Welcome to the first episode of â€Accelerating Your Dental Practice†with your hosts, Malika Azargoon and Michelle Affanato, Dental Management Consultants. Starting off, Malika and Michelle discuss the advantages of outsourcing front office tasks in the midst of the hiring drought. Dental practices can save a lot of time and money by outsourcing tasks including new patient calls, insurance verification and claims processing and follow-up.
Malika Azargoon and Michelle Affanato
Episode 36: In this episode, we are joined by special guest Linda Harvey! Over the years, you may have known Linda Harvey as an OSHA/HIPAA consultant and trainer. What you might not know about Linda is that she's the Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer for the Dental Compliance Institute. DCI is an educational and membership-based organization focusing on a wide range of relevant risk management and compliance topics. DCI provides an added layer of assurance and peace of mind to your existing policies and procedures and annual compliance training. They accomplish that through one-of-a-kind Train-the-Trainer courses, a vibrant compliance community filled with current resources and tools as well as 1:1 coaching. So if you're ready to level up your compliance knowledge and expertise, check out the Dental Compliance Institute and stop endless google searches for answers. 0:00 Introduction to Compliance Challenges in Dentistry 2:07 Understanding Patient Rights and HIPAA 5:27 Navigating Security Rules and Risk Management 9:12 The Importance of Training and Education 12:46 The Role of Technology and AI in Compliance 16:28 Business Associate Agreements and Accountability 19:57 Future of Compliance in Dentistry 23:53 Conclusion and Resources for Dental Practices Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.c... malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co michelle@affinitymanagement.co Linda Harvey linda@compliancepartners.net
Episode 35: In this episode we are joined by Special Guest, Angela Davis Sullivan! Join us as we discuss Building relationships with patients, Retention challenges and solutions, Effective patient scheduling techniques and so much more! Chapters: 0:00 Introduction to Patient Retention in Dentistry 1:57 The Importance of Communication and Team Training 6:06 Building Relationships with Patients 9:50 Personalized Care and Follow-Up Systems 14:53 Converting Emergency Patients into Regulars 18:19 Emergency Preparedness in Healthcare Teams 19:59 Personalized Patient Care Strategies 21:26 Retention Challenges and Solutions 22:09 Effective Patient Scheduling Techniques 23:25 Building Patient Relationships for Retention 25:30 Creating a Follow-Up System 26:51 Understanding Patient Priorities 28:47 Addressing Patient Inactivity 31:04 Team Collaboration and Patient Trust Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.c... malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co michelle@affinitymanagement.co Angela Davis Sullivan https://adaptivedentalsolutions.com/ https://linktr.ee/AngelaDavisSullivan
Episode 34: In this episode we introduce Dr. Sam! Join us as Dr. Sam goes in depth on her unique startup experience, building a patient base, hiring and training challenges, and so much more! Chapters: 0:00 Introduction to Dr. Sam's Journey 2:50 The Unique Startup Experience 9:10 Building a Patient Base 16:23 Hiring and Training Challenges 18:44 Navigating Team Dynamics in Startups 24:16 Reflections on Financial Foundations 27:39 Setting Goals for Growth and Stability Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.c... malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co michelle@affinitymanagement.co Dr. Sam https://www.southboulderpediatricdentistry.com/about/philosophy @sobopediatricdentistry
Episode 33: In this episode Michelle and Malika discuss Enhancing patient experience and Handoffs. Everything from the importance of follow-ups and communication to navigating financial conversations with patients! Chapters: 0:00 Enhancing Patient Experience and Handoffs 9:58 The Importance of Follow-Ups and Communication 18:36 Measuring Case Acceptance and Treatment Plans 25:21 Navigating Financial Conversations with Patients Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.c... malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Episode 32: Intro to Alternative Hygiene Scheduling Models In this episode Malika, Michelle, and special guest Rachel Wall discuss the importance of understanding Traditional, Assisted, and Alternative hygiene models, Benefits of incorporating Alternative hygiene into your practice, overcoming financial concerns in assisted hygiene, Implementing assisted hygiene into your practice, The role of dentists in hygiene care, and so much more! Chapters: 0:00 Introduction to Alternative Hygiene Scheduling Models 1:29 Understanding Traditional vs. Alternative Hygiene Models 3:32 Benefits of Alternative Hygiene Scheduling 7:13 Assisted vs. Accelerated Hygiene Explained 9:19 Overcoming Financial Concerns in Assisted Hygiene 11:34 Implementing Assisted Hygiene in Practices 14:49 Utilizing Assisted hygiene in Pediatric Practices 18:31 Navigate State Regulations in Hygiene Practices 20:50 Maximizing Hygiene Productivity and Standards 22:44 The Role of Dentists in Hygiene Care 29:44 Patient Capacity for Full-Time Hygienists 31:17 Planning for Successful Implementation of Hygiene Models Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co Rachel Wall Rw@inspiredhygiene.com
