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What happens when a patient makes a reasonable, informed decision to skip a non-mandatory test and the system simply stops? Patient advocate Aaron S. Rosenberg shares how a routine dental visit became a case study in conditional care after he declined bite-wing X-rays and was told his cleaning could not proceed. His episode is based on his KevinMD article, "Informed refusal vs. denied care: a dental case study," You will hear how a recommendation quietly became a requirement, how licensure risk was invoked despite no such mandate existing in ADA guidelines, and how the visit ended with no care delivered at all. Rosenberg draws on his career spanning clinical practice, health systems, and insurance to examine how standardization, liability concerns, and billing structures can squeeze out shared decision making. He makes the case that informed refusal is a patient right that only has meaning if care remains available after a reasonable decline. He also explores where to draw the line, distinguishing non-mandatory diagnostics tied to preventive care from urgent clinical scenarios where compliance may be essential. If you have ever wondered whether health care systems are quietly replacing clinical judgment with rigid protocols, this episode will sharpen how you think about patient autonomy. Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended
Drew Flugstad-Clarke never planned to work in brain cancer. She planned to play Division I soccer at Georgetown. She planned to paint. She even tried investment banking, answering emails at 4am in a cubicle that never slept. Then in June 2022 her father, Jim, was diagnosed with glioblastoma at 57. He died 1 day shy of 7 months later, just before his 58th birthday. His symptoms began with emotion, not seizures. A steady HR executive suddenly cried. His golf game slipped. By the time he entered the hospital for a scan, he did not leave without surgery. A subway poster for a 5K became a lifeline. Drew showed up. She found a community. She later joined the American Brain Tumor Association as Community Manager for the Eastern Region. This conversation walks through anticipatory grief, caregiving in real time, strategic numbness, and what it costs to curate hope when the median survival clock is already ticking.RELATED LINKSDrew Clark Flukestad on LinkedInTopor StudiosAmerican Brain Tumor AssociationGeorgetown University Women's SoccerFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If you're saying yes to every patient request, you're not delivering better service—you're creating inconsistency in your results, your operations, and your revenue. That "do whatever the patient asks" mindset might feel like good customer service, but it actually limits your ability to grow a profitable, scalable aesthetics practice. Today, I break down the shift from transactional, a la carte services to structured, outcome-driven treatment plans—and why that change is what separates busy med spas from valuable businesses. Where "Yes to Everything" Starts to Break Your Aesthetics Practice The bottleneck I see most often is an order-taking approach that fragments your service delivery and weakens patient outcomes. When you allow patients to pick treatments piece by piece, you lose control of the client journey. That leads to inconsistent results, lower patient trust, and missed opportunities to build long-term retention and repeat business. This isn't just a clinical issue—it directly impacts your medspa revenue, your operational efficiency, and ultimately your enterprise value. What Happens When You Design for Outcomes Instead of Transactions If you want stronger results and more predictable growth, your model has to shift. • Why comprehensive treatment plans increase client retention and lifetime value • How patient education reduces pricing sensitivity and builds trust • The role of holistic, multimodality plans in improving patient outcomes • Why structured offers simplify operations, hiring, and provider accountability • How clear client journeys drive referrals and more consistent revenue How to Move From A La Carte Med Spa Services to Patient Plans If you want to operate at a higher level, you need to take control of the solution—not just the service. Start by anchoring every consultation in the patient's long-term aesthetic goals, not the single treatment they asked for. Build a complete plan that includes the necessary services, cadence, and product recommendations required to achieve that outcome. Standardize how those plans are delivered so every provider follows the same framework. This creates consistency in both patient experience and results, while making your practice easier to scale. Most importantly, stop compromising the plan. When you allow patients to strip down what's required, you weaken the outcome—and that affects both satisfaction and retention. The Role You Need to Step Into as You Grow If you're scaling your med spa or thinking about expansion, your role has to evolve from provider to advisor. Stop and ask yourself: • Am I guiding the patient journey, or reacting to requests? • Are my treatment plans consistent across providers? • Can my team confidently recommend full solutions without me? • Do my results reflect a system—or individual decisions? Without a defined, repeatable structure, growth creates more complexity instead of more profitability. Preparing Your Med Spa for Future Enterprise Value If you want to understand how your med spa's financial structure impacts scalability, start with the Financial Scaling Playbook for Aesthetics. Get it today: www.keepwhatyouearn/playbook Inside the free series, I walk through: • Offer profit analysis • Operating margin benchmarks for med spas • Cash flow management for growing practices • Customer lifetime value and retention strategy • Enterprise value readiness for aesthetic clinics Follow Shannon & Keep What You Earn: Shannon Weinstein is the founder of a fractional CFO firm specializing in helping 7-figure aesthetics and wellness practices scale with clarity, cash flow, and confidence. Shannon is committed to helping med spa owners understand, fix, and maximize their business's enterprise value, offering actionable advice and resources, including a popular free video series specifically for aesthetics practice owners. Fractional CFO Services and Executive Financial Review: https://www.keepwhatyouearn.com/ Connect with Shannon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonweinstein Watch full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@KeepWhatYouEarn Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1580071347 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonkweinstein/ The information shared is for educational purposes only and is not individualized financial advice. Aesthetics practice owners should consult a qualified professional before implementing financial strategies discussed here.
Speaker: Adam GodshallSeries: 2 PeterText: 2 Peter 3:8-10Theme: For a Confident Faith, You Must Understand God's Relationship to Time One: God has a different Perspective of time. Verse 8 is not a literal Equation. God does not Experience time as we do. Two: God has a merciful Purpose for time. What v.9 can NOT mean: a god who is disappointed or Unsuccessful What is helpful to know: God's _ can be expressed in various ways. God's compassion for All does not contradict God's electing of Some. What is the contrast in our text? Patient toward Us. Three: God will keep His Promise in time. The imminence of His coming should produce Urgency in evangelism. The justice of His coming should produce Comfort in opposition.
