Podcasts about Dentrix

Kiera is joined by Mark Rasmussen, CEO of Moolah, to talk about the landscape of credit card fees and how to reduce them, membership discount plans, and other bonus features offered by the dental payment tech company. (Pssst, Mark was last on episode 866, It's Time to Modernize Payment Processing!) Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript Kiera Dent (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I am super jazzed because I have a guest here who's going to help us with cashflow leaks, modernizing your practice, figuring out those membership plans, all the things that you need and want. We're going to talk about some case studies. This is one of my absolute favorite guests, Mark Rasmussen, CEO, owner, founder, Moolah. How are you today, Mark? Welcome to the show.   Mark Rasmussen (00:22) Hey, Kara, I'm doing fantastic. I'm doing awesome. So, so, so it's connected with you and your listeners and excited to get into all this juicy good stuff about revenue and payments and modernizing things. Let's do it. I love it.   Kiera Dent (00:31) Yeah.   Let's   do it. So I have a slight crush on Moolah. Like truly you guys like just make credit card processing easy. And so what I want to start off, if you guys don't listen, Mark and I have done other podcasts in the past together. ⁓ But I don't know, Mark, what you guys say on your email subject lines, like on your little, what is it your signature, but I feel like it should be like your new favorite credit card processing company. Like that's what I feel like Moolah's tagline should be because I wanted to do a couple case studies with you since we last chatted.   Mark Rasmussen (00:40) Hahaha   Kiera Dent (01:05) ⁓ Mark knows, like, I do have a crush on Moolah. I try to get them to come and be our processor too.   Mark Rasmussen (01:10) I need to like soundbite clip that,   like I have a crush on Moolah just like everywhere in social. I love that.   Kiera Dent (01:15) I   do. do because I like companies that make things easy, but also are like the cheapest on the market and credit card fees are one of my biggest beefs. Like really truly I get annoyed when I look to see how much credit card fees are charging. And when you guys, ⁓ deadly team listeners, just so you know, I'm going to throw it out there. Like anybody who goes through our link literally saves 10 basis points. ⁓   on it, which is huge to get anywhere in the credit card industry. So you're getting below that 2.99. So you're getting 2.89 on cards not present and 2.39. And I hope that Mark, I'm allowed to say that because I'm just going to be bold and brazen. And if not, we'll cut that out. So don't stress about that.   Mark Rasmussen (01:52) No, no, no, for sure. And   not only that, it's like, that's not just a like teaser rate, like they look, your practices will get that preferred rate forever, right, which is awesome. And, and it's like you and I were talking a little bit earlier, too, of like, a bit of shock and awe of like, I and myself as well, I've been seeing like some statements from potential practices. And I'm like, ⁓ my God, I'm like, I'm seeing like,   Kiera Dent (02:03) which is so big and you don't add extra heat.   Mark Rasmussen (02:19) six, seven, eight percent, like net effective rates. I know you were saying you have been seeing even higher. It's crazy. Yeah, that's crazy. It's almost criminal.   Kiera Dent (02:25) Mm-hmm. Yeah, so it   does feel criminal because like here's the thing like you might get a cheaper rate somewhere else but when you look and dig into the details and this is where it feels annoying and obnoxious to me and doesn't happen right away it happens like when you've stopped looking at it you're like I've checked my credit card company for years they don't do anything and then all of a sudden it starts creeping up and being eerie and that's where I just get annoyed and that's why like I have a crush on Moolah because you guys don't do it and you guys stay consistent for it so   I felt Mark and I, you didn't listen to our last podcast, we'll definitely link it in the show notes for you. But Mark, I felt we should kick today off with some case studies because I have some clients that I've recommended over to Moolah. And I think my favorite one is we were looking and I had a practice and our overhead was high. So like this practice, they don't love to like look at numbers. They have an amazing CPA. Like I will say we do look at numbers, but they're kind of like, yeah, carry it. We'll just like out produce our problems a little bit. And that's fine. Like anybody can have that. But I said, Hey,   Mark Rasmussen (03:17) Alright.   Kiera Dent (03:21) Your credit card fees are really high. think that they were honestly like 10%. And I'm like, is that really true? Like that just seems outlandish. And they said, well, Kiera, we're in a contract. Mark, do you want to throw up with contracts? Tell me about credit card contracts.   Mark Rasmussen (03:33) Oh, I hate contracts. I hate contracts   like really in anything in my life. I don't know. So yeah, but that's, it's just crazy. The industry for the longest time has like felt the need to like lock these business owners and not just Dennis, but business owners in like these typically it's like three year contracts. And then, you know, they'll have like termination fees. And so they take advantage of that. And like you were saying, I talked to so many practices are like, Oh, I'm paying X and you know, they were paying X the first month that they signed up.   And then they didn't look at it, like you said, and then six months later, eight months later, the processor started like nudging it up, nudging it up, nudging it up. And to the point where when you look at what their rates are, you know, two years from when they signed up, it's like almost 180 degrees difference. So yeah, please you guys out there, please make sure you stay on your credit card processing. Look at those month end statements. Look at, you know, what is being nudged up because   Kiera Dent (04:19) Yeah.   Mark Rasmussen (04:28) You know, they'll just slip it in a little statement message. They're not forthcoming about it. I promise you they're not like, shooting you multiple emails or calling you and be like, hey, we're going to increase your rate. No, no, no, no, no. They're going to slip it under the table and hope that you never pay attention to it, which is really what happens because you guys are all busy. You guys are all doing amazing care on patients and you're not paying attention to that. That's the reality.   Kiera Dent (04:49) And it's creepy to me because it's also done on things that don't make sense. Like I feel like reading a credit card statement with what they're charging is like reading very highly processed foods. And I'm like, I have no clue what 90 % of these words are. And I feel like it's the same thing when you come to a credit card statement. And so back to this practice, what we did, there's two case studies I wanted to bring to the table today that are my own personal clients that I've referred over to Moolah that I signed up with Moolah. So this practice, again, overhead, let's out produce our problems.   Mark Rasmussen (05:00) That's a good comparison, I like that.   Kiera Dent (05:18) And it was wild because the first month they switched to Moolah, their CPA sent a letter to all of us and said like, hey, what'd you do? Did you switch credit card companies? Your fees are so much lower. Like that fast first month drop down. So we went from about a 10 % fee on what they're producing and collecting to then dropping it down to this 2.89 to 2.39, depending upon if card was present or not, which is super awesome also because then you can get cards.   Mark Rasmussen (05:28) guys.   Kiera Dent (05:44) on auto renew, like on just processing internally and you don't have to, like you can have cards present or not present within the practice, which is so awesome. ⁓ But I was shocked like that fast. And then another practice that we brought to Moolah, they were locked in with another credit card company. And so I didn't know you couldn't do this, Mark. So this was like rookie mistake on me. Like I was, I'm scrappy and I thought, well, okay, fine. You guys are in a contract. So.   just stop processing through that processor, switch everything over to Moolah. Well, you know this Mark and I was rookie so you know what happens. Do you know what happens with those companies?   Mark Rasmussen (06:21) No,   listen, I said that a lot too because technically, really, if the practice is in a contract, and I've said that before, you probably have these miscellaneous junk fees, these monthly minimums that are gonna hit maybe 20, $30 a month. But even if you're paying that minimum and you saved thousands over here, who cares? Pay that minimum, just write that contract out. What happened here in this scenario? Okay.   Kiera Dent (06:44) That was exactly what I said too. So   that's what, cause I was like, why not? I thought the exact same thing. I'm like, okay, if we're looking at, you're able to save 3%, 4 % like higher amounts and we're processing, even if you're processing a hundred thousand or 200,000, like that extra two, 3 % do the math. Like that's surely going to offset the cost. Well, what happened is we actually did that. So a client signed up with you guys. They did that. And we got a letter from the other processor saying,   Mark Rasmussen (06:54) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (07:11) that, we have a minimum and if we don't hit it, it was going to be substantial and to get out of contract, it was going to cost us a thousand dollars. So we literally said, fine, take the thousand dollars because we'd already saved that much through Moolah's savings to be able to like, we're just like, like it's a done deal. Like they were trying to threaten them with this thousand dollar fee, but we were like, that's so minimal to get us out of this contract based on how much we were saving. Now this practice was processing a decent chunk.   Mark Rasmussen (07:32) Right. Right.   Kiera Dent (07:38) But I think even if you're processing like 70,000, 80,000, that one, 2 % stacks up. Like it's insane how much we pay in credit card fees. So those are like the two that I wanted to bring to the, like I said, this is why I have a crush because I hate credit card fees so much. And that's going to lead into our next topic. But Mark, anything you want to add? Cause these were two cases that I've watched since we last met.   Mark Rasmussen (07:45) yeah.   I love that.   Kiera Dent (08:00) ⁓ I'm constantly on the prowl for cheaper people. I love that you guys don't charge for the terminals. You have it set up the next day. There's no contracts. Like that's where I said, like it's your new favorite, like credit card processing. You don't increase the fees. You give our clients reduced rates. If you have multi locations, you guys also take care of those practices. Like it's amazing what you guys do. So that's my like pitch for Moolah, but if you want to add anything else.   Mark Rasmussen (08:22) I love that. wanted to, because you just   like rang a memory. So what you were referring to in that practice, right, where like, okay, you can't just skate by and just pay the minimum, right? Or they were gonna hit him with his fee. Well, another thing I'm gonna tell your listeners out there is, listen, if you don't go with Moolah, great, do your homework. But one thing to look out that I've seen in contracts, which is crazy, is that sometimes you'll see a contract, all right, if you cancel early, it's like a 350 termination fee. Okay, fine.   but I've seen others out there where the processor says they try to enforce liquidated damages. So the processor will say, oh, we've been making, you're in a three year contract, on average we're making like, whatever, $500 a month on your processing. If you leave us now, it's not early termination fee, we're gonna calculate that $500 for the remaining 16, 17 months and they hit you with this liquidated damages thing, crazy. So just be on the lookout for that. If you're doing anywhere that's a contract,   Kiera Dent (08:57) No.   Mark Rasmussen (09:20) Look out for liquidated damages, that's no bueno, but better yet, find somebody that's just not gonna put you in a contract. Much easier.   Kiera Dent (09:26) Yeah. And   also like, okay, Mark, help me understand. And maybe you don't know because you guys don't do this and that's okay. But to me, it feels really funny that I signed a contract with them and there's got to be something in the fine print because I'm like, how did they go from what they told me to being able to add all these extra surcharges later on and increase it when we're in a contract?   Mark Rasmussen (09:43) for sure it's in the fine print.   yeah. It says that any, it basically says that any time at our discretion with 30 days notice, we can make an adjustment to any of your pre-schedule. And so they'll just do that. And then they'll just put a little message, you know, really small font in whatever kind of notification. And you know, in their minds, right? All right, well, we checked off the box. It's super shady. It sucks, but it's, you know, it's out there. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (10:05) Yeah, it is what it is. And I would say   they'll like look at it because two clients that were in contract, we were able to send over every person that I've sent to you guys have just loved who you are, that it's easy, that it's fast, that it's the cheapest processing. And there's a few other features that I think we should talk about. I feel like I'm on like a Moolah sales pitch right now. Like I'm truly not. I just get giddy. Like if you guys hear me talk about Swell,   Mark Rasmussen (10:27) Ha   Kiera Dent (10:30) was Zeke and Google reviews. I have a crush on Swell. They just do Google reviews better than anyone else. And right now, Moolah for sure, you guys are taking the cake on being able to do credit card processing better than any other company that I've come across, which I think is amazing. And so something else that I think is ratcheting fees on practices when we're looking for some of these cashflow leaks is on membership plans. Now, I'm a huge proponent of membership plans. I also think with the economy, with where insurance is reimbursing, ⁓ people are starting to look at like   should we be going out of network? And my big proposal is, hey, yeah, of course, if you want to do that rock on, membership plans really can help with that. But ⁓ there are some membership companies that actually charge pretty outlandish fees. I never wanted to pay for that. I was scrappy in a practice. So what I did is I just charged the patient an annual fee. Well, that was like eight years ago that I was charging an annual fee. And I think you look at today's world, no one wants an annual fee anymore. They just want like a monthly fee and they want it to be low.   Mark Rasmussen (11:02) for   Right. Right.   Kiera Dent (11:28) But managing that is nonsense on my own paying for it. And Moolah, like I've heard through the grapevine, you guys are doing something with membership fees. Can we talk about the membership plans? Talk about how you guys do this. Is it easier? Is it something we can do? Because I think membership plans have to come into play with the insurance situation that offices are in. And also possibly a cash leak if you're paying for heavy management fees on your membership plans.   Mark Rasmussen (11:37) Yeah, yeah, absolutely.   Yeah. So listen, membership discount plans. I've since I've been, I've only been in the industry, you know, dental industry for about four years now. And every year I feel like it's getting traction. More practices are asking about us. I have practices that are doing demos with us and they're like, Hey, I'm doing this demo is driving it because I heard you guys do, you know, membership, discount plan management. And so yes, the answer is we do. ⁓   And as you were looking to, there's a lot of great vendors in this space that just do that, right? And I'm not going to name any names, but there's a lot of great vendors, but they're not inexpensive. Like, you know, there's some decent SAS fees and then you pay per patient enrollment. ⁓ And so when it's, you know, when you look at the net net and you're like, okay, is this really making sense? So what's nice is that we have complete membership discount plan management built into the platform. You can create all your plans. ⁓ You can easily onboard the patient into the system.   Kiera Dent (12:21) Mm-hmm.   Yeah.   Mark Rasmussen (12:48) whether the patient wants to go monthly or annual, like you said, you were doing annual and a lot of the practices that I run into have historically been doing it annually, right? Because to think about billing it on a monthly basis has you like pulling your hair out. But the reality is that the patients and the consumers in the world that we live in, ⁓ everybody looks at whatever they're gonna bring into their life, whether it's a Netflix subscription or it's a car payment or it's anything else, everybody kind of looks at at a monthly basis.   Kiera Dent (13:02) Too hard.   Mark Rasmussen (13:17) And so that is what you want to be delivering. And so with the Moolah platform, you can absolutely manage an in-house membership discount plan and offer both annual and monthly options and truly set it and forget it. Not have to think about it. The system's going to run. The system's going to automatically post that payment into the ledger. In open dental, we even go a step further where when you enroll the patient into the membership, not only are we handling the billing element of it,   But we're also going into the PMS and we're associating that patient to that membership discount plan and keeping track. You know, that's what's really doing all the heavy lifting of keeping track of whatever the one free cleaning of the 10 % off services. And we keep that in lockstep. So if there was like a billing issue, we automatically disassociate the patient from the plan to really just kind of make it pain free. you know, membership discount plans are phenomenal. It's a win win for patients and practice. First of all, it brings some really great reoccurring   Kiera Dent (13:51) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Mark Rasmussen (14:14) like trackable revenue into the practice, right? Number two, it's bringing patients like butts in seats ⁓ as well. ⁓ Because the patient looks like, I'm paying $40 a month. I should use it. I should be in there. ⁓ And it's bringing value to the patient. So it's literally just a win-win all around. I really love that for, you know, when you're looking at out of network patients ⁓ and the absolutely, you know, the platform has it built in. So you guys, please, if you're looking at discount plans, memberships,   I encourage you to look at some of the other great vendors out there and then come take a look at us last and see like the value that you get that's included.   Kiera Dent (14:49) That's awesome. Yeah. And again, like there are so many great people out there that are doing it. I just feel, ⁓ when I heard that you guys were doing membership plans, I was like, well, it kind of makes sense because you're already processing credit cards. Like you're already doing the processing. So now something else that is doing a processing is in my processor, into my software, which I just, that was so incredibly clever. And, ⁓ like again, I had another client who, who scoped you against other companies and they were like, gosh, like there's no fees.   Mark Rasmussen (15:03) Great.   Kiera Dent (15:17) compared to other companies with moolah. So that was something I was really excited about. I'm big on just, it's like my insurance. I've been with State Farm forever. And Jason and I giggled, we're like, we need to go and actually like assess and make sure that we're truly getting the best plans. And so I just think like it's good to periodically go and assess and make sure our credit card fees, what they were when we set up.   our membership plans making sense? Is it time to look to possibly renegotiate some certain things? And again, I'm not here to propose one company over another. Like Mark said, do your homework, figure out what's best because there's so many great companies out there. I just really love when it's simple and easy. And that's something I love about you guys, Mark, you guys have the fact that we can send patient statements and like have payments online and they can pay it all times of the day. Like just that alone boosts offices, collections with Moulin. So Mark, I want to go into a dicey topic with you though.   because this one's hot. We had it in our in-person ⁓ doctor and leadership mastermind when we were in Arizona and I loved it. It was like a hot, hot topic and heads up like this might be awkward for you. I don't think it will because of who you are, but there's the question of, and it was hot, like the room was split of people who were pro and con. So the question is with credit card fees being as much as they were, we talked about at the beginning, like ways that we can reduce it.   Mark Rasmussen (16:10) Let's do it.   I know, I wanna hear what the feedback was, because I know where you're going.   Kiera Dent (16:40) Then we talked about reducing membership plans. Now there's a question of, should we actually charge patients the credit card fees? Like this is becoming really popular and I don't blame businesses because inflation's high, labor is higher. So now we're trying to figure out like where could we cut? And so people are like, well, sweet, we're just gonna pass on the credit card fees to our patients. And the room was spicy. There was like people that were so pro and people that like literally people were bristly and it was a...   Mark Rasmussen (17:05) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (17:06) It was quite interesting. So your credit card company, which is where I feel like it's a little awkward to ask you this question, but I want to know, we pro, are we con? Should we charge the patients from your perspective? We're in 2025. So many companies do this. Should people be charging patients the credit card fee? Should they just raise their fees and bake it in? Like, what are your thoughts on this? Because my room was 50 50 split. And I will tell you some of the feedback if you want to hear it, cause it was quite interesting.   Mark Rasmussen (17:13) Yeah.   Okay, okay.   I do. Okay, so the first   thing I want to point out is I expect you to say that the room is split, right? Like half of them are like, yeah, absolutely. You know, I'm not paying for my patients' reward points. And I think the other half of the room was like, yeah, but I'm worried about the optics. Does it look like we're trying to be cheesy or nickel and diming our patients, right? Those are the two ends that are battling each other. The interesting thing is that this hot topic, ⁓ if you would have asked that just three years ago,   Kiera Dent (17:38) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm. No.   Mark Rasmussen (18:01) it wouldn't have been 50 50. It   would have been like 80 90 % saying no way and 10 % made me do it. So the trend is is like it is going right and two or three years from now I have a feeling it's going to be like 80 % are doing it and 20 % are not doing it. So the cat is out of the bag. Let's just get that you know right out there in the open. What do I think about it? I'm to be super Switzerland about this and I'm going to say that I think   Kiera Dent (18:06) Agreed. 100 % agree.   I would agree with you.   Remember he's   a credit card processing company.   Mark Rasmussen (18:31) Well,   no, I'm going to say that I think that as a vendor who delivers credit card processing service, I think that I should enable our practices to make that choice for themselves. I think whatever you think you should do for your practice, I want to support it. So if you don't want to do surcharging, great, we love that. If you do want to do surcharging, great, I love that. I just want to give the tools to the practice so they can make that decision. Now, aside what I think about it,   It's a very interesting topic to talk about. Well, what is the net result? I like, all right, how does it work? What does it save? Let's get into it if I may. Okay, so there's a couple ways. There is absolutely there. There is, and there's a couple flavors to this. There's a couple flavors to this. ⁓ there, the, the, what that we do, let me talk about that first. So what we do is what's referred to as compliance surcharging and with compliance surcharging, what is, what you're doing is that   Kiera Dent (19:06) I agree. Cause like, are there rules around it? Like, you actually have to do anything? Okay. I have no idea. Okay.   Mark Rasmussen (19:28) When a customer's paying you with a credit card, the system, system, I'll just speak to our system, most others are similar, but when a patient is paying you, whether it's in practice on the device or whether you sent a text to pay or it's an online payment, our system automatically, real time, looks at the number that the patient put in or used on the terminal. And within a half a second, we're looking back at the credit card network before we even charge it, and we say, is this a credit or is this a debit? If the patient is paying with a credit card,   We then pop on the screen, either on their mobile device or on the terminal, we say, hey, we see you're using a credit card. We're going to add 2.99 % as a fee to you for using a credit card. If you want to use a debit card, you will avoid that fee. So in Compliance Surcharging, what I really like about that is that you're not charging us fee across debit and credit, right? You're still giving your patient the convenience of being able to pay with plastic.   Kiera Dent (20:19) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   Mark Rasmussen (20:25) and still use a debit card because the reality is if you have a credit card in your wallet, there's probably 99 % chance you've got a Visa debit card in your wallet as well. And so you're not pulling away that convenience of them being able to pay plastic and just saying, hey, if you want to avoid that fee, pay cash or check. That's kind of archaic. So with compliance surcharging, you are going to offload your credit card fees to the patient, only the credit card fees. When they pay with a debit card, you will still pay for that, okay?   Kiera Dent (20:43) I agree.   Mark Rasmussen (20:55) With doing that with Moolah, if you're going to pay the debit fee and not pay the credit card fee, we see that the overall net effective rate for the practice ends up being below 1%. It ends up being like, I'm going to throw out a weird term that people are going, what the heck is that? It's usually going to be around 75 or 80 basis points. About three quarters of 1 % is going to be your net overall cost, which is huge savings, right? Huge savings.   Kiera Dent (21:07) No.   Crazy, like insane. Just do   some math. If you did a million dollars and you were able to basically save, gosh, so much.   Mark Rasmussen (21:28) No, let's just say,   the reality is you're probably saving one and a half percent. So on a million dollar practice, that practice is gonna put about $15,000 back to their bottom line. Like, and that's it, and it was painless. And you're still not really, yeah, exactly.   Kiera Dent (21:37) Exactly.   And that's also for payments you're already collecting. Like this is already   money we're collecting, we just get to keep more of it rather than having the credit card processing fee.   Mark Rasmussen (21:47) Yes.   And it doesn't need to like, you know, break brain cells for you to try and figure it out. Like the system is going to automatically calculate it. We're going to organize it. ⁓ It's just, it's painless. We're handling it in the PMS correctly. listen, the savings cannot be ignored. Like we talked about the cats out of the bag. You're going to see more businesses across more different verticals. ⁓ And the reality is   We've all been around it for a long, long time, right? Who's been doing it forever? Gas stations, right? We've seen it on there. Cash credit, right? That's been there forever. And we're all used to it. And you also typically see a lot when you're dealing with like state or federal agencies, you ever gone on and make an online tax payment, they usually charge a fee there. So it's just now getting more, you know, ⁓ rolling out. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (22:40) Nail salons for the girls out there. We all know the   nail salons. They'll say like, it's a 3 % charge if you use credit card. I'm like, here's your cash. Like it's clever. They push us to what they want.   Mark Rasmussen (22:49) Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.   So it is listen. So I, I believe in delivering the technology to our clients, I don't have an opinion one way or the other, whatever you feel is good. I will tell you though that I think a lot of practices, especially on the on the one half of the room that are like against it. I think what we're finding is that people are not pushing back as much as   you think they are because consumers are just getting used to it. And again, the fact that at least with our practices, you're still giving your patient the ability to have that convenience and pay with a debit card and not have the fee. If they were doing like the model where they call it, know, cash discount, where you're going to hit the debit card and you're going to hit the credit card, I think you get more pushback on that, but you're still giving that convenience. So yeah, I'm a fan of it. We get, like I said, more and more requests of it. ⁓   It's not going anywhere. yeah, we're here to support your practice. If you guys want to try it out, try it out and listen, here's the thing.   Kiera Dent (23:50) Yeah.   How does it work in practice   though? Like, so someone's standing in front of me at a terminal, I'm collecting money in person. How does this work? Because it's not gonna pop up on my like treatment plan that I just gave them or on my ledger. So how do I do that?   Mark Rasmussen (24:00) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.   It'll pop up on the terminal.   so first thing we do, we give the practices, ⁓ you know, some template messaging and they'll just want to put up something by the front desk. And it says something to the effect of that, you know, this office adds a surcharge when using a credit card, ⁓ not beyond, you know, what our costs are, right? This is not a money, additional money revenue is trying to like, you know, make arbitrage between costs and no, I'm only going to pass off. And so.   Kiera Dent (24:32) Great.   Mark Rasmussen (24:35) the patient is aware of it, they've seen it, and then when they go to use it on the terminal, if they're in practice, when they go to run the credit card, it will pop up on the screen and your team can just show it to the patient, they'll see it, that it's adding it because they're using the credit card. And it'll give them an option if they want to accept it or if they want to back out of it and try again with a debit card and avoid the fee, really easy.   Kiera Dent (24:58) Okay, that's actually really helpful. And now I have a question because I don't know this. How does this work? Because technically the practice is collecting more money, right? Like we are taking the fee plus the credit card fee. ⁓   Mark Rasmussen (25:10) Let's say it's $100 and let's just say we're   adding that surcharge so now it's $103. Okay? Yeah. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (25:14) Right, so that's $3 more per $100 transaction. But   does that impact them in tax? I would think no, because credit card companies still charging us the 3%. Like, how does this work? Are you following what I'm saying? how does this impact you?   Mark Rasmussen (25:26) Yeah, I do. So you   don't have anything else to like, you know, break your brain on that. Our system, first of all, will break out the surcharge in the reporting. Okay. So it's really clean. Furthermore, the addition, the $103, right, like the customer got charged, the patient got charged $103. But our system automatically calculates it, that you have a fee of 3 % and that you surcharge the patient 3%. So the practice is still just going to get the full $100.   Kiera Dent (25:36) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Mark Rasmussen (25:56) It's as if they took a cash payment. So it's easy for them. They're not getting 10.99 at the $103, so to speak. It's just still truly only taking $100, which is great.   Kiera Dent (25:57) Gotcha. Okay.   Mm-hmm. ⁓   Yeah, because that's what   I was curious like, and like some things have sales tax. So didn't know like surcharges, do they get taxed differently or is it just like accepting cash, same thing for a practice? Okay. Now, so that's really helpful. And that helps me see on the ledger. So are you guys synced into the PMS for it to say, because like if my ledger says a hundred dollars, but I'm now doing 3 % surcharge on it.   Mark Rasmussen (26:18) Exactly, total amount, total amount, yeah.   Yes.   Kiera Dent (26:35) I'm going to be posting $103. How do I make sure that all of my ledgers match up?   Mark Rasmussen (26:40) So   we'll post $100 in the ledger, okay? And then we'll have a procedure code for the surcharge. And then we'll also have an offsetting so that it doesn't mess up your balance. So you can easily run reports based on the procedure code. I can see what my surcharge is, but it's not messing up and showing that, I took in $103 on this $100 transaction. So your ledger is gonna stay nice and clean.   and not be a nightmare, 100%.   Kiera Dent (27:10) Okay,   because that's I was like, Oh, great. Because there was another office that I heard about. And Mark, I'm just curious about your opinion on this. And then we're gonna get back to this like spicy and thanks for walking through this. There was another practice, I've literally never heard of this before. So I'm curious if you have or if you recommend or don't this practice. So let's say a patient, the total is $100, they pay the $100, the practice literally posted on the ledger.   Mark Rasmussen (27:28) Mm-hmm.   Kiera Dent (27:38) instead of being $100 because now they lost $3, they posted $97 on the ledger and they were taking out the surcharge. Have you ever heard of that? Because I had never heard it. I was, do you recommend that? Because I've never recommended that, right? And I think as a patient, I'd feel really angry though. no, I gave you 100 bucks, but you gave me 97. Like I would just.   Mark Rasmussen (27:48) I haven't.   That seems wonky. Yeah.   Right. Or   continue that on. How about now all of a sudden a week later you go to refund it and we're we're refunding you 97. You're like, no, no, no, I paid you 100. It's gonna be messed up in so many levels.   Kiera Dent (28:09) Right. I was just curious.   I was like, I mean, maybe I'm archaic on how I do this. I used to just do it that way and then accept that that would just be a cost on my PNL. But now there's a way for you to actually offset it with the process. So my question is going back to that, that's actually helpful. Thank you. So if you're doing that, definitely recommend not doing that anymore. ⁓ But I was like, Hey, I've never heard of this. Maybe that is the right way to do the accounting on it. But it felt very messy to me. Now,   Do we as the practice need to put in the surcharge as that procedure code when we're charging that out or does Moolah automatically sync it in and put the surcharge of the procedure code?   Mark Rasmussen (28:48) We have, yeah,   automatically done. There's nothing for you to do. Yeah. So during onboarding, we will set up, we will work with the practice, obviously. We'll make sure that we have a procedure code set up for them. And so during the onboarding, we'll have that so that when you do run a surcharge transaction like that, there's nothing you need to do. It'll all be handled in the ledger correctly.   Kiera Dent (28:51) Amazing. I love it. This is why I said I have a preference on you.   and you're in all softwares. What softwares does Moolah sink into?   Mark Rasmussen (29:10) Yes, so ⁓ Open Dental, ⁓ Dentrix, G7, and ⁓ newer server-based, not Ascend. And we're actually going to be ⁓ releasing, finally, this has been a long time coming, we're finally going live with Eagle Soft ⁓ Beta at end of next week. So Open Dental, Dentrix, and Eagle Soft. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (29:28) Awesome.   That's awesome. Okay, very cool. And   then if you're not in one of those and you can just obviously add this in, it wouldn't be automatically synced. And I think like of those ones though, huge win this way. Okay, now we'll go back to the spicy. I will tell you guys how the room was divided. The room was divided, I'll be right. The do it, don't do it. And then the like, there's a middle ground, which I thought the middle ground was kind of convenient. ⁓ There wasn't, but I did see people like it. I did feel like it was like,   Mark Rasmussen (29:45) Yes.   Was there any physical fighting going on? Okay.   Kiera Dent (30:00) like politics and religion status. Like it was like very cut through the room. I do agree with you. And that's what I said. I was like, you guys, this 2025, this is going to take place in the future and it will be very common. just, think our early adopters going to stay or not. It's your choice. Um, I've always been of the opinion like, no, just bake it into your fee. And now I'm like, well, everybody's starting to charge for it. Like, why not? Um, so it was don't charge for it now. Another was like, no, put it in. People are doing it anyway. And the middle ground, which I thought was   Mark Rasmussen (30:02) Right. Right, right, right.   Kiera Dent (30:30) of a good way to do it is in person. They didn't charge a fee, but any of their online statements, they did charge a fee because they said most people who pay online know there's usually a service fee associated with it. So I thought that was kind of a, an easy way. If you guys are looking for a navigation through it. ⁓ but I think like, honestly, it's just like anything else, train your patients if you want to, but don't feel like you have to, I think it'd just be something to consider. So, but again,   Like get the reduction, like if nothing else, like switch to a processor that's going to be reduced fees anyway. So even if you want to continue offering it, you're still saving on that. Mark, I have one last thing that I wanted to dive into. I'm hearing from a lot of like integrated softwares. So like dental Intel and Flex and some of these other ones that literally make practice lives easier. They're having processors in there that are just integrated right into that. They're using it all the time.   Mark Rasmussen (31:20) Yeah.   Kiera Dent (31:25) How does Moolah play in those worlds? Like, do you get the same pricing? Do we not get the same pricing? Are some of those better because they're already bundled in? Again, I'm putting you on like really awkward topics, but I just want to know. I want to know how does this work.   Mark Rasmussen (31:35) No, no, not at all. So listen, you mentioned Flex. We   love Flex, okay? I love Flex, not just because, yes, they're a partner of ours, right? And yes, your Mool account works beautifully and integrated with Flex. But I love Flex just because I think they're like cut from the same cloth that we are. Like we just, at the end of the day, we want to over-deliver, right? We want to over-deliver, whether it's technology, whether it's value, and they have that mindset. And so I love the Flex team. Full disclosure.   ⁓ And so we've been an integrated partner with Flex for, gosh now, I think three years. So yeah, I think they deliver a ton of value to any open dental practice. So anybody out there for sure should check out Flex. They are amazing. Dental Intel. So we used to be, ⁓ not to bore the audience, but like we used to have an integration with Modento and then Dental Intel acquired Modento.   Kiera Dent (32:33) Yep.   Mark Rasmussen (32:33) and   then Dental Intel wanted to roll up their own integrated credit card processing. And so they have now. so, listen, ⁓ we wish Dental Intel the best, wish them well, but yeah, we're no longer integrated with Dental Intel, but yeah, Flex, we love Flex.   Kiera Dent (32:49) Okay, because I was just curious. Now, I feel if it's bundled, is this a time where offices should just be strategic? I'm not saying anyone's doing it. I haven't looked at it. So I'm not here to like cast judge or I just want to make sure offices are being smart. I would think when they're bundled or they're integrated, offices should still check even using MULA. They should still be watching their credit card statements every single month, right? Like no matter what, just to always make sure things are staying clean and also before we sign up with anybody.   Mark Rasmussen (33:08) Mm-hmm.   100%.   Kiera Dent (33:19) Like literally read the fine print and look for it. Yes. No. I from like, let's just go all the way back.   Mark Rasmussen (33:23) Yeah.   And I would always say that, you know, let's just take the Flex example. Flex has, you and I won't name anything, I'll let you guys out there, you go check it out to yourself, but there are three options. I encourage you, especially when we're talking about a vendor that you're looking at, and especially when this vendor that you're looking at revolves around your cashflow, right? Like it's a pretty integral part of a vendor that you're bringing into your ecosystem. call them, talk to them.   Kiera Dent (33:46) Mm-hmm.   Mark Rasmussen (33:54) Call in the middle of the day. Do they pick up the phone? Do they answer? Can you talk to somebody very easily? Like really pop the hood and take a look at who you're going to get in and do business with, especially when it's, you know, that vendor is like controlling your cash flow on a daily basis. So yes, please you guys out there, do your homework, look at the agreements, ask questions, and see what's right for you. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (34:10) Yeah.   That's awesome. just, again,   I wanted to like go into it because these are things I'm hearing. I'm hearing people say like, this seamlessly integrates. I know you seamlessly integrate. I know you guys are constantly working to refine, to get into more and more practice management softwares to make it easier. Just Mark, as we wrap up, like this has been fun. I love the like, thanks for going into some of the spices with me. ⁓ But just as a quick rundown, like what are some of the features that Moola does? We talked about the membership plans. We did talk about that Dental A Team clients get 10 % basis points less for card present or card not present.   Mark Rasmussen (34:33) Always is.   Yep.   Kiera Dent (34:47) Which to me that alone, I would just look into it and see, like I said, two clients literally saved money by like dumping their contracts and moving over, which I think to me, like before I can have a crush on a company, I test them pretty heavily. So to see the proof in the pudding, I was so just elated and it made me even like you guys more. But what else does Moola do? Because I know you guys do a lot of other things that just make life easy.   Mark Rasmussen (35:05) I love that. yeah, yeah. So   at the end of the day, we do a lot, but it's all payment related and will always be payment related, right? So we're focused on being like, we try to be like the end all be all payment solution for dentists. And so when you look at like, what does a dental office need from a payment perspective, ⁓ it's in practice payments, right? So we provide you guys the physical devices. So   No more having to buy rent or lease those terminals. We're going to include them. you know, not only, yeah, they're wireless. Yeah, they're really cool. Aesthetically, they look really good. Yeah. And, and here's the other great part too, that I think it's kind of underrated ⁓ is of course, not only did we include them. the practice didn't need to buy them, but like normally, you know, with our peers, you have to buy these devices and then you buy them and then it's like one year warranty, right? And then like Murphy's law always kicks in.   Kiera Dent (35:37) They're awesome too. They're portable. They can go back to the hygiene operatories. It's amazing. So your hygienist can take it. Like they're awesome. It's so great.   Mark Rasmussen (36:01) like it loves to do. like, okay, month 14, the device just, you know, went out on you. And then you're gonna sorry, you got to buy another five $600 device with mula you guys will literally never have hardware expense ever because we give them to you on the front end. And we will warranty them forever. As long as you're with us. I don't care four or five, six years. If there's new devices that come out and your guys age out, we're going to replace them. Even if you drop it off the counter and crack the screen.   We don't care, we're gonna replace it for you. There's no fear or premium. So, in practice payments, we have you covered there from a technology standpoint as well as a hardware standpoint. Moving on, there's also, have the ability to, like you were talking about earlier, store patient cards securely tokenized. Nothing's ever touching the practices servers. It's all on our servers, but it's giving you the convenience of having those stored cards for the patient. You can have as many stored cards as you want. You can even send a request to the patient.   before their appointment and the patient from easily from home from their mobile device could add their credit card. And so when they come in, it's already stored and it's available to use. So stored cards, yeah, yeah, yeah.   Kiera Dent (37:07) With that, can I ask, do you guys have   the compliance paperwork? Is there anything you have to do to get a patient to have a stored credit card that we can run for future payments? once insurance pays, because I know that's a big thing of storing cards on file, do you have anything with that? Because I know that this is a zone.   Mark Rasmussen (37:23) Yep. What I...   Yeah, no. So it's very obvious as far as the process of the patient adding the card. Like when you send the message, it says, hey, would you like to securely store your card on file? Right? Beyond that, what I've seen some practices do is just they'll just include it in their overall like new patient intake forms and kind of include it in their terms of service of that. Hey, listen, if you want to store a card on file with us, you can. And you allow, once you store a card, you're giving us the authorization to utilize that card.   Kiera Dent (37:35) Mm-hmm.   Mark Rasmussen (37:51) for other future balances. As simple as that, that's all you need to do.   Kiera Dent (37:54) which is so smart you   guys think about it. This is where so many other industries do this. They have a card on file. I mean, I go to the spa, my cards on file, they run that card when I'm gone, like I authorize it to happen. So they never out of money. They're never chasing money down. Like it just to me makes so much more sense of a way to process.   Mark Rasmussen (38:12) Can you imagine if   Netflix or all the other subscriptions, if they had to wait for a payment every month and wait, come on, no. Subscription is the way, 100%. So, okay, so store card on file they get. The other thing they get is the ability to create and manage in-house payment plans. And of course, automatically post those payments to the ledger. We have some great things where if the payment fails, right? They're into the plan for three months and all of sudden the July payment fails.   Kiera Dent (38:18) No. No.   Yeah.   Mark Rasmussen (38:41) our system will automatically notify the practice, notify the patient, and what's cool is that the software will allow the patient to self-administer and fix it. So the software is not telling the patient, your card failed, call the front desk. No, we're gonna save a phone call there. The software will allow the patient to tell the software, okay, either A, try to charge that card again, or B, they can actually upload a new card on file.   So the cool stat on that is that in failed transactions in our payment plans, we see patients solving it between themselves and software within the first 24 hours at a rate of over 80%, which is huge. So payment plans, and then we talked about earlier, you also get the ability to manage any of your in-house membership or discount plans. ⁓ We have the collecting on a balance when the patient is out of practice, ⁓ sending a payment request either   Kiera Dent (39:20) Holy cow, it's amazing.   Mark Rasmussen (39:37) allocated or unallocated payment request can attach a statement. ⁓ We also have the ability to host a payment page on their website. So if you want to put a little navigation, click here to make an online after hours payment, we'll host that page for the practice. ⁓ So yeah, we really kind of just looked at it a full circle of like, where are all the payment touch points that our practice is dealing with, and just trying to deliver these really amazing tools. And again, as you know, our model.   ⁓ There's never any monthly fees. There's never any set up fees. There's never any annual fees ⁓ All there are these two simple flat rates and again, you can cancel it anytime you want never locked in anything   Kiera Dent (40:18) That's awesome. Mark, I appreciate this so much. How do people, like know they just connect with you, schedule a demo. You guys will look at their credit card processing, see how you guys can fix it. How do they connect with you specifically if they're interested? And specifically The Dental A Team, The Dental A Team, perks.   Mark Rasmussen (40:33) I would recommend and maybe we can list this in the podcast, but there will be a specific Moolah URL. It's like forward slash The Dental A Team They should go there and then they can schedule a demo. And then if they go there, then we're going to know it came from you guys. That way we can get them that 10 basis point savings forever. So just schedule a demo with us and no pressure. We're like the most like   the least salesy organization I think that you guys will ever run into. All we wanna do is inform you. We wanna show you what we have. We're not for everybody. ⁓ But assuming that you guys love what you see, we encourage you to try us out and check us out and see if we're gonna be a great fit for your practice.   Kiera Dent (41:13) Yeah, for sure. You guys, honestly, I love Moolah They're incredible. So on our website, we will link it. So the way you get to Moolah, it's on our website, TheDentalATeam.com. And then you can click on the About Partnerships Mulas right there. ⁓ And the actual, like if you guys want our direct link here, it would be TheDentalATeam.com slash partnerships slash Moolah. And that should take you right to Moolah's page. It's also mula.cc slash partners.   So that helps you guys will also link that in the show notes mark. I appreciate you guys so much Things are being on the podcast things are going through the spicy with me. I appreciate you so much   Mark Rasmussen (41:52) Any time, love you guys, you guys are the best and ⁓ have a great rest of day.   Kiera Dent (41:58) Hey, you too, for all of you listening. Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on The Dental A Team Podcast.  