Episode 31: Team Retention In this episode, Michelle and Malika discuss the critical topic of team retention in dental practices, exploring innovative strategies to keep team members happy and engaged. They emphasize the importance of understanding generational differences in work values, the need for creative incentives, and the role of open communication in fostering a positive work environment. The conversation also highlights the necessity of adapting to changing work dynamics and the significance of educating team members about the financial aspects of running a practice. Chapters 00:00 The Importance of Team Retention 05:40 Understanding Generational Differences in Work Values 11:20 Creative Incentives for Team Motivation 17:31 The Role of Communication in Team Dynamics 23:31 Innovative Approaches to Team Engagement 29:11 Adapting to Changing Work Environments Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 30, Insurance with Malika This time, Malika and Michelle offer insight on Insurance! The team discusses how long it takes for startups or acquisitions to start seeing insured patients and what this looks like as well as information on working with third-party administrators. Malika also discusses timelines, how to navigate the insurance process, and even small pearls of wisdom that you do not want to miss! 00:24 Introduction and Malika Introduces The Insurance Topic 01:30 How Quickly Can You Get in Network – The #1 Question 02:40 Knowing What You're In Network With 05:25 Using the Data and Pulling Fee Schedules 07:30 Deciding on Which Insurance to Utilize 09:30 How Long Getting In-Network Can Take 14:00 Credentialing 16:30 Associate Onboarding and Credentialing 18:20 Third Party Administrators 23:00 Keeping on Top of Your Fee Schedules 27:00 Reach out to the Insurance Carrier before Associating or Getting Credentialed 29:00 Closing Goodbyes Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 29, Team Building with Dr. Josh Kuykendall On this month's episode, Malika and Michelle are joined by Dr. Josh Kuykendall. Dr. Kuykendall owns a practice in Spring, Texas and has heaps of knowledge on team moral, keeping employees motivated, and building a good office culture. Dr. Kuykendall shares specifics about the office culture he has created and the types of team building activities he facilitates throughout the year. The team discusses why these types of events are so important and what they truly mean to the employees that participate. Dr. Kuykendall shares several amazing and unique things that his practice does but wait until the end of the episodes to hear about the massive turn out that Free Dental Day at the office had one year! 00:45 Introducing Dr. Josh Kuykendall 02:45 Profit Sharing and Employee Motivation 05:30 Implementing Change and Sticking with It 08:35 Weekly Gift Card Incentive Raffle 14:55 Keeping Employees Happy 18:30 Monthly Outing Incentive 23:35 Quarterly Team Building 28:20 Retention in Staffing and Impact 32:00 Holiday Event for the Staff 34:00 Holiday Bonuses and Attendance 40:50 Free Dental Day 45:30 Closing Thoughts Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co Josh Kuykendall info@springdentist.com https://www.springdentist.com/ https://www.instagram.com/springdentist/
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 28, Mastering Time Management On this episode, Malika and Michelle discuss time management within a practice. Join the team as they dive into how everyone in the office can become more efficient when they really focus on finding time for uninterrupted work and getting creative with the way that they do work. With their combined knowledge of clients and working in offices themselves, Malika and Michelle push further to really understand and breakdown where improvements can be made to the office schedule which is a major way to improve time management as well. When we understand what our days look like and truly evaluate our time realistically, improvements to efficiency can be made with ease! 00:55 Introduction and Time Management 02:05 Scheduling and Keeping Time Estimates Realistic 06:00 Setting Your Workspace up For Success 07:55 Being Efficient in the Morning to Prepare for the Day 10:35 Hygienists and Scheduling the Right Amount of Time 16:55 Adjusting Appointment Time to Streamline the Patient Experience. 20:15 Challenges with Administrative Work 21:45 Outsourcing for Time Efficiency 23:00 Finding Time for Uninterrupted Work 27:50 Getting Creative with Catching Up on Work 29:00 Final Thoughts and Closing Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 27, Staffing On this episode, Malika and Michelle tackle staffing within the practice. Topics such as proper onboarding, why checking references is so important as well as things to go over when presenting an offer letter are discussed. Malika and Michelle pull from client experiences and other issues that they have come across to give advice on everything from scheduling, to hiring the right HR company. For those with practices that need structure within the realm of staffing, this episode is full of valuable information to set a practice up for success. 