PCSK9 inhibitors in high-risk diabetes without ASCVD, the CAAN-AF trial, conduction system pacing vs biventricular pacing, PFA and stroke, and therapeutic fashion infects expert consensus are the topics John Mandrola, MD, discusses in this week's podcast. This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only. To read a partial transcript or to comment, visit: https://www.medscape.com/twic I VESALIUS-CV VESALIUS-CV Trial https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2514428 JAMA Substudy https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2847162 II How Best to Maximize CRT Benefit in Patients with AF CAAN-AF Trial https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag206/8654625?searchresult=1 Role of AV Node Ablation: Meta-analysis of Observational Studies https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2011.10.891 III Stroke Rates in PFA vs Thermal Ablation Comparative Safety of RF versus PFA for AF in a High-Volume US Medical Center https://esc365.escardio.org/Ehra-congress/sessions/18281 IV Five New CSP Studies Presented and Published HeartSync-LBBP Trial https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2845803 PhysioSync-HF Trial https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2845802 LEFT-BUNDLE-CRT Trial https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag225 Long-Term Follow-up of His-Alternative I Trial https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacep.2026.02.016 LECART Trial https://esc365.escardio.org/Ehra-congress/sessions/17140 V New EP Training Document Published Advanced Training Statement on Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.01.074 You may also like: The Bob Harrington Show with the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine, Robert A. Harrington, MD. https://www.medscape.com/author/bob-harrington Questions or feedback, please contact news@medscape.net
Re-releasing a DAT listener favorite! Kiera is joined by Brad from Kleer to talk about the perks of membership plans over dental insurance, why a membership plan can create consistent revenue for your practice during uncertain times, and how to even start putting together such a plan. Kleer, by the way, helps roll out membership plans effectively and successfully to uninsured patients Kiera and Brad also touch on why patients may be hesitant to sign up for a membership plan and dental practice resistance, and how to overcome each. 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 we are bringing you something so special. I am so excited because this is one of our most popular episodes from the archives. Whether you're hearing this for the first time or catching it again, I am so excited because it's jam packed with a ton of takeaways that you can start using right now in your practice. We have released thousands, literally thousands of episodes. And I wanted to start bringing a few of these amazing episodes back for you. So I hope you enjoy. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time. on the Dental A Team podcast. speaker-0 (00:32) And you guys, I am so excited to welcome back one of my dear friends, someone that I just respect. I respect their company a ton. And right now, I think it's super relevant for everybody out there because we all know dental insurance is not the greatest. It's shifting. It's changing. It's unpredictable times. So I'm so jazzed to be bringing on Brad. He's with Kleer. Brad, how are you today? How are you, Kiera? I'm doing really well, thanks. So. ⁓ speaker-1 (00:53) Good night, how are speaker-0 (00:57) Brad, I said real quickly, Kleer. didn't give any thing behind it. People who have listened to the podcast have definitely heard me talk before about Kleer for membership programs. So just for those who don't know, let's just have you kind of share what Kleer is, how they can connect with you. And then we're going to dive into it. always like, I hate at the end where it was like, and by the way, if you want to hang out with Brad, so I'm just going to give you guys Brad's info, what Kleer is about, and we're going to dive into how to like really make a predictable income. in unpredictable times. get ready, but Brad, how can people connect with you? What is Kleer all about? Let's just give our listeners a little bit of background on you guys. speaker-1 (01:33) Yeah, so Kleer got started in 2018. And so this is now our fourth year in dentistry and having our software available. And basically what we do is we work with dentists and office managers to help implement and stand up and easily manage their own membership plans, something that's scalable that ⁓ can be successful for their practices. Like, should I go for membership plans as well? ⁓ Or do you feel like most of the airplanes kind of knows that? speaker-0 (02:05) Like let's just at least I mean if you haven't heard of membership plans guys now is the time to get on board with membership plans because I just did a podcast the other day where we were talking about how tis the season for dropping insurance plans like it is becoming rampant people are realizing with inflation what insurance plans are reimbursing that it's really not sustainable and so a lot of people are shifting dropping insurance plans and I think membership plans are the number one way to go which is why I wanted Kleer to get on the podcast today to talk to you guys about it as a great solution to a problem that if you're not experiencing it, you will be experiencing it. I don't think it's a matter of if, it's a matter of when your practice will experience it. So yeah, dive into membership plans just so people understand if you haven't heard of a membership plan yet. speaker-1 (02:50) Yeah, so membership plans are basically like an alternate coverage options for your primarily uninsured patients. Because like real quick background research is a lot of our data shows us that uninsured patients, they come in less frequently, and they accept a lot less treatment compared to their insured counterparts. So what can we do to provide some type of coverage option that doesn't have the red tape and restrictions that insurance traditional insurance has? And this is where with membership plans, these practices can create their own care plans and offer them directly to the patients at a monthly or annual subscription. So like what's included with the membership plan, we see that pricing is anywhere typically between like say $260 a year all the way up to like $380 a year. It can go higher or lower, but what the patient's paying for when they're paying for that 260 to 380, they are getting access to their hygiene and preventative care. And in addition to that, they'll get say a 10, 20 % discount off other procedures. So like I said, the practices have full autonomy. There's no more third party that's really meddling with that relationship and dictating the fees and the treatment protocol. Practices are in full control. They offer a dressing to the patient. So it's a really good patient retention tool. Patients appreciate the benefits that they're now receiving directly from the practice. And we actually see that the membership plan patients are more profitable than the other patients that still remain without coverage. And like over the past two years, like Carrie, you know that a lot of practices have been implementing membership plans, but the pandemic has really acted as like a catalyst during that time because a lot of practices and practice owners who are very cognizant of their patients want some type of coverage option, some type of alternate that they can offer to their patients, whether they're going through financial hardships, they refer load, whatever it is. ⁓ But yeah, that's essentially what membership plans 101, if you will. That's what they are. We help practices automate processes with our platform. and make sure that it's easy to manage and implement and be successful. speaker-0 (05:14) Which I love and Brad, it's funny because for those of you who heard my and Brad's podcast, gosh, it's probably been over a year now. Um, but we talked about me as a fee for service patient and we literally did, like, I was a case study because I wasn't going to sign up for my six month cleaning. Um, because like I work with hundreds of dentists for me to get a cleaning. It's pretty simple to do. I'm on the road often. I really do. Like offices are super nice to me. I can get a cleaning at any practice I go to. But Brad, we like it was a case study where I signed up for the membership program at my dental practice and I literally scheduled my six month cleaning because it was quote unquote free. And so I am a literally a walking in testament that membership plans do work even for somebody who's been in the dental field. And I think I'm pretty savvy when it comes to what people are doing. But just, mean, they got me and it made sense. And something I feel people don't realize is one, a lot of offices right now I've been seeing and Brad, I'm curious from your guys's research, which is why I love Kleer. guys research things so much. So you're very data driven from the research rather