Tiff and Dana talk about a large trend happening in dental practices this year: last-minute cancellations, and why it's such a stressor for the doctors. They share how to notice the signs of no-shows further in advance, plus ways to troubleshoot the problem. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript Tiffanie (00:01) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. We are so excited to be here with you today. I have the one and only Dana here with me. Dana, we're still working on that dynamite. Dana is my favorite nickname, but we'll see what Kara decides sticks. So.   Thank you, Dana, for being here with me today. If you guys are watching this podcast, which I think is still a weird concept in my brain, Dana has the most incredible hair today. Dana, I'm always impressed with your lovely loc. So thanks for coming ready to go today. How are you?   Dana (00:34) doing good. Thank you. If you only knew how little time it took me and that's why it's consistent because it takes me no time to get it to do this. I'm excited to be here anytime I get with you on this podcast tip is special time. So   Tiffanie (00:42) I love it.   Thank you. Thank you. And I do enjoy our time together. I'm trying to make sure we get that one on one time a couple more times per month than just podcasting. So thanks for being patient with me on that. Dana, I get to pick your brain all the time. We have a really fun one coming up here in a second that I know everyone's going to be really excited for. But right now, I really want to pick your brain a lot on cancellations and the cost of cancellations to a general practice. I know in   My client base, what I have seen and tell me Dana what you're seeing as well. I have seen this year just like a wild bag of like, patients coming? Are they not coming? Are they canceling? What are the reasons? Like it just feels like a mixed bag of information. Since realistically, I would say it probably, I think it started trickling around November, but January, February was wild. Weather was wild.   And then now that we're getting into, you know, summery months, we're getting out of spring and into summer months here in May, it just still seems to be like trends are just kind of cycling around that same space. are you seeing that with your clients you're working with and friends in the industry that you're chatting with as well?   Dana (02:03) Yeah, I feel like it is a weekly basis where it's like, okay, how are things going? Well, the schedule was full, right? It was looking great and it just seems to be falling apart. So a lot, a lot of last minute cancellations where it is really hard for the team to pivot and pivot quickly in those instances.   Tiffanie (02:09) Yeah.   Yeah, I totally agree. I totally agree. And so on one hand, I want you guys out there, doctors, team members, office managers, those of you who are listening today, on one hand, if this is something that you guys are coming up against this year, I want you to know that right now in 2025, this has been a trend that we've noticed within the dental community as a whole. today we really want to talk about the cost of those cancellations. I think it's great for doctors to know that information.   A lot of doctors do, lot of owners already have that information, but I think it's great for team members and office managers to really know the cost of that as well so that we can see why are the doctors harping on us, not just because they don't have patients, but why is it so stressful to them? And doctors, why am I feeling this internal stress? And then I've also got some tips in here, Dana and I have gone through that are ways for you to know that there's a problem, start noticing it more in advance.   and then ways to troubleshoot those problems as well. So first and foremost, I think, Dana, the most important thing to remember is that we've got to make sure that we've got a solid plan and a solid action, actionable pieces as far as our goals. If we don't know our goals, if we don't know where we're heading, then...   Like, what are we even doing? Right? So as long as we, as long as we can keep a good heading on our goals. And I mean, by that, like, what is our monthly goal? What is our daily goal? And then always looking at what have we done? Where are we going? And what's that gap in between? If we're not watching that gap in between, we can fall into a really scary space. And then it's that last week of the month that we've all lived where the office manager is like, okay, guys, we just need $30,000 in addition this week. Who needs ortho?   right? And we're like, scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to get that money in. But it's because we haven't watched all month where those numbers are at. making sure that we're always looking at that, and we're always paying attention to those things is going to be massively important. Now, Dana, I know you have a lot of practices that are tracking this, that are they're watching these trends. As far as like dollar per hour kind of cost to the practice and what this actually looks like in conjunction to the goals.   What are you seeing with your practices right now and what do you suggest they really start to watch?   Dana (04:39) Yeah, I think that it is one just like you said, tracking and making sure that they know how much is open schedule time impacting their production and their ability to get to their goals. How much you know, if their hygiene team isn't getting to their 30 % or hitting their daily goal, is it because they just didn't have a full schedule of patients because that is pretty crucial for them to get to that point. Daily goals are set up with full schedules in mind, especially if we use block scheduling to get to daily goal. If   our blocks aren't full, we're not gonna get there. So I think it is tracking to be able to look and say, how much is it impacting our production and what are we losing when we have a hole in our schedule? Because sometimes when we can attach a monetary value to that actual appointment, it becomes a little bit more important. When we see, if we know that every time a restorative appointment is open, that that costs us   $1,000 right or $900, right? Well, then we know how much that's going to impact our goal if we know that every time a Recare patient doesn't show up that equals $230 well, then we can sure be strategic about how we make that gap up   Tiffanie (05:40) Yeah.   Dana (05:56) later in the month or later in the week and sometimes too for team members it's like oh we only have one cancellation well one cancellation for every 17 days that you're open when you know what that value of that appointment is it really really   You can see how it's impacting. And so I would say take a look at your doll, you know, your production per hour on both sides so that you know, when I've got an hour open, it's costing the practice this much. When I've got an hour and a half open, it's costing the practice that much. And that's just the missed dentistry. That's not the costs of the practice just to be open for that hour, right? Like there's all of those fixed costs that extend into that too. And so getting a real picture of what each hour in our practice leads to   Tiffanie (06:25) Good job.   Dana (06:41) production and expenses can just be so eye-opening on its impact.   Tiffanie (06:48) I totally agree.   I think the actual cost, like if you look at it and we're looking at our goals, that actual cost is what is your dollar per hour? So like Dana said, it could be anywhere between $500 to $1,500 an hour on a doctor's schedule. And then again, that $100 to $300 on a hygiene schedule just really depends on what your practice's goals are and what you guys are set out to achieve. So if you've got $1,200 between doctor and hygiene, we've got a goal of $1,200 per hour and you've got those openings on the schedule, that's what the cost is.   that data that we've done really really well and we've done differently this year with our current clients is really having them go through and track the number of open hours on each provider's schedule. So the reason that we do that is last year   I had a couple of doctors that were really, really close to, one of them was really close, he was about $30,000 away from hitting the goal that he wanted. Another one was like $20,000 away from exceeding where he thought he would be this year. And I was like, gosh, wow, how did we get so close, but we missed it by that much. So what I did was I sat down and I looked through the whole year and I tallied.   doctor, open hours, hygiene, open hours. So whether that was cancellations, the schedule fell apart, who knows, but it was just open hours that were on the schedule that could have been scheduled, meaning that was an open block, nothing was there. And both of those doctors would have far exceeded what they anticipated had those been filled. Now,   We like to say a variation rate of about 5%. If you're more than 5 to 8 % on the long end, like 8 % is high.   If you're more than that in cancellations, you're in hot water. So even if we deducted that five to 8 % from that math that I did, we still would have hit those goals. And so it really brought a lot of reality into the situation. Like you were saying, Dana, to really be able to see what that gap is and why it happened. And I had a practice just the other day, she did fantastic. This office manager, she had the information before we even went into the call. one of the doctors, one of the owner doctors was really, really intrigued on why are we   just why are we short in collections and by that he was looking at QuickBooks, right? So why is the bank short? So because when we look at their data, when we look at their collections and their production, just looking at those straight from Dentrix, they were above 100 % on collections. So the team is like, bro, like we're at 102%. Like, what do you mean? And he's like, yeah, but there's no money. Like there's not the overhead, right? So the overhead is hitting well,   The office manager knew that we were going into this conversation. She knew that he was going to ask these questions and that I wasn't going to have that immediate information. So prior to the call, she went through the whole first quarter of the year. And what she did was not only she took cancellations on one side, because that was an aspect of it, but another piece that she took was we've had a lot of call outs from hygiene and ⁓ vacation.   And surgery, was a surgery that, you know, quote unquote, she's on her vacation. So we had a lot of time that there wasn't a hygienist available to see patients. And when she tallied that it was literally that missing piece and his mind was just blown and he was like, my gosh, thank you. He just needed the satisfaction of knowing what it was, right. But the cost of not only cancellations, but that missed opportunity of hygiene because there had been hygienists ill, there had been hygienists on PTF.   as a hygienist that had to have shoulder surgery, these things come up and they happen, but we're not always anticipating them and our goals get missed. So these cancellation spots where patients are calling and they're like, gosh, I just can't come in are even more important.   because there are times where we can't, we can do something about that. We can fill an open spot on the schedule. I can't do hygiene if I don't have a hygienist, a licensed hygienist there to take that spot. So those different spaces really took a toll. the cost on the practice, right? The cost of the cancellations is the dollar per hour, but then on a grander scale, it's like, what did we miss out that month and that quarter? And how did it impact our overhead? Because this example, all three examples,   the doctors were like, why is my overhead so high? Where's my profitability? Why is this sucking? Especially when you feel like we're rolling along pretty well. It's like, where's the profitability? Where is it missing? That's the big toll. And then also I think, Dana, the stress, like, gosh, being a team member and then like inefficiencies that it creates, the stress of having to save a patient or   Dana (11:22) Mm-hmm. Yeah.   Tiffanie (11:40) having to talk somebody into coming last minutes, the stress of knowing that there's a cancellation there and Doc's gonna, know, Doc and manager or owner or whomever is gonna come ask me questions. Like Dana, you've been in that position too. And even maybe even from a hygienist standpoint, the stress of having openings, like that's a cost as well. What was that for you and your perception as a provider and a team member, but then also as a consultant, what are you seeing there as far as the cost on a practice with those cancellations from an emotional standpoint?   Dana (12:09) Yeah, I I think is I do this definitely something that weighs heavily on you because I mean, I'm very goal oriented. And so if you put a goal in front of me, I'm going to want to tackle it. And so it is a little bit defeating in that way. And then it's like, okay, well, I would have to book patients out, right. And sometimes even further than when they were due, right, just to have my schedule fall apart. And it's like, man, like I could have seen those people that I had to look out a little bit farther. So it is a stressful on a patient care level is stressful on a   goals level it's stressful on like hey I'm here and like I want to do things that are of value to the practice so yeah it plays a burden on everyone and so it's just something that's so important to look at and to set a game plan for and to tackle as a team.   Tiffanie (12:58) Yeah, I totally agree. totally agree. Now areas that we'll tackle some areas where you can tell there's an issue, like not only you see like, my gosh, I feel like there's a lot of cancellations happening, but really just being able to see what that what that entails. So I think one space is open schedule, obviously, right? Open schedule. I think frustrated team members, Dana, do you agree? Yeah.   Dana (13:23) Yeah, yeah,   because it's so much more work on the back end to save something that's fallen off or to fill something than it is to just be really good at reappointing from the beginning and being really good at creating value from the beginning. Those things are much easier than this stress and the crunch time of after the fact.   Tiffanie (13:45) Yeah, totally agree. So upset team members, like stressed out front office team members, upset doctors, empty schedule, seeing repeat offenders. So patients that are repeatedly coming off of the schedule seem to cancellations. And you guys, I want to tackle a little bit too on why.   why this happens. There's a few things and I mean, you guys are going to tell me and your team is going to tell me patients are sick and patients can't come in because of work. Like I totally hear you. I get that. I understand. But what it boils down to the root cause in my opinion is a lack of a lack of systems or a lack of systems follow through. So lack of consistency. So ⁓ handoffs and patient buy-in might not be there. Team buy-in might not be there. Scheduling rules. So how do we form   and build the right schedule. If we're consistently behind on patients appointments, or they're taking longer than we said they would, they're not getting sat on time, like if we're showing that we don't value our schedule because our scheduling template isn't working for us and it's running us behind, I don't like we're telling the patients our schedules don't matter. I'm not sure why we expect a different result. On the other side, we expect our patients to, you know,   really, really take into consideration the schedule and to make that a top priority, but we're not even doing that. So hard truth, I think there. ⁓ If you're having these issues, if you're running behind, you're seeing high cancellations and you feel frantic, it's typically a reflection of the schedule that you're running. Right, Dana, do you agree? Am I just in mean?   Dana (15:23) 100 %   I hands down took the words that I say all the time and I'm like honestly it comes down to a lack of value and that's really hard for offices to hear but it is a lack of value on the appointment itself right we've not created enough value for the patient to feel like this is something I cannot miss and we also haven't valued it enough to ensure that we've done that.   Tiffanie (15:42) Yeah.   Dana (15:47) to ensure that we followed our systems that we've worked really hard to put into place. And so maybe we don't value those systems or we don't see their value. And so it truly comes down to just a lack of value on both ends.   Tiffanie (15:58) I absolutely agree. Yeah, yeah. And the patient's buy in comes from value, you guys, and it takes multiple times. So some of the systems I think, Dana, that we can we can pop through a couple of systems that really, I think, stand out and helping that. And I think one space to remember is that we want to attract and we want to keep the patients that we want. Not every practice is built for every   patient, every person. So some patients are not going to respond well, they're not going to care, they're always going to cancel or they're going to hop. You know, I used to work in a dental practice that it was a heavy retirement community and we had a lot of, them in Arizona snowbirds. And so we had a lot of winter visitors and they were just special hoppers. We would see somebody on, you know, one new patient special that we were running at the time and we'd never see them again or we'd see them three years later trying to use another special.   always going to happen. So work really hard and aim to create systems that work for the patients that you want to keep. Who's your patient avatar that you're trying to attract to your practice? What will they appreciate about your communication about your systems? And don't be afraid to lose some patience to make room for the patients that will appreciate the systems you're putting into place. So that's my caveat. And to create that value. really Dana, that word that you use   there is spot on because that's really what it's all about. We're creating value, which creates retention and we're, we're selling not only a product, a dental product, we're selling a filling, right, but we're also selling an emotional product of how are they feeling when they're in our practice and our systems boil down to create to   being there to create feelings, to evoke emotions in patients so that they do see the value in that product that you're selling. So handoffs, you guys might hear this constantly. If you've ever listened to any podcast, NDTR, if you ever want to hear Dana and I talk about it, there's probably about 50. So go type in NDTR, Next Visit Date, Time, Recare. It's literally the perfect handoff situation. It's something we've used for years. It was something that and I trialed many years ago.   And it's worked so well in so many practices to turn around case acceptance, to turn around scheduling, and to really just turn around communication between front and back office that we continue to harp on it. So go type in NDTR on our website, TheDentalATeam.com. When you go to podcasts, you can search NDTR.   ⁓ And I think treatment planning in general. So making sure those handoffs are right, treatment planning. And I think Dana too, like I stress to practices to treat re-care appointments very similarly. Like it's so easy to get into that routine of like, okay, let's just, let's schedule your next six months real quick. We'll pop it on the schedule. You can let me know as it gets in or, don't worry, they're scheduled. And it's like, we haven't built any value.   In my, we built the value of the appointment hygienist, like the value that you have built during that appointment 100%, but that patient has to remember to evoke that feeling in six months from now to keep that appointment on the schedule. So how are we building and creating that value for those appointments even thereafter? So Dana, like NDTR.   treatment planning, and then how do you suggest and how did you maybe even as a hygienist build that value for those re-care appointments when they're coming three, four, six months later?   Dana (19:25) Yeah, I see it all the time. And I do think NDTR builds in some value in that and I've been getting a lot of doctors question like, hey, why do I have to ask about their re care? Right? Well, that is that is your chance to build value as the doctor that not only do I need to see you for that treatment, but it's super important to me as the doctor to see you in six months or whatever your regimented cleaning time is. So there is that but then I would use this as a hygienist myself every single patient before I scheduled.   Tiffanie (19:47) Yep.   Dana (19:55) They were given a reason why I needed to see them back. Right? So even my regular six months, and I learned this from an amazing coach, right? So I'm not even going to take credit for it, but it's something that like I did routinely that I instill in all of my hygiene teams that I work with. And that is every patient has to leave with a reason to return. Even if that is, my gosh, Mr. Smith, seeing you every six months has kept you looking so good. We need to make sure we keep that up.   Tiffanie (20:01) ⁓ I that.   Thank   Dana (20:25) Let's get your next six month appointment scheduled. Even if Mr. Smith has zero issues, concerns, anything, right? Then my people with concerns, that's even more so. All right, so I need you to work on that flossing technique. We did have a fair amount of bleeding this time. My goal for you the next time you come in six months is you've been able to really target that in and we've got that bleeding reduced. I can't wait to see you in six months to check on it.   Tiffanie (20:27) Beautiful.   Dana (20:49) Right, so when giving them it's not just like let's get your routine appointment scheduled No, there is a reason why every single patient needs to be back in my chair at the recommended interval and   Sometimes too we would put little notes and it helped the front office, right? Hey, I know Dana really wanted to keep you on that six months She said you were looking so good last time. Is there any way we can make today work, right? So it was in my auto note I always put it in there and help the front office then they gave them the reason right? Hey, don't forget Dana wanted to check those bleeding points. How's that flossing going? Let's get you in today Let's make sure you're here so she can double check on that so it's something that I have used religiously and that I feel like truly does because   we do see that hygiene appointments, right? That's where a lot of the cancellations happen and that's because it's just the routine cleaning, right? Or the routine preventive. And so building that value in hygiene and you can do it with something so simple as just something you need to check on the next time that they're there.   Tiffanie (21:48) Yeah, my gosh, Dana, was stop the podcast. That was all they needed. It's brilliant. Thank you. I love that. So I think that in itself is huge because that that went into the confirmations that went into saving the appointments and the pre scheduling. So I think that was huge, Dana, that little nugget was more than we could have ever asked for. Thank you.   Thank you. So, systems, guys, NDTR, go look it up, treatment planning. I love this idea of making sure every patient, whether they're coming in on doctor's schedule, whether they're coming in on hygiene schedule, they have a reason to come back. And remember, I mean, gosh, it makes perfect sense because...   your patients are coming back on your your dental schedule and your doctor's schedule because they have a reason because they have decay, broken tooth, missing tooth, whatever the case may be. So find that reason for their re care as well. And I love that you pointed out even the healthy patients you were like, let's keep this up. Let's keep that going. I can say I had my eye exam the other day and he was fantastic. And he was like, gosh, yeah, it hasn't changed a lot from last like he was just bringing up so much information from the last time and like can't wait to see it again next time. I was like, wow, this guy actually in a very short amount of time, I think I spent   five minutes with the man, ⁓ massive amounts of trust build and value. I truly will not go to another eye doctor as long as I can go to him. So just building that value, doesn't have to take a long time.   It just has to be massive amounts of value. So make sure you're under TR treatment planning, make sure there's a reason for them coming back. They're always scheduled to come back. Confirmations are in place and make sure that you're tracking your cancellation rates, you guys, and really seeing what the impact on the business is and sharing that with your team so that everyone's super aware. This awareness is meant to bring light to trends.   It is not meant to be a you guys suck, this is where we're at. It's a hey, this result sucks. Why is this happening? Let's look at our systems. I tell my teams all the time and I think Dana, you do too. I don't want you doing something that's not working. That is such a waste of time and I...   would gouge my own eyes out, I could not. There's no way I could live life like that. I did not expect other people to as well. So when we track these metrics, when we're looking at these trends, my goal is to ensure that we're only doing things that are getting the right results. And when we're not getting the results we want, we change the system because it's clearly not working. And when a team knows that that's   what we're looking for. I'm not looking at you that you suck unless you literally refuse to use the system. I'm not looking at you. I'm looking at the system. The system and the results are what we're tackling. We're not tackling people. We're never tackling each other. So   Dana (24:24) Thank   Tiffanie (24:34) Go into it that way. Track those cancellations. Look at the real cost to the business and then look at the systems that you have in place. Are you adding enough value to those appointments through your handoffs, through your treatment planning, through your discussions on why they need to come back and then through your confirmations. Are your confirmations working? we lax it easy asking and are we keeping a good schedule? Huge, huge. You will get back.   what you give. So make sure that what you're giving is freaking excellent. And Dana, thank you so much. That was a wonderful podcast. That was so many amazing nuggets. You guys go back, listen again, take notes. I'm telling you, Dana's brain, I always get something new out of it. Years and years later, consulting side by side, you still just always drop something on me that I'm like, dang, all my practices need to hear that. So Dana, thank you for being here with me today.   Dana (25:29) Yeah, thanks for having me as always.   Tiffanie (25:31) Of course, you know, I'll steal you anytime I can get you. So awesome, everyone. Go listen, take notes, go do the things, start tracking your cancellations, look at those systems and really start seeing the cost and the value that you're perceiving. Okay. Any questions?   Reach out to us, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com, if you need checkers, if you need more information on any of the things that we talked about, if you're interested in learning how to have someone like Dana give you amazing tips like that all the time, just off the cuff, please reach out. We are here for you guys. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. You can reach us.   on our website www.TheDentalATeam.com. We make it really, really easy for you guys. So reach out to us and drop us a five star review. We want to hear how amazing you thought Dana's nuggets were today. Thank you all. We'll catch you next time.  

Tiff and Dana walk through different dental departments and share ideas many practices have used to keep things green, including reconsidering which items actually need to be disposable, reducing paper, reusing plastic, and more. Episode resources: Sign up for Dental A-Team's Virtual Summit 2025! Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:02) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. I'm so excited to be here with you again. You know that I am just always so happy to bring Dana on the set with us and be here with you. We love sharing our tips. We love sharing our tricks. We love sharing our, I don't know, workout gear with you and all of the pieces and just sharing our lives with you. So we are both so excited to be here today. Dana, thank you for always being on board, for hopping on, for jumping in on any conversation. I know I spin you.   and throw you in some directions that you're not always expecting. So thank you for keeping up with me and knowing how to roll with the punches. How are you on this fine, fine afternoon?   Dana (00:42) Doing good. I'm excited to be here. You know you're right. You keep me on my toes. I never really know what you're going to throw at me, but I leave with a smile on my face and having loved it. So I'm excited to be here too.   The Dental A Team (00:48) That's true.   Perfect.   And now clients and non-clients and listeners here, you guys know that this is truly unscripted from our brains. We come up with topics, but we do riff here and we really pick each other's brains and really come up with solutions for things just the same as we do on your coaching calls. So when you guys bring stuff like this to us clients, this is how we roll. And for anyone who is wondering,   We do have conversations like this outside of the podcast world as well, as consultants are constantly talking to one another about things that we're seeing in practices, things we're experiencing when I need something, maybe I don't have an answer for it. Cause you guys, I know this is going to sound crazy and wild, but we do not know everything. I know it's a shocker. It's a shocker, but combined between all of us, we've got it pretty well handled. So if there's something I don't know,   or have questions on, I definitely, definitely throw it to my ladies and get those answers for you guys. So rest assured everyone, we're constantly collaborating just like we tell you to collaborate and we're constantly growing and learning ourselves. So Dana, thanks for being one of those beautiful ladies behind the scenes for me on so many occasions and I'm excited for today's topic. I...   I just barely prepped you with it, but it sounds like you've recently had a conversation like this with a practice and I'm excited for it. So think it's really something that has been coming around the dental scene for probably the past 10 or more even years, but really strong recently. listeners, we're going to talk today on some eco-friendly dental practice methods. And that doesn't just mean dentistry, but really a lot of the products and just what are we doing?   new out there right now to really go green and a lot of the practices and Dana with your conversation that you've just had with your practice recently I know you've got a lot of hot tips and tricks and there are other practices out there we both talked to as well but what do you have for us today on on that like what eco-friendly things did you guys chat about on that call?   Dana (03:04) Yeah, and I think that it is just coming up with ways any ways that we can reuse, reduce and recycle things right When it comes to eco friendly offices And the biggest thing in dentistry is our disposables, right? So what are the things that we have that are disposables? Can we find a recyclable option? Or that we can reduce the number of disposable items that we're using or eliminate them altogether if it is, you know,   The Dental A Team (03:10) Yeah.   Dana (03:31) I'm all about sanitation, infection control, all of those things. But I think COVID put us in a little bit of like a redundancy mode in some of those areas. And so I feel like in the last 4 years, our disposables have gone up a ton. And our infection control, while those standards are great, I think even above and beyond what is really needed. And so I think it's just finding ways to navigate those things. And we tend to like put plastic over everything and just use   things that aren't super eco-friendly to keep like sanitization standards. And so we don't want to give up on those things, but there are a lot of new products and new technologies and things that we can use that aren't necessarily disposable like we're so used to them being.   The Dental A Team (04:19) Yeah.   Yeah,   I love all of that. I totally agree with you and I hope everyone got the 90s child reference, the late 80s 90s child reference there, reduced, recycle. If everyone could see the commercial and hear the song, I would be even happier right now. I think it needs to come back. I agree. I do love the fact that you mentioned the disposable pieces and like the plastics on everything. And it's funny because I've   Dana (04:32) Did you love it?   The Dental A Team (04:50) I've done it myself and I've watched people put the plastics on and then take the plastics off and then like we're scrubbing everything still and so it's like gosh that's that redundancy space that is it necessary and is it always necessary for every appointment too?   know, because my implant placement appointment or extraction or perio surgery or SRP even is going to be a little messier, we'll say. It's going to look a little different than my limited exam with a PA where I'm not actually infiltrating any tooth structure whatsoever and everything's very clean. So are we taking that into consideration too, which I think leads into exactly where you said like, are we taking inventory of the disposables that we're using? Because do we need to   to   do we need to have disposable air water syringes? Number one, is that completely necessary? And do we need it on both air waters for the limited exam because they're both gonna be removed likely and tossed out after that appointment, especially if you've got.   sterile tech or another dental assistant or anybody coming into the room because they don't know what you touched and so they're going to dispose of anything that's disposable. So I think just taking into consideration too what the next appointment is.   what's actually necessary and only putting out the things that are necessary. for doctors listening, this definitely is an overhead situation. It's going to help supply cost immensely. But for everyone who's listening, this is a reduce, reuse, recycle situation of we've got to save the dang planet, you guys. We've got to do what we can to really make sure that we're not filling those landfills with unnecessary debris and that we're really doing the best that we can for the people that are.   the people that are here.   I think I still see Dana when I go in offices, I still see, you know, those dental assistants running around there. And I was this person, they just grabbed, you know, we've got a filling coming up and I just grab a stack of two by two by two. So just grab a stack or the hygienist, right? Just grab a stack instead of like, how many do I actually need? And my doctor, realistically, we only need two. If I'm cleaning off your instrument, you're passing it, you know, you, you pack the composite in there and I need to clean the instrument off before you pack more composite.   it's not going to take this whole stack. I'm never using all of those. And if I do need more, then I can get more. It's available. And same with hygiene, right? When you're going through and scaling, like you don't need a massive stack in most cases. You probably need two to four, I would assume, to really keep your instruments clean. So even just as simple as that. Now, Dana, I...   On the same subject, right, eco-friendly, what are you seeing practices do within the front office with paper? I know paper's always been a big thing. And then COVID happened. And like, I think we got paper crazy again, which was the exact opposite of what I thought would happen, but we got paper crazy again. And what are you seeing offices do now to try to combat that and switch things back around?   Dana (07:58) Yeah, and I think it is. just going back to making sure that they're doing medical histories, like sending those to patients ahead of time and doing them electronically, doing their consents electronically when patients walk in, you know, using the iPads for new patient information, for treatment planning and presenting. So there's a lot of ways and not only, think that a lot of this is there's kind of like another benefit to it, right? We can switch everything to electronic, which is also going to save us a fair amount of time.   I was just in a practice recently and they were like, Hey, we're clocking a lot of overtime. And I'm like, front office, like, what are we doing with our overtime? And I'm not kidding you. They looked at me and said, well, we spend about two hours at the end of the day shredding. And I was just like, wait, what? So not only right, are we being eco-friendly by eliminating paperwork, we're truly eliminating work from our team two hours every day spent on shredding.   The Dental A Team (08:38) Yeah, I knew you were going to say that. I had an office last week that said the same thing.   Dana (08:54) then we're paying a shredding company to come and take our shreddables too. So it's like you said, it helps with supply costs and it helps with costs and it truly also buys us back time while also serving the environment and being really, you know, as eco-friendly in those instances as possible.   The Dental A Team (08:57) Yeah.   Totally, totally agree. I literally had an office just, I think it was two weeks ago now, Trish and I went to an office and they had a massive shred pile and I was like, what are we shredding? Like, what do we have to shred if we're getting insurance verifications, like download it on the PC and then upload it into the document center, like all these different spaces. So being efficient and being innovative is gonna be huge. How can we reduce the amount of paper that we're using, the amount of ink that we're using, because those ink cartridges, they gotta be thrown.   away somewhere and they have to be picked up like it's this whole process just for ink cartridges. One space I know I work with a lot of teams on is route slips because yes yes yes yes to route slips. I want route slips but it doesn't mean it has to be individually printed every time. I have plenty of practices that do that and prefer it. I'm totally fine with it. I don't care what you guys decide to do but I have a lot of practices actually that pre-print   they'll print what they want a route slip to look like and then laminate it and they fill that out per patient. And so the night before or...   day of whatever, they fill these route slips out just the same as they would have printed them and then they're setting them on the counter. Most of the time it's like patient name, type of appointment and any balance that they might have. And then the back office is then filling out that NDTR space, the next visit date, time, re-care. And so there's really not a whole lot of extra that you need on your route slip. They should be pretty simple. If you've got, I have a lot of practices that have a lot of checklists and check systems on their route slips.   and I'm totally fine if you want them there. Again, I don't have a huge preference, but they're not necessary. I do think if you need an appointment check system, then maybe make a separate sheet that's laminated per appointment that the dental assistant or hygienist can keep and check off for that appointment, especially if you're gonna do the laminated version so the front office doesn't feel like they're filling a ton out as well.   route slips, I agree, any kind of forms or documents that you can automate and make them put them online, make sure all of your stuff is on your website, make sure that the forms are being texted and emailed to your patients prior like this is 2025. remember, gosh, I remember way back in like, how to be like 2009 2010. My doctor that I worked for was like one of the first doctors to he was always he's very innovative. So he's one of the doctors that's always got   the next best tech thing. And I remember way back in 2009, 2010, he came to me and he was like, we're doing a kiosk, Dent, a Dentrix has a kiosk, and everyone's going to check in on this little computer on this little desk in the corner. And it's going to automatically put the paperwork into our system. And it's going to be amazing. And I was like, no, it's not. And it was so clunky, and it was so hard, and so difficult. So   to my men and women of 2025 in the dental industry. If you didn't get to experience the pains of getting to where we are today, and you think today's paperwork is difficult, I have stories to tell you. It was ugly. It was so hard. Everyone hated it. It never transferred. It never uploaded correctly. Patients hated it. It was embarrassing. Oh my gosh, the day and age we live in today of automation just blows my mind. So every time   Dana (12:23) Thanks   The Dental A Team (12:37) I walk into a practice and they're like, it's too hard. I'm like, let me tell you and we get it done. So just go get it done guys. Dana, do you remember that? Were you one of those offices?   Dana (12:47) yeah. Yep. Yeah. And you know, I I'm all about like being on top of tech and being but sometimes I'm like, let's let it work its kinks out. Let's let it work its kinks out before we're like, maybe man number one on it.   The Dental A Team (12:53) Yes.   Yes.   Literally, think yeah,   I think that the the rep just got to him and we were like one of the first I swear and I was like, oh for the love doctor and I'm like 20, you know 20 maybe 23 I guess back 23 24 back then but I'm just like baby I felt like like I don't know how to do this. Like are you kidding me? barely I I   was using dial-up in high school, okay? This kiosk, less than 10 years later, is blowing my mind. I can't, I can't with this kiosk, but today it's much different. So there's everyone, in case anyone wanted to know my age or how much of a...   Grandma, I am when it comes to tech, there's your answers. Dial up and kiosks and it was a pain and today I finally feel confident today with Canva and I've been working on that for I feel like two years. So here we are, here we are. But and then.   Dana (13:54) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (13:57) On the space of eco-friendly, I think those are really, really fantastic ways. I've also heard, I don't have all the stats and the answers on it, but I do know that there's been a lot of research by a lot of doctors on different like vacuum systems for the suctions and different, I know there's a dry and a wet and one or the other, right? They both have their pros and their cons, but making sure those two, if you do find yourself in a situation where you need to replace your system, I know I've got a doctor that's working on that right now.   actually making sure you do your due diligence and research on that because there is a way per the stats at least to save a ton of water with the dry system and so I know even down to those pieces or a lot of the new data you might even know a lot of the more stats or whatever but a lot of the new   compressors and things are more energy efficient and lasting longer. It's kind of like the Energizer Bunny, like the batteries just keep getting better. So I know a lot of those spaces as well, and the hand pieces, electric, you know, motorized and all those different spaces. So there's a ton there. And Dana, what about for, I think hygiene department wise for you, what about the   Like the giveaway bags, all of those pieces, like what are you seeing practices do there?   Dana (15:17) Yeah, I've had a lot of offices either nix the bags all together and just kind of like bundle them or switch to like a paper bag versus a plastic bag. Also to there are a ton of eco friendly home care products coming out and I'm not advocating for them. I think do your research, make sure they meet your standards for your patient. But there's, know, bamboo toothbrushes, there are now recyclable toothpaste containers and you can be a recycling center for them. There are also toothpaste tablets that like you just refill you can just get a sachet.   The Dental A Team (15:25) Yeah.   That's cool.   Dana (15:46) fancy words, Hachet, of the little tablets and you put them in your plastic container. So you just reuse that plastic container over and over again. So there's all kinds of eco-friendly home care products too that you can consider switching to. Just reduce waste, you know, from a patient perspective too. So I think all of those things are worth taking a look at.   The Dental A Team (15:46) I do like that.   Dana (16:08) Again, making sure as long as they meet the standards of your office and what you want your patient to utilize them for, if you can opt for an eco-friendly version and it's something that you're wanting to incorporate more of, I say go for it.   The Dental A Team (16:20) Yeah, I love the toothpaste that you mentioned. know I've seen one of the hygienists that's been in my life. does a lot of, she just does a lot of this stuff and she does a lot of posting about it. And she posts the powder that comes in the little jar, right? Like, gosh, that's brilliant because you like the sachet, right? You're refilling that jar. And so it's a glass jar that you're refilling with the powder and you're just getting your toothbrush wet, dipping it in the powder and then brushing your teeth. And you just think about how many   Dana (16:33) Mm-hmm.   The Dental A Team (16:50) tubes of toothpaste run through your household, just your one household, how many tubes of toothpaste are thrown away on average, right? Probably somewhere between two to six a year, I can imagine, right? At least two to six a year for every household. If you can   teach your patients and educate your patients about products like that, that do work, do your research, right? I don't know which product was, I did not do the research on it, right? I did not buy it, I will do more research, but like do your research like Dana said and advocate for something you believe in, but make sure you're educating your patients too. So maybe you've got those things on hand at the dental practice, maybe those companies have disposable ones that you can give out.   Dana (17:18) you   The Dental A Team (17:38) And I've had a lot of practices too that have done away with like the bags and really they each time just ask the patient like, hey, do you use the disposable toothbrush? A lot of our patients, you guys, we've sold them electric toothbrushes. So a lot of our patients aren't using disposable toothbrushes. And I can tell you, most of the time those disposable toothbrushes are used for the guest bathroom for when somebody comes and forgot their toothbrush, right? That's what I did with them. That's what I do with them. That's where they are.   Dana (17:50) That's for sure.   The Dental A Team (18:06) So making sure we're asking those questions and only giving those things out as necessary because eventually they do go into the landfills and all those spaces. So take a look, look at what you can do, how you can make things a little better. Like can we install, I know in the house I'm like use the fans guys, like don't turn the AC on yet. I know it's.   96 degrees today. I hear you. I'm in Phoenix. I get it. But I'm like, none of the fans in the household are on and we're cranking the AC. Come on, like how can we be how can we be more economic and eco friendly in every aspect. So I think there's a lot of space in it for the dental in the dental practice. And then there's a lot of space for us to really educate our patients on how they can carry that through into their own homes. Yeah, Dana.   What do you think, I'm gonna do this to you again, what do you think are some good actionable items, especially because you just chatted with your own practice that you consult, what do you think are some good action items, some easy things that they can consider either watching or switching out or whatever that they can take away from today's chat?   Dana (19:10) Yeah, I think first thing is just review your disposables, right? Is it necessary to use all of the things that you use? And is there there, you know, one that you can sterilize or you can reuse alternative? Make sure we're looking at just paper waste, right? How much have we shifted or can we shift electronically? It'll just help with efficiency too. So this is a win win on both sides. So take a look at paper use in the practice and then do some research on some eco-friendly products and see if your office is a good fit for them.   The Dental A Team (19:39) I love it. I love it.   Thank you, Dana. Thank you for taking this adventure with me today. I was so happy to hear that you had just had this conversation with a practice recently, so that makes it very simple. So thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you, everyone here for listening. As always, we appreciate, value you. We are here for all of the things and we're here to support you. So drop us a five-star review. Always let us know if there's any topic you wish that we would talk about. Dana and I will get right on it. I promise you that. We need the ideas, you guys. So thank you. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com   Hello@TheDentalATeam.com and we'll catch you next time.  