00:31 Introduction with Malika and Michelle 01:29 Staffing and What Hiring Looks Like Now 02:15 Having a System for Onboarding 06:30 References and Background Checks 10:10 Job Description Overview 12:05 Hours and Scheduling within the Office 18:01 Taking Time Off 21:21 How Proper Documentation Could Save the Practice 22:35 Having a Handbook and Hiring the Right HR Company 24:15 Abiding by Rules and Regulations 29:59 Closing Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co HR Companies Mentioned: Bent Ericksen Cedar Solutions HR for Health
On this episode, Malika and Michelle are joined by Dr. David Maloley. Dr. Maloley is a dental expert, author, speaker and coach focusing on creating dream dental practices. On this episode, hear Dr. Maloley's takes on how to improve the practice as a whole, including topics like burnout, how to focus on the what drives employees, as well as how to create a productive office culture. The team dives deep into tricky employees, hiring the right fit to the team, as well as where to be able to compromise and balance. Finally, Dr, Maloley shares a final note and advice you're sure to want to hear. 00:30 Introducing Dr. Maloley 02:45 Burnout and Personal Breaking Points 05:10 Most Common Burnout Symptoms and Signs 09:00 Dos and Don'ts of Tackling and Confronting Burnout 12:35 Cultivating a Culture in the Office 14:30 Performance and Expectations 16:30 Having Difficult Conversations and Sticking to Company Values 19:00 Book Recommendations for Communication 20:35 Generational Differences and Work Life Balance 28:50 Training and Setting Employees up for Success 32:25 Advice for When Things Get Tough 38:25 Final Advice and Closing Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co David Maloley https://relentlessdentist.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RelentlessDentist dr.dave@relentlessdentist.com
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 25, Optimizing Your Practice with Billing and Outsourcing Expert Amanda DeMoura On this episode, Malika and Michelle are joined by Amanda DeMoura. Amanda is the Founder of Essential Dental Services, a dental billing company made up of dental practice managers. Amanda and Essential Dental Services are ready with custom help with claims, billing and insurance tasks. Amanda shares insights on what makes a more cohesive team, keeping an office productive as well as getting on top of proper documentation and why it is so important. The team pinpoints the top things that cause AR reports to build, why outsourcing is beneficial and what this looks like too. Finally, Amanda shares her own podcast happenings and Michelle shares a funny story from her office days that is a must hear. 00:32 Introducing Amanda DeMoura 01:25 The disconnect between the Administrative and the Clinal Teams 04:00 The struggles of Perio Charting and Documentation – How to get it done 09:35 Clinical Notes – Why they are so important 13:00 Time Management – a balance between Productivity and Profitability 13:28 The Top 3 things that build up an Aging Report 15:15 V erification of Benefits 17:00 Outsourcing to keep claims from building 19:50 Being days ahead of Verification to Maximize Productivity 22:20 Setting good habits with patients and Insurance 23:05 The “fainting” patient 24:30 “The Breath of Fresh Air” Dental Podcast and Closing Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co Amanda DeMoura https://essentialdentalservices.com/ https://www.instagram.com/essentialdentalservices/ amanda@essentialdentalservices.com
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 24, Optimizing Your Practice with Office Manager Beverly Wilburn On this episode, Malika and Michelle are joined by Beverly Wilburn. Beverly is an office manager for a successful dental office that specializes in periodontics and dental implants. Beverly is an AADOM Diplomate who also recently won Practice Administrator of the Year. Topics including what to do and what not to do in the office, building and cultivating relationships within the office, different types of office managers as well as what it takes to have the role are discussed. Being an Office Manager means so many different things and the role can vary depending on office needs but being willing to step in and be involved is one of the most important qualities that one can have. The Office Manager role really ties the whole practice together and is a major component to a successful office. 00:28 Introducing Beverly Wilburn 01:40 Varying types of Office Managers 03:40 The Office Manager role 05:00 The tools that create a good Manager 07:15 Qualities of an Office Manager 10:35 Being an involved part of the team 13:30 Resources and building a network for success 17:30 Advice for the Office Manager on empowering the team 19:55 Your relationship with the team as an Office Manager 23:50 Why conferences and trainings are so important 28:05 Advice to the Dr. – Clearly define the Office Manager role 30:00 Support within the office – Good Coaching and more 31:05 Closing and where to find Beverly Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co Beverly Wilburn https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverlywilburn/ https://www.facebook.com/beverly.wilburn/ https://www.instagram.com/dearbevvie_/