than just feelings. And I've been seeing from a lot of our practices that the topics are, how can we drop insurance plans? And I'm always like, the first question I ask is, okay, perfect. Do you have a membership plan in place? Because as soon as you drop this insurance, I don't think practices realize that patient becomes a free agent. They are no longer tied to you. They're going to go somewhere with insurance or if you can get them on a membership plan, they're no longer a free agent patient. They're now tied to you in some way. But guys, like if I'm a fee for service patient, I am literally a free agent walking around and I can go to whatever practice I want to go to. I'm going to choose an office based on location, their responsiveness to me, their cleanliness, if I like their dentist or not, how their billing is, but I'm not tied to that practice. And so without these membership plans, I think a lot of practices don't realize that you can drop insurance plans and get patients to stay and retain and even become higher paying patients than they were before by implementing a membership plan. So that's what I've seen. I'm sure you guys have data on it. Anything that you guys have found Brad in conjunction with that or things you guys have seen on your side. speaker-1 (07:28) Yeah, it's pretty funny. And I touched on how the pandemic has acted as this catalyst. But now the dust has kind of settled after two years. People are understanding how to adapt and how to behave when it comes to COVID-19. But what's really interesting is there's all different types of reasons why practices are implementing these membership plans. Because every practice is different and their priorities are different. So one that you mentioned that's a huge one right now is that they want membership plans in place when they're planning on dropping one, a couple, or several PPO's because they want to leverage the membership plan as a patient retention tool. But we're seeing other reasons too. It's like, I mean, you said so yourself, you were a case study. We're seeing that more and more. Like you heard it throughout the past like six months, the great resignation. It's been, they've been talking about it since like September, October of 2021, but We're seeing that there are more people that are starting small businesses. There are more people that are retiring from their jobs earlier than anticipated. And there's more gig economy workers out there now that we're seeing these larger tech companies like Uber, ⁓ Lyft, whatnot, all these gig economy jobs are in place. And we're slowly seeing that the amount of uninsured when it comes to dental benefits in the marketplace or in the United States. it's growing more and more, what almost feels like day after day. ⁓ So you definitely want to make sure that like when it comes to your retirees, a lot of them have primarily had some type of dental coverage their whole lives and they'll be looking for it as soon as they retire and lose it. So you want something in place for them, for yourself, someone that's a younger business owner, perhaps a millennial, ⁓ those are the types of people that are used to monthly subscriptions. So you want something in place for them, like who doesn't want coverage? So millennials fit the bill. And then lastly, like you said, a lot of practices are starting to really overcome that fear of dropping insurances because we know it's kind of been this necessary evil, if you will, but a lot of practices, they've wanted to do it. They've been a bit hesitant, but now you're seeing a lot of them are. starting to do that and they're being pretty methodical with their approach. I guess long story short with dropping the PPOs, you definitely just want to make sure no matter what you're going to lose patients, but what can we do to mitigate that number? And that's where a lot of practices have them in place. speaker-0 (10:09) Right, I think it's something that is not hard to set up. You guys make it very easy to do it. You manage it. Because I think so many practices get scared of that, like, ugh, how am going to manage this? And that's honestly why I love you guys as a company. I think you guys have amazing values. guys, I've helped with your team so they know dental. They're super innovative. You guys are very, cognitive of learning the dental lingo, understanding the ledgers and how to make it make sense and set it up in a simple, easy way. But Brad, there's something else that membership plans are starting to get a lot of accolades for, and that is creating consistent revenue in inconsistent times, which honestly I've watched a lot of my offices, like they go up and down and they're riding these waves of, ⁓ like in January, was cancellation after cancellation after cancellation because of the Omnicron variant. I was guilty of that. got it too. Like it was just, it was crazy. so people had like, January's it just tanked when in traditional times that wasn't the case. I know September historically is called suck timber It's not a great month. It tends to just be harder But yeah, I know membership plans are really getting like I said these accolades for creating more consistent revenue And that's something I know you guys have been working on So can you kind of touch and explain how a membership plan can create this consistent revenue? When to me I'm like Brad, it's like 200 bucks a month like not even a month like a year How can I create some consistent revenue when I'm used to producing five, 12, $20,000 a day? How can this actually create some consistent revenue for me? speaker-1 (11:41) Yeah, well, there's all types of businesses, whether it is health care or not, deal with ebbs and flows, or they deal with some type of seasonality. So if you just think of ourselves as consumers, I have about probably six different subscriptions, maybe more. And a lot of those business executives know exactly what they're doing. They understand that. You know what? It's better to just have this recurring revenue, whether they're charging me month over month or year over year. They know that I am a loyal consumer to their brand and we'll just use like Netflix as an example. That's why so many different businesses, if you go out there and you're on the Internet or you're just walking from store to store as a shopper, like everywhere now is offering some type of membership loyalty program, rewards program, you name it. It's almost harder to find a business that's not doing it. And basically like why not dentistry? And right now that's what the membership plans are doing. You're getting all of these patients to subscribe to practice where month over month, year over year, you know that you have this predictable revenue stream coming into your practices doors and into your bank account. So no matter what, like God forbid there's another ⁓ variant that shuts things down, I doubt it happens, but. I think the real thing right now is you're starting to see, it's very topical, it's inflation. A lot of people are dealing with financial hardships. You're seeing that all these borrowing rates and interest rates are going to increase. So like, what can the practices do to offer something that seems very empathetic to your patients? You know they don't have coverage. Let's create these care plans and offer it to them. And at the same time, If you see that some of your patients are starting to scale back or push out patient visits because they might be having a tough month financially, this is where no matter what, with having a bunch, whether it's dozens, whether it's hundreds, thousands, whatever, of patients on your membership plan is a better business model for your practice. speaker-0 (13:52) Mm-hmm. think it's a something that I didn't realize until I created a membership if you will I used to do when we first started the consulting company. I was a one Visit and I would bill you after I traveled to your practice and I would send you to the penny the travel and I was almost going broke like complete transparency because it was such like I was always delayed on my revenue coming through and I had a lot of smarter people than myself say, Kiera, you really should switch out to where they just pay monthly, like figure out what your costs are, have them pay monthly. It's easier for the client. They're not getting hit with these huge costs right away. And it's going to be much easier for them. And I will say as a business, it became so much easier for me, like good months, bad months, high months, low months. It's a more consistent revenue stream. And so I think for practices, I had an office and they're a really like adorable office. It's a husband and wife. duo there, Volt Dentist, and the husband was all pro a membership fee. He was like, this is gonna be great. We're gonna be able to, it's going to be awesome for our patients. It's gonna create consistent revenue for us. And the wife was adamant. This is so much work, probably because she knew she was going to have to set it up. Husband's like, this will be great. Wife's like, I don't wanna do this. They ended up setting it up. And it was crazy