In this episode, Dayna Johnson discusses the critical aspects of perio charting in dental hygiene, emphasizing its importance for diagnosing periodontal disease. She shares practical tips for enhancing efficiency, including the use of keyboard shortcuts and custom scripts in Dentrix software. The episode also covers how to document exam information effectively and the benefits of copying this information into clinical notes for better patient care and insurance documentation. ➡Perio charting is essential for diagnosing periodontal disease. ➡Hygienists must prioritize time for perio charting. ➡Custom scripts can enhance efficiency in perio charting. ➡Keyboard shortcuts streamline the perio charting process. ➡The bleeding all button simplifies documentation of bleeding. ➡Exam information can be crucial for insurance claims. ➡Documenting clinical observations is important for patient records. ➡Stage and grade of periodontal disease should be included in charts. ➡Copying exam information to clinical notes saves time. ➡Continuous learning about software features is vital for hygienists. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Perio Charting 10:09 Utilizing Keyboard Shortcuts 16:28 Copying Exam Information to Clinical Notes Please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues. Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

In this episode, Dayna Johnson discusses the various note-taking functionalities within Dentrix, emphasizing the importance of efficient note management for dental practices. She explores different modules such as the appointment book, family file, patient ledger, and patient chart, detailing how to effectively utilize each note type to enhance communication and patient care. The episode serves as a mini training session, providing practical tips and a downloadable tip sheet for listeners. Takeaways ➡Understanding where to make notes is crucial for efficiency. ➡Different types of notes serve different purposes in Dentrix. ➡The appointment book has specific note features for daily reminders. ➡Family file notes can enhance patient relationships and loyalty. ➡Guarantor notes are important for family account management. ➡Clinical notes must document what happened during the visit. ➡Procedure notes help clarify treatment plans for patients. ➡The office journal is a centralized place for patient communication. ➡Pop-ups can alert staff to important patient information. ➡Daily billing statements are essential for financial tracking. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Note-Taking in Dentrix 02:53 Exploring the Appointment Book Notes 06:12 Understanding Family File Notes 08:59 Navigating Patient Ledger Notes 11:48 Diving into Patient Chart Notes 18:04 General Notes and Alerts in Dentrix 23:50 Conclusion and Resources Please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues. Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

In this episode, Dayna Johnson shares insights from her experiences in the dental industry, focusing on the latest updates in Dentrix software, particularly enhancements in perio charting. She discusses the new 'bleeding all' button, the importance of understanding periodontal disease stages and grades, and the features of the perio panel that can improve workflow efficiency for dental hygienists. Dayna emphasizes the significance of effective clinical documentation and encourages sharing knowledge within the dental community. Takeaways ➡Dayna highlights the importance of sharing knowledge in the dental community. ➡The new 'bleeding all' button in Dentrix enhances workflow efficiency. ➡Understanding the stages and grades of periodontal disease is crucial for accurate documentation. ➡The perio panel in Dentrix offers various features for comprehensive patient assessments. ➡Custom scripts can be created for perio charting to suit individual workflows. ➡Visual aids in the perio chart can significantly enhance patient understanding. ➡Clinical documentation can be streamlined by copying exam information to clinical notes. ➡Dentrix's perio panel is well-designed for clinical documentation needs. ➡Sharing tips and insights can help improve dental practices. ➡Dayna expresses her willingness to assist dental professionals with their documentation needs. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Dental Insights 00:58 Enhancements in Dentrix: The Bleeding All Button 06:10 Understanding Periodontal Disease Stages and Grades 09:18 Exploring the Perio Panel Features 12:07 Customizing Perio Charting Workflows Please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues. Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

Tiff and Kristy talk about how doctors can get to that point where their practice can function with and without them, including taking a good and hard look at your numbers, dialing in your BAM, encouraging delegation and accountability, and more. Episode resources: Sign up for Dental A-Team's Virtual Summit 2025! Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.676) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. my gosh, I'm so excited for today. I know you guys diligently listen constantly that you're here, that you're here for us, and we just love you and we value you and we appreciate you. We recently had some virtual events and it's just been really cool to see the masses show up in such incredible support for who we are, what we do for this community, and just all of the outpour of love. So we want to say thank you guys for   being listeners for always showing up for us. We hope we do the same for you, that we always show up for you. And I'm just so excited for today. I have with me today the one and only Miss Kristy. She is a consultant here on our team. If you have not gotten to meet her yet, you are doing yourself a disservice. I'm excited for you to hear from her today. We've got a really great conversation we're about to have. And honestly, guys, Kristy is just this incredible wealth of knowledge. She has been such an asset to our team.   such an asset to the consultant team alone and her clients that she works one-on-one with are just already raving about her. So we are so excited. Kristy, welcome to the platform. I know this is our first podcast and you came in, you know, late to the podcasting game, I'm going to call it, where it's video too. So it's like not to be, you know, overwhelming or put you on a pedestal or anything here, right? But I'm just super excited to have you here. And I know that the   Doctors who are listening today are just going to get so much valuable information. So, Kristy, thank you for being here today. Thank you for carving out the time in your schedule for this. And gosh, how are you? You're in Idaho right now, but soon, guys, she will be with me in Arizona, don't you fret. It is down the pipeline for her, but you're in Idaho right now, so what's the weather like? You know, it's drastically different from here. What's the weather like? How are you, Kristy? How are you on this fine recording Friday morning?   Kristy (01:38.274) Yeah.   Kristy (01:52.95) Love it. I'm happy to be here with you. Nervous for the first podcast, but we're going to do it because it's all about serving the doctors. actually, I'm excited to get to Arizona. It's snowing this morning. So yeah, I'm ready. I'm ready for some warm weather.   The Dental A Team (02:11.754) Good. I'm excited for you to be here too. Phoenix has no snow. I don't know that Flagstaff even has real snow right now. I have no idea. But Phoenix has no snow and it's a brisk, like, I don't know, probably 60 degrees. It was 38 this morning though. Anyways, I'm excited you're here, Kristy. Thank you. And doctors, team members who are listening, leaders, office managers, today is going to be super fun. I've probed some tips and probed Kristy's brain today.   on a subject matter that I think she's actually really smart on. I think we all work really hard with our doctors to help you guys work yourselves out of the business. Like that's the ultimate goal. Whether you work out of the business or not, whether you're like, gosh, no, I actually really love this stuff, Tiff. I want to do the admin stuff. I don't care. But I want you to have that opportunity to be able to say yes or no, I want to do those things. So building and creating a business that can work without you is our ultimate goal. Like a profitable...   survivable business that works for you, that you can take a step back and say, gosh, you know what? I want to go to Aruba for a month and I think my team's going to be fine and my business can survive. I want you to be able to make those decisions. So today, that's what we're going to be talking about you guys. How do we create a sustainable business that can survive with and without you? Not or with and without you so that you get to make that decision. And Kristy, I know we   have a ton of clients that we work with this every single day. And I think both of us, both you and I kind of have that mindset of like, cool, these are the places that we're going, but forever more, like I want you to always be thinking.   Forevermore, I want you to always be thinking, how do I work myself out of the business? Like, how do I make sure that I'm ready to go and I can take that vacation or whatever? So I know, Kristy, that's something that we work on a lot. And I have some ideas, and I know you do too, and I want to pick your brain some today. So first and foremost, I think one of the spaces I want to start with is really the overhead and the profitability. That's a huge focus of DEML-A team for   The Dental A Team (04:15.605) all of the consulting that we do. I know we do a ton of team training and I know that's what a lot of people come to us for is for that team training for the systems. But you guys, the reality is if we're not focusing on your overhead, your profitability and the metrics of your business, there's no telling if that training is even beneficial for you guys. I could train somebody to do something, but is it actually making a result in your practice? And are you able to pull that back into that profitability space? So as your...   Working yourself out of the business, air quotes were there for those of you who are listening, not watching. As you're working yourself out of the business here, I want you to really sincerely be focused on the numbers and the metrics of your practice. What is your overhead out? Where is your true profitability? And Kristy, I think we can both agree, true profitability is like such a vague statement in dentistry because...   Everybody says your overhead should be like 50%, right? 50 % or less, and your profitability should be at least 20%. Well, guess what, guys? Nobody talks about the loans, paying yourself, the taxes. Like, all of those extra pieces aren't always talked about. So, Kristy, know this is something, forecasting is something that you're really fantastic at and you work really hard with your clients at.   Within that world of trying to make sure that we're prepped to exit the practice at some point, how do you implement with your teams and your practices that overhead profitability piece so that your doctors know what to look for so they can say, hey, I think I'm ready for that step?   Kristy (05:45.718) Yeah, absolutely. Honestly, I think it's obviously projecting out, looking at what is it gonna take? What do I need to make this happen? And then reverse engineering it from there. Really dialing in to what will it take every single month for me to be away from the practice? What is that number that I need? And then working it backward to find that goal.   The Dental A Team (06:07.103) Thank   The Dental A Team (06:15.978) Yeah, I actually love that you said that. That's a beautiful, beautiful way to look at it because you guys, if you know what your BAM is, right, your bare ace minimum is how we say that at the Dental A Team, your bare ace minimum, how do we get to what that overhead needs to be? So if you know at X amount of dollars, your overhead, your true overhead, so that true overhead, right, is anything above the line. So anything that if someone were to purchase your practice today, they'd take those over. That does not include your owner pay.   Okay, your loans and your taxes, those are after bottom line, right? So your bottom line, if you say, okay, if I make Epsilon dollars, that's gonna get me to 50 % overhead, how much of that production or collections, right? Production turns into collections. How much of that money is coming from the treatment that I'm providing for my practice right now? So if you're the owner slash doctor and you're still clinical chair side, you need to take a look.   then at how much of that overhead piece is within your control as a provider. Because if you're looking to work yourself out of the business, you want to just be the overseer, you want to go on vacation for a month, you have to replace that production slash collections somehow. So then if you know what that bare ace minimum is to get to that profitability that you want and keep your business thriving, now you can look at what Chrissy is saying, like projecting and looking at every single month.   How do we replace that income? How do we replace that production and collections to ensure that the business is still moving forward? Now, in order to get that number, which is step one, I believe, in working yourself out of the business is knowing your freaking numbers, is really to look at where are you now? What's your overhead now? What is it after you pay yourself, et cetera? What's your true profitability? And where do you actually want it to be? So if you have an overhead of, I don't know, 60%.   Right? It's not horrible. Honestly, 55 to 65 % for people who aren't always like looking at it, don't know their numbers is pretty common. 55 to 65%. So maybe you're at 60%. Maybe you're at 80%. Okay, great. Well, I got to 80 % by collecting X amount of dollars. So if I want to lower that percentage, right, there's things to play with, right? Within your metrics, there are things to play with. Maybe you've got areas that we can slim down. But also if I were to increase my collections,   The Dental A Team (08:38.078) with that decrease my overhead. So that's what Kristy's saying there, like really looking at what is our various minimum and then how do you now create that into someone else's schedule so that you're not the main provider. I love that Kristy. I think within that same conversation is really bringing in the leadership aspects of the practice and so you know your numbers, you're learning your business, you're you pedal to the metal, you're freaking figuring it out and who's supporting you.   Do you have an office manager who's trained to support you in those pieces? Are you still doing all of the admin work that an office manager truly could do? And do you have a leadership team set up within your practice who can create those spaces for you? And Kristy, you work a lot on leadership development, just like as a person for yourself and then as a person for your doctors. And then within that office manager and leadership positions too, how do you see an office's   You know, square one, no leadership, just a doctor thinks they might have somebody for an office manager compared to, I don't know, six months a year down the road, that doctor made the decision. They've got the rockin' office manager and they're making the leadership team. How do you feel that helps in the doctor's personal life? Like, how does that relieve stress for the doctor? You know, how does that relieve pressure from the doctor? What does that lifestyle change like once they implement and truly just go for it on a leadership standpoint?   Kristy (10:04.48) Absolutely, truly it's that trust, right? It's a transfer of trust and having a peace of mind that the people that are in the leadership are living up to the same vision and mission of the practice and...   really developing the team below them and elevating them to a level, if you will, to help them grow and sustain that mission for the doctor. But really, when you delegate that and you see them rising to that occasion, it gives you that personal satisfaction too, if you will.   The Dental A Team (10:47.076) Yeah, yeah, totally. I agree. And that trust aspect that you're talking about, think it's just like trusting anyone in your life to do anything. you when you're a parent and you trust a friend or a family member to pick your kids up from school, like, how much stress does that relief from you not having to be the one that does it or you got a carpool situation like   Any of those spaces are going to correlate back to it. And I totally agree with that because I think when you can dig in, you can get that office manager fully trained. can get a leadership team that's rising up to the occasion and able to take some of that load off of your plate. You now have space and energy to do other things. And in my opinion, when you're a practice owner, your job is to create something really, really freaking cool.   You're creating a space that people can come and love to work. So you're creating an avenue and a lifestyle for people. I don't know if you realize that. Your team, your employees, you're creating a life for them by creating an incredible life for yourself. So when you open up those spaces and you delegate those things off and you trust your team to take them on with accountability, there's always accountability coming back. That's how trust is earned and how trust is maintained.   When you delegate those things off and that accountability is there, the pieces are there and you trust them to do it, it opens up the space to have time to ensure that what you're creating still lines up with your vision. It still lines up with what your mission is as a dental practitioner and having a dental practice within your community. So then having a leadership team and within that same vein, like having core values, mission, vision, those are clear for you. They're clear for your team.   especially your leadership team, those pieces give us a heading of where we need to go. And those pieces now for your leadership team are developing autonomy within the leadership team, autonomy within decisions. I want you guys to think about, want you to take like 30 seconds, doctors, and I want you to just think of all of the ridiculous questions that you have been asked in the last three business days within your office, that you're just like,   The Dental A Team (13:02.245) Why is this coming to me? I had a doctor out in California that I worked with for a little while and he is so amazing and he is just like this knowledge factory. Like he just soaks it all up and he's constantly learning and learning and learning. And so he's got, you know, that's own aspect of stress of his own that he's consuming constantly and creating constantly. And then we'd get on a call and he's like, my gosh, they asked me, why isn't Dentrix pulling up? He's like, I   I'm doing a root canal. I know. hey, what are we getting for lunch for the meeting today? He's like, I don't know. I'm doing an exam. Like, the amount of questions that come to you guys when you're chair side or when you're doing the thing that only you can do, remember, only you can fill this tooth. Only you can do this root canal. When those questions come to you, your brain has to stop what it's doing.   restart on whatever the question was, catch up, maybe even answer it, or at least get frustrated, stop, restart, come back again. And not only does it take more time, but you lose that value of who you are, how you're showing up for the patient and for your team in those moments. So those are the spaces I want you guys to think about. What are the things that are coming to you that's like, why am I doing this? Or I don't want to answer this question, or I'm in the middle of something.   Is that something that if trained correctly and given the right boundaries for autonomy, someone else could do for you? Because I think that's likely something that Kristy's talking about here, that you delegate off and you build that trust with that other person, with that accountability coming back. And Kristy, know you actually, you've got a ton of amazing doctors under your belt actually.   I have to brag on Dental A Team. I don't know what we do. I don't know what we do, right? But we attract the most incredible people into our company to work for us and with us, and into our client base to work with us. So we really, really have some incredible people. And you guys listening, I think we attracted you as well, and that means you're freaking incredible too. So kudos to all of you guys. I don't know what we do right, but we are so happy with the people we get to work with. And Kristy, you've got a handful of   The Dental A Team (15:25.628) two handfuls more maybe, of incredible doctors that you're working with and leaders. And what are some ways that you've helped them? Because you do have some doctors who are really kind of fresh into this idea of delegating things off and building a lifestyle within their business where they could say, I want to take vacation. How do you help them to really figure those things out that they can delegate off and then to trust the process and stick with it?   Kristy (15:52.066) Yeah, well first and foremost, I always like them to create a list. Like sit down and really think about all of those things you're doing and divide them out. Like is it something you enjoy doing? Is it something only you can do? Is it something that maybe you don't like to do? You know what I mean? And really create those lists and start.   The Dental A Team (16:15.227) Yeah.   Kristy (16:19.338) organizing them in that way so that you can start getting clear on the things that you want to delegate out. But then the other flip side of that TIF I would say is getting them to see that they're actually stifling the growth of the team and leadership beneath them.   when they are holding it so close to the vest. And, you know, when, maybe you can remember the saying, but we only rise as high as, do you remember the saying?   The Dental A Team (16:49.232) Yeah, yeah, yeah, as we're allowed to, as we're given the space for. Yeah.   Kristy (16:52.834) Yeah, yeah. you know, flipping it that way and getting them to see that, you know, by you hanging on to this so tightly, you're not allowing your team to grow and develop and support you in the way that they truly want to.   The Dental A Team (17:07.036) Yeah.   Yeah, I think that one hits home for a lot of people. That was a really great way to take that because I know, especially the doctors we work with, they are in the business of growing themselves and growing the people around them. I just had a conversation this morning with a doctor and his office manager wife who were like, gosh, dang it, how do I get them to want to learn more? And I'm like, well, they have to want it first, but then you have to allow the space. I think that's like nail on the head because   you're not allowing that space, you're not giving the opportunity, they're only going to arise to the limits that you set for them, that you allow for them. That's the boundary, right? Like that's the standard. You've set the standard to here and until you move that bar, giving them more opportunity, they're going to keep hitting that standard. And I actually, it's come up a lot this week because I had a conversation yesterday with the regional manager that was like,   How do I get this? How do I do this? And I'm like, gosh dang it. You have to pave the path, right? And it's hard. can be a lot of work and it takes a lot of consistency and it takes a lot of desire on your part to truly want the results. So what is the results you're looking for? Do you want autonomous leaders? Do you want this stuff off of your plate? Do you want a business that works for you that you can say, I'm gonna take a vacation? Because if you do,   You're going to pave that path and you're going to do the hard work now to reap the rewards and the benefits later. Because if you do that hard work now and you say, I'm going to raise the standards, I'm going to delegate things off, I'm going to give them the opportunity for growth, I'm going watch them blossom and I'm going to hold the accountability line so that I can continue to trust that it's being done. It takes consistency. My practice I spoke to this morning, I was like, don't give up.   The Dental A Team (18:58.643) Just because you said this is what you want doesn't mean they're going to turn around and do it. It's just, it's likely not going to happen that way because human nature just doesn't work that way. I wish it did. I truly wish it did, but it doesn't. I forget things, right? Kira will ask me to do something. And if Kira doesn't stay on top of me or we don't create like a system of accountability to report back that it's been done or to report back weekly on certain stats, it doesn't get done because I'll forget. I will get inundated with so many other things.   and will forget. And she loves me. She thinks I'm an incredible leader, but it frustrates the heck out of her. So we've figured out how to make sure that those report back systems are there. So I love that because that growth space is huge for both of you guys. And like I said, the doctors that we attract, I know this is what you want for them. Even if you're like, I don't care, Kristy, don't care, Tiff, I don't need to work myself out of the business I just started. Cool.   Guess what? You're still going to work yourself out of the business, but you actually love growing other people. I know that that's a space in you. I know it's spark that lights up in you because I know that's the type of humans that we attract in the Dental A Team. So if that's true and if that's what you want, help grow those people. And that will progress this so much faster than you could ever imagine. And I think all of those pieces, right, put together overhead and profitability first.   Teach your office manager how to shoot for overhead profitability and the numbers that you need. Figure out what that looks like to work yourself out of the business. Build an autonomous as you can leadership team. Continue working with them and you guys make sure that there are plenty of meetings for accountability set up. Accountability and forward progress. Constantly looking at the pieces we should have done. So accountability and looking at what's to come. The forward progress. And you guys make sure everyone knows.   Core values, vision, mission. You have to know them. You have to be solid on them. Your leadership team has to be solid on them. They have to live and breathe them and the rest of the team will follow. That's why they're the leadership team. The rest of the team will follow them. I think this is huge and I'm so excited. Kristy, out of all of those pieces, overhead, office manager and leadership team, the meetings, core value, vision, mission, out of all of those pieces, I'm just like,   The Dental A Team (21:25.043) wondering what is your favorite space to work with doctors on?   Kristy (21:29.883) really... Ooh! Favorite space.   Honestly, think, well, there's two, getting them to dial into what they really want. You know, what is that number metric? Because so many people get afraid of the metric, you know, and the metrics only a North Star was here say North Star to guide us. so being very clear on that, but then also really develop developing their leadership, you know, especially when doctors are open to it, you know, most   The Dental A Team (21:48.576) Mm-hmm.   The Dental A Team (21:52.989) Yeah, yeah.   Kristy (22:05.134) of them are thriving in wanting or desire, I guess it would be a better word, desire to grow their people. And you you even mentioned something earlier, even if they're not looking to get out of the practice right now, starting this early and developing the team early, my gosh, that just creates more success within that timeline, you know, so.   The Dental A Team (22:05.62) Mm-hmm.   Kristy (22:30.498) The leadership part is really fun to watch unfold, you know?   The Dental A Team (22:34.696) Yeah, I agree. I agree. And I think I wanted to ask because I thought I knew I was like, I think I know. But I also feel like within that space, because I you and I are both similar in that we love growing people. We love growing the leadership we love when not we love nothing more than when we can help something on the business side that they're like, Whoa, actually, you just blew my mind. And that's my whole life. And we're like, yes, yes, your your whole life. So I know we're both   Kristy (22:58.507) Thank   The Dental A Team (23:02.534) like running down that road. But what I've noticed, and I think you probably have too, and the coaching that you've done for so many years as well, is like, that's a space that all of these other pieces fall into. Because you can't grow just that, in my opinion, without growing the other pieces. And you can't grow, you can grow, you can grow numbers, overhead profitability, and not grow leadership, but you're stuck. You're like, you're stuck in this space. You can't grow out of that stuck.   without that leadership development within yourself and within your team. So I think that's why we love it so much because it creates so much opportunity for everything else to fall into place when we can dive in and figure out our why, what are we even here for and how we're going to get there. So thank you for letting me pick your brain on that, Kristy. I loved it. Gosh, this was a really fun conversation, you guys. I, Kristy, thank you so much for riffing with me, letting me.   Pull out the big questions and just for being here with me. I truly appreciate and value your time so much. And you guys listening, gosh dang it, action items, here they come. I need you to evaluate where you're at. Like, what are your numbers? What's your BAM? What's your bare-ace minimum? Where do you want to go in comparison and create that roadmap? And if you guys need help with that, you know to reach out. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com I don't know how many times I have to say it, we're here for you. So.   Create that number. What is that number? What does it look like? What does it need to look like? And when are you working yourself out of the business? Create that whole roadmap, you guys. Leadership. Develop yourself. You cannot develop leaders if you are not developing yourself. You can do them simultaneously, but you can't make other people become something you're not willing to become. So develop your leadership skills, develop your leadership team, create autonomy within that. Lots of meetings for accountability.   Mission, vision, core values, you guys, those are huge in my books. That's your heading and probably goes right back to that step one action item that I just gave you. So go to the things you guys, it might feel cumbersome right now. It might feel like, dang it, Kristy, you're giving me a whole lot of things to do this weekend. But guess what? You're going to do this now and it's going to take this X amount of time, maybe three hours, and it's going to save you time in the long run, because if you wait,   The Dental A Team (25:28.684) you're gonna get to the end and you're gonna be like, I need out of this and you're not ready. But if you do it now, you can get to the end and be ready. It's gonna be so much more work if you're to a point where you need out and you're not ready than doing the hard work now and being ready when you get there. Kristy, thank you for your time. Thank you for traveling down this fun podcasting world with me. I truly appreciate you and I value your input. So thank you for being here.   Kristy (25:56.504) Thank you for having me. And I would also say, Tiff, we're gonna come to that point, right? We're gonna travel down the line that you talked about, and we can either do it by default or we can do it with intention. So hopefully, it'll take your advice and we'll be intentional about it. So, fun   The Dental A Team (25:58.876) Of course.   The Dental A Team (26:10.739) The Dental A Team (26:15.871) I love it. Thank you. You guys, I hope you picked up on the fact that Kristy has some freaking nuggets that she drops, and I am so excited for you guys to partake in these nuggets. Kristy, I will surely have you back on for so many more podcasts, and the world needs to hear them. I get them constantly, and I'm just like, dang, that was good. And so I'm excited for everybody else to hear them. Thank you for that. It was truly invaluable. You guys, go do the hard things. And while you're at it...   Leave us a five star review because we love to hear from you here on this podcast and also on Google. We need them everywhere. We love them. We want to know that we're doing right by you. So tell us that you enjoyed it. Tell us if there's something different that you'd like to hear. You know we want all the feedback. So leave us a five star review. You guys, if you haven't done it yet, you can sign up for a strategy call with our team. Current clients, you get those all the time. If you need a strategy call, tell your consultant, non-current clients, if you want a free call.   to just dive in and figure out where you are and where you need to start. Sign up for a strategy call. They're free, they're fun, and it really gives you a great direction, whether you're going to become a client with us or not, get that strategy call in there. Have so much fun. Thank you for joining. Thank you for being a podcast listener, and we will catch you guys next time.

In this podcast, Dayna Johnson discusses the transition to out-of-network dental practices, focusing on how to provide accurate treatment plan estimates, optimize insurance setups in Dentrix, and manage patient expectations. She emphasizes the importance of checking eligibility, utilizing the payment table, and ensuring that practices offer value to retain patients. Additionally, she introduces resources for further learning about dental insurance management. Takeaways ➡2025 marks the transition to out-of-network for many practices. ➡Providing accurate treatment estimates is crucial for patient trust. ➡Checking insurance eligibility can significantly reduce claim denials. ➡Patients expect more value when practices go out-of-network. ➡The payment table is essential for accurate insurance estimates. ➡Overestimating patient costs can prevent billing issues later. ➡Having a credit card on file can streamline payment processes. ➡Utilizing Dentrix effectively can enhance practice management. ➡Continuous learning about dental insurance is vital for success. ➡Building strong patient relationships is key to retention. Chapters 00:00 Navigating Out-of-Network Transitions 03:03 Enhancing Treatment Plan Estimates 06:07 Optimizing Insurance Setup in Dentrix 08:57 Utilizing the Payment Table Effectively 12:01 Managing Patient Expectations and Payments 14:58 Resources for Further Learning Please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues. Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

In this conversation, Dayna Johnson discusses the transition of dental offices from in-network to out-of-network insurance plans, focusing on the necessary adjustments in Dentrix software. She outlines the steps to dismantle existing fee schedules, update treatment plans, and ensure accurate insurance estimates. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the software's capabilities and preparing for the changes that come with going out of network. Takeaways ➡2025 marks a significant change for many dental offices. ➡Transitioning to out-of-network requires careful planning. ➡Dismantling fee schedules is essential when going out of network. ➡Updating treatment plan fees is a critical step. ➡Dentrix can help in estimating treatment costs accurately. ➡There are methods to copy fee schedules for efficiency. ➡Clearing the allowed amount column is necessary for accurate estimates. ➡Understanding insurance tables is crucial for accurate billing. ➡Preparation is key to a smooth transition to out-of-network. ➡Future discussions will delve deeper into Dentrix's estimating capabilities. Chapters 00:00 Transitioning to Out-of-Network Insurance Plans 14:54 Understanding Dentrix Insurance Setup 15:24 Updating Treatment Plans and Fee Structures Please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues. Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

Summary In this episode, Dayna Johnson discusses the importance of daily accounting tasks in a dental practice, focusing on accurate patient ledgers and provider allocations. She emphasizes the need for a clean workflow and offers insights into implementing daily allocations to maintain accurate records. The conversation also includes tips for cleaning up ledgers and trusting the process of using accounting software effectively. Takeaways ➡Feedback is essential for improving workflow. ➡Accurate patient ledgers are crucial for financial health. ➡Provider allocations help maintain accurate accounts receivable. ➡Daily routines should include checking provider credit balances. ➡Adjustments for allocations should balance out. ➡Trust the software to handle complex calculations. ➡Cleaning up ledgers can be a significant project. ➡Use specific adjustment types for allocations only. ➡Billing statements should be clear for patients. ➡Continuous learning is key to mastering accounting tasks. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Daily Accounting Tasks 10:25 Implementing Daily Allocations Please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues. Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

On today's episode, Mark sits down with Laura and Michael, co-founders of Wunderist Agency, to explore how they've disrupted dental marketing by focusing on authenticity, execution, and real results. Laura shares her journey from big-brand marketing to helping dentists build meaningful, differentiated brands that attract their ideal patients. Meanwhile, Michael dives into how operational consistency and technology play a critical role in converting leads into real production. They also reveal Wunderist's game-changing integration with practice management systems like Dentrix and Open Dental, which allows dentists to track their marketing ROI down to actual treatment completed. This groundbreaking solution bridges the gap between advertising spend and patient results, empowering practices to make data-driven decisions and optimize campaigns. Whether you're a startup or in a saturated market, the insights here will help you stand out, connect with patients, and maximize every marketing dollar. EPISODE RESOURCES www.wonderistagency.com https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

In this conversation, Dayna Johnson emphasizes the critical importance of daily accounting routines in dental practices, focusing on the day sheet as a key tool for ensuring financial accuracy. She shares insights from her experiences in various offices, highlighting common pitfalls and the necessity of proper training and accountability within the team. The discussion also sets the stage for future topics on claims and billing accuracy, reinforcing the interconnectedness of these financial processes. Takeaways ➡Daily accounting routines are essential for financial accuracy. ➡The day sheet helps identify mistakes in patient billing. ➡Proper training for staff is crucial to avoid errors. ➡Clinical notes must match the billing records to prevent issues. ➡Delegating tasks can help manage workload effectively. ➡Balancing the day sheet is a critical business function. ➡Accurate financial data supports better claims processing. ➡Regular audits of financial data can prevent discrepancies. ➡Implementing protocols can streamline office operations. ➡Support is available for practices needing help with financial management. Please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues. Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

In this episode, Dayna Johnson discusses the essential daily accounting tasks that dental practices should implement to ensure accuracy and efficiency. She emphasizes the importance of balancing the day sheet, sending insurance claims promptly, managing provider allocations, and sending billing statements daily. By following these practices, dental teams can improve their financial accuracy and reduce stress in their operations. Takeaways ➡Daily accounting tasks are crucial for accurate data. ➡Balancing the day sheet helps prevent missed procedures. ➡Claims must be sent out within 24 hours. ➡Provider allocations are important for accurate ledgers. ➡Daily billing statements streamline the billing process. ➡Using software like Dentrix can simplify accounting tasks. ➡Sending statements daily reduces workload and phone calls. ➡Accurate data leads to better reports and decision-making. ➡Team collaboration is key in managing daily tasks. ➡Investing in education can enhance practice efficiency. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Dental Patient Journey Series 07:08 Sending Insurance Claims Please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues. Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

How do effective dental billing practices shape the trust between patients and doctors? In this episode, Michael sits down with Dr. Ryan Hungate, a visionary orthodontist, to discuss the pivotal role transparency plays in the billing process within dental practices. Dr. Hungate challenges the opaque systems currently in use, drawing parallels to other industries where costs are known upfront, and highlights the absurdity of keeping patients in the dark. He passionately discusses how advancements in technology, like the innovative Eligibility Pro tool integrated within the Dentrix management system, streamline insurance verifications. By automating these processes, dental offices not only alleviate the administrative burden but also provide patients with clear and accurate cost estimates right away, fostering trust and enhancing the patient experience.Throughout the conversation, Dr. Hungate emphasizes the broader implications of transparent billing on treatment acceptance rates. By approaching financial discussions with clarity and empathy, and offering flexible financing options, practices can significantly improve patient outcomes. He underscores the importance of regular process reviews to ensure that dental practices are exceeding patient expectations. The takeaway is clear: adopting automated solutions isn't just a technological upgrade; it's an ethical commitment to providing transparent, affordable care.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The impact of transparent billing on patient trust and satisfaction.Technological advancements in dental practice management.How automated tools can streamline insurance verification.Methods for enhancing patient experience and treatment acceptance.The importance of regular assessments in optimizing dental operations.Strategies for presenting financing options to patients.Join us as we explore how transparency is crucial for building lasting patient relationships!‍‍Sponsors:‍‍Gusto: Dentist payroll for the modern practice. Gusto's cloud-based software provides all the payroll and HR tools you need to run your dental practice efficiently. Having it all on one platform keeps our prices low, and makes your job so much easier. Enjoy best-in-class support, benefits like health coverage for your team, and more. Visit or copy and paste the link here for a special offer! https://gusto.com/tdm‍Guest: Dr. Ryan HungateBusiness Name: Henry Schein OneCheck out Ryan's Media:Website: henryscheinone.comWebsite: dentrix.comEligibility Essentials and Pro: learn.dentrixascend.com/dentrix-ascend-eligibility-proInstagram: instagram.com/rjhungateLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryanjhungate‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Businesses/Services:TendDentologieCareCreditOpenTable‍Software:Dentrix AscendOpen Dental Eaglesoft‍People:Henry FordSteve JobsTaylor Swift‍Movies:Glengarry Glen Ross‍Insurance:MetLife‍Brands:Lexus‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍

Tiff and Dana discuss the importance of coding accuracy in dental practices. That includes universal codes everyone can understand, how to stay up-to-date on resources, the best way to know team members are getting paid for all their work, different codes across specialties, and more. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01.11) Hello Dental A Team listeners, we are back at you today. I have the one and only Miss Dana here with me to podcast. I love pulling Dana in. I love pulling all the consultants in, but I truly love pulling in Dana. think I shouted you out this morning. do. Wednesday core value shout out in our.   I know that we've done some podcasts on that. So if you're not already doing a core value shout out every day or every week, please by all means go listen to those podcasts because it's freaking incredible and Dana you truly are the epitome of ease within our company and for your clients and I just think you need to publicly shout it from the rooftops be Just recognized for that aspect of your personality. You truly do make life easier I know a lot of your clients feel the same way you are   so good at finding the easiest path for the systems implementation for whatever it is that needs to be done for us as a company. So Dana, welcome today. I'm so excited to have you here with me. Thank you for joining me on this beautiful Wednesday. I don't know what day this is gonna air, but it's a Wednesday today. And it's absolutely gorgeous here in Arizona. How are you, Dana?   Dana (01:08.193) doing good, Tim, doing good. love days like today.   The Dental A Team (01:11.629) I do too, I do too. It's starting to get fallish in Arizona, which means 85 degrees instead of the 105 that we had last week, least up in Phoenix. I know you get a little bit more fall down where you're at, but I'll take the 85 over the 105 for sure. Today, Dina, I wanted to pick your brain.   I've got some information today I wanna share with the doctors. It's also for billing departments, for treatment coordinators, for whomever wants to listen to this. But I really wanted us to shout out our doctors for really, really just knowing everything about their businesses. I know that you guys are all here listening. I know you're watching, whatever it might be, to really learn more about the business side and about what the team is doing to help support your practice. So I wanna shout you out for that. And I just think it's a really incredible tool.   and resource to have to truly know what it is that's going on, the inner workings behind the scenes of your practice, aside from just the dentistry that you're performing. So shout out to you guys for being here, for listening. Team members, if your doctor's not listening yet, please share it with them. Dana, today I really wanted to pick your brain and go over some coding information. I know it sounds super boring, you guys, but stick with us. We've got some great tips and tricks and some tools, especially for you doctors who are out there to really   focus in and pay attention to the things that are being input into the system and sent off to insurance companies, or if you're fee for service, you still need to be insanely accurate within your system and making sure that we're using the right tools. So doctors, again, this one's for you as well. Billing representatives, treatment coordinators, front office representatives, office managers, whoever you might be, whoever might be touching a ledger or an account or a code in general dental assistance, hi, Genes, you guys.   This is all gonna be really great information for all of you. Coding with Accuracy happens to be a book, by the way, you can purchase that. But honestly, coding with accuracy is incredibly important and valuable to your system, not only for the billing portion to ensure that we're accurately sending things off to insurance companies, accurately getting paid, but realistically to show super accurately what you've actually done with your patients to your patients. That way, if anything were to ever come about and anyone needed to look into it or   The Dental A Team (03:28.327) your patients had questions and they asked for the account, it makes sense to the next person who's looking at it. And you can say, yes, I did that, that was me. I did that filling, I did that crown, I did that crown seat, I did those pieces. I know a lot of practices, and Dana, I think you've probably seen this too, a lot of practices will overuse, in my opinion, an office visit or a palliative treatment, to certain codes like that and unspecified, because they're just not sure.   what to use. And so they throw one of those, especially office visits, and I'm like, what is this office visit? How many, this patient's been in for 20 office visits. They're like, most of those are crown seats or like if a filling needed to be adjusted or like, and I'm like, wow, so we don't have any documentation right here that we ever sat any of these crowns.   That's an issue. looking at those pieces and making sure that we're super accurate with what we're calling things is something I really, really want to talk about today, Dana. Have you noticed that as well? I know you see a lot of clients, you do a lot of virtual clients, but you see a lot of ledgers, you get a lot of things sent to you, and you have been traveling a ton this year in office to practices as well. So what are you seeing when you're out there when it comes to coding and just kind of like randomness that you're seeing thrown around?   Dana (04:40.983) Yeah, I agree with you on just like the miscellaneous codes. I delivery. What did we deliver? Because we need to know exactly what we delivered today. And then a lot of just like 999 things and sometimes a 999 code you absolutely   The Dental A Team (04:47.133) Yeah.   Dana (04:55.967) can utilize it, should be utilizing it, but oftentimes too, it's like, no, there's actually a code for that. Like we don't have to send a 999 with documentation and notes, there's a code specific for that. So making sure that offices really are up to date, also to like when things change because they do change occasionally. And so just having somebody who knows those things in and out has resources to spot check and that we are billing what we're doing and coding exactly what we're doing.   The Dental A Team (05:25.511) Yeah, I totally agree. The 999 code, I love that one. It is thrown in there for everything and I am guilty of the 999 code because I'm like, don't know what he's even talking about. 999, that sucker. And I'll explain, I'll say exactly what he just said to me. I have no idea what he said, but I've got this. So I'm surely, surely guilty of that one. I do love the staying up to date and doctors, I really want you to know and understand within dentistry.   There's not, like we have a course for billing that will review billing for you and will go over the basics of billing, what it needs to look like, how to send a claim, how to input an EOB and a payment and all of those pieces. But there's really not a good school for billing where it's like, gosh, I'm gonna send them to a billing school and now they've got this accredited school has shown them this kind of like medical billing, right? You can go to medical billing school and now you're a medical biller.   to be a dental biller, you just needed someone ahead of you to show you how to do it. So within this world, it's just super important, like Dana said, that we stay on top of it as best we can. So making sure that we're getting ADA emails sent to us and that we're watching for any codes that change, because they will let us know. Whatever your state's dental association is, I know here it's the AZDA, the California Dental Association.   Whatever it is, make sure that you're signed up for those auto emails, because that's going to be the best resource. And then as those yearly conventions come around that we all love to go to, that we hate taking boring classes, look for any updates. I wouldn't say you've got to hit the billing courses yourself, or you have to send your billing rep to the billing courses. Sometimes they're a bust. Sometimes they're super insurance prone or driven. I don't love that. But if there's anything that's like coding updates or   New laws things like that. It's always a good idea. So I do want to preface it with that Just know always staying up to date just getting those resources sent to you is going to be super super important And now aside from that there are things like coding with confidence coding with accuracy All of those different books that you can get I believe coding with confidence you can order from Amazon or ADA I think both of them have it. I think it probably comes from the ADA when you do it from Amazon, whatever you choose   The Dental A Team (07:37.7) It's a fantastic book and having that resource, there's a companion book that goes with it as well. I always had that resource with me. It was literally in a drawer behind my desk and as soon as I had something pop up for an implant or gosh, when we were doing over dentures and there's just so many parts and pieces and little things that need to be accurately coded.   There's no way I'm gonna remember all of these things or intuitively know it. So I would pull those books out constantly and I would go through it with my doctor and I'd say, okay, does this describe, is this what you're saying? Is this describing it? Because even just for regular dentures, there's different codes that can be used. And if you use one that's a maxillary but you're doing a mandibular denture, you're not gonna get paid, right? And even if you put upper denture in the thing and you did a mandibular code, they're still not gonna pay it because it doesn't match.   So just making sure that those codes are super accurate. Now from a doctor's standpoint, why is this important? Super important because you need to be paid, right? So my owner doctors, you need to be sure that your practice is being paid, that you're being paid for what you're doing, your hygiene team's being paid for what they're doing, and that if, again, anything were ever to have been and come about, somebody looking at the ledger, looking at the account, looking at the chart, can accurately and confidently see exactly what you performed. So not only do you need to get paid,   you need to cover your tail. For my associate doctors and even my hygienist who might be listening, you really, really wanna watch your production and your collections, because typically, especially my associates, you guys are gonna be paid off of that in some form or fashion. So making sure that the coding is correct and that it accurately, actually reflects what you've done is key. Otherwise, you might get paid for a filling when you did an onlay.   Right, and the billing representative, has, or he has no idea, they were not chair side with you. So if it's not fixed chair side, or if you, gosh, Dina, how many times have you seen this one, where chair side, you know, we were scheduled for an MO, chair side, doctor's like, this went into the distal, we've gotta update that. So we update it, we tell the patient, we're like, got another service added, get the treatment plan going, lay them back, finish the filling, and then they go up front, and then they get paid on an MO.   The Dental A Team (09:51.99) because the MOD was never switched out and the appointment went before it was set complete. again, the billing representative, he's not chair side. They have no idea that that billing changed. The dental assistant needed to update and change it. So making sure that that's accurate in there. Now, Dina, I know you have a lot of practices and a lot of associates. You've got a lot of big practices that have a lot of associates. How do you make sure at the end of the day, at the end of the month, at the end of everything, that these guys are knowing exactly what their   being paid on? Like how do you make sure that they know with confidence that they're getting paid for everything that they did?   Dana (10:28.329) Yeah, I have them usually daily check their provider production and check their individual provider day sheet just to make sure that everything was accounted for. If there were changes, if something was walked out inaccurately, catching that from the very beginning is super important because honestly, like you pointed out, the difference in some of these codes is hundreds of dollars worth of production. And that can be even within implant parts, even with indentures, like a difference in that   that coding can majorly impact production. So making sure that everything is accounted for, everything that they did is on there and everything is walked out and ready to submit. So that whether it's insurance based or we've got to call a patient and say, hey, you know, we under collected that service did change, we had added. whether it is patient portion that we've got to update or insurance portion, just making sure that we're catching that. And I like to do it daily because   Claims are submitted daily. We're reaching out to patients and we don't want a patient to go till the end of the month before we're like, hey, by the way, you missed a thing, right? So I like my, especially my associates and hygiene to just look and make sure everything's accounted for each and every day.   The Dental A Team (11:34.98) Yeah. Yes.   The Dental A Team (11:47.01) Yeah, I agree. think that's perfect because pulling that sheet, especially like Dentrix and Eagle Soft and OpenDone, like all of these programs have a super easy sheet to print at the end of the day or even like print screen and then just look at it. So we're not using all the paper all the time. I've definitely had it where a doctor will come back like a week later and be like, we didn't actually do a buildup because we just, you you treat and plan a crown and we should plan a buildup just in case, or you have your doctors who treat and plan only a crown and then add a buildup.   if we needed a buildup and so vice versa. A week later, we're like, I didn't build up on that crown. I'm like, well, bro, she gone, she lost. There's no way, it's so uncomfortable to call a patient and be like, by the way, we forgot to charge you for that billing that's underneath the crown that's to build the tooth back up because of the K. And now I'm in this whole conversation of like, why didn't this just get done the first time? So I totally agree. I think that's brilliant. And doctors also, looking ahead at your schedule,   Dana (12:21.687) It was true.   The Dental A Team (12:43.172) Prepping your schedule in conjunction with that is gonna be huge. We get really comfortable. Our dental assistants are incredible. I was a dental assistant near and dear to my heart. It's my favorite position. If I were ever to like quit everything in life and go back to in-office dentistry, it would have to be as a dental assistant. I would not do anything else. It's my favorite space. But you guys, I messed up sometimes. Like it happens. I would get forgetful.   Like how many times did I forget to grab the bond? And I'm like, you can't do a filling without a bond. How did you forget that? And then expecting me to change it every single time in the chart or make sure that it was accurate ahead of time. Things flip through the cracks. So we've gotta have checks and balances. We can't just rely on one person to get it right every single time. So your dental assistants prepping the charts, prepping your schedule for the next day is huge, but I really wanna implore that you guys, you doctors,   You are looking at your schedules as well. You know what's coming up and you know that it's accurate. I had a dentist that worked in our practice. He's fantastic. He's gone to all of this oral surgery, like extracurricular. He's just, it's insane. I watch his videos on Instagram and I'm like, that's so gross. I always must do him. Like I remember the first time I did a bone flap with you and I was like, what? I can't do this, but he's so good. He did all of these like perio surgeries, oral surgeries. He did so many things in our practice and holy cow.   A GP girl over here, learning how to code for all of these extensive procedures that he was doing. He was doing, you know, he's doing the blood draws before it was even a thing. I am like, are we allowed to do that? Like I'm in my practice, like what the heck? This is crazy. And now I'm having to code things that to me are like outlandish.   and I'm sitting there Googling things. Like, this doesn't make sense. So I'm pulling out my little code book and like, gosh, it is in here. This is a dental thing. We can do this, but there's no way those added procedures would have been accurately coded if I didn't take those extra steps to ensure it. And if he didn't, bless his heart, come to me every day.   The Dental A Team (14:47.322) with a list of the things that needed to be added to tomorrow that wasn't accurate or things that we missed today. He would double check his treatment plans just because they were so extensive. And honestly, there were times, like he did GP work in our practice as well. So there were times too where he would catch a filling surface was missed or an onlay surface was missed. And I'm like, dang, not only are, you know, did we miss something on your giant surgery over here that I literally cannot assist with, cause I will pass out.   But we also miss like a surface on an online, like, goodness gracious, right? But he is my example because he was so diligent about making sure that the charting was accurate. Like, of course he wanted to get paid for the things he was doing, but he's like, I need to make sure that whatever it is that I'm doing, it's all here. It's all accounted for. And when he went to go do all of the accrediting with the oral surgery boards and implant boards and like, he's got all this crazy stuff behind him now. He needed all of those things. He called me from Texas years later.   And I was like, remember that patient that we did that thing? And I'm like, my gosh, yeah. So I'm like looking for this patient. He's like, I need all of their notes and I need all of their ledger and I need everything to submit to the implant board. And I was like, my gosh, thank goodness we went through and did all of those things. So you guys, it doesn't matter what you're doing. You don't have to be doing crazy dentistry or crazy oral surgery within your practice. Those minor things need to get caught as well. And Dana, earlier you mentioned like the 999 code.   And I know we have to go in or have the auto updates done and make sure that the codes are being updated. But I did notice there are more and more systems that even have as simple as broken appointment code already in there, Crown Seat Code, Denture Seat Code, all of these pieces. So when you're working with practices and you're seeing this, or they ask us, we'll get text messages from office managers that are like, this is what he said, what do I code that as?   I don't know, right? But what are you doing? How are you helping them to figure out, this is probably not a pallet over 999 or what an office visit, this is probably X, Y, or Z.   Dana (16:52.117) Yeah, I mean, I'll be honest, if a lot of times I am pulling like a coding with confidence, or I'm googling things and, I'm trying to piece it together or I'm asking, you know, okay, well, like, walk with what does that look like? Walk me through like, can you explain the process to me? So maybe I can find it in here or send me a picture of the part that maybe I can look it up. But it's really just doing due diligence and combing through the codes that are available. And then determining   The Dental A Team (16:58.797) Yeah.   The Dental A Team (17:10.987) Yes.   Dana (17:20.083) If there is a specific code for that procedure and if there's not, then yeah, you do a 999 code with lots of documentation, IOPs, all the things, so that once it gets to insurance, they can determine if it's something that they're covering.   The Dental A Team (17:35.266) I agree, yeah, I love that. I do love Google, I have Googled so many times. I've been in office trying to help them come up with cheat sheets, which is the next little topic here, but that I'm like, what is this? Or give me a picture of this so that I can put it on their cheat sheet. And doctors who are doing things like implants or dentures even, crowns, anything you're doing, having those cheat sheets is super helpful.   I have a lot of my practices throw those into their operations manual. So with the crown setup or whatever, it'll also have the steps and the codes that would be used. We have to update it when they update, but have all of those available there side by side with it. So it'll be like, crown seed, and it'll be the setup, and then it'll be all of the codes. The ones that get wild are our implants, right? Our All-On-X denture cases. Those ones get wildly insane.   dentures, right, start to finish because what happens is in the treatment planning mode, let's use denture, right, as a treatment planner, right, so I'm a dental assistant and the doctor says we need to do a full denture. Cool, maxillary denture. And then I'm like, treatment coordinator, here you go. And they're like, cool. And then they schedule a denture. There's like 16 steps sometimes to a denture.   Right, so having that and being able to break it down and break it apart shows that all the steps and processes were done and then having a cheat sheet that goes along with it helps not only your treatment coordinator and your scheduler, but it helps your biller and your dental assistant, even your hygienist. I've had so many hygienists come to me and say, what step are we on? And I'm like, well, I'm not sure, let's look. Like, let's look at our checklist and see where we're at. So even within that denture, having the denture treatment plan for pricing.   Dana (18:56.011) Yes.   The Dental A Team (19:24.294) Obviously, right, any extractions, any bone grafts that need to be done. If you're doing a temporary denture before the final is done, if you're doing, gosh, if you're doing a scan and a final delivery, like they're getting much faster. But before, remember, we had to have a wax rim, we had to have teeth and wax, we had to have the color shade, we had to have a try-in, then we had to have a realign. Like all of these pieces needed to be segregated out in there so that we treatment plan.   the one thing, but we have those steps readily available so that it can be scheduled correctly and in order. And then having those cheat sheets with those codes lined up is super helpful. I have a practice in Wisconsin that was just getting so confused on the implant process and an ortho process. And I was like, easy peasy, let's just like section this out. And now every single time they've got it laminated and they just pull it out. They're like, I've got my implant sheet. I've got my ortho sheet or whatever. So I always have them add that as well. So Dana.   Wrap it up for us. So we've got coding, checking, all the pieces. What could an office do, a doctor do to ensure maybe even adding it to their operations manual? What's the process they should make sure that is being followed and updated yearly within all of these pieces that we've talked about today?   Dana (20:42.627) Yeah, I think it's added to your yearly calendars that you make sure that you do know the updates you have the codes every year and just like we get Insurance fee schedules and we do all of our insurance updates just add that to that list one So add and make sure we've got do we have the resource for it? And do we know what they are? I think to any time that you are adding a new service just checking and double-checking that you know what the codes are So if you're bringing in a CBC team, make sure that those codes are in there and you've got fees attached to them   and all of those pieces. I love your cheat sheet idea as far as especially where there's a there's a lot of nitty-gritty things that need to get built out for specific things like ortho-like implants making sure that you've got cheat sheets and you make it really really easy and then make sure you've got a very clear communication system for when treatment changes so that it gets changed all the way okay and then I think daily having people look at them and just one   Final tip I guess in in with your cheat sheets oftentimes we call things things that like are not in the code, right? The description of the code is not that and then we're constantly like, what are they actually? What do they actually call right? A lot of your systems will allow you to add notes to like those procedure codes put in what you call it in the office so that it's easy to find it will still put the actual code definition on your piece going on your claims go out, but if you call something something specific   just update it in your system so it's easy for the team to buy.   The Dental A Team (22:12.623) That was brilliant. I know my dentist had like five different terms for a hater bar and I never, was like, I don't know what you're talking about. And the Ribon, he would call the, you know, the Perio procedure by the name of the material he needed. And I was like, so, and he only do this once every, I don't know, 10 years. Like this procedure is never done. He's like, we've got to do a Ribon. Where's the Ribon? I'm like, I don't even remember what this is.   I don't know what that says. So yes, I agree. I love that idea, the descriptions and making sure too then I would transfer. We do this in our Google Drive, you guys. Whatever you might call it, also probably put that on your cheat sheet, maybe in parentheses. Like this is what it is. These are the five different terms that any of our doctors may call it so that it is easy to find and easy to figure out. I think that's brilliant. Awesome, thank you for wrapping us, Dana. I think this was insanely beneficial for all of our doctors out there and our team members again.   Doctors, if you're here listening, congrats. I think that's so huge. It's really important for you to know and understand these things. Share it with your team, because they can use these pieces too, especially anyone who's doing your billing and your practice. And then team members who are out there whose doctors haven't heard this one yet, share it with them. Make sure that they understand what they're getting into as well, and that they're supporting you in your position as a team member to be super accurate, because you're depending on them.   to get things right so that you can do your job. So share it with them. Make sure you guys are all up to date and as always, reach out for any questions you might have. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. We are not code masters, but you guys, we are solution masters and we will find the answers or find the way and we can help you with just about anything you can think of. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. We can't wait to catch you next time.  

In this conversation, Dayna Johnson shares her recent experiences and insights from her journey in the dental field, particularly focusing on the Dentrix software and the importance of user meetings. She emphasizes the significance of understanding the patient journey, from pre-visit preparations to post-visit follow-ups, and how automation can enhance efficiency in dental practices. Dayna encourages dental teams to transform their scramble time into preparation time to improve workflow and patient experience, ultimately leading to better profitability and reduced claim denials. Takeaways: ➡️ The patient journey includes pre-visit, visit, and post-visit stages. ➡️ Automation is crucial for enhancing patient experience. ➡️ Preparation before the patient arrives is essential. ➡️ Scramble time can be transformed into preparation time. ➡️ Reducing claim denials can significantly improve practice profitability. ➡️ A pre-visit checklist can streamline patient intake. ➡️ Engaging with patients before their visit is vital. ➡️ Dayna encourages listeners to create their own checklists. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Exciting Updates 05:46 The Importance of Pre-Visit Preparation 11:49 Transforming Scramble Time into Preparation Time Please rate, review and share this episode with friends and colleagues Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

In this final episode of the five part series on cleaning up the Dentrix database, Dayna Johnson discusses the importance of maintaining accurate and up-to-date treatment plans. She emphasizes the roles of both the clinical and admin teams in this process, providing strategies for empowering the admin team to manage outdated treatment plans effectively. The conversation highlights the need for clear communication and collaboration between teams to ensure patient data is current and relevant, ultimately improving case acceptance and practice efficiency. Takeaways: ➡️Cleaning up treatment plans requires careful consideration and research. ➡️The clinical team plays a crucial role in maintaining treatment accuracy. ➡️Empowering the admin team can streamline the cleanup process. ➡️Outdated treatment plans can lead to lost revenue. ➡️Clear communication between clinical and admin teams is essential. ➡️Regularly updating treatment plan fees is important for practice profitability. ➡️Rejecting outdated treatment plans can prompt necessary re-treatment planning. ➡️Utilizing the treatment manager report helps track unscheduled treatments. ➡️Establishing rules for treatment plan age can aid in management. ➡️Continuous education and collaboration can enhance team performance. Chapters: 00:00 Cleaning Up Treatment Plans 08:38 Empowering the Admin Team 15:49 Final Thoughts and Next Steps Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call

Continuing our conversation with Laura Maly from Wonderist, we explore how technology and practice management systems like Dentrix, Eaglesoft, and Open Dental can seamlessly integrate with your marketing strategy. We dive into data-driven decision-making and how AI is being used to optimize marketing efforts, helping dental practices grow faster and more efficiently. If you're looking for advanced strategies to elevate your practice, you won't want to miss this episode.

In this episode, Dayna Johnson discusses the importance of cleaning up insurance records in Dentrix, a dental practice management software. She emphasizes the common challenges faced by dental teams regarding insurance management, including the frequent changes in patient insurance and the potential for duplicate entries. Dayna provides practical tips for effectively searching for insurance plans, maintaining consistency in naming conventions, and cleaning up duplicates to streamline the insurance database. She concludes by offering resources for further learning and support in mastering Dentrix. Takeaways: ➡️Insurance management is a significant pain point for dental practices. ➡️Always perform at least three searches before adding a new insurance plan. ➡️Using group plan names can help differentiate between similar plans. ➡️Consistency in naming insurance carriers is crucial for database management. ➡️Joining plans can help eliminate duplicates in the insurance database. ➡️Mark inactive plans with Z's to avoid confusion. ➡️Purging insurance plans can help clean up the database but may lose historical data. ➡️Maintaining a history of claims is important for reference. ➡️Resources are available for deeper learning about Dentrix. ➡️Support is available for practices looking to improve their efficiency. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Dentrix Fall Cleanup Series 01:27 Navigating Insurance Challenges 10:07 Cleaning Up Insurance Duplicates 16:20 Conclusion and Further Resources Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call Rate, Share, and Review this podcast ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this episode, Dayna Johnson discusses how to clean up duplicate medications, medical conditions, and allergies in the health history module of Dentrix. She explains that the only way to delete a medication or medical condition is if it is not attached to a patient, otherwise, it needs to be inactivated. Dayna also highlights the common causes of duplicate entries, such as syncing data from Dentrix questionnaires and not properly checking for existing entries. She emphasizes the importance of training the team to prevent these issues and suggests dedicating time to regularly clean up the lists. Takeaways: ➡️To clean up duplicate medications, medical conditions, and allergies in Dentrix, inactivate the entries that are attached to patients but remove them from the active list. ➡️The health history module in Dentrix does not allow for replacements, so if you want to change a medical condition, you need to manually remove the old one and add the new one. ➡️The most common cause of duplicate entries is syncing data from Dentrix questionnaires without proper training, resulting in misspelled or duplicate entries. ➡️To prevent duplicate entries, train your team on how to properly sync data from Dentrix questionnaires and encourage them to check for existing entries before adding new ones. ➡️Regularly dedicate time to clean up the health history module to ensure accurate and up-to-date data. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:57 Cleaning Up Duplicate Medications 03:45 Inactivating Medications and Patient Reported Medications 06:14 Cleaning Up Duplicate Medical Conditions 08:26 The Impact of Dentrix Questionnaires 10:51 Preventing Duplicate Entries 12:42 Conclusion and Next Steps Book a call with Dayna today: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call We would love a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review if you found this episode informative and relevant.

In this episode, Dayna Johnson continues her series on fall cleanup in dental practices. She discusses the importance of cleaning up definitions, specifically adjustment types, payment types, and billing types. She explains how to remove unnecessary adjustment types and payment types, and the impact it has on the patient ledger history. Dayna also emphasizes the need for clear and specific adjustment types to facilitate better financial analysis. She encourages listeners to clean up their lists and provides realistic expectations for the time and effort involved. Takeaways: ➡️Cleaning up definitions in dental practice software is an important part of fall cleanup. ➡️Unnecessary adjustment types and payment types should be removed to keep the list clean and manageable. ➡️Changing definitions will impact the patient ledger history, so it's important to be aware of the changes. ➡️Clear and specific adjustment types facilitate better financial analysis. ➡️Cleaning up billing types is also important for categorizing patients. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Fall Cleanup in Dental Practices 02:01 Cleaning Up Adjustment Types and Payment Types 03:28 Impact of Changing Definitions on Patient Ledger History 09:52 Cleaning Up Adjustment Types and Payment Types (Continued) 12:10 The Importance of Clear and Specific Adjustment Types 14:36 Cleaning Up Billing Types for Categorizing Patients 16:51 Conclusion and Call to Action Share this episode with your friends and colleagues. We

In this episode, Dayna Johnson discusses the importance of cleaning up and maintaining accurate data in Dentrix. She focuses on inactivating providers and team members and explains the process and implications of doing so. Dayna provides tips and recommendations for replacing providers and team members, and highlights the importance of the primary provider field in reports and searches. She also mentions the need to have all computers out of Dentrix when inactivating team members. Overall, this episode serves as a guide for dental teams on what this process entails. Takeaways: ➡️Maintaining accurate and up-to-date data in Dentrix is crucial for dental practices. ➡️Inactivating providers and team members helps clean up the database and improve efficiency. ➡️When inactivating providers, it is important to replace them with another provider to ensure future appointments and treatment plans are properly assigned. ➡️The primary provider field in Dentrix is significant for filtering reports and searches. ➡️Inactivating team members requires all computers to be out of Dentrix, and it is recommended to replace them with another team member. ➡️Inactivating providers and team members does not change anything in the history of the database. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Importance of Clean Data in Dentrix 02:24 Chapter 1: Fall Cleanup - Inactivating Providers and Team Members 03:23 Chapter 2: Important Considerations when Inactivating Providers 07:10 Chapter 3: Replacing Providers and Team Members 09:30 Chapter 4: The Significance of the Primary Provider Field 17:32 Chapter 5: Managing Accounts Receivable and Time Clock Book a call with Dayna: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call Rate, Review and Share our podcast ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Eric Vickery and Shyanne McCracken discuss optimizing Dentrix Practice Management Software for success. Tips include running precise reports, managing overdue lists, and involving the whole team for patient recall efficiency.Resources:All-Star Live Dental Training EventsDental CoachingDental Practice Growth Webinar 

Tiff and Dana drill down on how practices can avoid their hygiene schedules falling apart, including the benefit of ASAP lists and their opinions on re-care. Episode resources: Reach out to Tiff and Dana Tune Into DAT's Monthly Webinar Practice Momentum Group Consulting Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Become Dental A-Team Platinum! Review the podcast Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:06.99) Hey, Dental A Team podcast listeners, we are back at you again. We are so excited to be here. I have Miss Dana with me today. You guys know she's one of my favorites to podcast with. Dana, I have to say, I know a couple podcasts ago, you guys may remember, I asked her about some legging recommendations. She gave me some hiking, like legging recommendations. I wasn't able to find the specific pair that you talked about yet, but I did find a Lulu pair.   that I used in Yosemite last week. And honestly, I've used them for a couple of hikes here in the Valley as well in Phoenix. Amazing. I was so happy because they were specifically that material. It was a different kind of material than regular leggings. And I'm so happy. And I was thinking of you the whole time. And I was like, my gosh, she was right. And it had so many pockets for my phone and all the things. So thank you, Dana. And I know you've also been really, you've been working really, really hard.   in personal life in your world of fitness. And I think it's really cool. And I wanted to acknowledge that today. And I wanted to let the world know that Dana is a freaking rock star. She was so strong. saw, I don't even remember the rec the other day that I saw you, you posted something and I was like, holy cow, like the things that this woman is capable of doing are incredible. So kudos to you, Dana. I love it. What is your, I always like to ask you a question. What's the most fun   thing in CrossFit that you're doing right now. Like what's something that you're working to overcome, accomplish, you're killing it on, something that you're really having fun with right   Dana (01:40.331) Yeah, I mean, I feel like I'm always working on something, right? And I think this year I turned 40. It was a big birthday. And my goal was to be the strongest that I've ever been. So I've been focusing a lot on strength, but I always am practicing skill work. And I finally got my rope climbs down. So I can actually do those like consecutively. So that's exciting. And I've been working on my handstand pushups to the point where I can do five in a row. So I'll take that.   The Dental A Team (02:02.895) So cool.   Nice.   The Dental A Team (02:09.935) Okay. Well, I mean, I struggle with five regular pushups, not on my head. So that's impressive to me. I know that in CrossFit there's people that are doing a lot of amazing, wild things, but to me that is amazing and wild. So congratulations. That's huge. Awesome. I love it. I love it. Well, you work really hard in and out of the quote unquote office. So thank you for always being here and thank you for always being willing   Dana (02:24.629) Thanks.   The Dental A Team (02:39.722) record these podcasts with me for our listeners. I know they're super beneficial. Today's content is actually really fun for me because by trade in case you guys did not know, Dana is a licensed and trained professional hygienist. That is what she did. I mean, she's done it all. She's done all the positions really most of them I should say not dentist, none of us has been a dentist, whatever, it's fine. But she was a hygienist, you guys for a long time and she still is a hygienist.   I think it's really cool. think it's always fun for me to have these conversations with you to gain your perspective from your side as well. Today I wanted to talk about really keeping the hygiene schedule full. So I know from my perspective from dental assistant and then from my perspective as a front office, which you also have that perspective, it's kind of like a free for all a lot of the times. And it's really just not always first or high priority.   But from the hygiene standpoint, Dana, what is that like? Let's just go through, what does it feel like when you look at a schedule and you're like, great, this is a killer day, it's gonna be awesome. You get through your first patient and then you look back at your schedule and it's totally falling apart. Or you look ahead and you're like, gosh, I only have scheduled, I'm only scheduled out a week and a half. Like, what is that like as a hygienist looking at your schedule and seeing   Dana (03:55.689) Yeah, I mean, it can be stressful because really for me, I mean, you probably know this about me, Tiff, but I'm pretty goal oriented. And so obviously, I know when I don't have patients on my schedule, that affects my ability to get to goal. then to like, I am there, the reason why I'm there and what I love is that patient care and being able to take care of my patients and do the things that they need when they're in my chair. And so if my schedule isn't full or isn't ideal, I don't get to do that as much as I ideally would love. And so it can be stressful, it   The Dental A Team (04:01.997) Yeah.   Dana (04:25.633) be frustrating, right? Because so many times, like hygiene is just like your routine care, right? And so it's, it doesn't, it is stressful as far as like, did I not build enough importance for that visit? Or where did maybe, you know, my communication with that patient make it so that they didn't value their time with me? And so I think that it can be frustrating and stressful for every hygienist.   The Dental A Team (04:49.836) Yeah, I think that makes sense. And I think that's important what you just said, because you just took it from a spin that I didn't even expect. And I think most probably team members for an office workers and assistants don't expect that either because it feels, or we allow it to feel, we take it very personally when a hygienist is like what happens to our schedule. But you have taken it personally when a patient falls off of your schedule. So you're already in a space   unrest of like upset of gosh, what could I have done differently? Or how could I have been better? And then we come out I'm gonna say we for the front office, we come out at oftentimes of like, hey, I did the best that I could, what do you expect from me? So then you're already you're already in a space of upset and unrest and, and trying to figure it out. And then we come at you like, don't come at me. And now you're you know, the hygiene team   then maybe take offense to that and become defensive. So that makes sense. I'm actually really glad I asked you that question, because I'm not sure I've ever asked that or dove into that. And I hope the listeners heard what Dana said as well as, and then can kind of see that picture painted of how an upset could occur between two people or two groups of people very easily because of one misunderstanding. We're both kind of taking offense to a situation without understanding the other person's point of view.   That was actually incredible. Thank you. I knew you would say something really great, but I wasn't even expecting as far as that went. So that was really fantastic. Thank you. I see within that a space of communication. So making sure clear expectations are made from the get -go. That we're always asking more questions and assuming less. That's a reminder I love to give everyone in my life. Ask more questions, assume less.   and assume the only assumption can be that you don't know the answer.   The Dental A Team (06:50.57) ask more questions and assume less and assume the only thing you can assume is that you don't actually know the answer because you're not the other person. So that's huge right there because I think that's a space where people can really say, hey, let's talk about this. And if we have solid systems set up from the get -go, a good foundation of what do we do if something falls off the schedule? What do we do when the schedule falls apart?   That's a really easy space to meet expectations and hopefully refill a schedule before a hygienist even notices. That's my favorite thing to do is to make sure that he or she has a full schedule and doesn't even know it fell apart. So with that, some common, common ways to do that, we're gonna dive into a few for you guys today so that you can really be prepared to meet those expectations and really clear up a lot of communication between the two of those two departments or three departments.   My favorite and Dana, think we work on this a lot with practices, blocked scheduling and ASAP lists. Those are my two favorites. I love blocked scheduling. We talk about this in a lot of different podcasts for a lot of different reasons, but within hygiene, it really helps set and build the value and ensures that your new patients are scheduled where they need to be. When those new patients schedule blocks and those SRP blocks are in place correctly, we're scheduling   out into the future. as they come off, it's very easy if someone falls off the schedule, maybe an SRP got called into work and can't come later today. Well, guess what, I've got another SRP that's very easy to find, that's probably about the same time, if not exactly the same time of day, that can likely come in and I can choose that one to call and bring them in earlier. The ASAP list is super similar, like what time of day are they looking to come in, making sure we're notating all of those things, every system as far as I know,   Has the capability of an ASAP list. know Dentrix does, Open Dental does, Dana's saying yes, so that means Eagle Soft does. She knew that was my crux. Ascend, I can't answer that question. And then Curve does, and I bet Care Stack does as well. So utilize those ASAP lists. If you don't know how to do it within your system, Google you guys. I know we get a lot of those questions and I'm happy to answer them. So you can reach out, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com as   The Dental A Team (09:08.058) But usually if we don't know the answer, we're typing it in Google for you guys. So Google at first reach out to us if you need it or if you need help creating the system around it. But that ASAP space with those blocked schedules really helped to solidify a grouping of people to pull into those holes. Dana, how do you help practices see the system behind a good ASAP list? Because I know a lot of practices really struggle to see the value   creating it and can sometimes feel like it's redundant or they're like, gosh, I've called all these people. What kind of systems do you put in place for   Dana (09:46.707) And I think this keeps coming up more and more right now because a lot of offices are short on hygiene hours and so the last thing we want to do is have an opening and there have been an easy person to put in there but it's not easy because we rely on our memory and let's face it as much as our memory is great, right? Four or five even close to six months later not so great if we're all being honest with ourselves and so I think the Where I see a lot of the pushback on the ASAP list is if they've tried it and it's messy,   The Dental A Team (10:09.57) Mm -hmm.   Dana (10:16.373) There's no cleanup system. There's no like we just keep calling the same people. There's no anything There's not great notes in there So my first thing is who do you put on the ASAP list and really the ASAP list is anyone who rescheduled who canceled right or rescheduled and didn't get back on our schedule I guess so they just canceled or   The Dental A Team (10:30.012) sorry.   Dana (10:35.749) They didn't and they didn't reappoint so putting those people on your ASAP list because you know They were due or our past do and need to get in fairly quickly Anyone who we had to schedule out a little bit farther than we'd like to and who wanted sooner or anyone who we put in a not ideal time for them and they would actually prefer something different so those are who goes on your ASAP list and then it's a really it is just when do we call them and When do we clean them   Right? And so it's just kind of creating those rules of thumb. So when we call them, obviously when we have a cancellation or we have somebody who even we anticipate calling side booking if we need to. So that would be when you would use the list and then it's just an easy cleanup   how many times are we gonna reach out to this patient and offer them something sooner before we take them off and we just give them their original appointment because we've tried to make it within our schedule and we don't wanna keep also bugging them to a certain extent. So it's just kind of coming up with that cutoff. I usually say like three or four times and then they just come up the ASAP list or making sure that we're checking our ASAP list and is somebody on there already have a sooner appointment? Like did we already do something and we just left them?   The Dental A Team (11:23.946) Okay.   Dana (11:49.039) on there. So it's just having those strategies that make ASAP list work. just oftentimes can get clunky because we don't have those strategies in place when we start it.   The Dental A Team (11:57.04) Mm -hmm. I totally agree. I totally agree. And there have been so many times when I was in practice that I would say to a patient, like, gosh, I know for me it would be really hard, you know, to move my appointment up in my life, but I like to think that it would be easy. So I know we've offered a couple of times, but I don't want to keep bugging you. Do you me to keep calling if they come up, or do you want me to take you off the list? And oftentimes patients will be like, no, it's not a bother at all. And I know it's annoying. Like, I can't make this one, but please keep trying. And I'd be like, totally fine. It's not a problem whatsoever. I just want to make sure I   driving you crazy with the phone calls or patients would be like, yeah, you know what, you're right. Like, I'm probably never going to be able to come in early. So just take me off. I'd rather just keep the plan that I have. So it helps to clean it up. Just asking a simple question of, is this beneficial for you? Or is it a nuisance? Because either way, I want to make sure that you're satisfied. So and I think we think we're invading, right? That's always the issue. We always feel like we're invading somebody's bubble or we're bothering them. And we don't want to be a   So then we shy away from calling them or like, gosh, I just called them two days ago. I'm not going to call them again. But if we ask them upfront and they tell us it is, or is not a bother, now we can make that decision that goes back to not making assumptions. So I think that's huge. Now, Dana, I preach this to all of my clients, all of my practices I work with, re care, make her re care, re care. When I was first new into dentistry, I was a few years into dentistry, my   dearest doctor they worked for for a long time. He was a re -care maniac and he used to drive me insane until I saw, okay, I get it. He's like, we're not six months booked, we've got a problem and he was just hammering this re -care constantly and I was like, what is the deal? But when we stop calling people and we stop being like front of mind, right? Top of mind, we're not in front of them anymore is when they forget about us. So whether they're scheduling or not,   us sending the reminders, the text messages, the emails, the quick phone calls, it's just like, hey, checking in on you just wanted to see where you're at in life. That's putting us top of mind so that when they do have a second to schedule that appointment, we are the place that they're calling. I say, call until call and text and remind until someone says I'm not coming back. Dana, what's your philosophy on re care, especially coming from a hygiene standpoint, right from a hygienist?   The Dental A Team (14:21.601) who needs to see these patients and wants to see these patients again in your chair, how do you feel about the repair space?   Dana (14:27.531) I mean, I 100 % agree with you. I consider myself a fairly good patient, but I'll be honest that it's most important when I'm in your office. And so if I don't schedule when I'm in your office, I'm going to need those touch points because life happens. And as much as I want to stay on top of my dental care, I want to be there every six months. Sometimes I just do that friendly nudge of like, hey, don't forget, you never did schedule with us, give us a call. And so I agree with you. think putting it in automated and then also reaching out personally, I think hitting it from both sides.   really can help keep people consistent and keep you, like you said, top of mind.   The Dental A Team (15:02.156) Totally agree Dana. I think that was beautiful. You have such an amazing perspective coming from the hygiene side and really just seeing how the dental assisting side, the hygiene side, the front office side, like all of these departments just combined together to get the job done on keeping a hygiene schedule full. It's just so important. It's so imperative. And I love what you said there. And just gathering all of those pieces, hygiene department, this is coming from you guys in my opinion. And I hope you guys share in that because it was a really cool perspective. Now,   I just want to recap, Dana, thank you so much for being here with me today and for allowing me to pick your brain and put you on the spot. I know you're never expecting all of the questions that I ask you and you take them with grace and with love and dignity and all of the pieces and you showed us some aspects of hygiene and that I wasn't expecting today. So was really, really cool. So thank you. And you guys out there, I really want you to put this powerful message into play. I want you to take all of these bits and pieces and really help keep your own hygiene schedule.   super full, that's what we're here to do today. That's what we're hoping for is to just have this amazingly full hygiene schedule. Now, here are the things you guys ASAP list if you're not using it within your system, do it now. I know a lot of people like the handwritten notes, like we said, but put it in place. Always, always, always be calling your re -care. You guys, I know this can be scary when you don't have anywhere to put them or you're worried about where you're going to put them,   When we back off is when we start to see in the future, the schedule really start to slow down. Blocking out new patient spots. And then you guys just have a plan for what happens, what you're going to do, what your team is supposed to do. What's the system for when things fall off the schedule? Who is responsible? How are they going to fill it? And who are they going to enlist to help if they can't do it themselves? So make sure that you have all of these systems in play, you guys, and in place.   The plan is going to be my number one spot because all those other pieces fall into that plan. You guys go do it, go implement it and let's see what you can do with this hygiene schedule. As always, thank you for being here with Dana and I today. Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. And if you have ideas that you're open to sharing to the dental industry and the dental world, drop them below in a five star review so people can see them. They do read the reviews, especially when it comes to individual   The Dental A Team (02:26.671) podcast so if you've got some ideas pop them in there otherwise find us on our social platforms as well the dental a team and then Hello@TheDentalATeam.com is where you can submit any emails over to us if you have ideas if you have questions if you want some systems if you want to bounce ideas off of us we're here for that and open to it thank you so much guys and we'll catch you next time. 

In this conversation, Dayna Johnson discusses the importance of reviewing practice numbers and goals at the end of the month. She emphasizes the need to track production goals, new patient goals, patient retention goals, and case acceptance goals. Dayna recommends using the Practice Advisor report in Dentrix to review practice numbers and benchmarks. She also highlights the significance of data-driven decision-making and suggests seeking additional resources and training to optimize software and improve team performance. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Overview 03:49 Reviewing Last Month's Performance 07:28 Using the Practice Advisor Report 11:17 Setting Benchmarks and Goals 14:08 Improving Below-Benchmark Numbers 16:00 Conclusion and Next Steps Book a call with Dayna today: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call Rate, Review and Share this episode with your peers!

Setting goals, monitoring progress, and having a team process are essential for running a successful dental practice. Goals provide direction and help achieve a thriving and profitable business. They enable the practice to provide better patient care, offer competitive advantages for hiring and retaining team members, and afford additional benefits. While goal setting requires effort, it is necessary for success. Monitoring goals can be done through the appointment book, daily huddle reports, and Dentrix Reports module. Tracking and forecasting production goals are crucial for managing and running a small business. Takeaways: ➡️ Setting goals and monitoring progress are essential for running a successful dental practice. ➡️ Goals provide direction and help achieve a thriving and profitable business. ➡️ Monitoring goals can be done through the appointment book, daily huddle reports, and Dentrix Reports module. ➡️ Tracking and forecasting production goals are crucial for managing and running a small business. Chapters: 00:00 The Importance of Setting Goals and Monitoring Progress 02:54 How Goals Drive Success and Profitability 04:44 Tools for Monitoring and Tracking Production Goals 11:26 The Role of Goals in Managing and Running a Small Business Help us reach more Dentrix users by sharing this podcast with your colleagues. We love ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reviews!

In this conversation, Dayna Johnson discusses the importance of setting goals for a dental practice and how to enter those goals into Dentrix. She emphasizes the need for a productive schedule and daily production goals for each provider. Johnson explains that goals should be based on overhead and total compensation, and that they should be entered into the computer for tracking and analysis. She also highlights the benefits of forecasting and strategic scheduling to help reach practice goals. Takeaways:

"There is a hierarchy in setting up your Dentrix appointment book. It is important both for the visual aspect and also getting accurate data analytics" ~ Dayna Johnson, Dentrix trainer and workflow expert. In this conversation, Dayna Johnson discusses the importance of mapping out your schedule in order to give your team a roadmap for success. She explains how to set up your appointment book in Dentrix to ensure accurate analytics and visual aspects. Dayna goes through the hierarchy of appointment book setup, including global default settings, practice schedule, provider setup, and operatory setup. She also discusses workstation-specific settings, such as views. By properly setting up your appointment book, you can make data-driven decisions and improve the efficiency of your practice. Chapters

Dayna Johnson deep dives into the power of the Dentrix Perfect Day scheduling and the importance of scheduling in advance. She emphasizes the need for dental practices to design their own schedules based on their goals and preferences. Johnson introduces the concept of Perfect Day Scheduling, which provides a roadmap for the team to follow and helps them reach their production and new patient goals. She also highlights the importance of involving the team in the planning process to ensure successful execution. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights and strategies for designing an effective schedule. Takeaways: ➡️ Annual planning is crucial for dental practices to map out their schedules in advance. ➡️ Designing a schedule that aligns with practice goals and preferences is essential. ➡️ Perfect Day Scheduling provides a roadmap for the team to follow and ensures productivity and efficiency. ➡️ Involving the team in the planning process increases their engagement and success in executing the schedule. If you want Dayna's help in creating your ideal day, book a call with her today: https://calendly.com/dayna-johnson/discovery-call We would love a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review of our podcast so more people can find out information. Thank you

In this exciting episode of the Nifty Thrifty Dentists Podcast, host Dr. Glenn Vo catches up with Josh Gosnell, Vice President of Revenue at Adit, at the California Dental Association (CDA) event.  Josh—affectionately dubbed the "Superman of Adit"—shares groundbreaking news about their latest integration with CareCredit, which promises to revolutionize the way dental practices manage patient financing. Key Takeaways: Adit has partnered with CareCredit to integrate their Batch Quick Screen feature, allowing practices to easily identify existing CareCredit cardholders and patients pre-approved for financing.This integration streamlines the treatment presentation process by providing insight into patients' financing options before they even arrive for their appointment.With Adit's text-to-pay feature, patients who are CareCredit cardholders or pre-approved can now pay via CareCredit directly from their statement text.Adit consolidates multiple essential practice management tools into one centralized platform, including VoIP phone systems, analytics, online scheduling, reputation management, and more.By consolidating these tools, practices can save an average of $600 per month on software costs while improving efficiency and reducing the need for multiple logins and support teams.Adit integrates with most popular practice management software—including Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, and many others. As a special offer for Nifty Thrifty Dentists group members, Adit is providing $100 off monthly fees for life on either of their two packages. Simply mention that you're part of the Nifty Thrifty group when you reach out to Adit to take advantage of this incredible deal. To learn more about how Adit can transform your dental practice's efficiency and profitability, visit https://adit.com or contact their team at info@adit.com. To get FREE Dental Resources and Deals, click here: https://niftythriftydentists.com/ To join our community of over 55k Dental Professionals, click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/niftythriftydentists/

How can patient portals be optimized for better communication between dental and medical providers? In this episode, Lee Shapiro explores how integrating patient portals can enhance care coordination and reduce inefficiencies in healthcare systems. He also highlights the business potential in creating interoperability layers to connect dentistry and medicine, stressing the importance of considering social determinants of health and fostering cross-sector collaboration to address patient needs more effectively. Join this episode to uncover the challenges, opportunities, and future of integrated healthcare.  Resources: Connect with and follow Lee Shapiro on LinkedIn. Visit the 7wireVentures LinkedIn and website! Watch the entire episode on YouTube and get more details at Think Oral Health. Get to know more about all the companies that were mentioned during the episode: Livongo, Allscripts, American Heart Association, Hash House Harriers, Enterprise Systems, NOCD, Parsley Health, Transcarent, myStrength, Epic, Cerner (Oracle Health), Dentrix,  and Forward Medical.

