions available are advertised through dental communities WhatsApp groups as
well as word of mouth.
Interested applicants are required to email CV’s to the owner of the practice who
thereafter conduct
interviews and select a candidate most suitable to the position.
Reward Systems:
The practice does not have any specific reward system in place for staff. Staff are
paid a fixed monthly salary and do not earn any commission.
Staff training and development:
Both dentists and supporting staff are encouraged to attend CPD courses and
seminars on an annual
basis.
Leadership & Teamwork
The practice is very inclusive of all staff. Both drs work hand in hand to serve
patients on a daily basis. They both share expertise and knowledge, and often
advise eachother on treatments and patient management. The staff observe a very
friendly relationship with good communication skills allowing for optimum outcomes
when treating patients and problem solving

Systems
Information Systems (practice management software) and Appointment systems
(bookings/emergency slots/defaults/recall
The practice makes use of Elixir life practice management software system which
manages billing and
payment allocations, appointments as well as safely stores patient data. The
receptionist does however
also record appointments manually in an appointment book. Unfortunately there is
no automatic system in
place which sends patients reminders of their appointments or recalls.
Recordkeeping Systems (manual/electronic); Record keeping is done both manually
and
electronically by the receptionist. This includes the use of tables indicating the
charging of fees for every patient therefore allowing for accurate record keeping .

Inventory Management (stock control/responsible person/time frames);

Stock taking of materials and other consumables are done weekly by dentist and
assistant on duty.
Ordering of stock done by receptionist.
Financial systems (software/debtor monitoring & control/person responsible/claim
management/);
Medical aid claims are done through elixir live software. No other financial software
system in place.
The financials of the practice is handled by an external accounting firm
Risk Management (indemnity/CPD )
Risk Management:
Insurance and indemnity of the practice is taken out with PPS.
Dentists of the practice have personal professional indemnity policies with PPS
which cover injuries,
sickness and permanent incapacitation.
Dentists and Dental assistants of the practice are registered with the HPCSA.

Marketing:
Internal/External Marketing:
The practice does not have any internal or external marketing strategies or branding.
They depend on individials passing the practice and also word of mouth
Patient satisfaction surveys:
The practice does not make use of patient satisfaction surveys.

External and Internal Environment

SWOT analysis of the practice:9
Strengths: The practice provides services such as surgical extractions that are not
offered by other practices in the vicinity. Two dentists work in the practice so that all
patients can be accommodated. Walk-ins are allowed which is especially helpful in a
Dental emergency. The head Dentist/ owner has been practicing dentistry for over
40 years and therefore has more experience than his nearby competitors. The
practice was opened 20 years ago and has a good reputation amongst the
community.
Weaknesses: The practice does not make use of advertising, marketing or branding
strategies and as
a result remains stagnant in terms of growth. The infrastructure(building) of the
practice is not well
maintained as well as the interior of the practice could be better painted and
decorated.
Opportunities: This practice, under better management and advertising has the
opportunity to grow
and bring in more patients.
Threats: Nearby dental practices pose a threat to this practice as their treatment
prices become
competitive.
Description of competitors:
There are 4 other dental practices within a 10km radius of this practice.
These other practices provide a similar scope of treatments to their patients with the
exception of orthodontics and crown and bridge which is offered by this practice only.

Pestel Analysis:
Political: It is imperative for the dental practice to be tax compliant.
Implication:
All income and expenses incurred is reported through the tax return using the
appropriate registration number of the practice and submitted to SARS on an annual
basis to remain tax compliant.
Economical:
Medical aid benefits of patient
Effect of inflation on the day-to-day activities
Implications:
The practice should ensure that the appropriate benefits are claimed from the
medical aid in order to
not disadvantage their patients but also recover the correct amount in respect of
what's due to the
practice
Appropriate budgeting techniques should be applied to take into account the impact
of inflation with
respect to the purchase of the relevant dental materials. This will be applied to the
cost of treatment.
Social:
It is important to know the demographics of patients that the practice is subjected to.
Implication:
The practice takes into account these factors and centres the types of procedures
available to meet the population demands. Fees are also affordable.
Technology:
Incorporating high grade technology to increase business efficiency and improve
service delivery.
Implication:
Practice is more inclined to purchase high end equipment to improve delivery of
service.
Environmental:
Protocols in place by the country for waste management.
Implication:
The practice abides by the stipulated protocols to ensure sustainability of the
environment.
Legal:
Laws are put into place to ensure individuals are treated without discrimination.
Implication:
The practice thrives to treat all patients equally and with utmost dignity
 References

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[Link]
sole_proprietorship
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[Link]
leadership/advantages-of-sole-proprietorship
3 Why practitioners should consider A cash-based practice [Internet].
[Link]. [cited 2023 Aug 18]. Available from:
[Link]
practice

4 Starting a private practice [Internet]. SADOCS. 2022 [cited 2023 Aug 18].
Available from: [Link]

5. Kenton W. What is strategic management? [Internet]. Investopedia. 2014

[cited 2023 Aug 18]. Available from: [Link]
[Link]
6 Needlestick injuries are preventable [Internet]. [Link]. 2023 [cited 2023 Aug
18]. Available from:
[Link]

7 Gumbhir S. Advantages of class B autoclave in daily dentistry!! [Internet].

[Link]. 1583217069000 [cited 2023 Aug 18]. Available from:
[Link]
shammi-gumbhir

8 Bigelow SJ, Pratt MK, Tucci L. SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities and threats analysis) [Internet]. CIO. TechTarget; 2023 [cited 2023 Aug
18]. Available from: [Link]
strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-and-threats-analysis

9 Villegas F. PESTEL analysis: What it is & what it is for [Internet]. QuestionPro.

2022 [cited 2023 Aug 18]. Available from: [Link]
analysis/