because last year she told me, she's like, Kiera, it's crazy how much money is actually coming off of these membership plans month over month over month. and we're able to have more retention of our patients. So that's ⁓ a testimonial of a practice that saw the benefits of it. A lot of practices will set these up in separate bank accounts. So it also can become, if you're not needing that cash, a lot of offices were using it to rebuild their stashes of ⁓ emergency funds and rainy day funds and practice growth funds because the membership fees were doing that. So again, I mean, What? How much is Netflix, Brad? You've got that subscription. Do you even know how much your subscription is? speaker-1 (15:49) I think like $12.99 or something. speaker-0 (15:51) Right, I don't even know and that's what I think so cool is because it's 200 to 350 375 They're very low monthly fees that people forget about them It's really not that much and they're still coming to the dentist So I think that that's a very smart logical plan and truth be told like for me as a small business owner for Millennials, I know my sisters my brothers. They don't want to go spend two three hundred dollars to go to the dentist But if it was only fifteen dollars a month they get their two quote unquote free cleanings, which are actually free on a membership plan. It's not dependent on a insurance plan. Why would they not do it? So it's really, I think, taking the, like there's no reason not to do it. It's just, it makes logical sense. And I think you guys are eliminating a lot of the objections through this that's going to retain patients coming to your practice every six months on a much more consistent basis. So I'm all for, I think offices should do it. ⁓ But Brad, I know people are always hesitant. So what are some of the objections you guys get as to why, like, patients don't want to sign up for it or why offices might not want to implement this? Because I hear like, it's just too much work. But honestly, you guys make it very easy. So like, that's eliminated. But what are some of the objections you guys hear so we can help the listeners realize like, this is a true awesome, like, it's not a necessary evil. It's a necessary goodness. Like there's no evil to it. feels so good. What are some of the objections you hear the concerns offices have that we can mitigate for them? speaker-1 (17:18) really good question. on the patient, I'll answer the patient question first, just because it was the first one that you brought up. But believe it or not, the biggest pushback that we see from patients has nothing to do with like their actual experience once they sign up for the membership plan. A lot of it are patients giving the office feedback that they're looking for the catch because they think that the offer is too good to be true. So that is like always, not always. but we hear it consistently from some of our practices. They're like, our patients see it as such a good deal that they feel like that they're gonna get the short end of the sticks somehow. But I think like everything that we're looking at in our economy, it's just like, it's all value driven and it's all consumer experience. So like best user experience possible. And if we're just like comparing a membership plan to traditional insurance or a traditional discount plan, whatever it may be, there are restrictions, there's maximums, there's waiting periods, a lot of red tape for these patients. And that is what the membership plans are essentially removing. mean, who knows what their patients need more than the actual practitioners and the actual front office teams within these dental practices? No one. mean, they know what's best for their patients. And that's the beauty about the membership plan. the patient, they need four crowns, whatever it may be, they can say, hey, is this possible? The doctor can say, of course, like there's no waiting periods. We can get this as soon as you are ready to get this done. So that's really where that seamless process for the patient and that better experience for the patient comes into play. And they perceive more value in your practice as well. So that is the patient question is it's too good to be true. But we do, our success team and support team do help practices overcome that objection. But on the dentist side or on the office manager side, there's some resistance with maybe some high-end or fee-for-service practices that look at the membership plan and say, like, I don't want to cannibalize my cash-paying patients. Like, they're supposed to be paying me 100 % out of pocket. They're supposed to be my most profitable patients. et cetera, et cetera, why would I want to give them a discount through the membership plan? And there's several reasons why. I mean, the biggest glaring ⁓ solution for that is that we see that the membership plan patients are generating twice as much revenue. So that's hygiene revenue, treatment acceptance revenue, and then overall production. They're generating twice as much, and that's extremely consistent across all of our customers. So that is first and foremost, ⁓ Another reason why is because you definitely want to build the patient loyalty like what you mentioned earlier that you were a free agent, you definitely want to make sure that you're retaining those patients. And like if you go and check out, say like, I hate to mention names, like names here, but if you go to Delta Dental's website, and you see their homepage, they're actually proactively marketing to individuals, small business owners, retirees. So the last thing you want are those fee for service patients to go and look for individual insurance plans where you're probably getting the worst reimbursement possible. speaker-0 (20:49) That was a politically nice way to say that. speaker-1 (20:56) And then the last thing is a lot of the practices, like I get it. Like you think that the members that these uninsured patients are coming in consistently, but honestly our data and what we've seen from our prospects, like it just is very consistent where the average uninsured patient really does come in once every two years and they accept 50 to 75 % less treatment than insured counterparts. And on top of that, a lot of practices, they'll just give out like these arbitrary discounts to cash paying patients, 5%, 10%, 15%, we've seen up to 20%. So based upon the data we've been collecting, the fee that they collect ultimately from the average uninsured patient is lower than the membership plan patients. you know, I understand it seems very counterintuitive of, you know, this patient might pay me a hundred percent out of pocket. And if I give them the membership plan, I'm giving them a 10 % discount, I'm losing that money. But you kind of just have to trust the process and a lot of the data that we've been putting out there is it's extremely consistent and it shows that you will ultimately double your revenue and your patients will have the best experience possible and see more value in your practice with the membership. speaker-0 (22:15) Well, and I love Brad one of reasons I love our podcast is one. just like you I like your company but the second one is I feel like I really get to be a walking testimonial for membership plans like in my practice that I ran that we were doing 365 a month like it was insanity in a five-up practice Guys, I like close the bulk of my cases with membership plans because there was no waiting period There was no deductible there was there was nothing I really could just give these patients an amazing discount and like you said Brad A lot of patients or practices are terrified to give these discounts, but myself, I'm literally a walking advertisement of what it's like to be in a practice and offer a membership plan. But then on the patient side, remember, so the practice that I was going to, I didn't love their membership model. was like, you could join like silver gold or platinum or whatever. And I thought I'm not going to have much work done. Honestly, if I need work done, I work with hundreds of dentists. Well, it turns out I had a filling chip and it was driving me nuts and it was Just bothering me and I wasn't going on the road for a week. So I thought, well, I'll just like go to the practice. So they were upgrading me to a higher membership fee, but I literally didn't pay out of pocket for the filling. I upgraded my membership to get a discount on my treatment. like just that mindset, I'm a fee for service patient. I'm a, and again, I hope offices are really gathering fee for service. Patients are not loyal to you. Yes, they like you, but just think of them as free agents. They can go anywhere at any time. If you are too far away or they don't like your front desk or the way it was scheduled, they didn't like there's nothing that tethers them to you at all. So with this membership plan, they're going to come in for two cleanings. So two opportunities for exams, better patient care, most likely you'll probably diagnose something on them. You give them a discount for me seeing that filling at what 350 I think was the filling. Maybe it