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 23, Optimizing Insurance and Financial Planning with Nick Cepparulo This month, Malika and Michelle are joined by Nick Cepparulo, Vice President of CFS Dental Division. Nick talks about how their financial services can assist in optimizing a practice's finances through insurance evaluation and assistance in assessing finances. Nick discusses the benefits of looking at insurance policies often to understand them better and also to get the most out of the purchased coverage. A deep dive on the different types of insurances startups might need is talked about as well as why it's important to look at one's policy prior to renewal in order to make sure it's the correct one for them and that the price is right too. Although in the moment spending money for something that may or may not happen seems unimportant, these policies can be lifesaving and the team shares personal experiences and moments when they have been used. Protecting the business and lives that are involved within a practice is important for anyone trying to grow and accelerate their dental practice and Nick and the CFS Dental Division make that easier. 00:35 Introducing Nick and CFS Dental Division 01:25 How Insurance and Financial Planning can accelerate your practice 02:45 How often you should reevaluate your insurance policies 06:00 What insurances startups will need 08:50 Business insurances 12:00 Why insurance policies are important in time of crisis 18:00 Life insurance is for anyone of any age 20:00 Full service financial planning via CFS's sister company 26:00 Being educated and aware as a startup 28:30 Why having an advisor is so important 34:00 Closing Nick Cepparulo www.CFSdentaldivision.com https://www.instagram.com/cfsdentaldivision/ Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 22, Marketing Your Practice on Social Media with Minal Sampat This month, Malika and Michelle are joined by Minal Sampat. Minal is a Marketing Strategist, Bestselling Author, and Speaker who is passionate about what Social Media can do for practices. In this episode Minal discusses all aspects of how marketing on social platforms can really help practices stand out from the rest. She discusses how to get started and even what the best way to get started is. Minal also gives advice on how to create a natural and organic atmosphere on social media. Practices can have a presence on social media that is easy and also gains traction just by being authentic. The first step to using social media to one's advantage is getting started, the rest comes easy by just keeping content natural to the practice and individual. 00:40 Introducing Minal Sampat 01:30 Marketing on Social Media 02:15 The good, the bad, and the ugly of Social Media 06:35 Starting on Social Media 07:30 Does your practice need Social Media? 09:00 Creating an easy and organic post 16:25 How many posts should you post? 19:25 Creating captions that work 20:30 Strategies for gaining followers 26:25 Network with patients and their businesses 28:50 You don't have to share what you don't want to 31:30 Closing thoughts Minal Sampat https://minalsampat.com/ https://marketologist.com/ Info@MinalSampat.com Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 21, Knowing Your KPIs This episode is all about Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs. KPIs can give practices a good idea on what the practice is looking like from a data standpoint. Malika and Michelle discuss their favorite KPIs and what these mean for a practice. No two practices are the same and personalized analytics can tell a very unique story about a practice. Michelle and Malika, with their experiences in offices across the country, give insight on how these analytics can be used and the expectations associated with certain metrics. Overall KPIs can be incredibly useful for the success of a practice. 00:45 Introducing the topic: KPIs 02:25 Malika's Favorite KPI 07:30 Michelle's Favorite KPI 12:40 Hygiene Reappointment Metrics 14:05 When to Schedule the next Appointment 15:10 Office Production Overall 18:01 Pediatric Practices and KPIs 20:14 Insurance Claims 23:20 Using Analytics to streamline reports and KPIs 26:10 Keeping up with your Metrics 27:20 Closing Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 20, Dental Warranty with Brad Titensor This episode's guest, Brad from Dental Warranty, sheds light on the new way that patients are protecting their dental investments. Dental Warranty is working with practices nationwide to provide peace of mind to patients by covering their dental procedures for up to six years. This also allows for practices to see an increased case acceptance rate as well as allow for patients to feel good about coming back to keep up maintenance on their investments knowing that they are protected. Dental Warranty is also giving AYDP listeners a special deal – mention AYPD and get started for just $250. 