‍Overwhelmed by the thought of buying or selling a practice? With the right help, finding the right listing price, prequalify prospective buyers, negotiations and financing options can all be a breeze! In this episode, I sit down with Greg Auerbach, a true veteran in the world of dental practice transitions, to uncover the ins and outs of buying or selling a dental practice. Drawing on his wealth of experience spanning over two decades, Greg reveals the critical steps to establishing value and expertly guiding both buyers and sellers through this once-in-a-career process. From the initial evaluation to the final handshake, you'll learn how he holds the hands of dentists, ensuring they are confident and well-prepared for each phase of the transition journey.We jump into the heated debate: starting a new practice versus acquiring an existing one. Greg discusses the unique challenges faced by newcomers, from building a patient base from scratch to financial burdens and staff hiring. On the flip side, he dismantles common fears around acquisitions and highlights their surprising advantages—like immediate cash flow and a quicker path to profitability. Our conversation also touches on why some practitioners still opt for startups, influenced by factors like the limited availability of practices for sale and the lure of creating a custom space. Plus, Greg shares strategic tips for increasing a practice's market value and ensuring a harmonious post-transition phase, debunking myths around staff and patient retention.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How to establish the true value of a practice.The comparative advantages and challenges of starting up versus acquiring a practice.Key strategies to manage financial burdens and staff hiring in new practices.The benefits of acquisitions, including faster profitability and immediate cash flow.Common fears and misconceptions about practice acquisitions.Post-transition tips for maintaining harmony and continuity.The importance of gradual changes to ensure a smooth transition.How early engagement can significantly improve market value and streamline the process.Join us as we explore the inner workings of successful practice transitions with, Greg Auerbach!‍‍Guest: Greg AuerbachBusiness Name: Henry ScheinCheck out Greg's Media:Website: http://www.henryscheindpt.com/Email: greg.auerbach@henryschein.com2024 Guide to Dental Practice Valuation: How Much is Your Practice Worth? https://bit.ly/4braykp‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Software/Tools:Dentrix Indeed‍Equipment:iTero‍TV:HGTV‍Organizations:FTCFDA‍Terms/Concepts:EBITDACapitalization of Earnings Methodology ‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍

Dayna deep dives into the Dentrix Treatment Manager Report, which is a powerful tool for filling the doctor's schedule and following up with patients who have unscheduled treatment. She explains how to generate the report, filter it by date and procedure codes, and customize the columns. Dayna also provides tips on making contacts with patients, checking for financial arrangements, and using the office journal for notes and reminders. The treatment manager report is a gold mine for enhancing case acceptance and increasing practice revenue. Takeaways:

Have you ever considered how vulnerable your practice might be to a cyberattack? In this episode, Reuben and I delve into the alarming issue of cybersecurity threats targeting the dental industry. With recent warnings from the FBI about credible threats, it's clear that dental practices need to take cybersecurity seriously. We explore the potential consequences of these threats, the crucial need for comprehensive security awareness training for staff members, and essential steps to prevent email-based attacks.The conversation goes in-depth into why using Microsoft 365 for enhanced email security is a game-changer for dental offices. Reuben also discuss the importance of working with IT experts to set up robust cybersecurity measures. Whether you're a dental professional or someone concerned about the security of sensitive patient information, this episode offers loads of practical advice. Don't miss out on this vital information that could protect your practice from devastating cyber attacks.What You'll Learn in This Episode:What are the credible cybersecurity threats currently targeting dental practices?Why is security awareness training crucial for dental office staff?What steps you can take to prevent email-based threatsHow Microsoft 365 can enhance your dental practice's email securityWhy should dental practices consider consulting IT companies for cybersecurity solutions?Take action today to secure your dental practice's email communications and protect sensitive patient information!‍‍Sponsors:For DSO integrations, startup solutions, and all your dental IT needs, let our sponsors, Darkhorse Tech, help out so you can focus on providing the amazing care that you do. For 1 month of FREE service, visit their link today! https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/darkhorse-deal/‍You can reach out to Reuben Kamp here:Website: https://www.darkhorsetech.com/Email: sales@darkhorsetech.comPhone: 800-868-4504Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarkhorseTech‍Mentions and Links: Businesses/Services:Henry ScheinAspen Dental‍Organizations:HIPAAFBIChange HealthcareUnitedHealthcare‍Software/Tools:DentrixEaglesoftOpen DentalChatGPTOutlookMicrosoft 365G Suite‍People:Bill Gates‍If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)‍Michael: Hey, Ruben. So talk to us. What's happening right now for this Monday morning episode, we're going to be talking about something specific when it comes to security, Michael: What's going on? Reuben: Emergency pod. First of all, emergency pod, Michael. Michael: All Reuben: right. You know, those, uh, Reuben: those sirens Instagram are overused, but in this case it Reuben: does apply. FBI warns of credible cybersecurity threats of the dental industry. that's why we're talking today. Michael: Okay. So what's happening. This happened. One of the articles we're looking at is on may 8th, so Michael: like not less than a week ago, less than a week, a couple of days ago, something's going on specifically with this cyber security threat. To all Michael: dental practices everywhere in the nation or Reuben: yeah, so it is morphed into that over the last few days. So basically, uh, the FBI was monitoring, uh, a hacking group, Reuben: connected to change healthcare, connected to United Healthcare, connected to Henry Schein, connected to Aspen. You know, all these groups have obviously made the Reuben: headlines in the last uh, year or so uh, change healthcare, obviously being uh, most recent, Reuben: they were actually investigating a threat because they were attacking the plastics. Surgery market. And Reuben: then they shifted their focus to Reuben: oral surgery. And that's kind of, that was the, the Reuben: splashy update from last week, right? Reuben: May 6th, May 8th. And now the FBI uh, FBI is Reuben: basically saying general dentistry is now being targeted as well. So, Reuben: See, it went from outside the dental industry to a dental, you know, specialty. And now to the majority of dental practices out there are you Uh, actively being targeted. Michael: So then a couple of things, I mean, we Michael: obviously want to know what to look out for, but what's the consequences here? Michael: If let's just say. We did end up accidentally doing something that we weren't supposed to do, like Michael: opening up an email or clicking specific Michael: link, you know, stuff we don't really know. Reuben: Yeah. Let's all the way to the end is you're bankrupting of practice, right? We Reuben: go back one step that is, you know, uh, the Reuben: overwhelming majority of practices that suffer a cybersecurity attack go out of business. All right. So we're starting at the end, we're working backwards. So that, that means. you, Or if you are a doctor or a staff member, you Reuben: clicked on a staff member, clicked on it. an email, a link that downloaded a payload to your office, right? Ransomware is, is most of what we're talking about here. Reuben: And that ransomware, let's say you're running Dentrix or Eagle software, open dental, one of these, uh, you know, server based practice management Reuben: softwares, that ransomware was able to embed itself into your practice management software, right? Patient health information, Reuben: uh, x rays, uh, social security numbers, medical history. You know, all the stuff that we call protected health information or EPHI electronic protected health and Reuben: they get that data and they exfiltrate it or take it out of the office, that is a Reuben: breach, which then feeds me into most practices that go through a breach, go out of business, and then you're, you're no longer an owner of a practice, you're an associated at another practice. I guess that is actually the last step. And that Reuben: is why this is so important is because Reuben: it's so darn easy to protect yourself from this Reuben: happening. But only 6 percent of the dental offices out there are HIPAA compliant. So hackers go, wow, we have a 94 percent Reuben: chance of getting into this office. Thank God. But, and that's why, Reuben: Honestly, it's like Dennis and the, the only really industry Reuben: less compliant the dentistry, Reuben: you guys can make fun of them is chiropractors. Reuben: So, Hey, those are the industries that, that are go after because of the lowest hanging fruit. if you Reuben: have dogs at your house, and Michael, you know, Reuben: I have, you know, 10, 000 dogs that live with me, Reuben: a robber does not want to come rob my house, because they're going to be attacked by a bunch of dogs. they want to attack the house. That the owners are on vacation, there's no animals, it's dark, you know, they Reuben: are opportunistic just like any other profession. So Reuben: that is why they're going after the dental industry specifically. Michael: Gotcha. Something you mentioned, man, where you said staff members click on it. I think the most common Michael: thing. I mean, one of the practices I worked at the actual doctor clicked on it and Michael: ended up paying. But like with, when it comes to the staff members. Do they need to receive specific training for this? Or Reuben: yeah, we call it security awareness training or SAT for short. Uh, not to be confused with the test Reuben: that is, it is coming back now. turns out it's a great predictor. If you're going to be okay at college, Reuben: um, I digress. So basically security awareness training trains your staff. who, You Reuben: know, you got to give to them. They're Reuben: busy. They're your phone calls. There's patients in front of them. They're scheduling, their billing, they're checking people out. There's Reuben: a lot going on. So you kind of have to, you know, if they do have an email come through Reuben: and it looks like it's from UPS, or it looks like it's, you know, from a Reuben: credible source and they don't, they don't have their guard up and they click Reuben: on it. It's Reuben: really hard to come down Reuben: on that person right? Reuben: You're expecting a lot out of them. And, and, and also, you know, be, have your, you know, your hat on your cyber Reuben: hat on and be vigilant at all times for through. So it's really important that you set up like. Let's not do a free Gmail account, right? That Reuben: has no security protection. Reuben: It's really important that you have an email system. I recommend Microsoft Reuben: 365 for all businesses that will stop those emails from coming in to begin with, because it never made it through Reuben: the spam filter. Right. Uh, the phishing filter. Reuben: So what's it worth that your staff. Doesn't even have to see that email that's worth a lot, right? Reuben: And then secondarily, let's say it is something that's more sophisticated, right? AI is obviously Reuben: playing a huge role in these emerging threats because it's no longer, you know, Prince of Nigeria Reuben: asking you for money who doesn't speak good English. It's like a perfectly crafted Reuben: email that's written by, uh, Beauty. so what security awareness training does is it, uh, it's a campaign. So like, if Reuben: I set this up, I'll randomly send out emails to your employees, right? If they click on a message that they Reuben: shouldn't have. have. Reuben: They are forced Reuben: down the training loop of, okay, Reuben: you have to go to school to realize like, what does a real email looks like? You know, is this Reuben: an external sender? Is it an internal sender? So it Reuben: really, it's just another, uh, training element, but you know, we're in the prevention business, right? I don't, I don't want Reuben: to clean stuff up. I want to play default. I want to block stuff from happening. And Reuben: of course the client wants that too. Michael: Gotcha. Okay. So then right now, what steps can we do or what to look out for? What can we look out for? What steps can we do when it comes to preventing this threat that's happening today? Absolutely. And Reuben: I'm going to focus on email because that is, the Reuben: FBI is, the warning is specifically tied to email. It's the easy, again, we talked about ease of Reuben: access is the easiest way to get into a Reuben: business is to send someone email. I can Reuben: send Bill Gates an email right now. Right. It Reuben: It doesn't matter. I have his email. I get sent to him. and so there's hundreds, thousands of practices out there that use Reuben: friendly smiles at gmail. com. So the Reuben: to action is sign up for a Microsoft account. It's Reuben: going to do two things. One, uh, it's going to give you that increased protection we talked about. Reuben: Two, It's more professional, right? It's more professional to receive an email, not from friendly smiles at gmail. com, Reuben: but office at friendly smiles. com, right? You're using your domain name. Reuben: tied to your website. It's professional. Maybe you have a signature. It just gives your, the people you're communicating with Reuben: patients, staff labs. an air that, you know, you are a professional Reuben: business. So, it Reuben: just have to be for cybersecurity. It can be to kind of raise your professionalism as Reuben: a business. Gotcha. So get that first. Microsoft three, six, five. Reuben: Microsoft 365. It's a, it's a suite of products, right? We use Microsoft 365 Reuben: for open dental cloud hosting, but we also use Microsoft 365 for email for Microsoft teams, for one drive. So Reuben: there's a lot to it, but we're really specifically talking about, email or some people refer to as outlook, which Reuben: is a specific email product that Microsoft offers. Okay. Michael: Okay. So we do that next steps. Would that be the only step or that's it? Reuben: We're only going to focus on. Protecting yourself from the credible threat Reuben: the FBI, we can have a hour long about all the other stuff you need to do, but please, the takeaway from this is really bolster your email security. Michael: Gotcha. Okay. So get that So if we have it already, we don't got to worry about Reuben: IT company check it your it company, check it out, Ask them a question. Hey, am I doing Reuben: I need to do? If you don't have an it company, I run one. I Reuben: can help you out, but there's a lot of companies out there. So, either, you know, if you have an incumbent IT company, just reach Reuben: out to them, say, Hey, Can you guys get me set up with this? Or hey, I'm running this. Is there anything better we can do? Cause Reuben: there are some nuances there that are a little technical, but you know, you as the, uh, you as the client really shouldn't really have to worry about setting that up. Gotcha. Michael: Awesome, man. Any other pieces of advice you wanted to mention in this episode? Reuben: The FBI got involved, so they don't just like, Reuben: uh, creep into the dental industry, Reuben: uh, just cause they get bored. Reuben: So this is, it's a credible threat and just, it's a great reminder to just do the, Reuben: honestly, I'm just asking you guys to do the bare minimum here. Reuben: it's just sign up for secure email, which is also a HIPAA Reuben: compliance requirement, just. Just for the record. Yeah. Michael: Is that the only option? Microsoft Office Michael: 365? Or we can go with another one? Reuben: I mean, G Suite is also an option. So there is free Gmail right at gmail. com. And G Suite is Google's business version. And Reuben: that, that does have a much higher level of security than the free Gmail. You Reuben: do have to add, uh, an encryption element to it to make it HIPAA compliant, but I Reuben: just bring up Microsoft 365 because it is the lowest expense, easiest way to do this. Oh, lowest expense. how Michael: much is it? Reuben: Four bucks an email. Man. Yeah. So it's Michael: pretty easy. It's Reuben: cheaper than G suite. Yeah. It's, it's just, and then you don't have to worry about the whole. Encryption piece, uh, like you do with G suite. So Reuben: that's why I mentioned Microsoft 365 and also most it companies have a relationship with Microsoft and they can set this up for you. Gotcha. Michael: Awesome. Ruben, thank you so much for this. We appreciate it. Anybody listening go take action right now. Michael: And if anyone has further questions, where can they reach out to you? Reuben: Hey, sales at dark horse tech. com. I'm all over Facebook. You can bother me Reuben: on there or 800 868 4504 be happy to help anybody out. Thanks Awesome. Michael: that's going to be in the show notes below and Ruben, thank you for being with me on this Monday morning episode. Reuben: Thanks Michael.

In this episode, Dayna interviews Ethan Ellsworth and Cairo Murphy, the co-founders of Stratus, a dental technology company. They discuss how AI can streamline dental practice workflows, particularly in insurance verification and claims processing. Ethan and Cairo share their background in dentistry and how their personal experiences led them to develop Stratus. They address common concerns and misconceptions about AI and explain how their AI bot works to fill out insurance forms. They also discuss the Dentrix integration and future plans for expanding into other areas of dental practice management. Takeaways:

‍Do you have a passion for the entrepreneurial journey but don't know where to start? Dr. Ilona Casellini's exciting path from a budding veterinarian to a successful dentist might be the inspiration you need. Straying from the familiar path sparked by a chance encounter and mentorship from a prosthodontist, Ilona dives into details of starting her own dental practice right out of dental school. Amidst the numerous obstacles in her journey, the key to her success was the mentorship she received, her parents' support, and her pursuit of independence and entrepreneurship.Ilona sheds light on an area often overlooked by entrepreneurs. She discusses the pivotal role of staffing in her groundbreaking success. Facing the challenges of integrating a retiring dentist's staff into her practice, she transformed hurdles into opportunities. She ends the episode by narrating her boutique-like patient-centric approach that fuels her professional satisfaction and success.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How mentorship shaped Ilona's career in dentistry.Strategies and challenges of starting a dental practice immediately after school.The complexities of integrating staff in a dental practice.How Ilona's patient-centered approach leads to her fulfilling career and practice's success.The power of strong supportive outlets in the journey of entrepreneurship.Ready to delve deeper into the strength behind mentorship, a patient-centric approach, and important staffing decisions for entrepreneurial success? Let's jump into this captivating episode with Dr. Ilona Casellini!‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/‍Guest: Dr. Ilona CaselliniPractice Name: Swiss Quality SmileCheck out Ilona's Media:Website: https://www.swissqualitysmile.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swissqualitysmile/‍‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Software/Services:Google AdwordsDarby (dental supplier)Dentrix (practice management software)Dexus (xray software)Sesame (texting/message software)‍Establishments:The University of VermontPenn State University‍Artists/Songs:Bill Withers - Just the Two of Us‍Communities:Dentaltown‍Sports:Pickle ball‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍‍‍

This conversation dives deeper into the topic of keeping your schedule full by discussing the continuing care list. Dayna explains the importance of the unscheduled list and how to remove patients from it if they haven't responded after three contacts. Dayna then introduces the concept of the continuing care list and discusses two types of lists within Dentrix software. The conversation emphasizes the need to run these lists within the practice management software to avoid issues with third-party automated systems. She also provides tips on reaching out to overdue patients and managing the continuing care system effectively. Takeaways:

How essential IS understanding insurance contracts in the dental field? Join us in this Monday Morning Episode as Laura Radloff and I delve into this critical aspect of your dental practice. We underscore the necessity for dentists not just to skim but attentively read through the terms of contracts to sidestep potential pitfalls such as insurance fraud. Laura shares from her vast wealth of experience some common mistakes dental practices make and drives home the essentiality of proper billing practices.In the second half of our discourse, we explore the incredible advantages of utilizing Oryx software for billing purposes. We put a spotlight on the tremendous support provided by the Oryx team. The takeaway of this episode revamps the importance of thorough understanding and transparent communication in dealing with claims and operating a successful dental practice.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why understanding insurance contracts is vital in the dental fieldThe common errors dental practices fall prey to and how to avoid themThe indispensable role of diligent billing practicesThe remarkable benefits of implementing Oryx software for your billingThe exceptional backing provided by the Oryx team in managing claimsDive into this episode now to learn what you may be missing in your insurance contracts!‍‍Sponsors:‍Oryx: an all-in-one cloud-based dental software created by dentists for dentists.Patient engagement, clinical, and practice management software that helps your dental practice grow without compromise. Visit Oryx today for a special TDM offer! (Just click or copy and paste the link here) https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/oryx/‍You can reach out to Laura Radloff here:‍Website: https://www.oryxdentalsoftware.com/‍Mentions and Links: Software/Tools:Open DentalEaglesoftDentrixDentrix AscendSoftDentDentrix EnterpriseiDentalBrands/Products:Invisalign‍If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)‍Michael: Hey, Laura. So talk to us. What's one piece of advice you can give us this Monday morning. Laura: So one piece of advice is. Really to make sure that you understand your contract with any, uh, your, any insurance company that you have chosen to contract with. There are a lot of rules that come with those contracts, and if you've chosen to be in network with a certain insurance company, they may have specific rules that you have to follow, such as you have to bill certain procedures out, even if they're not going to be covered.So you just want to make sure that you really understand your contract before you start committing insurance fraud. And it's little things like, You may have a certain procedure that's not covered by that insurance, and you may choose not to bill out that to that insurance company, because you've decided since it's not going to be covered, we're not going to bill it out anyway.But if your contract says that you should still be billing it out, you still need to make the insurance company aware that you did that procedure, even if you don't think you're going to get covered for it. Michael: Okay, no, that's interesting. That's interesting. And then. You said understand your contract. Are some contracts difficult to understand?Laura: They just vary. They vary a lot based on carrier and state. And especially once you start to get federal plans, it's more just making sure that you do read the fine print. Uh, some states say that you can't charge a patient if it's not covered. and some carriers say the same thing. So it's really just making sure you, You don't go outside of those lines and making sure that you are billing correctly, not only to your patient, but to the insurance company too.Michael: In your experience, Laura, like what is the most difficult company? I guess you feel like you've worked with when it comes to like, Oh my God, this is all in the contract. Are you serious? Kind of thing. Laura: I wish I could just say there's only one. I feel like every company is going to have their own quirks. and each one of them is going to have their own guidelines.I just ran across a policy the other day that said, if you try to bill out the buildup the same day as your crown, then it won't get covered. And they told you in the contract, you should bill out the buildup separately, um, on the prep date and then your crown on the seat date. Because they're already telling you it's not going to be covered, but it was so fine print and it was way deep in the contract.understanding that from the beginning, it's not very common that you would see that. So it's just making sure you understand you would hate to bill that out and then not get paid just because you billed it on the wrong day. Michael: Yeah. How often does that happen? I mean, so real quick, if you can let us know, you're with Oryx, right?their billing department or how does that work? Laura: Yeah, so I am with Oryx. I actually come from a lot of other software background where I've used a bunch of different softwares throughout my almost 20 years in the dental field. And Oryx is my favorite. So when I was working with Oryx, I reached out to Oryx and I told them how much I absolutely love their company and how much I would love to be a part of their company.So, now I am in, in charge of the outsourced billing department. So we actually helped newly converted offices with the conversion process. Um, and we allow additional trainings in regards to insurance. And billing. And then also we help with those services, especially for startups.They're not a hundred percent aware of all of the ins and outs of insurance. So we're able to help guide them at least through the beginning phases to make sure that they're off on the right start. Michael: Yeah. So then how often does that happen? Especially when it comes to, I guess, transitioning from a software to another software or like, where are you seeing the most common mistakes?Laura: The most common errors is, I would say, a sense of if it's not going to be covered, I don't have to bill it anyway, or trying to charge additionally due to a downgrade or a fee that may not be exactly what's needed. billable. I know sometimes ortho cases, if you're contracted with an insurance company for an ortho case, you have to go by their contracted rate, but Invisalign has a flat fee that they charge no matter how, you know, just to get the case going.So some offices have found that they want to try to charge that additional fee and some states and some insurance companies say too bad, it's all inclusive. Just because you picked Invisalign instead of brackets doesn't mean we're going to give you more money. So it's making sure that you understand that piece.the biggest thing that we run into is just thinking that we can step outside of those contract guidelines. and not necessarily defining it as fraud. It's still considered a form of fraud if you're withholding information, if you're falsifying the information, submitting under a different provider just because they have different network statuses.Things like that can all be considered forms of insurance fraud. So just being careful. Last thing you want is to go have huge fines, get your license revoked, or have your business shut down because of insurance fraud. Michael: Yeah. Have you seen that happen? Like where somebody really didn't read the fine print and it just went downhill from there?Laura: Yeah, unfortunately I haven't personally experienced it, but I've gone to continuing education courses where they've talked about the Somebody else, the business owner versus the dentist. And the business owner was doing billing out things a certain way. And then the owner, the business had to shut down.Michael: So then what would be the difference here? Laura, like if, if I were to say, okay, I have listened to this episode, I'm going to make sure my team reads the fine print compared to having like. Outsourcing it, your team, Oryx or you, right. I'm going to read the fine print. What would be the difference in those two?Laura: So there are a lot of credentialing companies that will help make sure that as you're getting credentialed, they can read that contract for you, so it's more just making sure that maybe whoever's helping you with your credentialing understands what your expectations are too, so that they don't sign you up for something that goes against the way that you want to run your business.personally, I've been in the dental field for 20 years, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I know all the ins and out of every insurance company too. Since it is so specific to state and carrier, it's really important that you understand it within, yourself versus even relying on someone else to do it for you, because then you're also holding yourself and your team accountable for what's happening in your office too.So as much as I would love to say, I'm a professional, I will read it for you and tell you all the things with my magic cape. at the end of the day, it's your license and it's your practice that's on the line. So making sure that whoever's doing your billing for you is doing it the way that aligns with your contract.And. How you want your business ran. Michael: Okay. Interesting. So then does this come with like, let's just say we decide to go with Oryx. Does it come with Oryx, this service or? The extra how does that work? Laura: It would be something if you have questions, we would definitely be able to review with you. We're more focused on making sure that you get paid.So we want to make sure that those claims, there's nothing holding them up from getting sent out that you've got all the necessary attachments documentation to be able to support the claim. And then we do catch some of those things like, Hey, I remember this insurance plan said you can't bill out the buildup and the crown on the same day.Do you still want to, because That's how you do it, or do you want to align with how the plan does it? So we do catch those things as the claims are going out, but it's more just making sure on the front end that you understand how that's coming in too. Michael: Yeah. That's so nice that Oryx does that, the claims, you know what I mean, for, for practice.I feel like it takes off a lot of the front office, I guess you can say like their time and you know what I mean. Laura: Oh yeah, it's huge because personally if I have a team member that I'm paying to be in office with me that's going to be patient facing, I want them to be patient facing, talk to them about their treatment plans, get them into the schedule.I don't need them hiding behind closed doors talking to insurance companies, but I also want to get paid. So making, putting that on someone else, especially someone who's versed in the software and has a lot of insurance experience, we've got phenomenal team that's all there to support and make sure that those claims are going out and getting paid.Michael: Yeah. Is it pretty difficult to learn for the team? Oryx? Laura: we offer a lot of support. It's not that it's difficult, honestly. Like I said, I I've worked with open dental, Dentrix, EagleSoft, SoftDent, Dentrix Ascend, Dentrix Enterprise, iDental, I've worked with a large number of dental softwares and I found it.Like with any software, there's definitely a learning curve, but once you really get into it, it has so many neat hidden features and neat things, and they're constantly evolving. I guarantee you, you tell Dentrix you want to change the way that they have something set up and they'll laugh at you. Oryx, we really try to consider how are our users using it and can we make it better as much as we can all the time.Michael: Yeah, that's so true. I see that in the Facebook group, like the Oryx users, Facebook group, like somebody will be like, Hey, Hey, Rania, can we do this or can we do that? And working on it. We'll implement it. You know what I mean? And they're on it. So Laura: yeah, we have developer meetings all the time. Like we're still as big as we are.We're still small, right? We're still connecting with each other regularly to make sure, Hey, this is something that our front end user saw that we might be able to improve. Is it something we can implement? if it's only one person that wanted it, then it may not be the top of our list, but being just vocal about things that we could possibly do to improve helps too.But I also think it's got a really strong base. So, while some people may see that there's areas to improve, it's got a lot of really great things already integrated into it. That helped me when I'm doing aging or when I'm doing the insurance stuff, this is my go to it's the fastest one to work out of.It's got the most detail. I find less errors once I'm using the software correctly. it's just phenomenal in my opinion Might be a little biased but Michael: No, that's awesome. And then what's one final piece of advice you can give us when it comes to claims and practice ownership Laura: Um, there's no such thing as too much information You'd much rather have 15 photos a big strong narrative and x rays right before the procedure versus later Finding out that you needed that x ray narrative or photo and not have it Michael: So there's never enough information.Interesting. Awesome. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it. But if anybody had questions or concerns or anything like that, where can they find you? Laura: If you're already an Oryx user, then you can put in a help ticket and they'll make sure that you're directed to the right department. I do specialize in billing and insurance, but we have a whole bunch of trainers that may be able to help with any other areas.And then if you're on our Facebook group too, you'll be able to keep posted on how often our webinars are happening and what topics are coming up, or put in suggestions for future, future requests or other webinars that you want to see. So. Michael: Nice. Awesome. So that's going to be in the show notes below.And Lauren, thank you so much for being with me on this Monday morning episode. Laura: Great to chat with you, Michael.

Dayna Johnson discusses the importance of tracking and improving the perio percentage in dental practices. She emphasizes the need for proper diagnostics and coding to accurately diagnose and treat periodontal disease. Dayna provides tips on how to calculate the perio percentage using your Dentrix software and suggests reaching out to local periodontists or hygiene coaches for further guidance. Takeaways: >Tracking the perio percentage is crucial for dental practices to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease. >Proper diagnostics, including perio charting and x-rays, are essential for accurate diagnosis. >Coding procedures correctly is important to avoid insurance fraud and protect the doctor's license. >Reach out to local periodontists or hygiene coaches for guidance and training on diagnosing and treating periodontal disease. Book a free discovery call with Dayna if you want to learn more about optimizing your systems and software: novonee.com Rate, Review and Share this podcast so our message gets out to more people.

Dayna discusses the importance of the Dentrix Unscheduled List in dental practices for following up with unscheduled patients keeping your schedule full. and provides tips on how to effectively manage it. She emphasizes the need to keep the pin board clean and use the unscheduled list as a holding bucket for appointments that need follow-up. Dayna also shares her rules for the unscheduled list, including a three-month limit for patients to sit on the list. She encourages regular follow-up with patients and suggests using the office journal to keep track of contact notes. Overall, Dayna highlights the unscheduled list as a valuable resource for maintaining a full and productive schedule. Access to exclusive content: https://membership.novonee.com/membership-offers Rate . . . Review . . . Share this podcast episode so we can reach more people!

Today, Dayna discusses strategies for keeping the hygiene schedule full during the slower summer months. She emphasizes the importance of reaching out to patients who are overdue and unscheduled, using both automated systems and personal communication. Dayna recommends three reports that can be used to identify and follow up with these patients: the unscheduled list, the continuing care list, and the treatment manager. She also suggests creating a VIP list for patients who are scheduled far in advance but would like to be contacted if an earlier appointment becomes available. Overall, Dayna provides practical tips for maintaining a full schedule and ensuring that patients do not fall through the cracks. Takeaways: > Reach out to patients who are overdue and unscheduled to ensure they do not fall through the cracks. > Use a combination of automated systems and personal communication to contact these patients. > Utilize reports such as the unscheduled list, continuing care list, and treatment manager to identify and follow up with overdue patients. > Create a VIP list for patients who are scheduled far in advance but would like to be contacted if an earlier appointment becomes available. More Free Content: https://novonee.com/media/ Deep Dive into this topic: https://membership.novonee.com/membership-offers Book a call with Dayna: https://novonee.appointiv.com/1.9/l/phone/c/one-on-one/a/discovery-call/p/dayna-johnson

In this special 100th episode, Dayna and Kevin take a break from discussing dental systems and workflow to share personal stories and adventures. They reminisce about meeting at a dental conference in Dallas and their early experiences together. The conversation covers their quirky travel habits, including their preference for walking and exploring local food. Dayna shares her love for supporting local businesses and her passion for jewelry with a story. They discuss Dayna's initial hesitation to write for Kevin's dental publications and the impact her writing has had on the industry. The episode concludes with their recent experiences playing pickleball and attending a foam party in Mexico, as well as their memorable trip to witness a solar eclipse. Takeaways: Personal connections and shared experiences are an important part of building relationships. Exploring local food and supporting local businesses can enhance travel experiences. Overcoming insecurities and taking opportunities to share your knowledge can lead to unexpected success. Embracing new activities and adventures can create lasting memories and strengthen relationships. I hope you enjoyed my break from dental systems and Dentrix optimization for a little fun for my 100th episode.

‍‍How did a small-town practice owner rise up to become a trailblazing figure in advanced dentistry? In this episode, we weave through the fascinating journey of Dr. BJ Moorhead, who started from modest roots to dominate the realm of patient-focused, anxiety-reducing dentistry. Discover how BJ nurtured his solo practice whilst teaching at an IV sedation program for dentists, embracing a forward-thinking dental care approach that centers on the patient's comfort and trust.Find out how Dr. Moorhead triumphs in managing fear-based patients, stressing the significance of open-ended dialogue and giving patients their rightful control over their treatment decisions. We venture into his effective marketing strategies, demystifying his utilization of Google Ads and shedding light on why benefits reign over technical jargon in his promotional handouts. Our discussion concludes with BJ disclosing his three revolutionary tools and a wealth of advice for dentists facing adversity. This episode encapsulates insights and practical tips to nurture a thriving practice in today's modern world.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The importance and implementation of open-ended patient dialogueCrafting marketing strategies that prioritize benefits over technicalitiesDr. BJ's unique path towards success in advanced dentistryInnovative tools and methodologies applied in Dr. Moorhead's practicesEngaging with fear-based patients and strategies to inspire their trustWisdom for overcoming hardships in your dental journeyFeel inspired? Don't miss out on this exciting journey! Tune in, uncover the secrets to growing a successful practice, and learn firsthand why patient comfort is the pinnacle of advanced dentistry.‍‍Guest: Dr. BJ MoorheadBusiness Name: StreamDentCheck out BJ's Media:Website: https://www.streamdent.com/Email: dr.m@streamdent.comPhone: 502-509-1570IV Sedation Training for Dentists: https://www.ivsedationtrainingfordentists.com/coaching‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Software:WeaveDentrixDEXISGoogle VoiceEstablishments/Brands:Spear EducationInvisalignNuCalmTriazolamValiumApplebee'sHenry ScheinPeople/Public Figures:Walter Hailey's Dental Boot KampDr. Ted RaybouldDr. Rodger LevinSocratesGrace rizza - Chicago MarketerDr. Darren GreenwellDr. Jack Turbyfill (Branching Technique)Organizations:ADAKentucky Dental Association‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍‍

In this podcast episode, the host discusses the importance of the health history workflow in protecting a doctor's license and livelihood. The three main points covered are improving patient compliance, implementing electronic forms, and eliminating redundancy in health history information. Dayna emphasizes the need to educate patients about the importance of providing accurate health history information and highlights the benefits of using electronic forms for convenience and comprehensive data. Reducing redundancy in health history documentation in your Dentrix software is also crucial to ensure accurate and up-to-date information. The episode concludes with a reminder to protect the doctor's license and practice by implementing an effective health history workflow. Takeaways: The health history workflow plays a crucial role in protecting a doctor's license and livelihood. Educating patients about the importance of accurate health history information improves patient compliance. Implementing electronic forms improves convenience for patients and streamlines data collection for the dental practice. Eliminating redundancy in health history documentation ensures accurate and up-to-date information. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:55 Importance of Health History Workflow 02:50 Improving Patient Compliance 09:16 Implementing Electronic Forms 13:58 Eliminating Redundancy For more free resources go to https://novonee.com/

In this solo episode, Dayna discusses the process of preparing treatment estimates for patients. She emphasizes the importance of being proactive and accurate in estimating out-of-pocket expenses. Dayna introduces the concept of an AI bot that can handle insurance verification, making the process more efficient. She provides step-by-step instructions on how to generate treatment estimates and customize report styles. The episode concludes with a discussion on presenting treatment estimates to patients and scheduling their appointments. Takeaways Being proactive and accurate in preparing treatment estimates is crucial for patient satisfaction. An AI bot can streamline the insurance verification process and improve efficiency. Creating customized report styles can make generating treatment estimates easier and more consistent. Presenting treatment estimates to patients and scheduling their appointments should be done before they leave the office. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 00:31 Preparing Treatment Estimates 03:12 Benefits of AI Bot 04:12 Generating Treatment Estimates 05:42 Creating Report Styles 06:42 Customizing Report Styles 09:49 Presenting Treatment Estimates 11:36 Scheduling and Documenting Treatment 15:05 Conclusion and Call to Action Find more free resources on our media page: https://novonee.com/media/ Subscribe to our email list for weekly content: https://membership.novonee.com/podcast_subscribe

674: The Hidden Secret to Patient Loyalty: The First Phone Call – Robyn TheisenDo you want more loyal patients in your practice? Of course you do! To help you attract those high-value patients, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT's amazing coaches, to share the secrets of the first phone call. Win people over before they step into your office! To learn how a phone call can get patients to stay, listen to Episode 674 of The Best Practices Show!Episode Resources:Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com Follow Robyn on ACT's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalSend Gina an email: gina@actdental.com Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin ACT's To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttSee ACT's Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazineWrite a review on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218Main Takeaways:Put the right person on the phone.Make a habit of taking physical notes.Always start by finding out your patient's name.Find out the things that are important to your patient.Ask every patient where they heard about your practice.Learn about your patients' expectations and lay them all out.Have patients experience value before they come into your office.Insurance should be the last thing you talk about in your conversation.Quotes:“We have been doing this a long time — myself personally, 30 years — and I'm still underwhelmed by talking to dental offices at how flat the phone call is.” (1:42—1:52) -Kirk“In dentistry, we're in a relationship business, so this first phone call is an opportunity for us to learn more than their name, their insurance, any of those standard things that we ask for. It's an opportunity to learn what's important to them, like, why are they choosing you as a dentist? What made them call you? What's going to make them stay? All those things can be such important things that we can learn from the first phone call with us.” (2:26—2:51) -Robyn“The ultimate question becomes, is your practice relational or transactional? Now, everybody listening to this would say, ‘It's relational!' But let's call out the inherent challenges of working the front desk. You, as a dentist listening to this, never worked the front desk. You have no idea how difficult it is. There's a lot going on up there. The second challenge is it becomes a very left-brained process because we have more software than ever — you have Dentrix, Eaglesoft, and Open Dental, and everything is about filling a box from left to right in the software. Active listening has kind of gone away as we've trained team members they've just got to fill the boxes. So, they're not really listening. It's their agenda against the patients' agenda.” (2:53—3:38)...

Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...‍‍This is an innovative, all-in-one, cloud-based practice management software, and it offers an array of powerful features that are custom built for dentists by dentists ready to revolutionize the way you work. ‍If you are a start-up and decide to sign up with Oryx, they will NOT charge you a single dime, until you reached 200 active patients!⁠⁠They are partnering up with all startup practice owners and making sure you succeed, fast!⁠⁠ Click this link to schedule a FREE personalized demo and to see more on their exclusive deal!⁠‍‍In this gripping episode of The Dental Marketer, follow the journey of Dr. Preeya Genz, from her early dreams of becoming a dentist to becoming the proud owner of her own practice, "the Whole Tooth," in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Genz shares her experiences working in different environments, including high-stress Dental Services Organizations (DSOs), sharing their impact on her career, her values, and her life. Listen as she talks about her dream boutique practice, how it faltered, and the trials she faced while working in her second DSO. Gain insight into her attempt at a practice partnership, the reasons why it didn't pan out, and the leap of faith she took to win her dream by purchasing her own practice on a loan.Tune into The Dental Marketer today to hear Dr. Genz's journey navigating the highs and lows while pursuing her dental dream!‍Guest: Preeya GenzPractice Name: the Whole ToothCheck out Preeya's Media:Website: https://www.thewholetoothtexas.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewholetoothtexas/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWholeToothTexas‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Tools/Resources:OryxDentrixEasy DentalEaglesoftLocations/Establishments:Kois CenterBusinesses/BrandsDoc In A BoxPeople/Communities:Dr. John Kois‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍What You'll Learn in This Episode:How Dr. Genz's early exposure to dentistry shaped her career path.The struggles she encountered working in a high-stress DSO environment and how it influenced her values.The ride of running a boutique-style dental practice and the economic downturn that led to its demise.The impact of changing management practices and policies on overall work environment in her second experience with a DSO.The reason behind her decision to buy her own dental practice.The maneuvering skills needed to team build and set professional boundaries, inside and outside the office.How to strike a perfect balance between a career as a healthcare provider and a business owner.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: All right. It's time to talk with our featured guest, Dr. Preeya Genz. Preeya, how's it going? Preeya: Going great December and we're making it so far, which is great. Michael: That's awesome. And in December you're in Dallas, you said, right? It's super cold out there. I know like in the past it's been frozen.Preeya: It's bipolar weather. So some days it's. It's 65. I think it was 85 last week, but then it was also like 33. Um, so the days will swing from super high to low and then everything in between. So at this moment, I think it's like 63 it's sunny. It's beautiful. But I think tomorrow there's an 80 percent chance of rain and it's going down to the forties.That's crazy. Michael: Last week it was eighties. Oh my gosh, it's all over the place for you out there. Interesting. Does that affect like your I don't know what you plan to do, for example, like practice or is it like, nope, rain or shine, snow or whatever, we're open all the time. Preeya: I mean, sometimes it does, especially if like we have patients who will travel from like East Texas or Oklahoma.And for them, obviously the, the weather matters a little bit more. Um, so there's either delays or they decide. Maybe not the best idea, um, when it's hot and sunny, everyone's just complaining that it's hot and sunny. And when it's cold and wet, everyone's complaining it's cold and wet. And so for the most part, we just deal with it, wear layers and hope for the best.Michael: Yeah. Okay. Nice. Nice. Awesome. So if you can tell us a little bit about your past, your present, how'd you get to where you are today? that's a fun Preeya: question. Um, okay. So I grew up in Canada, moved down to Texas halfway through high school, and then spent the next decade trying to leave Texas. So went to college in New Orleans.Um, Learned I wanted to become a dentist when I was in like 8th grade, did a career survey thing, loved artistic things, working with my hands, Loved the science and healthcare aspect of things and had a dentist across the street who I babysat for and he lived a great lifestyle. And I thought, Oh, this looks pretty easy.I like this. So went to college in New Orleans, then, um, went to dental school here in Dallas. And within, I think, a week of graduation, we had moved out to the DC area. I worked for Doc in a box for about eight months. I think I made it eight months and. Realized very quickly. It was not my favorite place to be for a variety of reasons.Um, and we ended up moving out to the West coast to Washington state where I, um, got to work in what I thought was my dream practice. It was like the dental office coffee shop. Like we had espresso for patients. We had fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. All of the perks and benefits, um, super, super boutique, and it was owned by a clinical instructor at the Coyce Center. and so I learned about John Coyce and kind of Coyce centered dentistry a year out of dental school. And so my perspective has always been post grad has been looking at it from the perspective that John Coyce teaches at the Coyce Center. so I was there, I was in Washington for almost seven years.I worked for the first practice for about. Oh, like six months. And then the economy tanked. That was, uh, 2008 going like a bunch of employees, like everything went sideways. All the promises of what you can do as a dentist were kind of just shattered and broken. And, um, he found me a home at a practice that had four.Other dentists open 6 days a week, 12 hour days, and we all rotated through and the owner was a mentor at the voice center as well. So it was a very different form of voice dentistry. it was a much busier practice. The location was huge in terms of how everything worked. 3 days a week there and really got a sense of.The good, bad and ugly of how dentistry works. after that, I had a, we won and realized that 12 hour days were just not great when you have a newborn. And I ended up doing a start, like working for a startup that was. built by a denturist in Washington state denturists are, they can practice independently.They make dentures and, have a dental practice. So I worked for them for almost six months and it was somewhat disastrous, um, for a lot of reasons. Um, but learned a lot then moved into a practice that was more of like a very, very small DSO in Washington state that was. Privately owned, but he had like five practices along the Puget Sound and, um, did that time move back to Texas when we wanted sunshine, margaritas and grandparents to help with the two year old. worked for a DSO here for a couple of years, realized this was just not, it wasn't, it was a good way to like, get my lay of the land, learn more about. What dentistry is like in Dallas now and what I liked, didn't like location, all of that. And then, um, went into what was going to be a partnership with another colleague. but realized about a year and a half, two years in that I'd not bought into her practice, but. We had talked about doing it and I realized like our values just didn't quite align the way I wanted to practice was not the same as how she was running for practice and never was that going to actually work. ultimately ended up buying a, um, an existing practice that. Lived in a Victorian house where I'm sitting right now, and it was kind of the scaffolding of she had on the practice for 2025 years and really just needed someone to say, Hey, you need to retire. Let me buy your practice and and take over. So it ended up being kind of the scaffolding or building blocks for what I have.Now, so it's kind of like a glorified startup where I had, I had patients, so I had some cash flow, but I had to, you know, I changed out the flooring, took off the wallpaper, changed out the water lines, went from analog film processing to digital, all the things. And then we had to educate the patients in the value of.gums not be being inflamed and bloody and, um, look what we can see in these lovely big digital x rays. And, through this journey, I've always seen things from a risk based perspective where we're really looking at not just the teeth, but the whole person. What is the individual risk for each patient in terms of your. periodontal risk foundation, structural risk with carries and restorations, functional risk and airway.And, um, you know, aesthetically, what risks do we have in place? for me, I can't do that. And Two minutes or seven minutes. Like it's a, it's a conversation. Um, and so through this practice journey, everyone had always told me, like, you need to speed up, you need to talk less, you need to do more of the dentistry and more of the like selling, if you will.And it was always just like, I know, but like, how, how can I treat a stranger? How can I really get to the root of what's wrong with them if I don't take the time? And so. It was something that I mean, it's just been a recurrent theme to the point that when I left the practice, um, that I was going to buy into, I took like a six month sabbatical and really got into podcasts and all the different things learning like what, what do I need to be a business owner?Am I ready for this? What do I want to do? What does this look like? And really kind of getting into like, what would that be in real life as I worked on negotiating to buy this practice? and so a friend of mine was like, Oh, hey, by the way, I contacted the, uh, the dental. Director over at the DSO that I'd worked for for a couple of years just to see if maybe you could work there part time or something and I was like, no, you didn't.He's like, it's okay. He said, you're not a good fit for a DSO. And I was like, he's right. He's so right. I am not a DSO dog. Like I can't, I dance to my own tune. You can't tell me I have to sell a product. I don't believe in, you can't tell me I have to like meet these, Metrics, unless I believe in it, I want to do it.I want to do it for me. that was a big piece of kind of where me owning my own practice really came into play where I was like, I'm so broken. Like, no one does dentistry down here. Nobody does any of that stuff. Like, I need to do it myself and I need to create what it is that I want to practice in.And so that's really where we have landed. Um, circa about 2019, 2020, I realized And when I'm looking holistically at patients, and that's like holistically with a W, well, I also do care about what kind of materials, what kind of, you know, what toxins are residing in our oral environments and especially as dentists, like, what are we taking in as well? so like with my daughter, when she was born, we cloth diapered, you know, They're on organic, all the things like super much crunchier than I realized I was. I am one of those, like a kid has a fever. I'm not calling the doctor, like, let's figure out what's going on and you know, give it some time and see what we can do to heal before we medicate. and so that's my personal philosophy. And I realized like a lot of the patients I was attracting were those kinds of patients too, where they didn't trust a lot of the conventional things. They didn't necessarily, you know, they wanted to understand more than just like, Oh, I didn't brush and floss my teeth.And now I have these problems. Like what else is going on and do about it? That's not fluoride. What can I do about it? That's, you know, I'm doing everything that I should be doing otherwise. Why does this look like this? Why am I breaking down? And so really starting to cater to those patients. And, um, learn more about like what, what kind of dentistry does that was really where my practice, I think took a turn and, um, has allowed us to kind of get to where we are now, which is a biological or holistic dental practice, both with a W and just a straight up H.So crunch here, where we're looking at the whole person, we're looking at how do we detox? How do we reduce the toxic load for these patients, especially the ones who, I mean, they're just, they're sick. They've got Lyme. They've got, they're just more sensitive. They have other issues and everybody looks at them like they're crazy and dismisses them because they ask questions and they need somebody who can kind of be on their team.And even just listen, you know, a lot of what we do is the same as any other dentist stats, right? We're going to drill, we're going to fill, we're going to do local anesthetic, but. For some people, you know, the material matters a lot. for some people, they need to work a tooth at a time and then they need to.Beyond a detox protocol and they need to work with another provider who can help them to reduce the inflammation and just the response to any kind of trauma to their bodies. And so, it's been really interesting and eye opening and I probably learn more from my patients and they teach me at this point in time.Cause I'm like, oh, I don't know anything about that. Maybe I should find out. Um, so yeah. Interesting. Oh, and I guess the other piece of that is I did finish my voice. Center journey finished, but I did graduate like 10 years after I started at the center. And so that also factors big into the practice, um, in terms of how, I mean, it's a really good curriculum for merging, looking big picture, looking at the patient.And then also from a research evidence based perspective, factoring in the other parts and pieces of material safety, material science, biotoxicity, all of that stuff too. Michael: Yeah. No. Interesting. Okay. So real quick, tons of questions. But before we get into those questions, uh, how long have you, this acquisition started when and how long have you had Preeya: it?So I bought the practice in June of 2018, so we're at five and a half years. Okay. Five and a half years. Okay. Five and a half years. Cause COVID was in the middle of that, but you know. Does it count? Yeah. Just a bump in the road. No big deal. Michael: It's interesting. We rewind back. The lifestyle of the doctor you were, you said you were babysitting or you were, yeah, that's what attracted you.Are you, would you say, yeah, I'm living that lifestyle now?Preeya: No, I mean, it was a piece of it for me to it, but no, I mean, he, a, the lifestyle of a male dentist versus a female dentist is so different. I feel like. We need, we all need wives. I need a wife. Like my husband's super supportive. Thank goodness. Otherwise I wouldn't be here right this moment doing this thing. Um, but like, I think part of it too, is like, that was back in what the eighties nineties, how old am I? Oh, I'm going to say the nineties just for fun right now, early nineties, different lifestyle, right? Like the dentist lifestyle of, that era was You didn't have to work to market. people showed up, so you go to work, you do the dentistry and you leave and, like everybody caters to you at the office, right?Like For me, I feel like that's just not. The case, especiallyMichael: what, what, what is it different? And also if you can kind of like elaborate a little bit more on like male and female dentists, Preeya: there's so many things. Um, so I guess, what does it look like now for me? I, and it might just be because of who I am and how I practice and we're very tiny lean practice, but I go to work.I do the dentistry, but then when I leave work, there's more work to be done, right? There's always. At least for me, like, so whether it's chart notes and stuff, or it's some sort of marketing efforts, like, how does this look different? I think also, like, we started with kids later, which if you want to go into the female male dynamic, like, I didn't have children until I was 30. Largely because I wanted to get through dental school and then be married for a while. And then feel like we had a lifestyle established enough that we're ready to have kids.So we really did. We kind of push things out a good while before having children. but because of that, like the kids have been young for, for so much of. My practice now, even that, you know, trying to balance those things and as mom early childhood living child care, making sure they have all of their things requires a lot of me outside the office, but then also I'm required so much within the office.And as a female doctor, I feel like my female team. And I have a fantastic team now. So let me put that out there, but I feel like the team members don't necessarily coddle me as much as they would if I were a male doctor. they kind of, you know, they're like, well, you can do that yourself. Versus like, oh, here, doctor, let me go get this for you.There's just a little bit of a different mindset, um, and attitude. Or maybe I just give off the, like, I can do this myself. Leave me alone. I don't know. But I feel like I hear that amongst other women dentists as well. Yeah. Yeah. Michael: I get you. Do you feel like. Would you ever ask for it? Would you ever ask for like, guys, can you help me like kind of thing or Preeya: yeah, I mean, I would, but I think it's even just stuff like, Hey doc, you haven't eaten lunch.Do you want me to order something for you? even in a practice where I, my co doctor was with a male doctor, they just were asked or provided with more support than I was. And my female counterpart was. So I guess there's a contrast for you. and I don't feel like I necessarily need it, but it's nice.Michael: It's nice to like, to know that people are thinking of you like, Oh, they haven't eaten lunch. You know what I mean? Like, Preeya: yeah, I can have that more now with my team, but certainly there's been significant periods of time where it's like, Oh, I better eat something or I don't know.I think it, it's just a different dynamic. Michael: No, yeah. That's interesting. Especially from the nineties, but also like the male and female. I never thought about that. Yeah. You gave me something to think about. Yeah. That's really interesting. And then if we fast forward, you mentioned doc in a box. What is that?Preeya: It's a DSL. it was, you know, one of the larger internet or national corporations, um, very. I won't mention any names unless you want me to, but it was the very, you know, system from the, the practice management system was like the, it wasn't like DOS, but basically like you had to type everything in.Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Paper charts, um, not up to date anything. And I remember my first day there, I saw 30 patients. Michael: Wow. How did, what did you learn from that? Preeya: A lot. It was painful. Um, I mean, and it was paper charts. so I learned real quick how to template my notes and paper. Um, cause that was a big deal. It was interesting because.The two doctors that had been there previously, both left at the same time. And the only people left were like the support team. So the hygienist and the, the assistants and one of the doctors had, I mean, this man was. He produced a ton. He was top producer, but he was doing root canals and like anything he could access basically.So there'd be like 16 year old girl. Perfect. And Titian had a big old endo number 19 and a PFM and, and you're looking at her going, what happened here? saw a lot of that, which was. It was really interesting and challenging and it was an office where there'd been a lot of turnover. So one of the first things I think that I really had to learn was like, how do you finesse and create a relationship and trust quickly in an environment where there's been a ton of turnover and a ton of transition and, you know, trying to communicate to patients their needs, trying to establish that like, you're not just another doctor who's going to be in and out, which unfortunately I was, but, You know, in the meantime, I'm here.I'm here for you was a really interesting challenge, especially when you're 25 and look like you're not 25, like patients they don't view you as the doctor. And so it was a really interesting learning experience, especially where like, you literally have like two minutes to get through this person and, and be done with your exam and move on. Michael: Do you Preeya recommend like, cause I've heard this before where they're like, Hey. You're just getting out of residency, like, and you're looking for an associate, go to a DSL, get some grit under you and then, or do you recommend like, no, don't do that. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Preeya: I think it kind of depends on, on the individual company and the person.So there's. I feel like I've practiced in all different practice environments at this point over the past 15 years. And there's something to be gained from each and every one of those experiences. What I repeat them, probably not, but you know, from a DSO setting, what you do get is, I mean, they teach you a lot about how to present treatment.They teach you a lot about like standardizing some of the things you do. you don't have to worry about, you know, paying your assistance. You don't have to worry about, um, if someone doesn't show up, like, chances are someone from an office down the way might be able to pop in and and be there for you.So I think that is. There's some value to that, for sure. There's value to just having other people around you who've done it. although some DSOs, you are the sole doctor. So then you're really relying upon maybe a dental director or someone to mentor you. But I think ultimately, like,in today's world, I think it's hard to find a private practice. That you want and trust, you know, their patients and your care if you, you're just right out of school. And so that's a really tough, actually like your first five years of practice, right? It's like, Ooh. That's a little rough, skill wise or just the judgment.I feel like you don't really get that judgment until you're at like year five for me. Maybe I was a late limber, but like year five, when I was like, yeah, I really, I'm good. Like I, I have my mentors. I have people I can rely upon, but like, I feel like I got this. It was like, cool. Yeah, I'm, I'm good. And you're 15.I was like, Ooh, I have a lot more to learn. No, Michael: that's good. That's good that you have that mentality though. Then fast forward, you worked in your dream practice. Yeah. And so if the economy, if they kept you on, do you think you should be working there today? Or would you be like, Preeya: eventually I would have, I would have outgrown it.I think, um, largely because of where it was to, um, where Washington state, it was. We were trying to move to either Seattle or Portland, and we ended up in Puyallup, which is described as a bedroom community outside of Tacoma, or outside of Seattle, and it's like the exurbs, and it was very cool for almost seven years, but I would, the creature comforts of Dallas were better for me, or like maybe somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, but, um, outside of location, like it was a neat practice.It was neat to see I guess, especially going from the, the very corporate minded to this entirely different experience. Um, and I think ultimately I still would have wanted to do my own thing and spread my own wings and design the practice the way I wanted it to be. But, um, I mean, it really gave me real quick insight into like, how would I like to practice and guess why I don't have to see.30 patients in a day, I can see five, I could see three and it would be okay. And we can still be profitable and productive and make a difference and do what I want to do. And I think that was a big, yeah. Michael: Is there anything you took from that practice that you're currently utilizing, like any systems or anything like that, that you're doing today in your practice?Preeya: Um, Yeah. I think we've modernized them a little bit, but, um, So we, instead of serving, um, lattes and chocolate cookies, we do serve hot tea. I actually partnered with a tea maker in New Mexico to have like our own custom blend of smile tea. So, it is the signature tea that patients actually do come into, have a cup or take a bag home and enjoy.So that's kind of a similar, it's not coffee shop, but it's tea. Yeah. Um, and I think really just that concierge level of care, really knowing each of our patients pretty darn well, is also a big piece of what I took from that practice. Um, and then his, he was 1 of the 1st, so the owner of that practice, he was in, like, the inner circle, um, right at the very beginning with John Coyce when he did classes out of his office in 5th, Washington.So he's one of like the, the OG voice guys, everything I learned from him. I mean, I learned photography from him. I learned kind of just intake new patient protocols and that experience. And so I've taken that and I feel like I've elevated it some and modernized it some and added more to it, but that all started.way back when in that office, just in terms of really diving into the questions and really trying to get to know my patients and understand their motivations for being here and for seeking care to begin with. Michael: Gotcha. Okay. Interesting. And then fast forward, you worked for another practice, right? And a lot more dentistry.And then you moved back to, or you moved to Dallas because of it's interesting. What made you move back was a change of lifestyle too. Like you're like, Hey, my family lives there. Right. And then you're like, I wanted I want them to be around our child, right? So when you did that, you worked for a DSO again? Talk to me about that. How was, how was that knowing that you're like, Oh, I just got a good, good, a lot of highs. You know what I mean? Like, and then we're going to go back to. I was,Preeya: it was interesting. So, um. I was initially very even interviewing with them, I was like, Ugh, it's a DSO. Like this is not gonna go well. I don't wanna do this. But I was like, okay. It was, it was presented to me as like the best of the worst. Mm-Hmm. . Nothing against, best of the worst. That's, but for me, who was just not that person at this time or whatever.Um, it was, I was like, okay, so. It was a different experience from the get go. I, like, went to dinner with the dental director and, uh, the office manager of the practice I was interviewing to join somebody else as well. And so, number 1, like, having a dinner meeting as opposed to, like, uh, go into a clinical sterile environment was a neat way to introduce and learn about the practice and the people who are in the leadership.Part of it. Um, this particular DSO at that time, he didn't hire anybody who had less than five years of experience. Um, the tenure of most of their doctors in most of the offices, with the exception of, like, the redheaded stepchild out used to hear, um. Doctors stuck around for at least two plus years.My co doctor had been there for 10, 12 years already. The person I was replacing had been there for five and she was pregnant and didn't want to practice anymore. So I knew that there had been some longevity in the practice. The demographics of the office, the modern technology that was present there, those were all really good things.And I really clicked with the office manager right off the bat. So. Those were some key factors that I thought were important. Um, they seem to have a good commitment to training and, um, kind of allowing us to really do our own treatment plans and manage our own patient pool, which was great. so it was a neat experience that way. things kind of changed after about a year and a half, the, uh, the dental director got sick and there's some changes in the management and they started wanting to, uh, bring on HMOs, extend hours, do weekends. And those were all things that were kind of non negotiables for me. I had worked Saturdays for three and a half years.And, uh, after my last Saturday, I was like, I'm not. I'm not doing that anymore. know more. Um, and, um, I also won't do HMO dentistry because I just, I can't, I value my patients and me too much to, to do that. so that was a big non negotiable for me. And then evenings, I mean, you just don't want me working on your teeth at six, 7 PM.Like I'm Michael: not, you don't want me working on it. That's a good way to put it. You know what I mean? Okay. Okay. So all of these things cause you to eventually just say, Hey, I'm leaving. I'm going to go do a partnership, you said, was it a partnership that you wanted to? Why didn't that work out specifically? Preeya: it was a few different reasons.I always knew I wanted to do dentistry the Coyce way. I just, that's how I think that's how I've learned It's a very different way of practicing than. What we learn when we get out of dental school, a big piece of that is just being really committed to really high quality, continuing education, right?Like we're not done learning ever. the person that I was potentially working with was burnt out. Um, she was like, I feel like I've learned everything I need to learn. Like I'll keep up with magazines and stuff, but like, I'm good. I don't want to drop five, 10, 000 to, to go to a class. Like I. That's not what I want to do.And that's just not in alignment with one of my core values of really always trying to grow and educate and learn and provide the best for my patients and myself that way. Um, so that was a really, really big piece for me, at least in terms of like, when I realized we, that was never going to change for her that we can't be in business together.If we don't share that same, I guess, commitment to education, the other. Our management styles were also very different, which can work, I think, if they're synergistic, but I often felt like I got the blame for creating this, like, environment of chaos in the practice and that I just wasn't doing things.But I also really, I wasn't an owner in the practice. So, like, when you're an associate who might buy in. While you have a lot of, responsibility, you also can't do a lot of things because you're not the owner. You don't write the paychecks. Like, whether the employees are not going to listen to you, or if you do something, you're going to get in trouble potentially, because it's not what the owner would have done.Like, it's a tough dynamic. I think I,knowing now being in the seat of the owner, the decisions you make ultimately are, are yours.And like, I can't share those decisions with anybody else, unless I know that we have like an equal stake in the practice and that we both moving toward the same vision and goal. So like, even my husband, like he has, he'll periodically make suggestions and I'm like, yeah, cool. That's nice, honey. Like back to your Heidi hole.You're not the boss. This is not your Michael: past. You and Preeya: he's like, okay, it's your thing. I think it's kind of the same thing. Like when you have, it's hard, I mean, to do a buy in to partner, um, a friend of mine described it as a, you know, a loveless marriage with no sex, like you're in this together. It's a business relationship.You should like each other and mesh together and share similar, like and vision values. But at the end of the day, like. It's a business relationship. you can't like kiss and make amends. It's just, it's hard to find that person, I think, or people that you can really do that with, especially if you're very strong in, in what you think needs.To happen. Mm-Hmm. , if you like alpha females who think my way is a good way to do it. Like that can be tricky. Mm-Hmm. . But really it just was, compatibility wise, it wasn't, it wasn't gonna work. and this is not anything to speak negatively of that other person, but like I always felt less than, I felt like I just wasn't as good at doing the things, even though I wasn't.That wasn't really my role, and it was hard because there were things I was expected to do sometimes, but not always, and so not really knowing was expected of me as that associate to buy in was tough. Cause when you don't know what, what you're supposed to be doing, it's hard to do what you're supposed to be doing.Michael: Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. You need, that's why you need like the guidelines set systems, right. Rules to know like, okay, the more of you, the more principles you have, I guess, the more you can be guided of like, okay, this is what we're going to be doing kind of thing, but if you're just like, I don't know, sometimes I feel like partnerships sound like a good idea, but you know what I mean?Cause you don't want to make a sole decision on your own. You kind of want to go out on this risk together. I don't know. Preeya: I don't know. I, you know, I'd like to think that there's somebody out there that would work well with, you know, most people, but it's, I mean, again, like, like a marriage, like how hard is it to find that partner in life?And there's a lot of other things that certainly fall into that. But like, if it's hard to do that, then to find a partner as a business partner too, can be really challenging. I think it might be easier to find a partnership where like the delegation of responsibilities. significantly different.I mean, the partnerships I see that work are typically like, well, they make all the, like the clinical and HR decisions and they do more of the, like, you know, the admin. So you've got really that operational versus the, Michael: like the, yeah, like operations, CFO, CEO, right. COO kind of thing. Yeah, no, I get you.I get you. Interesting. So then we fast forward and now you have your practice acquisition for five years. how did you find your location? Preeya: Okay. So, um, when I was in dental school, I had a big brother in dental school and he has taken that role on as like his lifetime role for me.So. When I told him I was moving back to Dallas, he was like, cool, let me set you up with this interview. So that is how I ended up at the DSM. And then, um, when the partnership thing didn't work out, he's like, well, guess what? We're going to, uh, lunch with this lady. And actually even when I was first moving to Dallas, he's like, I have this practice in mind for you.And I was like, dude, I don't even know where the Metroplex we're living. Like, I don't know anything. I'm not buying anything. Let's table that. So fast forward, I guess, like four years. Yeah. About four years. That same name popped up again. He's like, okay, she needs to retire. You need to buy her practice. We are going to lunch on Thursday.You need to be here at this time. So I went to lunch with him and, um, this woman I bought the practice from, and we talked about her practice and dentistry and all the things. And then, um, I think later that week I came by to, to walk through, walk around. So she was not selling the practice. She was practicing, but she was taking at least two months off a year to travel and do things.She had one employee, and then a couple of temp hygienists who'd come in periodically to, to do hygiene. And that was it. And so, um, but she owned the building and the practice. So I was buying real assets.Michael: Okay. That's good. That's really, really good. So then from that moment on, what did you kind of change when you decided to take over the acquisition? Did you, does that one employee still working there? Preeya: she lasted about a month. yeah. Why? Michael: Why did she last only a month? I think Preeya: she realized. So, my initial plan wasn't to change a lot.I did a hygienist that I worked with at the DSO practice who followed me to the private practice who then followed me to this practice. So we worked together for about eight years, which was great. So she was my person. And so she came into the practice with me as a hygienist and assistant. so we came in and we started cleaning things out and, um, not only had this, the doctor I bought the practice from on the practice for like 20 years, she had.Uh, like merged to prior practices, one doctor had had a stroke and another had had a heart attack, like all their stuff. And so we had this, like, sort of, dentist or pack rats, right? We're going to keep this thing just in case. So every cabinet had, like, all the stuff, just full, crammed in there. So we had to start cleaning stuff out.We started, you know, working on equipment maintenance and stuff and ripped the carpets out, ripped the wallpaper off the walls, repainted all of that. We start looking at water lines and there's like, you know, you open the, the trap and you're supposed to have like the, the clean traps in there. Well, there's like a blue pill and like a thing of like a 2 by 2 and cotton roll shoved in there.And that was it. And so we were starting to ask questions like, what, what is this scenario here? Because then you take it out and it was like a layer of a black crud just inside the trap. Like we had to extricate that trap and like, we start looking a little deeper. And so there's just, we, we ended up changing out every single waterline because there's just stuff in the waterline.And so that was, One example of some things that just hadn't been well maintained while we were not imparting judgment, sterilization bags were being taped closed. And then when it got run through the autoclave, then they would open the bag, take the stuff out and then reuse the bag. and it was a chemical, if it wasn't even an autoclave like that, where we're like, so I know this is how we were doing it before, but this is how we're going to do it now kind of stuff.And I think she's like, Ooh. This is, this is a lot of stuff. And I think it was a lot to take that on. She'd been with the other doctor for 20 years. And so she found her way out. And yeah, so she was there for a month. Um, it was helpful. Actually, one really interesting thing we did was we printed out all the patients.Who were of record in the practice. And I had her go through because she'd been there for 20 years. I'm like, can you just like, write me a note about each of these patients that you know, so that like, I have a sense of who they are, if there's any like red flags or anything like that. So, you know, there'd be one that was like only comes in when something's falling out of her head or make sure you collect first on this patient.Otherwise, you're not going to see the money. So stuff like that, which was very helpful, um, as we did transition and I had a new team and we could not, you know, these patients were the salt of the earth. Like we've been coming here for years. Like we don't want to trust this new human being, let alone a new team who has changed the entire practice.Right. so she was there a month. patients asked about her for about a year like everything was fine after that. Did you Michael: lose a lot of the patient database or you did? Oh, wow. Preeya: It wasn't. I mean, we have like 300 patients to start with. Okay. So I really bought the building and.Michael: How did you feel about that, Preeya, where you're like, you're losing patients, you're losing patients. Does anything ever come to your mind, like, what the heck, like, what are we doing wrong or anything like Preeya: that or no? You know, the first couple, kind of, but then what was interesting is every time we lost a patient, the phone would ring, like we'd end up with a new patient.So it was like this really interesting dynamic of like, out goes one, in comes another, like, hey, okay. And, you know, They weren't my patients and they didn't see me. And they, a lot of them, we lost because we share, you know, we showed them like, Hey, you've been getting like healthy gum leanings for years, but your gums are bleeding.You have bone loss. There's stuff beneath the gums that needs to be removed. Like there's disease going on here and we need to treat that. And they didn't want that. And so, if my Job and my goal. And I'm here because I want you to be better and feel better and have improved health, systemically too.And you don't want what I have to offer, then this is not a good fit. And you need, you do need to find care elsewhere, but we sent out letters from myself and from the outgoing doctor, every single patient that was like a goodbye and a hello that we physically mailed out. but we'd have patients call and they'd be like, so the new doctor, is she from like Pakistan or India or like, where is she from? But in a way, like they were. I mean, they kind of racially profiled me and then they come in and see me and they're like, does she speak English? I'm like, yeah, yeah. my front desk person didn't tell me about it for like six months.And I was like, I don't remember how it came up in conversation. I was like, seriously, these patients were like. Questioning my race like here in Dallas in 2018. Like really? Yeah, but yeah, it was it was interesting Hmm, Michael: what city in Dallas are you located Interesting that that, that occurred though. You know what I mean? I mean, there's people like that though. You know what I mean? That's kind Preeya: of like an older, older population. And I guess they just, yeah. You know, they want to find a reason not to like you Michael: though. Yeah. I think they say like, you can be the ripest, juiciest peach ever, but you're always going to find that one person who's like, I don't like a peach.Right. And then that's what happens. So, but interesting. So then throughout this process, What's been some of the best companies you worked with and some of the worst or ones that just didn't fit with you? Preeya: So the first website I had made, I don't know, I was dumb, I guess. Like they, they touted it as like.They're going to make this video for me and they make a website like 6, 000 or something. It's like, okay, that's not bad. But it that did not just dental, they did all kinds of stuff, but it was like the most like canned website. which thankfully they were willing to change for me.Like we, I just had to give them all the content, all of the different parts and pieces. And it took like six months to get the website live because they just. Couldn't quite get it to where I wanted it to be. And then, they didn't tell me that there was like an annual fee on it, and they waived it the No, they don't waive it.It was not a fee until like two years in, which was like the end of the contract. And if I didn't pay that fee, they would wipe the website and they didn't really warn me. And then I had questions and they ended up just pulling the entire site gone. And so I had no website all of a sudden, I was like, uh, what do I do?So thankfully I actually had a friend who, um, does marketing and she, she made me a site. So So that was, I'd say that was one of the, the more negative experience side. Yeah. Um, yeah. And I mean, we all have our website and those media things, I think that are not always the best experiences.It's hard to, hard to know who to trust. Um, love my practice management software, which is Oryx O R Y X. Um, I spell it when I first started, everyone's like, excuse me, what is that? That's not Dentrix. No, no, no. Nope. It's none of those. but I was an earlier adopter of Oryx. So we transitioned in 2018.after I bought the practice, we had easy dental, which is like a spinoff of, I think it might be a baby dendrix even maybe. but. cloud based based on the principles that Jon Kois teaches, which was amazing because nothing out there is like that. Nothing is able to give you like this risk based profile broken into the four food groups.Like that is how my brain works and sees patients. And it was able to be created into this software that does the same thing. And it makes it easy to present to patients and communicate with patients when they see things in three colors. Which seems like such a simple thing, but in terms of just building credibility and trust right off the bat, having this system that has number one, it has, like, so many different things built into it.It's not just. Charting and, and treatment planning, but also like your communication with patients. So you can text and email them and, there's a review component and there's the easy auto confirmations. All that's built into 1 system, even how you enter the data, you're entering. Diagnostics first.What is the diagnosis? And then you're creating a treatment plan based on that diagnosis. You get to enter in, like, how big is that composite on number 19? Is it, less than a third of the isthmus width? Is it a third? Is it greater than half? And it shows on the, like, odontogram. Look at that big ass filling or like, Oh, that's pretty little.And so when patients see that, or even like your team sees that, if they're not super, dental savvy, like they're able to grasp real quick, like that's real big. what do we think is going to happen? And the system automatically then creates a risk profile based on what you enter in. And so it's very straightforward than to share with patients or even to, like, agree with yourself, right?Because some days you'll look at something and think one thing and the next day that sway kind of kicks in and you're like, we probably watch Yeah. No, look, criteria. We know the data supports this, therefore this is what we should be doing is a lot easier to ration with yourself even I feel like than, just the, the standard software that's out there where you're like, well, I'd see a fillings on that too.That's all I know about. Michael: Interesting. were you shopping around before that or did you immediately get it because of the Koi center? I Preeya: got it because of the Koi Center. I wanted that and I had multiple people tell me like, don't be an early adopter. Like that's. kind of daring my IT company who set everything up was like, we don't know anything about this.I'm like, that's okay. Just talk to them. They'll, talk to you. We'll figure it out. And they ended up, they're like, Oh my God, the backend on this system is amazing. Like the security is phenomenal. I was like, yay. Go me. You should have me. You should have me. You should have me. You should have me. You should have me.You should have me. You should have me. Don't necessarily know. I just knew I had a lot of frustrations with Dendrix and Eaglesoft. Those were the two that I used primarily, uh, through my years prior to this and they're good systems, but like they didn't really leverage the power behind that risk based treatment planning.And even like the medical dental history to be able to have that in a system that just creates risk and allows people to actually look at it and own it and understand. The questions you're asking, so, like, when we have a new patient, they automatically get a link to submit all of their medical dental history forms the history.If every single question has a reason behind it. So, if I'm asking you about your level of dental fear, if the patient has a high level of fear, the little risk thing goes up and there's a little thing on the side that says, Hey, make sure you're asking patient about why they have fear. Like there's this little, little guy on your shoulder who's telling you like, Hey, This is might be important because of this, or if they have diabetes, like A1C, this is what you're looking at.If it's above this or below this, you should be concerned because we're considered cross reactions with whatever. And so, um, when the patients see it, there's pictures that go with, especially some of the dental things, like, is there notching on your teeth? And there's like a little diagram, a little video that'll show like where the notching might be.So the patients can be like. Huh? my gosh. Yeah, there is. And so it's awareness and ownership to some of the things that had, they have going on and then they can come in. A lot of tens are like, oh my gosh, you asked about this. And I never thought about that, but oh my goodness. Like, yeah, I snore when I sleep.should I be concerned about that? And so, Just that level of education that patients are coming in with has been a really big game changer for us Michael: Yeah. Nice. Awesome. That makes us happy. So then from that, throughout this whole process for you, we're coming to a close here, but let's talk about from the moment you decided in your mind, like, I want to, I want to, I want to practice.I'm going on my own. So today. What's been some of the biggest struggles, fails, or pitfalls you've encountered? Great Preeya: question. think like most people, I think finding your people, finding your team been an interesting struggle. I think we all love to love other people and support them. And, I've had kind of three versions of my team over the past five years.So I had the people I started with minus the person who lasted a month, my team. Then I had a version 2. 0 right after COVID and then version 3. 0 as of last March. And with each iteration, it's really actually aligned with like iterations of the practice too, where I feel like I need a change and lo and behold, guess what?A lot of the changes, the people who are part of my team right now. so the source of stress was also me in part, but also like. There was kind of a mismatch and where, where things were going. and so because of that, I think, like, knowing what I want, what my expectations are and being able to lead those people, I think is something that.I'm perpetually working on refining and improving and try to learn like, you know, more to do with that. and especially now, post COVID, all the different expectations people bring into the office when as employees, um, and managing those and managing their lives and their drama. I think that's. It's been a source of stress, but also very fortunate.I feel like all of the people I've employed have been really, really great employees. I have knock on wood, not had any of the crazy drama that you read about on social media and like hear your friends talking about and stuff too. and I think a lot of that has been like really trying to attract the people that I seek, whether that's just, you know, am I manifesting it and putting out there a And also just creating the vibe here that attracts a certain type of person as well, I think is a big piece of that. But I mean, it's a str