was 500. I just was like, shocked. been a long time since I paid for dentistry. Thank you to everyone who's given me free dentistry my whole life. Like, whoa! ⁓ But the fact that I got a 10 % discount on my filling, even though that's $35 on 350, I did the filling same day. Whereas if there's no decay, just smooth it, I don't really need this filling fixed, I could probably get by. But because I had a discount, because I had a loyalty program, if you will, I did the treatment. So Kiera Dent, who I think is one of the strongest dental advocates out there, knows their ploy, knows what they're doing, knows the membership plans, knows all these things. I talked to Brad, I know Claire, I've worked with you guys for so long, and even myself, with that small discount, I did more treatment, I didn't go on the road, it was convenient, and I was tethered to my practice. So I really feel that offices, again, like I said earlier, this isn't an if, it's a when, and I think for us in our consulting company, We have a checkbox of making sure our practices have membership programs in their practices. That like, I don't care if you're fee for service. I don't care if you're a DSO. I don't care if you are corporate. I don't care if you are a solo practice because membership fees, I am such a believer in them. I'm a believer that it's better for the patient. I don't believe that dental insurance serves the patient. I think it serves somebody else. Whereas membership fees, really do believe in membership plans serve the patient. There's no deductible. There's no waiting period. Like, It's so cheap to get those fillings or those cleanings done. We had unlimited x-rays. thought that that just sounded better. And honestly, nobody ever took advantage of us. And then we did like, you could do 10 or 20 % off of treatment. So it really, to me, I like, I people to dump their insurance plans on their own, like canceling when it was open enrollment in November, because the membership plan just makes sense if you explain it to patients. So Brad, I just love that you guys do. this. I love that Kleer is such an easy path for getting a membership plan because I think sometimes it can feel daunting of how do I do this? How do I track it? How do I make sure I'm compliant for my state? You guys also have like brochures and flyers and so much information for the patients that I feel you guys are a plug and play solution for membership plans that for practices who want to get started, which all of you like to me, if you're a Dental A Team listener, it's not an option. Like just do it. Just sign up for a membership. Plan program. So Brad, how does it work? So let's say I'm in office, I've listened to the podcast and I've said, okay, you've convinced me, I'm gonna take my fee for service practice and I'm gonna turn it into a membership. I feel like you're stabbing me in the heart, but I don't want my patients being free agents. I heard Kiera, I'm gonna try this. How do people even start? What is the process to start a membership program? speaker-1 (26:50) Yeah, so I mean, the first thing that they can do is they can visit our website that just Kleer it's Kleer.com ⁓ or they can shoot me an email. It's just Brad@Kleer.com And the first step is just sitting through a demo that typically takes about like 30 minutes. And that's just where someone walks you through all the intricacies of the software, our success team, all the processes that we have in place to make sure they're successful. And then as soon as they've seen the demonstration and they want to move forward, there's really just two calls. The first is our onboarding, what we call the fee consultation. That's where we help design the plan. So we configure the plans. We set the pricing, ⁓ set the fee schedule, all that good stuff. And then the next call is really the training call. And then they're ready to launch. So it's funny. We talked to a lot of prospects and they think that it's going to be a burden. to get this going, I mean, that's essentially why you're outsourcing it. A lot of teams, we understand they might be struggling with turnover, but at least with Kleer, this is providing some type of consistency, some type of rock, regardless of new employees or losing employees. ⁓ But as soon as they're up and running, ⁓ it's honestly just, it depends on the team's availability. ⁓ And then we can get them going, we'll launch your plans. We have some move within a week ⁓ of after the demo. And then once they're launched, patients can sign up and they're ready to go. It's that easy. speaker-0 (28:27) That's awesome because I will just put it out there. I was an office manager. I was a front office. I listened to a lot of content and I heard a lot of great ideas and there is a difference between like knowledge and execution and execution will trump knowledge every single day of the week. So you can sit here and hear this, but getting it executed, implemented and utilized I think is the biggest piece. So I'll just pose a question. Like we've talked about this quite a bit on the podcast and I'm going to say choose your heart. or choose your own adventure here, but I think choose your heart is a smarter one. Is it harder for you to constantly call insurances and get an insurance breakdown? Like just tell me how much time that actually takes versus calling Kleer and having a 30 minute demo and having it signed up and getting your patients to transfer away from insurance plans. To me, like if I could give up and never have to call another insurance verification program ever again in my life, I would switch to a membership plan immediately because on membership plans, You don't have breakdowns. You don't have to go and figure out what the insurance is estimated to pay. You don't have to fight claims. You literally sign them up. They pay you monthly or in full and you give them a discount. And it is that simple. So I would just say, I love Kleer. think you guys, there are cheaper membership programs out there. However, I think you guys have the best customer success and the best patient experience as far as the portal goes and making it easy. that I like, yeah, you guys can go find a cheaper membership program. I'm not going to beat around the bush. I hear it from a lot of clients like, but Claire was so expensive. And I'm like, you're right. But the patient experience is top notch. And that's what your patients are going to complain about. If it's not top notch and it's not easy for them, they're going to drop the membership program because it's not easy. Like think of the apps that you just give up because they're just dumb and junky and you can't handle it. Like I'm ready to dump TD Ameritrade as my investing company. I'm so sick of their freaking app. Like if you ask me one more time to transfer and have to give you all my information, like I'm quitting Vanguard is like leaps and bounds better. So just thinking of the two differences. So Brad, I am just grateful for you guys. And I truly am like petitioning you guys, like get your dang memberships in play. Insurance droppings happening. Inflation is going up. You've got to find a way to retain these patients. And I think membership plans are the solution plus residual income in uncertain times. So Brad, super jazz guys reach out Brad again. How do they get in touch if they want to talk to you? speaker-1 (30:46) If they want to reach out to me, just shoot me an email. It's Brad@Kleer.com and I will get back to you ASAP. Kiera Dent (30:55) I hope you all loved today's episode as much as I did. It is crazy to think that this many episodes have been released since we started the Dental A Team Podcast. And I started looking to say, my goodness, our listeners need to be reminded of some of the things they may have learned a year ago or two years ago or five years ago, because so many things in our practices weren't relevant back then when we heard them, but they are relevant today. And I would be doing you a huge disservice if I didn't re-release some of these episodes for you to remember, to refine. to optimize and really truly if you ever need a topic or you're like, my gosh, I wonder if the Dental A Team has anything like this, go onto our website, TheDentalATeam.com, click on our podcast tab and you can literally search any topic. So whether it's overhead or hiring or firing or team morale or engagement or case acceptance or hygiene or associate onboarding or whatever it is, we have so many episodes for you. And so I am going to intentionally be re-releasing some of the top best episodes for you, pulling back some of the ones that I needed to remember, some of the things that I feel for you to really, really relearn right now and to re-remember, or if it's the first time, welcome. I'm so happy you're listening to it, but I hope you truly enjoyed today's episode. I hope that you share this with somebody. I hope that you go and implement today because we only have one day. We only get today. And so making today the best that it possibly can be. If we can help you in any way, shape or form, reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.