0:31 Introducing Brad from Dental Warranty 1:56 What is Dental Warranty? 4:30 Protection through Dental Warranty 9:30 How patients sign up 15:20 Coverages and Warranties 18:55 Appealing to patient needs in the modern world 19:55 Brad's example 24:20 What training and presenting protection looks like in office 27:55 Getting in touch with Brad and Special Offer for AYDP listeners 32:45 Closing Brad Titensor Director of Sales Dental Warranty dentalwarrantycorp.com Call or text 972-345-8998 Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 19, Communication Effective communication is essential for an efficient dental practice. By establishing clear expectations and reminding patients ahead of time of office protocols and policies, you can prevent costly last-minute cancellations and tardiness. Equally important is maintaining clear communication with your staff to avoid redundancy in questioning patients. Instill trust and clarity in both your staff and patients. Remember, respect is a two-way street! 0:22 Conversation starts 1:15 Paperwork woes 6:54 Cancelation protocol 9:25 Late patients 11:30 Patient handoff 15:04 Morning huddle 15:50 Office communication 19:50 Leadership 25:20 In closing Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Accelerating Your Dental Practice Episode 18, Accelerating Your Dental Practice with AI and Technology AI is the future and dental practices are no exception. AI technology can provide accurate diagnoses, bill for services, make X-rays easier to understand, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. AnnMarie DePalma predict that AI will be a critical component to density in just a few short years. She's a published oral health professional, consultant, trainer, speaker, and writer. Looking at the big picture, AI will help dentists work smarter, not harder. From buy-in to cost savings, a wide range of concerns are put to rest in this episode. 0:22 Introducing AnnMarie 2:42 AI 7:36 Hygienists 9:15 API 9:55 Billing and diagnosing 12:40 Stages of AI 15:45 Future 5-10 years 19:20 Near future of AI 22:32 Documentation 27:30 The big picture 32:19 Outro AnnMarie DePalma https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariedepalma/ Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Successful dental practices need to plan ahead to handle both slow and busy periods throughout the year. Back-to-school/September is a common scheduling slump, when families prioritize school and after- school actives. However, offices are slammed in December when patients rush to use their dental benefits in time. This summer has also been slow, with a record number of families taking vacations abroad. Malika and Michelle offer a variety of creative solutions to take advantage of these slow and busy times. 0:22 Back to school scheduling 4:40 Marketing 8:10 Incentives 8:43 Football mouthguard 10:20 True active patient number 14:10 Team building 17:00 Importance of planning 22:45 Reviews and goal setting 26:10 Scheduling woes and traveling 30:07 Outro Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Just how important is a dentist office's online presence and Google reviews? To answer this in depth, Malika and Michelle bring on an expert. Dr. Len Tau is a retired dentist, dental consultant, speaker, podcaster, author, and the General Manager of Dental Vertical at BirdEye, a patient experience platform. His private Facebook group “Raving Patients,” is a place for dentists to discuss marketing and social media to make their offices more visible and credible. Today, Len shares how to handle a bad review, what the ideal rating is, how to ask for a review, and how to respond to reviews without violating HIPAA. 0:22 Introducing Ken 2:50 Online presence importance 4:40 SEO 8:12 How to ask for review 9:38 Negative feedback 12:55 Involving the team 14:50 Incentivizing reviews 16:10 Responding 21:00 Fake reviews 24:10 Employee reviews 27:25 Raving Patients 30:28 Yelp 31:40 BirdEye 37:52 Get in touch Dr. Len Tau drlentau.com (215) 292 2100 len@drlentau.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/ravingpatient/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlentau/ https://www.facebook.com/DrLenTau/ https://open.spotify.com/show/1RDCn77A9Bmoy7e9ffbtgd?si=3be8f9b3122748ac Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Malika and Michelle focus on patient care. How can dental practices ensure that patients feel valued and cared for? To start, have systems in place to avoid excessive re-scheduling and long wait times. Dentists shouldn't take on more patients than they can handle, especially if they are short-staffed. Decide what kind of experience you want patients to have when they walk in the door. This might mean re-training your front desk, outsourcing work overseas, and turning away new patients. 