‍‍In this episode of Monday Morning Marketing, we're diving into the power of reputation management with our guest, Steven Jensen, from Dental Intelligence. Steven breaks down the intricacies of building trust and shares practical ways to ensure an excellent customer journey. In an increasingly digitalized world, offering a streamlined and efficient patient experience can make all the difference. Join us as we discuss the significance of trust throughout every point of interaction and learn key strategies to optimize your operations for increased patient satisfaction and positive online reviews.The insights waiting for you in this episode may transform your approach to reputation management, so tune into the episode now!‍What you'll learn in this episode:The importance of trust in the customer journey, earned incrementally but lost in large amounts.A shared analogy that encapsulates this concept: "Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets."Various tips for managing patient reviews and maximizing positive customer experiences.An understanding of the vital distinction between patient expectations and reality, and how exceeding these expectations can result in glowing reviews.The impact of efficient systems and practices within a business.The power of trusted feedback and how it can help reveal changes that need to be made.The value and importance of automating your recall system.‍You can reach out to Steven Jensen here:Website: https://www.dentalintel.com/Email: sjensen@dentalintel.com‍Mentions and Links:Software:Open DentalDentrixEaglesoftCommunities:BeRealProducts:iPad‍If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Marketing, ask me on these platforms:My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)‍Michael: Hey, Steven. So talk to us about reputation management. How can we utilize this or what advice or suggestions or methods can you give us that will actually help us attract new patients through reputation management? Steven: Yeah, I think that's it. That's such a good question. I want to start by setting the stage with a concept or a principle that I believe in wholeheartedly.So the phrase goes like this. My, my, I grew up with my dad always telling me this. He said, Stephen, trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. I'm going to say that again. Trust is earned in drops. And lost in buckets. So as we consider, you know, our reputation management and getting people to put reviews online, like you have to step back and realize that before that review ever happens, there were drops and drops and drops and drops of moments, right?That that person has had with our business and our team members that led up to the point where they were like, okay, cool. you have invested enough in our relationship bucket, I guess, so to speak, where we're actually going to give that review. So I thought. Kind of something I thought would be worthwhile talking through today where what are some tactical ways or some tactical things you can do to make some of those moments consistently in the business, right?Like, how can we make it so there are repeatable good drops that are happening that we're investing in that bucket? Avoid those moments where we're losing, you know, losing trust. And then also kind of at the very end, like how can we, how can we ask for those reviews, obviously. So here's the first thing that came to my mind. So a couple of weeks ago, I went to go see a doctor. So not dentistry. I went to like just my medical doctor and I haven't been in like seven years.I'm in my mid thirties. And my wife's been on me like, hey, like you need to get a checkup. And I'm like, I know, like I go to the dentist, but I don't go to the doctor. So I go, and it's been a long time, like the last time I went to the doctor, I remember sitting in the lobby, and I would fill out the paper forms, and then I would wait, and it seems like it was always like 15 20 minutes, so like, I blocked out almost 2 hours of my day, of work day, to go and see the doctor.Because I thought that's how long it would take, like it always took forever. So, like, I was so surprised because when I walked in, they're like, hey, like, Steve, welcome. And, um, they're like, hey, to get you checked in, we're just going to send you a text message, and you're going to fill out your forms, and then we'll have you go back and see the doctor.So I was like, okay, cool, this is going to be like 20 minutes. And, uh, before I actually see someone. So I start working on the forms, just on my phone. So they sent me a text, I open it up, and I'm filling out the forms, you know, uh, medical history and stuff like that. And then within three minutes, all of a sudden someone comes and says, Hey, we're ready to have you come back.We're going to get vitals. And I was like, holy smokes. Like this is, this has changed since the last time that I was here. And, uh, so I walked back to the back and I've been to this doctor a bunch. Like he's been my family doctor for like 20 years. And it's always been a long wait. So then I walked back to the back and I'm, I'm filling out the forms, finishing them while I get my vitals.And then the second they're in the vitals, like they're like, great. The doctor ready to see you, Dr. Sharp. So they walked me back to Dr. Sharp and we jumped right in and he's got, you know, everything right there on his iPad and he's looking at everything that I just submitted. And he's like, cool. So it looks like, you know, these are the things we want to talk about today.In general, you're healthy exercising this much. This is what your diet's like. And like, he was so dialed in and that process was so smooth that for me, I was like, I'm ready to like give this guy, cause I'm thinking about this all the time. I'm ready to give this guy a good review. Like this is perfect.This is like such an ideal experience. Right? So I want everyone to think through what I just explained and like the drops that just happened. Right? Like I had these expectations. blocked out all this time, but they were able to get me through this experience really quickly and efficiently. But not in like a rushed way, but in a way that was like, man, they have their crap together.And they were just putting all these deposits into this bucket to the point where I was wowed multiple times throughout the visit with just how well that went. Right? So as you're listening and you're thinking yourself, okay, like, do I have myself dialed in like that? Do we have? Things in place so that forms aren't a hold up in my business.Like we're not filling out paperclips anymore and they're sitting there. Do we have communication with the team set up to the point where like, Hey, once something's finished, like once forms are done or like we're almost done, we're ready to rock and roll. Are we getting communication back to the doctor so that the second we're ready with any like pre appointment stuff the doctor's getting in there pretty quickly and it just seems like we have things dialed in like everyone knows where every patient is and everyone knows where it's supposed to be at the right time.So that for sure that's like one of my suggestions is make sure you have those moments all dialed in down to just the small little things like what are they doing on their phone, when they're filling out the forms, what happens when the forms are complete, and then what happens once you get back to the back office.Cool. I'm talking really fast, Michael. Any like questions Michael: there? No, that's great. That's great. I like the, uh, the idea of, or the need to have your systems already built, right? Obviously. Yes. But then dialed in. Cause I feel like we built them and then we don't really review them or, you know what I mean?They start providing some like holes in, but you don't go back and recheck them. You just start adding more things to the system, which will eventually fall apart. So make sure the systems Steven: are dialed in. Yes. And I think a great way to do that. You know, sometimes the doctor wishes they could like secret shop, you know, and be a patient in their own practice, but have a family member or friend come in and just ask them before, like, Hey, will you just pay attention?Like, what's it like to fill out the forms? And what's it, how long does it take to get back to the actual operatory where we talk with you and, and, and what's that whole experience like? And just ask a few people to give you feedback in the next couple of weeks. And I'm telling you, you'll uncover all sorts of little opportunities, right?Oh, cool. Like we'll make a little tweak there. And that will help really improve this experience once again, because the goal here is we want to, we're going to earn trust in, in drops and we can lose trust in buckets. So let's make sure we've dialed things in there. Okay, cool. The second thing I'll give is when it comes to the actual way that we Remind patients.So one of those things, one of these things happens in dentistry where a lot of folks fall through the crack. So, you know, I, I work for dental intelligence and we're always looking at numbers. So one cool stat that I always like to share is that, that, uh, only 49 percent of patients in the U. S. are scheduled to go back to see their dentist. So that means that like in general, everyone's got half of their patients just out there in the law land, not scheduled to come back. So two things there, one, that's a cool note from a marketing perspective. That means that you can steal away patients from another business because they're not scheduled there.So they're not like really tethered or to write for your own business. It's like, Hey, I want to make sure I get those people. tethered to my business. And that next appointment, traditionally hygiene, is how we're going to really tether them to the business. So one of the cool things that, that you can do is you really should think through, like, how can I automate my recall system?Right? So I think traditionally right now, still practices are printing off of a list from Open Dental or Dentrix or Eaglesoft of everyone that's due in the next like three, four weeks. But there are systems out there now where you can set it up to say, Hey, Every time it just automatically triggers every time I have a patient who's due for hygiene in the next, I don't know, say four weeks, let's shoot them a message with a link and a invitation to go ahead and schedule online for our business in our business.And then let's hit them with up to and you can set this up like three messages or four messages or five messages. Everyone's system is a little different, but you can hit them with a series of messages and you can say run that. for the next like four weeks or six weeks. And then once it's done, if that automation has failed.So, so patient gets a text message and says, Hey, like we miss you at Michael's dental or Steve's dental. And, uh, we'd love for you to come and schedule, come back, you know, click here to find an appointment time that's convenient for you. And if that automation fails, then go ahead and create like an automated task for a team member to follow up with that patient So there's a cool thing that you can do called the voicemail drop where you can record your own voicemail and then you can send it out to patients. And it sounds like you tried to call them, but you actually didn't.And it just places a voicemail and the doctors decided to record a voicemail of themselves saying, Hey, you know, this is Dr. Steve. I noticed that you haven't been in to see our hygiene team for a long time. We miss you. We'd love to have you come back. you know, no need to call me back at this phone number.Okay. But, you know, go ahead. My team will shoot a link here soon with a link to schedule or something like that, right? So they would send this personal touch and the patient would get a voicemail in their phone with this personal touch from the doctor. It's like, holy cow, like Dr. Michael misses me. Dr.Steve misses me and like wants me to come back and those little things like that. have such a big impact on the drops that we're putting into our relationship buckets with the patient. Once again, we're trying to work up to this experience. We're going to ask for reviews and then everyone already knows is I'm sure someone's already said this in the series, but the first thing that everyone sees when a patient Google's dentist near me is they look at the stars.Like that's the very first thing that they see. And if the stars aren't five, then they look at those first several reviews, right? Like what's good and what's bad. So those are going to impact in such a dramatic way people getting scheduled. So the reason why that even came to mind. So my mom calls me this last week. Uh, do you use B Real? Have you ever heard of that, Michael? B Real? Yeah, the social media app. Michael: No, I've heard of it, but I Steven: haven't like, uh, I'm not going to get into like an all pitch, but it's like, uh, it's like the anti Instagram where there's no filters.It just gives you once a day, like it alerts you like, Hey, you got to take a picture now. And you take a picture and take a picture with your front camera, back camera. And so it's like very like raw life. And, uh, you can't look at the past. You can't scroll the past. It's just today. So me and a bunch of my family are on it.So my mom calls me the other day because I took a picture at work and it had the front entrance of dental intelligence has our mission, which says it's our mission to make it more fulfilling to be a dental, practice team member and easier to be a patient. So my mom calls me and she's like, Hey, I saw your picture about how your software is trying to make it easier to be a patient and she's like, it totally does.And she's like, so the dental practice I go to uses dental intelligence engagement, and she got like five reminders to go and schedule because she was fast due for hygiene. And she just didn't schedule, didn't schedule, didn't schedule. So the automation failed, but then a few weeks later, so this is like the day after that she called me.A few weeks later, she's like, Hey, my tooth is hurting. And then immediately what came to her mind was, Oh yeah. Like the dentist has been texting me a million times. So she just went back in her text messages and found that thread, clicked on the link and got scheduled. Right. So that automation, even though like it failed, it did get to the point where like, In her mind, she had been hit so many times, she's like thinking about that dental practice and, uh, got them in.That might be a tip for, you know, patients that don't convert on the phone for the new patient appointment. You might want to send them reminders to schedule two. Yeah, that's good. And then let me, and then, uh, to wrap up, so Really, you know, the conversation that I wanted to have today was more around, you know, how can we use technology to simplify some of those engagements with the patient and also to make sure that there's consistently a good experience because one of the one of the troubles that you have as you manage a team member is people are inconsistent.Like, we wish that we were consistent, but we're not super consistent, right? Like, we've got bad days where we walk into that practice and we're like, I Don't want to be here and I don't love work and I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel. Like we all have those moments, right? Where like life's just kind of on a low and we have moments where we're on a high and we're like, man, like life's amazing.And we look out at, you know, lakes and valleys and oceans and we're like, this place is beautiful. and, and we can't really control that as a practice owner, but what we can control are some of the systems that we put around our team and around our patients. And so for me, the thought was, Hey, let's add a little segment in this.in this conversation about how we can use our systems to make sure that we're putting in consistent drops, it's scalable, it grows with our team, or it can create consistency with the team. And the three things that I thought were, let's put automation around like that forms an intake system and management while the patient's in the practice.Let's consider how we can use Recall reminders and automate some of that stuff so that the patient is aware that we're, like, thinking about them and care about them. And then let's use a tool like a voicemail dropper, a recorded voicemail that we send to patients. You could even do something like that in an email, technically, too.If you want to, like, hack this and be like, I'm just going to record something that says, Hey, this is Dr. Steve, I miss you. Well, then now you come back and you can send an email. that just catches them off guard, right? Something that they don't expect, that's where, like, you really can wow patients. And send out stuff like that to them.And you can also do that with, like, post op instructions. You could use a voicemail drop, right? Like, Hey, this is Dr. Steve. No need to call me back. I just wanted to make sure that if you're experiencing any excessive pain or any of those symptoms I listed out on the post op instructions that, uh, you give me a call.But if everything's good, like, just keep following the instructions my team gave to you. you know, thanks again for coming in today, something like that. And that will just really put in that extra, extra touch that patients are really looking for these days, right? Like there is for sure, great tools and automation, but they also want to feel like they're an actual human being.And it's not just like some bot that they're engaging with the business. Michael: Gotcha. So use that like the text messaging. Things like that with the links for automation to make sure, Hey, it can be quick, it's accessible for them, like your mom. But at the same time, but that personal touch in with the voicemail drops and well, evenSteven: the language you use in your appointment reminders, confirmations, like have fun with those, maybe I shouldn't say this, but I would just use like the standard thing that every company ships out.Like there's a ton of companies that do that. Right. So switch it up give it a personal touch to your business and your practice that. Speaks more to the voice that you're trying to have with patients like those types of things people notice and maybe they won't notice necessarily like, Oh, wow, like, I really like the way he said that, but small little changes that feel personal start to add up in people's minds.And it makes a difference as you do those. Michael: Yeah, I like that, man. I like that a lot. Awesome, Stephen. I appreciate your time. And if anyone has further questions, you can definitely find them on the Dental Marketer Society Facebook group, or where can they reach out to you directly? They Steven: can just reach out to my email sjensen at dentalintel. com. And I'm always happy to chat with people. Or if you want to like strategize, feel free to reach out to me. Love every chance I get to talk with docs. Awesome. Michael: So guys, that's all going to be in the show notes below. So definitely go check that out. Reach out to Steve. Steve, thank you so much for being with me on this Monday morning marketing episode.For sure. Steven: Thanks, Michael.‍

Today's episode is proudly sponsored by Darkhorse Tech, your go-to Dental-driven IT solutions company!‍‍‍Picture this: You're running a dental practice, and your patients' trust and data are your top priority. Enter Darkhorse Tech, the guardians of your patients' information, the solution to your IT headaches, and the force behind your seamless tech integrations.Your practice deserves the best, and Darkhorse Tech delivers.Click this link for an exclusive offer: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/darkhorse-deal/AND if you're listening before November 27th, 2023, take advantage of their Black Friday deal! https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/darkorse-black-friday-deal/‍Guest: Reuben KampBusiness Name: Darkhorse TechCheck out Reuben's Media:Website: https://www.darkhorsetech.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarkhorseTechInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkhorsetech/Email: admin@darkhorsetech.com‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Companies/Software: Benco Open Dental Microsoft Azure Flex Mango Dentrix Ascend Eaglesoft CareStack Oryx Archy DEXIS Carestream‍Useful Terms: DHCP - service that hands out IP addressesDNS - how devices resolve internet addressesGateway - how you get to the internetHIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act‍People/Communities: Howard Farran (podcaster + blogger)‍Dentistry Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran (podcast)‍Dental Town (blog/website/community)‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍My Key Takeaways:I'm moving to cloud based software. Do I still need IT support?How to spot out IT companies that may be dishonest.How does your IT company help with HIPAA compliance?The basics on IT with firewalls, antivirus, and internet connectivity. Why do we need reliable options for these?Why the D.I.Y. mentality is often not the right call with your IT solutions.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: All right. It's time to talk with our featured guests. Beloved person. Everybody adores him. Ruben Camp. How's Reuben: it going, man? You know how hard it is to be beloved and an IT guy at the same time. So, I'm doing great. Thanks, Michael. I've been doing this 11 years and just happy to be talking to you today.Michael: No, man. We appreciate it. We appreciate everything you're doing. I know you guys have, um, done a lot for the dental community, also startup community as well. Just practices in general. Um, at the same time, this is not your first episode with us. You've been with us, you've guided us through some processes.And at the same time, we're going to answer some of the most major questions today. But before we do that, if you can kind of give us a gist or a rundown, been doing this for Reuben: 11 years. That's right. Well, this is in Dark Horse. Um, Dark Horse is something that I started. It was, it was just me, you know, back in 2012.And, uh, we we've grown throughout the years. We got about 65 employees, about 1000 clients, uh, that are in the dental space. That's pretty much all we focus on is dental. So, uh, how I got into that is I used to be a Benco technician. So I used to do corporate it for, you know, the bad guys and, uh, you know, they really love selling birds and bibs and all that stuff.But it was kind of an afterthought. So I really wanted to. Um, you know, start a company where service was the, uh, the main forward, not selling consumables. So, Mm-Hmm. Uh, other Interesting. My dad was a dentist. That's how I got into this industry. I think everyone has a really interesting path about how you found dental.I know you do Michael as well. Right? We all kind of get dragged in somehow. Yeah. Um, you know, went to school, uh, at Chapel Hill to, to be a dentist and decided I didn't wanna do that. So, uh, yeah. Benco dark horse. Here we are. So you Michael: left Benco mainly because you were not seeing what you wanted to see, or what was the reason?Reuben: Yeah. So, I mean, there are a sales. Company first, right? So they're, you know, all the meetings and all the messaging and everything like that. It was, it was about how do we sell more product? How do we sell more CBCTs? How do we, you know, get more accounts and sell them consumables? You know, I call it burrs, bibs and everything else.and they had I. T. Because you know what? They didn't want shine or Patterson to be in that office. they almost like they had I. T. As a defensive mechanism, but not as like a core, something that they were putting a lot of resources in to develop. So, you know, I'm very passionate about what I do, uh, customer service and dental.That's kind of like, that's my niche. So, you know, let's say if Benco was 80, 20 sales to service, right? We have three people in sales out of 65 people. So you can see just by the demographics of our, you know, how we're made up. Most of our people are in places to support our clients, not to sell, you know, to shove something down their throat.So that was very important to me just as a service technician that started a company versus You know, we have a lot of competitors out there that have just either, you know, either bought an IT company and they're just trying to squeeze it for profits or, you know, someone who does not understand customer service, but hey, they're really good at a P& L statement.Yeah, yeah. Michael: Did you specialize that in Chapel Hill IT? Reuben: No, I had biochemistry because I was, uh, that's pre dental based. Anything that's in the sciences basically is pre dental. So that's, uh, computers. that's just been kind of my thing for, you know, for as long as I can remember, you know, nine, 10, 12, got into building computers and fixing them and started a company in high school called it's good computer solutions with and we run around and.Anybody that knows Ithaca, it's Cornell. So we fix it in Cornell professors at all hours of the day. And anyway, so it's just kind of been a passion self taught passion Michael: of mine. Yeah. Cause I was going to ask you out of all the. Things you were doing in Benco. Why did you pick to hone in on IT? Reuben: Uh, for that solution?You know, they wanted me to be a dual trained tech, right? They wanted me not only to go into an office install a computer system, sensors mount a CVCT, calibrate it, do all that stuff. But they were like, you know it would be really great if while you're there someone's, you know Cuspidor doesn't work if you could also be crushing on the mechanicals, you know, suction, all that stuff, you know, amalgam separators.And I was, uh, I was just so, I was so talented at the I. T. side of things that I never really got that opportunity to learn on it. And that's fine because that's not really a passion of mine. Um, You know, those, those systems are kind of gross. What goes down the drain when they get clogged up. Uh, so, uh, there's some very talented, we call them core service technicians, right?The core equipment in the office. and we'll leave it up to the professionals, but, Michael: Gotcha. Okay, man. Interesting. So then fast forward, you started Dark Horse Tech and this is where you're at now. Now, I know we're going to kind of talk about, and let's kind of jump into that if we can. A lot of people do have.Open dental, right? and so break it down to me. What are the confusions when it comes to having that and then I. Reuben: T. Absolutely. So kind of how we got here is, you know, dark horse version 1. 0 was we were a small regional upstate New York company. I mean, it's good. New York, small town, 30, 000 people, 30, 000 college students.And, you know, that was the old way of doing things. And then, you know, we got a break and Howard for and hired me. And Howard was in Phoenix, so that was our first, I can't drive to your office, right? And we nailed it. he was running Open Dental, in his office. And that really gave us the confidence, uh, and exposure, right?Went on his podcast, got a, got a forum to, introduce myself to the dental community, which at that time was still. Dental town now about a year after that interview, it's like everyone fled to Facebook groups and then I followed, them over there. so dark horse version 2. 0 is not just, you know, we're five minutes from your office.It's. Hey, we're dental specific. That's our edge. If you're in Hawaii, if you're in Alaska, if you're in rural Nebraska, we'll support you. No problem. You know, we'll make it work. And Dark Horse version 3. 0 has been cloud. Right? So, and that's kind of where we're segwaying in here today. Is open dentals, you know, great company.They're well known for their customer service. That's what I care about. Right? So when you hear me singing companies phrases, that means when you pick up the phone and call them, they treat you well, and they solve your problem. so we've always loved open dental. and so the confusion has come up just recently.So cloud. Open that up. There's two versions. There's the one you just that everyone pretty much has right now, which is you call them up. You buy a license key and you put it on your server. And right. It's a local system. And then there is. Open Dental's internal cloud offering, like literally they hosted at their HQ in Oregon, and that is a separate version.So there are only 2 versions of Open Dental. However, this is where the confusion comes in, like professionals like us, right? We use Microsoft and Azure as their cloud platform. We take the first version, the normal version, the one that works with, you know, Flex and Mango and Medento and Swell, all your third party integrations.We take the one that you've been running on your local server, and we put it in the cloud. So same version, integrations all work. that's still version 1. Version 2 is the one that OpenNL offers, and they have a pricing sheet online that you can look at, but it does not have integrations with third party.Which is tough for me because that's when I hear feedback about OpenDental, the products, right, the support's great, but people really love using all the third party integrations and they love the ability to switch, right? If something's not working for them, uh, there's nine other paperless companies you can go to, right?Um, you know, or like, you know, Flex is a great example, right? Flex is only written for OpenDental. And they do a really good job of what they do, right? Does not exist in any other practice management software. Cannot, cannot replicate it. But let's say the owner general manager flex pissed you off. You can switch software.So you can't do that with any other platform out there. So to break it down really simply. There's the off the shelf open dental, and that's the one that, you know, that we're in large part supporting putting in the cloud, um, creating awesome solutions for single practices, multi site practices and D.S. O. S. And then there's the internal open dental cloud offering. We honestly across our, you know, we have right now 1050 clients. We have zero people on that second version. So Mhm. that is where most of the confusion has come in the space when you try to have a conversation like over Facebook, over text. It's really hard to parse that out, and then when people call Open Dental, it gets even more confusing. Really? Michael: Okay. let me ask you, when it comes to cloud, do you still need IT for that? You still need Reuben: IT. So, HIPAA compliance are just, they're linked together, right? It's just like, alright, you read the, you know, what you need to do to, you know, to protect your patient's health information.Need to have a firewall? That doesn't go away. Uh, you need to have the antivirus software that does not go away. you need to have a backup system that does go away as long as you don't have 3D images, right? Those don't go to the cloud yet. Those stay local, right? this is something that a conversation needs to happen.It's really hard for me to like text somebody back and forth and explain all this. I'm glad this podcast exists because I can now cite it. Like, hey, before you even talk to me, listen to our conversation here. IT is absolutely reduced by going to Open Dental Cloud. Again, the first one, the off the shelf one I'm talking about, it is not erased, right?Michael: Open Dental will help you with Open Dental. Anything else in your practice, printers, security cameras, internal cameras, sensors, CVCTs, PCI compliance, all that is, is traditionally still on the company. Gotcha. Okay. So then what are the frustrations when trying to explain this then I guess, do people still understand it or they're more like.What, Reuben: you know, it's I. T. there's like, I can't give my full explanation because it crosses the border into I. T. jargon and the three letter, you know, acronyms start coming out and everyone's lost. So what we typically do we share our screen, right? We say, Hey, this is exactly how it's going to work on your office.Okay. Okay. Okay. Um, take the example of somebody that is on a server based open dental solution. Right now. We say, hey, you know what? It's the same version. We're going to put it in the cloud. Your staff is going to walk in the morning. They're going to see an open dental icon. They're double click on it and they're not even going to know what's in the cloud.Execution is actually very simple, right? from the customer's point of view, right? There's some expertise that goes into, migrating to the clouds, you know, getting the cloud server where it needs to be security. All that stuff takes technical expertise, but the staff walking in the morning, double clicking on open dental that does not change.So, um, that's why it's been such a successful implementation is because it's like it's still open dental that people know and love. Uh, it's just not on a local server in your office. And, you know, historically, the cloud has been slower, right? But with Microsoft's, you know, recent introduction of a couple of different protocols that are again, here comes the three letter acronyms.RDP is now AVD, which as a virtual desktop, we're seeing now that the cloud is faster than a local server. So it's not only that it's it's 2023. Of course, this should be in the cloud, is actually, just as fast or even faster than a local server. So it's, uh, you know, a really great time to talk about.This is when you're looking to replace your server. It's like, hey, do you want to, you know, do you want to write a check every 5 years? Right? And maintain that hardware. And when you replace it, there's downtime to transfer it, or you go to the cloud. You know, it's a really great time to, to talk to your IT company about, um, options.So you don't have to buy one time, part of our cost. Michael: Gotcha. So then it's easy. I guess, how often should you replace the server then? And then what really does cloud based I guess servers or softwares kind of cover, right? If you were to give us like bullet points of this is what it covers easily. Boom. And then how often should we replace the server?You're like, Nope, I'm still sticking with what I know. Trying to Reuben: servers five to seven years is a pretty safe, um, window of time, right? It is. If your server goes down, that means your patients are waiting. So, that is not worth something cheaping out on, right? It's kind of the brains of the operation.Now, if you go to the cloud now, you don't have to work at hardware anymore, right? And you look at Microsoft's data the industry. This is this is true for voiceover I. P. As it is for any cloud service. They talk about nines, right? They talk about what is your uptime? How many nines are there past the 99 percent point, right?And Microsoft has four nines. So that means you have about a minute and a half downtime a year. I've never seen it go down, but technically I guess it's gone down for a minute and a half on average every year. 99. 9999 percent uptime, which cannot be replicated at all by a local because all these services, you have Amazon, you have Google, you have Microsoft, just to name three.There's competition part, you know, the cost of storage is going down. The cost of servers is going down. It used to be, it didn't make a lot of sense for a single practice to go cloud, uh, only for multi site and now it's just, everyone should go cloud because it's, more cost effective. Hmm. Michael: So that's the key most cost effective then, right?Especially if people are trying to. Gotcha. Okay. So then going with that to you, Ruben, because you've, you've worked with hundreds of practices or you are working with hundreds of practices. Reuben: Hundreds of practices that use Open Dental and more, you know, more practices that use Dentrix and Eaglesoft and CareStack and Oryx and all those software.So, you know, I, I see the entire industry. We're kind of focusing here on Open Dental, but, um, I mean, Open Dental, it's no secret is, My favorite software, I don't know if I've still ever seen a negative comment about open dental. Michael: So then to you, what would be, if you're trying to be super cost.Effective, but efficient to start off, what would it be the best kind of like formula or stack to use for this? Reuben: So it all goes to fit, right? What makes, if we're, we're saying everything is equal, it's an easy answer. Right. but the problem is certain softwares are better suited for dentists. Right.There's, of course, the feature set standpoint, and you can only find this out by talking to these companies and doing demos. Is this going to work for my practice and how I manage and bill and all that stuff? Um, you know, and the other side of this is you want? Do you want something that's all inclusive, right?Let's let's take dentrics ascend. Uh, for example, you pay a higher bill, right? Then you would pay to open down, but you get every single service that you could want. The problem is you have to use all those services, right? There is no alternative. if you're a dentist that wants to use the best software, that's why open dental still exists, right?It may look, it's from like, it's from the 1990s and they haven't updated it, but you know, what makes it so powerful is. honestly, it's like the app store on, on Apple, right? It's a, it's a great phone, but you know, what's great about it? The app store, you can download whatever you want.It's got the best ecosystem out there. So you go into open now and you're like, you know, flex is a really great example. that program alone It's just so incredibly powerful, right? You don't have those options with an all inclusive software, but maybe you're a dentist and you're just like, you know, I don't want to worry about having to sign up for Open Dental and then Flex and then, you know, Practice by Numbers and then Mango Voice.I don't want to have to do all that. Right. Which is, you know, why companies like Archie exists because they'll, they'll say, Hey, we'll give you practice management. We'll give you phones through mango. It's included in your bill. We'll give you patient communication. We'll give you all this stuff. So you kind of have to ask the question of what kind of person are you?Are you justlet me sign up for 1 thing and I'll just use whatever they have. Or do you want to be able to be like. I want to work with the best, patient communication company. I want to work with the best clearinghouse. I want to work with the best, patient portal company, credit card company.That's who I am. That's what a lot of dentists are out there. I mean, Open Dental is still the number one software for startups. Um, when we see people have all the choice in the world, Open Dental is still being... over 50 percent of start up practices are still going open nettle. and that's why, it's more of an ease, uh, question, right? Single pane of glass, it's all here. Freedom of choice is on the other Michael: side. Gotcha. So one is more like all one subscription type. Yeah, like for example, like Oryx, right? If you were to just go with Oryx, all in one, exclusive, you know what I mean?Inclusive everything, Reuben: I'm going to get Oryx, uh, and I'm going to get phones. I'm done. Yeah. Michael: It's easy. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. But if you want the, like the other side, right? The freedom to choose. Reuben: So we have opened 400 startups. I've talked to most of these people and then, even, even more people, right.Because the ones that didn't go with us. Right. I, and I hear their story. And like, I think the reason Open Dental is appealing. Is because, let's go back to the 2012, you know, I'm leaving Benco, I'm risking, that's, that's a health insurance for our family that's half the income for our family and I'm leaving with nothing and I'm saying, like, you know, I have a dream to create a great it company and I'm, I'm going for it.Right. and that's who the startup people are, plus a million and a half dollars in debt, which I do not have. that's a whole nother layer. So, you know, when you talk to these people, they're like, this is my dream practice. I want it to be freaking awesome, right? And I'm not sure those companies can, can meet that standard, right?They're, they're trying to be the jack of all trades. because when you peel back the layer. You know, let's again, just let's go back to Ascend. That's like 10 different companies, right? They've stitched the software all together to make it all look and feel like a cohesive interface.But the practice management module is different than the image, right? That's a separate software, right? So you're talking about one company who's trying to develop and, you know, and push forward 10 different platforms. It's really hard to do, right? And it's one reason why we're like, Hey, mango, do your thing.Just frickin nail the phones, right? And a lot of I. T. companies do do phones. We just feel like it distracts from our core purpose, which is like. All right, we're going to be awesome at support. We're gonna be awesome at startups, which is basically support as well, you know, and we're gonna be great at the cloud, right?let's just focus on these three things. That is our competitive advantage. When you try to broaden in any segment, I mean, Dennis probably know this from trying to bring in, let's bring in ortho, let's bring in oral surgery in house, and you try to be A plus at all these different things, it's really hard.It's the same thing with software companies. Everything in the startup, it's a conversation. I listen to what people want and, you know, anytime they're just like, this has to work. I want this practice to be the, you know, the best patient experience. It can be it usually inevitably points to, to a single software company.Michael: Yeah. Okay, cool, man. That's awesome. And then, so with that kind of being said, I know cost kind of comes in the mind. That's the question that a lot of people really ask is how can they start cutting down on their I. T. or how can they minimize that I. T. bill or have you seen this? Where people are like, Hey, I just got like new fees on my it bill or something like that.What, what is up with that? Reuben: The new fees thing? Uh, well, I mean, if you add computers, it just depends how your IT is set up, right? there's. Uh, on the back end, I can tell you, as somebody who runs an I. T. company, we get charged per device, right? So it's natural for your I. T. company to then bill you. It's the fairest way to do it.We get charged for ten, you know, antivirus agents. You have nine servers, nine workstations and a server. That's ten. Lines up. So usually when you see I. T. bills go up office ads, a computer office ads, email services. It's, it's stuff like that. I mean, unless you're just working with, you know, shady folks that just move numbers, you don't notice, um, you know, we do price increases, uh, annually because we give our staff raises.Guess where the price increase comes from. what we hear from our clients, we want to work with the same people again and again. That's retention. And that means you got to give people a reason to stay here. Besides like, Hey. You like ribbon, you should stay here, but usually that means promotions and raises and all that good stuff.let's pivot to how do you cut down on IT costs, right? not someone who is, let's say, there's a lot of IT companies out there that prevent their clients from going to the cloud because they so fear, like, oh no, it's not ready yet, it can't do what you want to do. But they're really protecting their butts, right?They're like, oh, my client goes to the cloud. I'm going to lose revenue. So let's talk about that. Let's talk about how to lose IT companies revenue. so think about, any software out there. Dentrix. Uh, Eaglesoft open, right? We have a server uh, we have to back up that server and the office says, you know what?If that server goes down, I don't wanna be downed at all. Alright? So then we need a backup and disaster recovery system. So when we go cloud, let's just make it very, very simple. Let's leave three D out of it. Let's, let's treat it like it's a pediatric office and everything is two d imaging. I'll pick on Oryx for now, right? I know it's a good partner of ours. I know Rania. I love the products. When you go, or let's say you're on Open Dental and DEXIS imaging locally, you go Oryx, what goes away on the IT side? Well, I don't have to manage your server anymore. That is one of the highest costs on there.That goes away. I don't have to back up that server that I'm not managing anymore. So that goes away. So what does that leave? That leaves how much support you want, right? And so that's either you pay as needed or you want unlimited support for your practice. A firewall that is still a HIPAA requirement in antivirus software.I'm just trying to keep it as simple as possible, like there's patch management and all this stuff you have to keep your computers up to date that should, go along with the antivirus and all that stuff. But, some big stuff comes off, but you still have a lot of requirements, and things to protect on the network.Gotcha. Michael: Okay. So the requirements still stay, but now when you say the biggest expense, which is the servers, right? That kind of comes off, how much are we looking to shave off when that happens? Reuben: Yeah, so I mean, I can only talk about myself. Right. And our company. so again, the two biggest costs are support.Let's say you're paying for unlimited support. We call that our gold plan, right? Unlimited phone support and server management. So let's say an office is on a 600 a month plan with us unlimited support, and they go to a cloud based agreement. You could be looking at 150 a month in savings. Okay, Michael: but server management, right?Or the Reuben: server? Server, yeah, the server in the backup system going away, you could go down to 450. Michael: Okay, but everything else, the bare bones requirement. Reuben: Percent savings. Michael: So when it comes to like the, let's just say they did that and they went with the works, they did all that and they're like, Ruben, help me out here, man.Like I need, give me the bare bones that what we can do. How does that look? And, and is that feasible for the long run? And they're like, I want to grow, Reuben: but give me the bare bones. Well, depends on how much your staff calls in, right? If your staff doesn't call in. You should be on a bare bones plan, right?You shouldn't be on just like, Hey, cover me for HIPAA compliance, cybersecurity, make sure I don't get hacked. Let's go. the thing is most of our clients call in, they use the service they pay for. So it's, it's completely up to the client. I think it's a really. Smart decision as, uh, as a business owner, not to put a barrier between your staff needing help and like, Oh, you know, Dr.Clark's going to get a bill. If I pick up the phone, right? Things are broken. Your staff doesn't hesitate. It gets fixed done, right? That's the stuff that, you know, the dentist doesn't see while they're in the treatment room is like, you know, the scanner doesn't work. So your staff is so much less efficient because they had to, you know, create a workaround.Right. Because they know if they call, you know, Dr. Clarkson and get you know, bill in the mail 10 days from now, he's going to be like, Hey, Nancy, what the heck? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. You know, it's uh, you know, And Michael: I feel like that kind of creates like more, uh, you're scared. You won't even tell the doctor, you know what I mean?You're like, oops, I pray, tell her you'll lie about it or something, right? In order to not feel, you're creating some type of weird environment in your office when you do that. Right, Reuben: right. I can't imagine how much stuff. Wouldn't get done if I was the bottleneck at my company, it's like, Oh, no, we can't reach out to that company until Ruben approves it.It's like, Oh, my God, I wouldn't get anything done. Um, but to answer your question, like, if you, let's say it's a, it's a medium or sized or smaller office. You stripped out the unlimited service and you're just like, Hey, I'm going to Oryx and I want no frills, right? Just give me, compliant and protected.You could easily be in the 200 to 300 range. Yeah. Yeah. Michael: But the unlimited, like give me an example, like why, or from your experience, if you can give me like the top three, why does staff call in a lot? Let me Reuben: just pull up our service board right now and just list off what people calling about your PCS compliance scan a PCI compliance scan, it's a test for I. T. Professionals. It's like, you know, what settings do you have on on your firewall? Do you have antivirus software? When were the last? So it's basically a test for I. T. People. That's a really great thing to offload to us because that thing takes like 30 minutes to complete.Right? questionnaire and then you have to schedule the scan. You have to know your internal IP address that spectrum gave you to run. Anyway, uh, that's one example. let's see. Questions about switching a panoramic PC to server PC. So this office, they have a imaging database on their pan PC and they want to.They want to talk to us about what it would take to move that to the server PC to consolidate that, um, create remote access, right? That's something that's included with all of our plans. Great remote access for, my new remote employee, uh, so that they can log into a lab computer, let's see, install remixes on computers that were just installed, uh, by the office.uh, workstation two cannot print, create new windows user on consultation computer. and then, oh, this one's great. Uh, shout out to Becky Scott from Lincoln Children's Dentistry. Help my son get fortnight to work on our office Wi Fi. So, you guys, you guys cover all kinds of help my son get fortnight to work.Yeah, I mean, there's... You cover everything. IT companies, uh, you know, we're, again, we're dental specific. We coach our people to call us on anything. There's, there's really two setups. There is the like IT company that say, Hey, that's a vendor problem. You need to call them directly. And then there's us, right.And, and some other really good companies in the space who have vendor management built in, and that's the expectation that like your staff. Is taking care of patients. They're not like waiting on hold with Carestream or, you know, gen X or Dexus, you know, they're, they gotta take care of patients. Like, yeah, wait on hold while, you know, while we're, you know, working at home or, or at hq.So, but Michael: that, I, I think that's really good to have though, because I feel like, uh, a lot of the times you waste time looking for it, right? When we can just go to you and then you give us the solution. Hey, it's a vendor, Hey, it's this. And so I'm sure you've heard of this a lot, and this is a question when I asked and the Dental Market Society Facebook group, like in other places, they send us this one a lot, uh, when VoIP, right?So they're saying kind of like we're having an issue with our phones and then VoIP says there is no issue or it can be any other vendor, right? That says there is no issue on our end. So then it falls back on you or what, what happens there? Reuben: Yeah. So, you know, in the example of the bad it company that says call your vendor, you're stuck in the middle as the client, that's the worst, you know, you feel helpless, kind of feel a little pissed off and you're like, what, and so our clients never have to feel like that anymore because we're just, we are them.In that scenario, we're hunting down the solution the ticket will not get closed until the issue is resolved. So let's talk about voiceover IP, right? A lot of, you know, a lot of people that is the standard. Now, of course, you should have it. It's really great if you have a hybrid, you want to offer jobs that are hybrid or even full remote, right?Voiceover IP is like the only way to pull that off. So you install your new phone system and you're having call quality issues. the number one most likely culprit is going to be your firewall. Okay, so if the phone company says, Hey, our servers are great. Everything looks really good until it hits your office.And so let's assume they're right. Yeah, you know, let's assume AWS is not having an issue. Firewall is gonna be number one. Internet quality is going to be number two. And number three is going to be the device that controls your network. Sometimes that's the server. Sometimes that's the firewall. But basically, you know, my, when you, when you go to Starbucks and you join the wifi, you're getting an IP address from something, right?You're not just, just magically connecting to the internet. Something is handing you an address. Okay, so those are the three things that again, if you have an I. T. Company, they're going to be able to diagnose that stuff pretty quickly. They're going to be able to run, let's say, in the Internet stability.They're going to be able to run a ping test. Let's say you spectrum. They can see is your Internet like a D. C. Current. Is it just flat? Or is it like, is it just Jerry? And it's all over the place. You know, voice needs a very, consistent connection to work well, not a lot of traffic, but just needs a stable connection.Firewall. Well, if you just leave the firewall stock unconfigured, it's just going to be constantly scanning that phone traffic, and then you're going to call quality issues. So, what we do is after the office let's say they get mango, they plug their, uh, yelling phones in, they show up on the network.we do a couple different things, but just to keep it simple, we whitelist them, right? we tell the firewall. These devices are safe. Don't hammer them. Right? Don't constantly bombard them with internal threat protection stuff. there's a couple other tips and tricks you could do, but it's more kind of for your, your I.T than like a D. I. Y. Stuff. So we won't talk about that. Yeah. And then there's the device that hands out I. P. Addresses. Right? So you could be out of I. P. Addresses, right? You have such a large office. You've maxed out. You plug that phone in. It doesn't even connect to the Internet. you could have I. P.Address conflicts, right? So, uh, you let's say, the phone's working great. You connect your laptop, That router gives, uh, your laptop the same address as the phone. One of those devices is going to win. Okay, uh huh. Right, so there could be an IP address conflict. Um, and I'll just throw out some, some other words if people are taking notes here and they're going to send it to their IT company.DHCP, that's what, that's the service that hands out IP addresses. DNS, that's how devices resolve internet addresses, right? Google. com is actually 8. 8. 8. 8. Okay, right. So when you type in google. com, it's touching a DNS server and it's saying, what is this? And it goes, Oh yeah, that's 8. Of course. Well, here you go.You don't know that's happening, but DHCP, DNS, and lastly, gateway. Gateway is just how you get to the internet. So I know that's, that's a lot of technical jargon, but you know, for the, for those of you who are DIY er, like furiously writing your, your IT company to email right now, just put all those words in there.Michael: Wait, quick question, leaving firewall stock? What does that mean? Like you said, if you just leave your firewall stock. Reuben: Okay. So let's say you get a firewall. Plug it in out of the box. You don't do anything. All right. What you're going, you're going to have phone issues. You're going to have issues with anything that is internal that needs to broadcast external.Okay. So think, think about. Open dental e services thing about, credit card, right? You have a credit card reader that thing needs to authenticate their credit card and come back if you leave it stock. It's going to turn off access to all of these devices that you rely on your practice to work on. Now, it's not going to not work 100 percent of the time.but these are the things that your I. T. commission should be doing. They should be whitelisting these known good devices. Um, so there are no issues and you don't have to worry about this stuff at all. Gotcha. Michael: Okay. Interesting. So this is basically why we hear all the time where they might be like, hey, it's not us.Call your IT company. Reuben: It's not us. It's you. Um, yeah. Uh, It's usually, it's also usually the firewall and, and not to get into a soapbox here. IT is, it's really hard because there's not like a set of standards. So again, anybody, including me, I should say, You know, self taught, just have a lot of experience, can be an IT person, right?So, you know, you come along and someone's like, Oh yeah, I can do all of that for half the price. Right. And it's just like, okay, but what are you getting? And it's like, uh, none of this stuff is HIPAA compliant. It's like, no wonder it's half price because it's not actually protecting your office. You know, you, do want to work honestly with folks that care about their patient's data.Right. Because that's what I care about doing a good job. but I tease one of those tough industries, right? There's not a lot of regulation in terms of, who can, um, be an I. T. person, if you're an I. T. person that's working with a dentist, you have their trust and you breach that trust by selling them something that is not HIPAA compliant.There are no ramifications for you. So it's, somewhat of a wild, like I'm in this, this position where, you know, I've been around long enough and I have the respects, uh, of a lot of people out there and there are other companies like medics dental, that, that do a really good job in this space. And, you know, we like to say we're the good guys, right?We don't cut corners. We do the right thing. We take care of our clients. But then there's the rest of the market and it's, really hard to have, conversations because the dentist is always stuck in the middle, right? They're hearing one thing like from a colleague. Oh, this endodontist who has five offices in Illinois uses this guy and pays him, pays him 40 bucks a month and that's everything you do.I'm like, yeah, okay. You know, it's half of these, like, okay. I want to fight to keep the client. The other half is like, this person has been fed a load of, you know, BS. And I'm not going to be the one that's going to be able to convince them that they were given wrong information by their endodontist friend.So it's like, yeah, it's just, mistake. In that scenario. Michael: No, that's good. Because in that scenario, what would be like the, I guess in your terms, like the BS, like the stuff where you're like, Ruben, I see that all the time, man, where I'm like, Oh, look, your fellow it person here just wants to let you know.And then they give you like a list of everything or whatever. And you're like. What? You know what I mean? it looks like they pretty much are saying like, we can do the same thing, but like, 40 bucks a month Reuben: I'll the name, but I'll give you a real example.So we had, we had a dentist that recently left us, right? Um, and they, they were under a, a one year startup deal. Right. So we give folks lower pricing, on the startup price. they just have to sign a one, just a one year term, uh, initial term. Then it's month to month after that. So it was like month six in this, dentist, uh, was struggling, right?Her practice wasn't growing as fast as she wanted to. So she was making calls to vendors to be like, Hey, what can you do for me? and this is was kind of alluding to the endodontist. This is, that's kind of the story, right? She talked to a colleague who used a guy, um, for his practices and was like, Hey, I'm really struggling, but I'm not going to hold somebody to a contract if I'm affecting their business. Yeah, yeah, that's not why I got into this industry, right? Is to make every single dollar I could from a dentist, and it's like, tell you what, let's make a deal here. Send me what they sent you if they are truly matching what we are providing.Like, just let's, let's part ways, right? Go there, save some money and, you know, let's part as friends. so got an email a week later and they're like, the plan is we're going to take your HIPAA compliant firewall and we're going to replace it with a home router for Best Buy. It's like, okay.And then we're going to take your HIPAA compliant backup system and we're going to install a free Dropbox. I'm like, okay, so I didn't even read the rest of the email. I just stopped there and I was like, all right, so let's let's figure out how to work together. They're not giving you a HIPAA compliant solution.You know, like, if I can help you in any way, take some pressure off your business, let's do it. And that email came back with basically, I was the bad guy for pointing out that they had been given bad advice. So I have two choices in this moment. I can keep continuing to try to work with this person or I can just let them go.And I chose to let them go. I don't want to have to be bad guy. I don't do high pressure sales. I don't do scare tactics. or if you trust another person. More than me if by all means, please go work with them, but you know, peace of mind sleep at night I told the doctor everything that they were not getting you know They were literally compromising their patients health information.can't work with that person, you know Michael: yeah, so they were more upset that you didn't agree with the other IT companies like Janky solutions, you know what I mean? Like, Oh, like, Hey, we're Reuben: just like a perfect they're doing what we're doing for less money, show me, cause I would love to know how to be more efficient.Just, I'm curious, like, how did, how is this possible? And it turns out the solution was, we're just going to pull stuff off a Best Buy that belongs in someone's home. And so you're good.Michael: That, that story really gets into the essence of the complexity of being an IT professional in healthcare.Yeah. Yeah. And we got to go one of these days, we got to do an episode about how important it is to be HIPAA compliant. Cause I know we kind of touched that. Well, we touched that in this episode, but we kind of touched that in previous ones of, it's mega important, you know.Um, in order to do that. So Reuben: it should be like car insurance, right? It should not be opt in, opt out. it's like, yeah, I kind of want to be a little compliant, but then I want to ignore all this stuff, you know, that actually costs a little compliant and like, who's safe. Henry Schein got hacked twice, Aspen Dental.And this is just this year, Aspen Dental had over a thousand practices get hacked. I don't know what it's going to take, and I try not to, you know, worry about all the dentists that didn't take my advice went down a different pathway, but. This is what I talk about. I want to work with people that care about protecting their patient.is a passion of mine. I want you to care about protecting your patient's health information. Yeah, Michael: and I like that about you, man. It's because, like, your transition... Every time I think Dark Horse has been running, you guys have been... Moving the needle closer and closer to quality, right? Over like, we got to get more sales, more people, more things.and every time you guys have ever sponsored, right? You're never like, how many leads are we getting or anything like that? It's more like, Hey man, like let's, let's. Let them know about this. Let's let the people know about that, right? important Reuben: stuff. My marketing strategy can be distilled down into two words.Good vibes. I just want, like, good vibes that kind of, you know, reverberate throughout the anals of the internet, right? Just like, uh, you know, someone has a question on, uh, you know, dental marketer group about imaging software. Whatever. We'll jump in. I'm not gonna solicit you. Here's an answer. Great.If you look me up and you want to reach out, that's awesome. But that has been for 11 years all organic growth. And why? Like, we love partnering with with you. Michael's just like, here's a podcast that is just about let's get as much information. Let's clear up confusion in the industry.I'm not asking you to work with me. Take all this information back to your IT company and protect yourself. And if you love your IT guy, keep working with him. I'm here if you want an option, but like, I really hope you care about compliance before you call. Michael: Yeah. And if you guys want to know how to get Fortnite to start working in your office.Reuben: That's the Michael: firewall. Yeah. I remember, uh,Ashley one time caught you, right? Like about a fridge or something Reuben: like that? so actually once called me when her power went out.Hey, my, uh, you know, my, uh, computers aren't turning on, I was like, can you call your electric company and that goes back to just like we, again, when we train our clients calls for anything, sometimes they do. Yeah. And no, no, no. Yeah. Call NYSEG or, you know, call your local power company.Uh, happy to help out and pick up the phone and all that. But yeah, no. Michael: That's awesome. Ruben, we appreciate your time, but before we say goodbye, can you tell our listeners where they can find you? Reuben: Oh, yeah. Um, I'm all over the internet. So you'll see me just popping around in and out of Facebook groups. Uh, my direct email is admin at dark horse tech.com and go right on our website and hit contact us. And that will, uh, generate a little, link to schedule a call with us. DM me on Facebook, you can DM me on Instagram. You'll see. Instagram, if you want to follow us at dark horse tech, that's where I post, you know, anytime we're doing a startup. I post all the pictures out there.Right? So if you're interested in working with us, or just interested in like, what are the newest latest startups looking like? we're, we're pretty much doing one or two startups a week, right? So we did about 87 just last year. and so yeah, follow along. that makes me feel good.Cause I'm the one doing all that posting. So please like, like my photos. Michael: Please like my photos. Awesome guys. So that's all going to be in the show notes below. So definitely go check it out. Follow Dark Horse Tech on their social media. And at the same time. Click on the first link in the show notes below to check out the exclusive deal that dark horse tech is giving you go ahead and do that.And Ruben, thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon. Appreciate it, Michael.‍

Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...‍‍This is an innovative, all-in-one, cloud-based practice management software, and it offers an array of powerful features that are custom built for dentists by dentists ready to revolutionize the way you work. ‍If you are a start-up and decide to sign up with Oryx, they will NOT charge you a single dime, until you reached 200 active patients!⁠⁠They are partnering up with all startup practice owners and making sure you succeed, fast!⁠⁠ Click this link to schedule a FREE personalized demo and to see more on their exclusive deal!⁠‍‍Guest: Brad BillingsBusiness Name: Full ScheduleCheck out Brad's Media:Website: https://dentalbilling.com/full-schedule/Email: brad@mountainwest.healthcare‍‍Other Mentions and Links:Pacific Dental ServicesQSI AnalyticsDOSAbundant Dental CareDentrixDental IntelOpen DentaleAssistWeaveForbesAndrés Irlando Forbes top 40 under 40Fortune 500MicrosoftMicrosoft Leadership TrainingsPracticeWorksEaglesoftSQL databaseKois CenterCurve DentalDentrix AscendDentrix Enterprise‍‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍My Key Takeaways:Some of the core steps to an effective front office onboarding system are clinical and insurance fundamentals, understanding practice software, phone skills, and financial arrangements.Empowering your employees does not mean handing them a script. Give them some autonomy to make their own decisions under a certain dollar threshold.How should you handle mistakes by team members?Help team members be individually successful and they will make your practice successful.The top 4 metrics that contribute to high profitability are 1. continuing care growth, 2. open hours, 3. number of indirect restorations, and 4. percentage of firm financial arrangements.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: Alright, it's time to talk with our featured guest, Brad Billings. Brad, how's it going? Good. Brad: Thanks for asking. Michael: Awesome, man. We appreciate you coming on. If you can you kind of break it down to us? Tell us a little bit about your past, your present. How'd you get to where you are Brad: today? Oh, that's a, that's an interesting one.So actually worked at Verizon Wireless for a number of years. 15 years and made it to lower level executive status great leadership development program and I had a ton of really good leaders. think what was interesting there and probably what I'd translate into dental is, they just had every metric you could think of all the data that you'd ever want for any.Situation out of every store, every phone, everything, they just had all the data and we use that to, you know, gauge and monitor performance. I was in the sales channel, that's kind of where I started and I'll be brief on that 1. and then I moved to, uh, Pacific dental services and that was my foray into dentistry.And it's probably good that I went to a company like Pacific dental. Specifically because I didn't know anything about dentistry and they had a really good training program, which is obviously something that you need. If you're going to, if you're going to try to enter into a leadership role, within the dental industry, you have to know what you're talking about.So, pretty extensive training in a very successful region. and that kind of was my entrance into the dental world. And then the other thing about Pacific Dental is they also had an exorbitant amount of data. They worked out of a system called QSI. There might be a few people on the station that, that know of QSI.It's really archaic. It was written in DOS and, still running in DOS. You had to do. Manual um, command entries to get it to do anything. And, and then they had an overlay. I forget what the overlay was called for the doctors to enter their clinical notes charting and things like that. But the reason that they had such a hard time transitioning to anything modern, was because of the amount of data that they were getting out of that. And that really was the foundation, That I think helped kind of springboard me into success outside and into, small DSO and, and starting up a private practice.It was kind of that foundation and understanding that, metrics drive decisions. And, and if you're just making guesses about what you should do within the business, you're oftentimes going to, guess incorrectly without those metrics and data. Gotcha. Michael: And so right now, what are you doing? Brad: guess there's more background in all of that. I left for an opportunity to run a small DSO. In Utah, or to help run, I should say. So I got hired as the VP at Abundant Dental Care, a phenomenal DSO. I still have a great relationship with them. I entered in to that relationship.They had about, I think they had four practices, so very small. they were doing about, probably about 500, 000 a month. So a decent amount of money. They were like many small organizations that I saw. They were running they had a really good foundation. So they had like a really good team, really good processes, really good.Atmosphere. And this is kind of why I chose to go with them is because their foundation was so solid, really good clinical work. They had some of the best dentists out there with a really good clinical leader, which is stuff that I don't know. So I didn't want to try to tackle. solving clinical gaps along with solving operational gaps.So that's why I kind of decided to go with them. And then they, this is going to be the most boring podcast you ever.Anyway uh, they were operating off like, you know, sugar house dental care at gmail. com and they had, you know, four practices and they're just sharing documents across gmail platforms and, you know, they were careful not to share HIPAA information across those things, but that made communication super challenging.So, I initially came on, you know, as operations to help with the, case acceptance, closure and, you know, operational performance. And there were just so many gaps everywhere else that did do that. And then I also started to, work on automated reporting is where I started.They were doing these spreadsheets every night. It would take, you know, 45 minutes to an hour of. Office Manager's time. They tracked a lot. They tracked everything. How do they track everything? They, it just does a spreadsheet. And they would pull manual Dentrix reports. So they would, and I don't know if you've ever dealt with Dentrix at all, but say create this report, and then you can walk away.Like you can, Yeah. Go to the bathroom and, eat dinner and then come back and it might be done. And you do that, but you have to do, you know, four or five different ones, and then you take all the data manually off of those. And manually enter them in this spreadsheet. They had four different spreadsheets, which was also really weird, four different spreadsheets.And then they had another operator that would grab, from those four different spreadsheets that were filled out by office managers and manually enter them into this master spreadsheet that the owner would look at in the morning and decide what our day was like the previous day and try to take action, depending on that.Right. far as execution is concerned, like. They did a pretty good job with what they were doing. Like they always filled that out. They always, you know what I mean? There's a lot of people that try to do processes like that and can't execute on it because it takes a whole lot of accountability and follow up to make sure that those numbers are right.So they were doing a good job. But was manual and it took four hours at least each night, plus the hour that it took that other operator put it all together. So you're talking about five hours a day, you know, how many working hours a week. So it was an incredible amount of hours.And then it was, it was often wrong because, human error. So I just, I got a wild hair and I went to the owner. I said, look I, want to make this automated. This is ridiculous. We're doing it this way. and he was like no, I'm not going to give you any resources. You can't do that. I don't believe that you can do that.You don't have the skill set. I was like, sure. Yeah, I, okay. So I just went and did it on my own. Like at night I, I called a buddy of mine that I went to college with. And, at the time he was working for a data company, just basically doing what I was asking us to figure out. Right. And all the time I'm like researching all this stuff too.Cause I there's dental Intel out there and there's, there's a few others, but I researched probably three or four and I found out that bad data in, bad data out. And to get access to that back, that backend of Dentrix was, very expensive. And I don't remember the exact dollar amount, but I already didn't have any funding approval to do what I was trying to do.And so I'm trying to stand up on, this manual SQL backend. So what I did initially was I took this spreadsheet, put it into one, protected spreadsheet, and then had an auto pull from the spreadsheet into this database. so all I really did initially was remove That last hour of the combination from that other operator.And you know, but I worked and I was like, Oh, this is, this can be powerful, but I'm not going to, I don't have the means. We didn't have the means that this is company we weren't profitable enough to go pay the amount of money needed to get under the back end of denture. Yeah. I started to research open dental was the first one that, cause everybody researches up though they start there cause free, right.You have access to everything. You have access to all the tables. It's not an API. all the back end. So we just did like a demo account in this back end to Open Dental. And but I don't, I'm no longer employed by them. I, I ended up growing this big enough to contract with them and move on. Michael: So what is it exactly? Like, if you don't mind me asking the you're doing right now, Brad: I own two practices with a partner, a doctor, that's a partner in Utah. The laws don't make you you don't have to be a clinician to own. It's one of like three states in the US but we're set up as A D S O. So, I can own a portion of A D S O that owns practices. So we are set up legally for me to own in other states as well.But we, right now we just have two practices. And then, I also own a company called Full Schedule, which is, I'm in strategic partnership with eAssist. I'm not a partner of eAssist, so I have to make that very clear. We're a separate company, but I am in a strategic partnership with eAssist, the dental billing company, and we essentially Some of their clients I own a company that has employees that call and fill their schedule essentially.So instead of doing that automated faceless, nameless, kind of process with like the weaves of the world and whoever else we have, we put a face and a name to it, set targets to it and help them get treatment and hygiene scheduled and then, you know, we charge per office for Michael: that. So is it more like, that part, full schedule, is it more like front office services in the sense of like, Hey, I only have one front office right now, I need someone to answer phones and, take care of stuff whenever that person's doing other things. Brad: not yet. It is on the road map to have an answering service. so right now we just are filling schedule. So it's basically like, we're 2 years in our recare list is miles long, but for whatever reason, we're never full.And our treatment is still out there and it's not getting closed. So employ only, Currently, I would say stateside, so that we have, experience that we have hygienists that have been doing this for years and years, scheduling appointments, know what clinically they need to be doing all of these.So we have about 30 offices right now that we. Essentially, we just find out what they want to do, what they want scheduled how they want it scheduled, which operatories they want it scheduled in, what their treatment times are that they want scheduled. And then we follow those standard operating procedures for that office.And we fill the needs of that office, eventually, you know, fill the schedule. if we don't reach our commitments to the office, we reduce our price per each schedule not fulfilled to our commitment. Okay, Michael: man. That sounds legit. cause that is a humongous need, right?as far as when it comes to front office and answering services and things like that. So. That'd be really good. real quick, Brad, if we can rewind a little bit. You mentioned that you worked for Verizon and that they had a great leadership program. What to you, because it made it great, and what takeaways from that program would you recommend someone in a dental practice, your dental practice owner, utilize?Brad: That's a good question. think anytime you have a program at all no matter how good the curriculum is or anything else, it's dependent on the people that are in it. I was lucky. I, I had some of the, in my opinion, and granted, it's my humble opinion. I had some of the best leaders, even in Verizon.I had a. The president of my region that I was in, Oh, Andres Irlando, he was Forbes top 40 under 40, just a amazing guy. He's running another tech company now. then I had a couple of other really, some of the smartest men that I've ever met.I think that Fortune 5 companies draw those kinds of. And then I had another guy named DJ Leckwold and another guy named Shane Schwab. And these guys were just very focused on, you know, personal growth and leadership, what that actually looks like and how to communicate with your teams around performance.Cadence and meetings large workload organization, which was very challenging for me. and that's what I would probably say Verizon had is, and what these leaders did is Verizon has a ton of resources. They have classes going on around the country all the time. Either run even by teams of Microsoft employees to teach you how to use Microsoft more effectively.They have time management trainings. They have, communication trainings you know, trainings based on books like crucial conversations, and, they have all of these trainings going on. And what these leaders allowed their team to do, and a lot of leaders wouldn't because it would affect budgets.They don't understand the, uh, return on investment that you're receiving, but they would allow us to fly around the country all over. I remember flying to, you know, Massachusetts from Arizona so that I could take a time management class for Microsoft and they're not cheap, but, I still use large majority of those practices today, or I wouldn't be able to do what I do.and then on top of that, you know, obviously they modeled what a leader should, what a leader should do, what a leader should look like. So that's probably what I would say. I got, I got out of her eyes on this really good leader. Michael: Gotcha. But how are you implementing that into the practice or how would you, if you were to tell me like, this is what you got to do, Mike, for your practice?Brad: Around leadership specifically? Yeah. I think there's a Appropriate priority level leadership and leadership development. if you're an individual practice owner, we've purchased practices where there's this harsh separation between front hygiene and clinical, right? And your practice will never be successful if you're not running like you have a true leader to follow and that leader is engaged and helping the entire team be successful, and not just, the team being engaged to, make the practice successful, but also they need to feel like you're helping them be successful, whether that's in, you know, their goals and where they're headed, or.In their skill sets in the practice, but you have to be engaged and know what your employees want and what they're trying to do every single day and help them get their goals. And if you do that they'll give it back to you and help you be successful and be happy working for you. And that's, I think a lot of what leadership really is, especially on an individual practice level.From there, I mean, if you're going to go larger than that, then it, it comes to Having a an actual training process from soup to nuts. So from beginning to end, when you bring people on, you can't just assume they know exactly what you're going to talk about. And if you don't have defined training process, there's no way everybody's going to have that same training experience and everybody's going to deliver a different product to every patient that comes in and, and that creates uncontrollables that then create a lower performance.And, so yeah, that, that's kind of the difference between private and as you grow, I think private is you could really just be a leader by. Being engaged with your team and helping them be successful in who they are. And then outside of that you've really got to start formalizing and structuring a training program, leadership training and development.Michael: Do you have one of those for your, both of your practices, Brad: I've only left Abundant. think I've been outside of Abundant for three months. We just bought our second practice. In August. So, do I have one? No. And, have I felt the pain of not having one?Yes. Did I build one at Abundant? I did. We had a very robust training program with videos and tests and the onboarding processes. And I led that initiative and, and built that whole platform. And I also built a like a knowledge based platform so that, Yeah, after the training, they could go back and reference it.So, I desperately need one here. I just, as I'm sure many of your listeners know when you buy that second practice, You're first standing it up, making sure everybody's reducing turnover and, you know, keeping production as high as you can through that transition. Michael: Yeah.And we'll dive into that right now. But when it comes to the robust training, if you can, Brad, could you make us one right now? Meaning like this is what from beginning. The steps you should be in initializing, you know what I mean? Like the, I guess more like the title headline and then the headings and that's it, you know what I mean?Kind of thing. Like, how should it look? Brad: mean, that's a pretty tough question because it you want to. Michael: Could you give us like front office? Brad: Yeah. So like front desk. Yeah. Sure. And also this depends on your structure too, because different people have front desk, do different things. But, it starts with, dental knowledge. You have to have a foundation in dental knowledge and normally.When front desk, when you're hiring front desk because of the wages that they're in they really don't have foundational knowledge and I'm talking like, Keith numbers and surfaces and procedures and really just the basics because people are going to be talking to them about that stuff and they can't be just caught.Blindly in the headlights there. And from there, it would probably be to like foundational again, very basic knowledge of insurances and those sorts of things. So really just foundational knowledge between clinical and insurances. If you're taking insurances, I should say, they should know all the insurances that you take. They should know all the um, leased networks that you take and how to check to see if they're in that leased network, so that they can answer those questions appropriately. And then, the 3rd foundational piece for their job should be a complete understanding of the system they're using.So the PRM, that probably the first 3 foundational things, and then I would move very quickly to and I'm talking probably before they even have face to face interactions. They need to have those 3 things locked in and tested, or you're going to be every interaction that they have.You're going to be deteriorating the integrity of your of the perception of your business, right? And then even before again, still before the 1st face to face interaction, you should set some very clear expectations on. Communication to patients, how to answer the phone, empower them to solve problems without passing the buck all the way till the end, even if they're going to make mistakes doing it.And that takes some training too. We made a lot of videos at Abundant specifically how to answer questions when people say, I can't believe I'm on a 300 bill, let me say. You know, you very quickly say I'm, sorry that you're unaware of this bill. How can I help today? And then if they say, any anger at all, then it's okay, no problem.We'll take care of that for you. If it's under 500 bucks, it doesn't matter. We'll take care of it for you because the value of a patient is way more valuable than 500 that they didn't know about that you're trying to wrangle out of their hands. So. Anyway, so those, that's probably the foundational training for them and then it gets into more I'd say more detailed actually, you know, doing, insurance coordination and entering that into the systems and you're getting more into the details of making sure patients are set up for success while they're there, how to check copays and how to collect money at the front, things like that. Michael: So that's good, man. This is a good like process. And you mentioned something.A lot of great stuff, but one thing you mentioned is, you empower the team to handle problems on their own. It's super huge. So how do you do that? Like how do we, do we just provide them like with scripts of like, what if scenarios or? Brad: that's not empowerment enough you can't script everything.It's literally Hey, I want you to take care of the patients any way you can. Anything that you think is right probably is treat them how you'd want to be treated. If you go outside of the bounds, then we'll have a discussion, but you won't be in trouble. And then it's really you know, you got to hire well.you give them that, let them go. You can't micromanage true patient care. You really can't. And because every patient is going to be a bit, different and so you've got to have, the right front desk person with the right kind of empathy and communication skills to be able to make a lot of those decisions on their own.And yeah, I mean, there's absolutely times where like, Hey, you probably shouldn't have given that. 500 credit because they actually did owe that, but at the end of the day, if they did a very good job and that patient stayed, it's worth more than 500 bucks. So, again, it's, I guess, continual coaching.So that would be empowerment to me is you say, yeah go do it. You said very loose boundaries. Like if it goes over 500 bucks from grab us. But anything else you have full autonomy, just let us know when you're done and we'll talk about it. Yeah. Michael: Interesting. Okay. So like having almost like full confidence in them to, yeah, you made a mistake.And then almost to the point where it's like, well, let's just talk about the mistake. That way they're like, okay, it's cool to make mistakes. I mean, not huge ones, but I'll learn from them. You know what I mean? Brad: I mean, there's been big ones, man, but I still think it's more valuable for someone to have that empowerment and make One big mistake, but have corrected 20 mistakes that the patient was feeling. maybe we got 1 big mistake where they went out of bounds, you know, and they shouldn't have done that. You're still saving those other 20 patients their empowerment. And then you do that correction.And, and that is the attitude you take, like. We love mistakes you learn from it. That's great. I love that you did that. like that man. It's really good that's what empowerment is to me. Michael: Okay, and have you ever gotten like pushback from so you mentioned something about a PRM, right?So have you ever gotten people like hey, man We've been using Open Dental or practice works or Eagle software ever I know like the back of my hand like don't be switching it what happens Brad: And yes, I mean, every practice that I've been a part of acquiring and switched off of all the mainstream archaic PRMs that are out there, clinicians, especially they, they all have just challenges with that change and change is hard, doesn't matter what it is, change is hard.So I get it. And let me tell you the things that we can do after we make this change and why you're going to like this better. I mean, I think we mentioned it, but I use Oryx and all the practices that I've managed and that I own. I think that's the thing, as long as you are open about the challenges that are coming.And then understanding about the challenges that those people are going to be facing through the change. And then also you can express and make sense logically as to why the change is needed. Then most of the time you can get through those transitions relatively easy. We started really early with Oryx, and.It's a thousand times more robust than when we really, when we very first started. those first, you know, few months while I was learning and trying to teach it, I had to be the brand advocate and then I had to, get, one by one by one, these other to say, no, this is the PRM that we want to use and here's why.And, and with that one by one by one, they just kind of starts to spread. And now I mean, I still go back and ask like, Hey, if you had a chance, there's still hiccups in every PRM, but also in works. And occasionally we get a hiccup and they submit to their help team. And, And you say, Hey, would you switch?Like, even after this, would you switch? And every answer resoundingly, every time they'd never go back, there's no way to go back to a server based. Archaic DRM like that, there just isn't. Michael: Why did you decide to go with Oryx? Brad: So I was kind of getting into that before I stop, but it was that whole automated reporting thing.It started with Open Dental, and we spent a lot of money training on Open Dental on a single office. We switched one office over to Open Dental. It was on an, it was on an acquisition that we, so it was a new acquisition that we were doing at Abundant, and decided rather than, you know, Just paying for a year of, because Dentrix charges you a year up front, figured that practice, you have to re sign a contract.Rather than doing that, we were just like, let's just try Open Dental, see what happens. Super painful transition. They had good support. Open Dental was, good support, but just a painful transition. The conversion was rough. everything was pretty rough training. Everything was pretty rough.Posting was rough. Everything was rough. It was just new to me. And it was, and I'm the one training, so I'm trying to learn it and train it. And they had good support and all of that. And then we, we actually stood up automated reporting. So we pulled their backend just straight out of their database.Dumped it into a SQL database, and started running automated reports. And then I showed the owner and he was like, I want more of this. I want all of this. I want everything you can do with this. And so he was just fully body and like, when are we switching to open dental? So I started doing test conversions and all the other practices we had.And at that point, I think we had seven. So I started doing these tests conversions and open dental. I've got a lot of experience in conversions now, and I wouldn't have done it the same way that I was doing it in that first office. But anyway, I had probably 4 test conversions done. I was about to pull the trigger and I had a buddy call me from.Texas from PDS, a doctor buddy of mine. he had just got back from Coyce Institute. And he's like, just talk to me about his great experience with Coyce and comprehensive dentistry. And you know, his plan to make his practice just pop and dude, it was so exciting and he's a very engaging guy, just exciting guy to talk to.So I'm like, that's rad, man. What else, What else did you learn? Tell me everything. And he's like, Hey man, there's this software that he talked about at the end. It looked amazing. Have you ever heard of it? Oh man, I've been, I've been researching and I, I researched everything like curve, open dental, Eaglesoft, Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Dentrix Enterprise.you name it, I probably have done a test conversion during that time period for it. And I was still going with open dental after all of that. I was like, nah, man, I haven't heard of it, but. Man, I just don't see how anything this is. This has got to be the one I've looked at every other one.He's like, dude, just check it out. I called him up and yeah, I was blown away. Like, it's simple. It's intuitive. And this again was, this was four years ago. So it was much less robust than it is now. I don't know how to explain that any other way, but it did not have all the features that it has now.And so anyway I, it was really frustrating, but I remember calling the owner and I was like, Hey, look I, I hate more than anybody that I'm making this phone call right now. Like I've put months into this, I've put nights, evenings, weekends, just to even stand up our one office and open dental, but we got to do more.And he was like, no. And I was like, all right, well you, and we, Abundant was a comprehensive dental model. Which kind of, it very closely aligned, like Oryx and our model very closely aligned. was like, look, I understand. Like I said, I hate this too, but you just get on the phone. I'll get Ronnie on the phone, Ronnie and and our owner got on the phone and kind of talked through, they actually knew each other, which was small world.Yeah. But, yeah, it was very he eventually got, so he saw it and he was like, well, I could work. So we, you know, we decided to make the switch for all of them. So we switched all seven of our practices over to work. Michael: Nice man, that's good. And right now are you going to transition to Oryx 2 with your two practices or already?I do Brad: it. I do it on day one. Yeah, I don't take over a practice with that. Yeah, I've got so many systems built through this now that It just has to be done. Like rather than trying to figure out how to remote in to a server with RDPs and then manually track things I, I already have prewritten programs that pull from works as APIs.And so I, I've switched an office over day one and get API access and we're off to the races. So, man, Michael: all right, good stuff, man. So, cool. Oryx is the winner for you then. That's what you like. Oh, by Brad: far. Yeah. Yeah. and I would just, for anybody that's out there looking like, I am an Oryx fanboy, so I'll get that out of the way.But, at the very least, like, Just stay away from server based platforms. It creates complication and expense. You just don't need, just don't need it. You have to pay an it team any break that you have, like, I have an it degree and it takes me hours to figure out. These complicated setups.So, no, it's just not yeah, I would say stay away from those. Go online. Orcs is a great Michael: base. Yeah. Gotcha, man. Awesome. Awesome. So then I know you've been talking a lot about data and metrics and I feel like that's, that's your thing, right? So it is. Yeah. If you were telling me right now, I'm telling you like, Hey man, I can't, yeah.I'm struggling. struggling in the sense of like, Sometimes new patients are good. You know what I mean? looks like I'm growing, but my bottom line is also growing and all these things. What data or metrics would you say? Hey, these are the top metrics you need to hyper focus on.Brad: Yeah. All right. So this is what and this is A correlation I learned through my extensive training, top 3 most correlated metrics to practice profitability. There's actually more. We talked about 5 or 6. I'll give you top 3 and then we can. expand a little more, but top three, number one is is actually continuing care growth year over year.and it's super interesting because it tells you so many things, but care growth year over year is always the first place I focus. And the easiest way. To start that increase because you can't obviously that's you're waiting a year to see if so it's a very lag metric.It's, you look at it after the fact. So you've got to do something up front and track a metric to make sure that you are even approaching that attainable year over year growth. quickest 1 for that is just reappointment rate. them while they're in the practice? And if you're not anywhere between 85 and 95 percent, then you're actually deteriorating your practice growth year over year.And every practice that I've ever gone to is like, oh, we're killing that. We always reappoint our, then you go look at, they're always at 60 to 65 percent. I'm telling you, everybody right now on the things on your podcast is going to be saying, no dude, we're. We're at 80 percent easy if they had a number that actually pulled the data, I guarantee between 65 and 70, 60 to 70.It's always Michael: there. That causes it Brad: to decrease. And there's statistics and I don't want to butcher them, but there's essentially there's a certain. recare patients that return and a certain percentage of new patients that return. And so if you're below 30 new patients a month, which majority of practices are, I mean, both of these practices that we just got are well above that, but a lot of practices are at that 30 to 50 new patient range.If you're at 30 new patients are below and you're below I think it's 75 percent reappointment rate assuming they're going to come back, then you're going to have an actual deterioration of patients. unless you have obviously some sort of strategy to then reactivate them, but then you're doing double work on the backend rather than just doing it on the front end while they're in the practice.All of a sudden, now you're employing my company full schedule to reappoint your patients for you, which then is another added expense, right? Um, Rather than just doing that job up front and tracking performance of that job, making sure your people are doing it. Gotcha. Michael: Okay. So continuing care growth and then reappointment.Brad: Well, yeah, so really continuing care growth year over year, all that other stuff was just about continuing care growth, but that's where I would focus. Initially the 2nd most correlated is Dr. Days, Dr. Hours, call it whatever you'd like. It's a very easy one to think about, but I mean, the less days that you're open, the less money you'll make.and this is to profitability. I'm not talking revenue. So. There's a lot of practices that have this super concern of like, we don't have enough patients, so I'm not going to open another day. But the statistics show that you open another day, you're going to be more profitable. Even if you think you're not ready yet.If you open another day, you're going to be more profitable. And it's just, you know, open it up on, Google and you advertise for it and you put marketing out for it. You may be down for a couple of months, but for the year, you will be more profitable just to open the day and be there and your people will figure out how to fill it.That's number 2. Number 3 is, number of indirects, and this is a challenging one because you can't obviously set a quota on your doctors doing number of indirects, but it is just a very highly correlated metric. Doctors that do more indirects make more money. Michael: So more indirects. Brad: Yeah, indirect Michael: restorations.Yeah. Gotcha. Okay. The first one, reappointment rates. Man, that's pretty huge. So like when you come, when it goes to that, The system that you utilize that Brad utilizes for making sure reappointment rates happen is Hey, right when they're in the practice, we got to get them on the books for the next appointment Now what would happen and I'm sure you've experienced this many times, but like, you know how people complain like the no shows, right? What do you do for that? Brad: so there's going to be no shows. A good no show rate is actually 15%, which is still a ton. And that's a good no show rate, right? Traditionally, I'd say most practices are probably in between 20 and 25%. Which is a huge slide. And yes, you need to work your very best to capitalize on bringing those patients back in.doesn't really in my metric calculation, it doesn't go into reappointment rate. Because reappointment rate is if you came if you did a dollar of production, we counted as a completed appointment, and then we check for the next appointment schedule.So, we don't count that into reappointment rate. But yeah, we have strategies around and we actually do you know, heavy confirmation, and then. And so if they don't show, we usually know why and then if they're not there within 5 minutes, we call them and text them. And then if they're not there all day, we, you know, we reach out to again, try to reschedule appointment.But I think most practices do that. That's kind of like the easy low hanging fruit. you're not doing that as a practice, you've missed. That to me doesn't even have anything to do with metrics other than understanding your no show rate which brings me to my fourth metric, which is a percentage of firm financial arrangements, which is different than what I was taught historically, but in my data.Now, it has changed and from financial arrangements, this means collect in full for any appointments you put on the schedule with the exception of obviously like hygiene exams and be patient. You can't collect before they're there. But if you're going to put a root canal and a crown on your schedule, have it paid in full before you put it on there. Michael: Okay. Is there a specific script you kind of like mentioned when you're like, Hey, you got to pay us in full. Brad: You know, surprisingly, it's not super challenging. You just say we do collect in full for our procedures. Before we put you on the schedule and then you basically just say, how did you want to pay for that today?And then if they ask questions you just say well our doctor's time is valuable so we really have to make sure that the people are going to show up that say they're going to be here and usually when people pay that means they're going to be here and people really understand it They're not turned off by it at all. Like if they're really planning on being there They're going to pay for it. Anyway, the only thing that we do is If a patient's like, you know, I don't get paid till Friday can you collect for me on Friday? Then we'll say, yeah, and Norix has a great tool.You just send a text link. So you put a little reminder and, in a calendar, and then you send them a text link on that day and they pay over that. And if they don't, then you have to pull them off the schedule because. you can assume Michael: that they're not going to be there if they haven't paid. Yeah, that's true.So then these are like the four main metrics we want to keep looking at. What are, in your experience, what are the numbers or the data that you notice or you see like in the forums or on Facebook or something where practice owners are talking about it, they're looking at it, but in your mind, Brad's mind is like, man, that ain't even that important.Brad: Interestingly enough, new patient count, it is important. get me wrong. You have to have a new patient count to grow your business. But there's so many clinicians that come out of school that are, they don't even care. You're continuing care patient depth. They just care. Like if they're coming on as an associate in your practice, they want to know how many new patients. a crazy skewed metrics. 70 percent of practices established over two years. Their revenue comes from continuing care patients. 70 percent of the revenue. So 30 percent of your revenue only comes from your patients after two years. So if you're in your first two years, yeah, hit the marketing hard.Make sure you're doing your reappointment rate. But after that second year, you should be focusing very heavily on your exams what's going on there. Michael: then, Right now, one of the questions I wanted to ask you is what can a dentist do today, practice owner, to improve their marketing or their business? Brad: marketing honestly. Michael: Or their business, or their business in general. I'll Brad: give you, I'll give you my basic marketing rundown and we're, averaging about.Anywhere from 60 to 80 new patients a month at both of our practices, and it's super basic, and there's plenty of practice out there that can do much more than this, like Abundant was, really approaching 100 new patients a month, but they spent, you know, a ton of time on marketing. This is like me in my spare time while I'm also not managing operations.And helping, you know, look for new practices, but this is, it's super basic. You need, Google ads and you need a really high Google score. and that's it. If you have Google ads a low Google score, you're just torturing yourself. So make sure you have a ton of reviews. Make sure as many of them are as five stars.Don't do anything shady. Give them the experience that they want. And if you have those two things in place, patients just find you and they come. At least that's in my experience. And then we also have strategies that we're on, certain streets with 20, 000 cars passing with high visibility.Like obviously those things matter. But outside of that, that and sandwich boards and the new patient special, we don't do much. Michael: With your Google ads budget, what's the budget look like for there? Brad: 35 an office, we try to stay below 1. 5 percent of revenue. And really right now, we're at like, 0.8 percent of revenue because. We just don't need to keep spending it. So 3500 a month is what we. What we were doing and then we just never really upped it and we don't really have to Michael: you're doing pretty good like 60, new patients and everything like that. So that's really good, man.Awesome, Brad Thank you so much for your time, man I truly appreciate it But before we say goodbye if anybody wanted to reach out to you for questions or anything like that, where can they find you? Brad: man, I got I got a ton of email addresses. Let's do a Brad at MountainWest. Healthcare. Alright, Michael: Brad at MountainWest. Healthcare, you said? Alright, so that's going to be in the show notes below for anybody who wants to to Brad. And Brad, thank you so much for being with us, man. It's been a pleasure. Thanks for having me on. Brad: talk soon. Bye.‍