On this special segment of The Full Ratchet, the following Investors are featured: Jim Tananbaum of Foresite Capital Navin Chaddha of Mayfield Ben Orthlieb of Blue Moon We asked guests for the most important piece of advice that they'd share with folks early in their venture career. The host of The Full Ratchet is Nick Moran of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. We're proud to partner with Ramp, the modern finance automation platform. Book a demo and get $150—no strings attached. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter.
The comedy queen of our generation Nikki Glaser is on the pod today!! Not only is she hilarious and gorgeous, but extremely smart and compassionate and a phenomenal talker. We talk all things back pain, depression, sex, and our time together at the Vanity Fair Party. It's a good one enjoy!! Watch her new Hulu comedy special “Good Girl” on Hulu 4/24!! Fibromyalgia quote mentioned source: Wolfe, Walitt, Katz, and Häuser. “Symptoms, the Nature of Fibromyalgia, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5). Defined Mental Illness in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia Website: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3925165/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
When is the most powerful thing a medical student can do in a patient's room simply to stop talking? Medical students Jay Pendyala and Jonathan Berg draw on years of competitive chess to explain how the game quietly trains skills that medical school rarely teaches directly. Their episode is based on their KevinMD article, "What chess taught me about clinical reasoning and humanism," Pendyala and Berg break down how chess mirrors clinical encounters across three phases, from the structured opening of patient intake through the ambiguity of the middle game hospital course to the high-stakes endgame of discharge or difficult family meetings. You will hear why prophylaxis, the chess concept of anticipating your opponent's threats, maps directly onto anticipating disease progression and surgical complications. They explore how playing thousands of games under time pressure prepared them for real-world urgency like door-to-balloon times and trauma bays, and why resilience built at the chessboard transfers to moments when a clinical plan falls apart. Perhaps most striking is their reflection on silence, the comfort with saying nothing that chess cultivates and that proves essential in psychiatry rotations and conversations with seriously ill patients. If you are looking for a fresh lens on clinical reasoning, pattern recognition, and preventing medical student burnout, this conversation delivers all three. Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended
Starting your own practice isn't actually that hard.But building one you actually want to run?That's where most people get it wrong.In this episode, we walk through a high-level roadmap for starting your practice — based on the exact framework we've used to help hundreds of pelvic health businesses get off the ground.The biggest mistake we see?People jump straight into the checklist:LLC.Website.Logo.Bank account.Before they ever decide what they're building.And that's how you end up with: A schedule you don't want Patients you don't enjoy treating A business that feels like another job We cover:Why pre-start planning is the most important stepHow to define your ideal patient, schedule, and financial goalsHow to choose the right business modelWhat you actually need to get started (and what you don't)And the biggest mistakes that slow people down earlyIf you're thinking about starting your own practice — or want to fix one that doesn't feel right — this is the roadmap.Ready to Start Your Practice?If you want the full step-by-step process, that's exactly what we walk through in the Business Kickstart Program.
Dr. Andy Southerland talks with Dr. Layne Dylla about the trends in head CT use in US emergency departments from 2007 to 2022, highlighting disparities, regional variations, and the potential role of AI in optimizing imaging decisions. Read the related article in Neurology®. Disclosures can be found at Neurology.org.
We are living through one of the most significant shifts in medicine in generations, and most people don't fully understand what it means. Dr. Christle Guevarra joins me to zoom out on the entire GLP-1 landscape; from the drug's origins as a modest diabetes treatment in 2005 to today's third-generation medications still moving through clinical trials, and what all of it means for the future of obesity, performance, and longevity.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder diagnosis characterized by a persistent restriction or avoidance of food intake that results in clinically significant consequences (medical, nutritional, and/or psychosocial), but without the weight- and shape-driven psychopathology typical of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In this episode, Megan Hellner and Katherine Hill outline how ARFID presents across the lifespan, why it is frequently missed in routine healthcare, and what an evidence-informed assessment and treatment pathway can look like in practice. A central theme is that ARFID is not synonymous with "picky eating" and not confined to any one body size. Patients may present at any point on the weight chart, including those who are weight-stable or in larger bodies, and the condition can begin in early childhood and persist into adulthood. The episode also highlights ARFID in athletes and physically active people, where restricted dietary variety and/or low intake can contribute to low energy availability and RED-S-like presentations, sometimes without an obvious intent to lose weight. Timestamps [03:48] Interview start [06:23] What is ARFID? DSM-5 definition vs "picky eating" [09:36] Clinical red flags: when restriction becomes a disorder [11:37] ARFID isn't always underweight: missed cases & diagnostic pitfalls [16:46] ARFID presentation profiles: low interest, sensory sensitivity, fear [18:59] Comorbidities & nutrition consequences [25:16] Evidence-based ARFID treatment [29:16] How to expand foods without pressure [32:28] Weight restoration, stabilization, and long-term maintenance [35:44] What research still needs [38:16] Differential diagnosis & referral Links/Resources Go to episode page (with links to papers and ARFID resources) Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium Join the Sigma email newsletter for free Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course
Janine Durso spent 30 years inside pharmaceutical advertising shaping healthcare narratives before becoming a belief strategist and founder of The Believist. In November 2024, during a routine Zoom coaching session, she felt what she called a sharp, terrible pain in the right side of her head. Within hours she was in surgery for a ruptured brain aneurysm. She does not remember the ambulance, the ICU, or the first weeks that followed. She spent 5 weeks in intensive care, then 10 days relearning how to walk, calculate simple change, and manage basic cognition. Doctors later placed a stent and continue monitoring a second unruptured aneurysm.This episode traces the moment she told her husband something broke in my brain, the 14 days doctors called touch and go, and the slow mental rebuild that followed. It also examines insurance barriers that require 2 direct relatives with aneurysms before screening coverage, and why she now lobbies in Washington for change.RELATED LINKSJanine DursoThe BelievistBrain Aneurysm FoundationWhite Plains HospitalDr. Jared CooperFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The U.S. healthcare system is approaching a major inflection point. Nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts are set to take effect in January 2027, driven by new work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, and tighter limits on state financing. While the policy changes are months away, their consequences are already clear: millions of Americans are at risk of losing coverage, and provider organizations — many operating on margins near zero — will absorb the downstream impact through rising uncompensated care. In this episode, hosts Rae Woods and Abby Burns are joined by former Optum Executive Director of Product and Strategy Sunay Shah to help healthcare leaders move from “scramble” to strategy. Drawing on lessons from past Medicaid shifts, including redeterminations and state level work requirement experiments, they explain why administrative disenrollment —not ineligibility — is the biggest threat facing patients and providers alike. Together, they break down what health systems can do now to keep eligible patients covered: redesigning workflows earlier in the patient journey, using technology more thoughtfully, partnering with community organizations, state agencies, and operational support partners, and rebuilding trust with patients during moments of vulnerability. We're here to help: Episode | 288: Health policy update: VBC, site-neutral payments, and 340B Playlist | Radio Advisory health policy playlist Ready-to-Use Resource | Your guide to CMMI's 25+ innovation models Expert Insight | How policy changes will impact your bottom line White Paper | Navigating the next era of Medicaid On-Demand Webinar | Adapting to the changes in Medicaid policies Want to learn more about how Optum can help? Connect with our team today Register today for the 2026 Advisory Board Summit in Washington, D.C. 2026 State of Healthcare Procurement: Cost, Quality, Resilience A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.