0:22 Topic of conversation 4:38 New patient number 9:45 Short-staffed offices 13:50 Scheduling chaos 18:40 Take care of staff 23:00 Your vision 30:00 Outsourcing 32:40 Outro Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Kevin Henry is a dental assistant champion, the Co-Founder of IgniteDA, and the host of the Dental Assistant Nation Podcast. He's been in the dentistry industry since 1999 and has seen a shift in power dynamics as the demand for friendly, punctual, and reliable dental assistants has skyrocketed. Kevin recommends that dentists steer clear of micromanaging and conduct biannual “stay interviews” to ensure that dentals assistants feel appreciated, understood, and empowered. 0:22 Introducing Kevin 2:06 Hiring crisis 6:20 Power shifts 7:06 Leadership 8:17 Leadership Course by Mark Murphy 9:10 Stay interviews 12:52 Pitfalls of dentists/assistant relationship 15:05 Retaining talent 23:40 Get connected 25:02 Outro Kevin Henry kevin.henry@igniteda.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhenryigniteda/ https://www.kevinspeaksdental.com/ Dental Assistant Nation Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dental-assistant-nation/id1338558591 Battling the Demons of Dental Assisting by Kevin Henry https://www.amazon.com/Battling-Beating-Demons-Dental-Assisting/dp/1947480057/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0? _encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Leadership Course by Mark Murphy -- The Science and Principles of Managing People https://www.leadershipiq.com/products/the-science-and-practices-of-managing-people-6-week-online-certificateprogram Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ Michelle@affinitymanagement.co
In this episode, Malika and Michelle welcome guest, Dr. Tony Stefanou. Tony is a trained dentist turned businessman and Certified Business Intermediary. He is the CEO and Founder of Connect the Dents, a business development consulting and M&A (Merger & Acquisition) advisory company specific to the dental industry. Whether you plan to sell, want to expand, or are bringing on an associate, it's a smart idea to get an appraisal to know the value of your dental practice. 0:22 Introducing Tony 4:42 Practice evaluations 9:06 Expanding practice 16:10 Private buyer evaluation VS DSO 26:52 Over/under valuations 28:08 Get connected Tony Stefanou, DMD connectthedents.com tonydmd@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonydmd/ Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Having an incentive program in place is a terrific approach to recruit in and retain staff members. Investing in your team not only makes them feel valued, it's a fun way to reach goals in the office. For more examples of bonus programs, email Malika or Michelle with "Incentive Program" in the subject line at malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com and michelle@affinitymanagement.co 0:22 Introducing 1:52 Bonus programs 3:55 Timing incentives 6:14 Get creative 10:14 Metrics and goals 19:10 Team building 23:20 Email us 25:18 Outro Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ malika@ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ michelle@affinitymanagement.co
In this episode, Malika and Michelle welcome guest, Natasha Gillis. Natasha is a dental and medical business lawyer with the Gillis Firm. She represents dental practices in their start-up needs, acquisitions, partnership changes, and sales. Today, she offers some general legal advice. Topics covered: associate retention, acquisitions, partnerships, contracts, taxes, and trademarking. Natasha says, “treat your practice as a true business asset.” 0:22 Introducing Natasha 1:08 Practice is a business asset 5:40 Employee contracts 9:16 Partnership agreements 16:10 Startups vs acquisitions 21:30 Trademarking 31:02 Outro Natasha Gillis, Esq of The Gillis Firm https://www.linkedin.com/in/sngillis/ https://www.facebook.com/TheSmilingLawyer https://www.thegillisfirm.com Instagram @TheSmilingLawyer Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co New To Dental Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinityman
With only a few weeks left of 2022, Malika and Michelle reflect on some of the wins and challenges dental practices faced this year. Now is the time to re-visit your vision and mission statements, increase fees, and set new goals. Dentists should feel in control of their practices by setting boundaries and expectations of their patients. 1:38 Reflecting on 2022 5:30 Wins and challenges for dentists 9:30 Set boundaries and expectations 11:40 Ideal patient 13:36 Vision and mission statements 16:50 Re-train and raise fees 24:30 Hopes for 2023 28:55 Outro Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ Michelle Affanato AffinityManagement.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-affanato-7326b921/