Fertility Docs Uncensored Today's episode of Fertility Docs Uncensored is hosted by Dr. Carrie Bedient from the Fertility Center of Las Vegas, Dr. Susan Hudson from Texas Fertility Center, and Dr. Abby Eblen from Nashville Fertility Center, they are joined by guest Dr. Michael Homer of RSC Bay Area in Los Gatos and Menlo Park. The discussion focuses on natural conception success rates compared to IUI and IVF, with a strong emphasis on the impact of age. Patients under 35 have the highest chance of conceiving naturally, while success declines with age, making early evaluation important. Patients are considered to have infertility if they have tried to conceive after unprotected intercourse for one year. The doctors discuss when you should see a fertility doctor sooner. The group highlights earlier evaluation for patients over 36, those with endometriosis, prior pelvic surgery, irregular ovulation, or a partner with low sperm count. What are realistic success rates with IUI? IUI success is largely age-based and generally brings patients close to their natural baseline but does not exceed it. Who are the best candidates for IUI? Ideal candidates include those who ovulate or respond to oral medications, have open fallopian tubes, and have a partner with adequate sperm parameters. When is IVF a better option? IVF may be more effective for patients seeking a faster path to pregnancy or those with lower chances using less aggressive treatments. Younger patients may achieve multiple embryos from one retrieval, while older patients benefit from quicker feedback and the ability to repeat cycles if needed. IVF success rates for patients under 35 are often around 65%, though many patients underestimate their chances for success. This episode is sponsored by Reproductive Science Center.
Shared Practices | Your Dental Roadmap to Practice Ownership | Custom Made for the New Dentist
Patients aren't rejecting you—they're asking for trust. Caitlin and Dr. Andrew break down cost, fear, and “not now,” plus the simplest tech moves that turn objections into yes.
The McCullough Report with Dr. Peter McCullough – Dr. Dustin Leek examines modern medicine's reliance on rigid protocols, questioning the limits of randomized trials and centralized decision-making. He emphasizes clinical judgment, individualized care, and the importance of trust between doctor and patient, highlighting how confidence and communication shape outcomes in an era increasingly defined by standardized treatment...
Humble up be patient and win.
What happens to patients with disabilities when the government signals their lives don't matter, and what does that mean for the doctors fighting alongside them? Ashna Shome, a pediatrics resident with cerebral palsy, joins the show to discuss her KevinMD article, "The impact of policy cuts on ableism in health care." She explains how proposed Medicaid cuts, the rollback of physical access requirements for federal buildings, and harmful rhetoric around autism and vaccines are compounding to create a more hostile environment for the one in four U.S. adults living with disabilities. You will hear how anti-vax discourse tacitly suggests that developmental disabilities are worse than death, why she now relies almost exclusively on the American Academy of Pediatrics as a trusted source of health information, and how her own experience navigating medicine with cerebral palsy has shaped her advocacy. Shome also makes a compelling case for physician unionization as a tool for disability justice, arguing that the artificial barrier between doctor and patient must be dismantled. If you care about disability rights, health equity, or the future of physician advocacy, this conversation demands your attention. Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended
Hey my filthy friends, welcome to another sizzling episode of Nikky After Dark — the ultimate NSFW podcast for erotic sex stories and anonymous sex confessions. Hey you filthy animals, welcome back to Nikky After Dark, where your dirtiest anonymous confessions and boundary-pushing fantasies get the spotlight they deserve.I'm Nikky, and tonight we're diving headfirst into temptation, risk, and the kind of raw urges that make you throw every rule out the window. This episode is packed with scorching erotic audio stories featuring kinky scenarios like free use slut dynamics, a steamy female urologist doctor sex fantasy, happy ending massage confessions, and wild threesome hotel room action. Here are three short teasers of the filthy stories you'll hear:A petite, big-titted female urologist meets the biggest, thickest cock she's ever seen in her exam room… and finally loses every ounce of her professional control in this hot doctor sex fantasy. A kinky girlfriend has become her boyfriend's personal free use slut — he can take her anytime, anywhere, even while she's trying to stay professional on important work calls and FaceTime meetings.A man confesses his two favorite escapes for getting completely drained: slow, teasing happy ending massages… versus wild, no-limits hotel room sessions where two women fight over his cock at the same time in this intense threesome story. Whether you're into free use kink, medical play fantasies, sensual massages with a happy ending, or hot FFM threesomes, this episode delivers the raw, unfiltered heat you crave from your favorite NSFW sex confessions podcast.Join us over on Discord: https://discord.gg/uqqxsCSDfw Support Nikky:Patreon: Unlock exclusive confessions, bonus thoughts, and steamy Q&As at Patreon.com/DearNikky. Join the inner circle for extra spice!Nectar.ai: Explore your wildest fantasies with immersive AI experiences at Nectar.ai. Perfect for Frisky Friday fans craving more erotic audio.Featured Release: Dear Nikky: Sex Confessions From People Just Like You is out now! Dive deeper into the raw, unfiltered erotic stories and anonymous sex confessions you love.Contact:Email: Nikky@dearnikky.comWebsite: DearNikky.com/confessionsSocials: Twitter (@DNikky162), Instagram (@DNikky162), Facebook (@DearNikky)Content Warning: This episode contains explicit sexual content, including graphic descriptions of nudity, public sex, infidelity, free use, threesomes, and boundary-pushing consensual fantasies. Stories are fictional and depict enthusiastic consent. Listener discretion advised; 18+ only. Submissions involving bestiality, incest, underage role-play, rape, non-consensual content, or racial slurs are not aired. Get Involved:Submit Your Story: Got a secret fantasy or steamy confession for our NSFW podcast? Write to Nikky at Nikky@dearnikky.com or submit anonymously at DearNikky.com/confessions. By submitting, you certify you're 18+, the sole creator, and avoid prohibited themes.Say Hello: Have a burning fantasy or just want to chat? Email Nikky@dearnikky.com or connect on Twitter (@DNikky162), Instagram (@DNikky162), or Facebook (@DearNikky). Nikky wants to hear your naughtiest thoughts!Support the Show: Love these private peeks into filthy lives? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, or your favorite platform. Your support helps new listeners discover hot erotic sex stories, kinky confessions, and audio erotica every week.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dear-nikky-hidden-desires--6316414/support.