The shortage of dental assistants and hygienists is causing hiring challenges for dentists. It's harder than ever to find and retain talented staff who will stick around when their job opportunities are abundant. Malika and Michelle share advice for finding, onboarding, and incentivizing staff to stay. Foster a positive environment at your office where people feel valued and appreciated. 1:30 Staff challenges 4:10 Work environment 7:08 Bonus incentives 9:20 Retaining and onboarding 17:32 Overhead of staffing 21:10 Avoid hiring mistakes 31:00 Closing words Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ Michelle Affanato AffinityManagement.co https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/
In this episode Malika and Michelle speak with Shane Simmons, the Founder and CEO of Crimson Media, a digital marketing agency. In order to attract their ideal patient, practices need to create a trustworthy online presence that tells a story. Optimizing your internal and external marketing will put your practice above the rest and guarantee an healthy influx of business 0:23 Introducing Shane 2:15 What's your story 5:56 Authentic advertising 9:15 Avoid stock photos 12:40 Find your why 18:06 Office culture 20:20 Reviews and videos matter 27:50 Where to post and how to track 32:10 Listen to the calls 35:31 In conclusion 37:30 Outro Shane Simmons linkedin.com/in/shane-simmons-b-s-a5051564 https://www.crimsonmediagroup.com/ Twitter @shanesimmonstv Malika Azaroon ZarDentalConsutling.com https://www/linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsutling/ Michelle Affanato AffinityManagement.co linkedin.com/in/michelle-affanato-7326b921
Malika and Michelle welcome their first guest to discuss discovering your rhythm in the dental practice. Teresa Duncan is a dental speaker on insurance and management topics, coach, podcast host and the owner of Odyssey Management. The three of them discuss staffing, reviews, recession, checklists, calendars, workplace security and more. Don't wait until the end of the year to get on top of your dental practice business! 0:23 Introducing Teresa 2:05 Today's topic 5:25 Google Calendar 8:00 Training and reviews 10:30 Checklists and check in's 17:54 Buying clubs and referrals 20:20 Workplace security 21:55 Goal planning, taxes, marketing, mentoring 27:40 Insurance Update Webinar 33:20 Recession 41:40 Outro Link to Teresa's Calendar Duties for Managers: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ScPzhQX481K6KbKB_lf5nDprAXohiTIn7ebNOLryroU/edit?usp=sharing Teresa Duncan, MS https://www.odysseymgmt.com Nobody Told Me That! https://www.odysseymgmt.com/podcasts https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresaduncan/ https://www.facebook.com/OdysseyManagement/ Instagram @treeduncan Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ Instagram @zardentalconsulting Michelle Affanato https://www.affinitymanagement.co Instagram @michelle_affinitymgmt https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/ Michelle@affinitymanagement.co
Michelle and Malika offer practical advice to help dental practices survive during a recession. They advise being cautious when it comes to dropping insurance plans, concentrating on keeping current patients, establishing a membership program, and taking into account the use of third party financing companies, bearing in mind that patients will be more anxious than ever about the expense of dental procedures. 0:22 Todays topic 2:30 Accepting/dropping insurances 8:32 Accounts Receivable (AR) 16:40 Re-care system 23:34 Membership plans 25:50 Preserving revenue— needs, wants, rainy day fund 29:56 Wrapping up 32:20 Closing words Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/zardentalconsulting/ Michelle Affanato affinitymanagement.co https://www.facebook.com/michelle.affinitymanagement/
Malika and Michelle talk about the advantages of automating systems in your dental office on the second episode of "Accelerating Your Dental Practice". It's important to streamline as much as possible during this staffing shortage. Scheduling, treatment planning, payments, appointment reminders and review processes can all be automated to save valuable time and money. Another bonus- most patients prefer automated systems over phone calls and physical mail! 0:22 Today's Topic 1:38 Scheduling 6:50 Treatment Planning 11:45 Patient Reminders 19:26 Online Payments 26:56 Reviews 29:40 Money and time savings 32:20 Closing words Companies mentioned: Online Scheduling: LocalMed (www.localmed.com) Flex Book (flex.dental/flexschedule) Treatment Planning: OrthoFi (www.orthofi.com) Dentrix (www.dentrix.com) Appointment and Payment Reminders: Modento (www.modento.io) Flex (flex.dental) NexHealth (www.nexhealth.com) Curve (www.curvedental.com) Yapi (www.yapiapp.com) Swell (www.swellcx.com) Birdeye (www.birdeye.com) Malika Azargoon ZarDentalConsulting.com Michelle Affanato AffinityManagement.co
Welcome to the first episode of "Accelerating Your Dental Practice" with your hosts, Malika Azargoon and Michelle Affanato, Dental Management Consultants. Starting off, Malika and Michelle discuss the advantages of outsourcing front office tasks in the midst of the hiring drought. Dental practices can save a lot of time and money by outsourcing tasks including new patient calls, insurance verification and claims processing and follow-up.
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