In part two of this series, Dr. Justin Abbatemarco and Dr. Shreya Louis discuss how this technology was developed and how it has evolved. Read more about this abstract on the AAN website.
In this episode of The Sports Docs Podcast, Dr. Bassett & Dr. Logan sit down LIVE from the Arthrex Team Physician Controversies with shoulder instability expert Dr. Kevin Farmer to discuss the modern management of traumatic anterior shoulder instability in athletes.The conversation focuses on the instability continuum, including when to operate, how to evaluate bipolar bone loss, and when to add remplissage, with an emphasis on optimizing outcomes in young, high-risk athletes.Who Needs Surgery?Young athletes—especially males less than 20—have 70–80% recurrence rates with nonoperative careHigher risk populations:Collision athletesOverhead athletesMilitary/tactical athletesKey insight:Early surgical stabilization can be career-protective in high-risk athletesMRI evaluates:Bankart lesionsHill-Sachs size and orientationCapsulolabral qualityAdvanced assessment includes:Percent glenoid bone lossHill-Sachs engagementOn-track vs off-track lesionsArthroscopic Bankart RepairRemains the workhorse procedure in absence of critical bone lossModern advances:Knotless anchorsImproved efficiency and reproducibilityBetter capsular tensioningAnchor strategy:Typically 3–4 anchorsStart low (5:30–6 o'clock) and work superiorlyFewer than 3 anchors associated with higher failure ratesCapsular ManagementCapsular shift is critical in:Young patientsHyperlax athletesGoal:Restore anterior stabilityRe-tension IGHL complexKnotless technology allows fine-tuned tensioningRemplissageTraditionally used for off-track Hill-Sachs lesionsNow increasingly used in:Subcritical glenoid bone loss (~10–15%)High-risk athletesBorderline “on-track” lesionsBenefits:Decreases recurrence ratesReduces need for revision surgeryKey insight:Low threshold in young, male contact athletesRemplissage TechniqueTwo anchors placed in Hill-Sachs lesionSutures passed through capsule and infraspinatusSecured in subdeltoid spacePearls:Use knotless anchors for low-profile fixationVisualize subacromial space to avoid soft tissue captureMotion vs StabilityConcern: loss of external rotationReality:Minimal, clinically insignificant loss with modern techniquesStability benefits outweigh small motion tradeoffsPostoperative RehabSling: 3–4 weeksEarly passive motionStrengthening at 6 weeksReturn to sport: ~5–6 monthsReturn to Sport TestingCriteria-based return reduces recurrence (5% vs 22%)Key components:Full ROMGreater/equal to 90% strength vs contralateral sideFunctional testing (CKCUEST, shot-put, plank taps, etc.)Patient-reported outcomes (WOSI greater than 90%, KJOC greater than 88%)Featured GuestDr. Kevin Farmer – University of Florida, Team Physician for the Florida Gators
In this episode of the PFC Podcast, Dennis is joined by Dr. Brigham Au — 10-year orthopedic trauma surgeon, former Parkland trauma faculty, and fellowship-trained at the Florida Orthopaedic Institute — for a no-fluff masterclass on pelvic fractures. From high-energy MVCs and falls to sneaky low-energy geriatric injuries, Dr. Au breaks down exactly what matters in the prehospital/prolonged field care environment: stability, pain control, binders, and what actually saves lives.Whether you're a combat medic, critical care paramedic, or wilderness provider, this is the episode that turns pelvic fractures from “scary” to “manageable.”TakeawaysPhysical exam beats imaging every time in the field — Gross manipulation is overrated; gentle leg positioning and pain response tell you more than you think.Pelvic binders WORK. Institutional protocols using them early cut mortality in half. Stop quoting tiny European studies — read the full papers.Simple field hack: Pull both ankles together, internally rotate, and secure the legs (sheet, belt, ACE wrap, buddy-tape style). Uses the good leg to splint the bad one and dramatically cuts pain during movement.Don't hesitate — if you even suspect an unstable pelvis (or the patient is hemodynamically unstable), slap the binder on tight over the greater trochanters. Life > skin necrosis in the first 24–48 hours.Geriatric ground-level falls are DEADLY — higher mortality than many gunshots once they decompensate. Treat them like the sickest patient in the room.Read beyond the abstract. Small studies make for great Instagram soundbites but terrible clinical decisions.Improvised binders? Belt around the trochanters, cut pant legs, or a rolled sheet — just get it low and tight. Patient comfort during movement is your best feedback.The cowboy with the 20–30-year-old open-book pelvis whose plates kept breaking because “his pelvis didn't want to close.”Why Dr. Au stopped doing aggressive stress exams after the 8-pound ankle test story.Why binders should be first-line, not optional — and exactly when/how to loosen them in austere environments.Brutal reality check on geriatric pelvic fracture mortality vs. modern gunshot wounds.Chapters00:00 – Welcome & Dr. Brigham Au intro (Parkland + trauma fellowship)01:27 – High-energy vs. low-energy pelvic fractures (what you're actually seeing)02:40 – Open book, closed book, lateral compression, vertical shear — why mechanism still matters04:31 – Field assessment & why physical exam is king06:25 – Yes, patients can still walk with a pelvic fracture (don't get fooled)08:02 – What “gross manipulation” actually means (and how little you need to do)11:51 – Leg-positioning trick that reduces pain and acts like a temporary binder14:31 – The pelvic binder debate: evidence, myths, and why Dr. Au is a huge believer20:08 – Improvised binders, proper placement & tension (even without a commercial device)23:41 – When and how to loosen/remove a binder (especially in prolonged care)25:43 – One thing Dr. Au wants every field provider to do better28:17 – Real risks of binders (and why you still shouldn't hesitate)29:27 – Final thoughts + why reading full studies mattersFor more content, go to www.prolongedfieldcare.orgConsider supporting us: patreon.com/ProlongedFieldCareCollective or www.lobocoffeeco.com/product-page/prolonged-field-care
You've learned what the Metabolic Trinity is, but is it the right choice for your specific health situation? In this episode, we provide an honest guide to checking your own safety before you take the leap. Using scientific research, we show how your liver and kidneys react to a 3-day dry fast and why most changes are simply the body adapting to stay safe. We cover the main reasons to avoid the protocol, such as advanced kidney disease or pregnancy. You'll also learn which medications can be risky when combined with fasting and the baseline tests you should get to track your progress. This is about being smart, responsible, and safe on your healing journey.*Scientific References:*Influence of Dry Fasting on Metabolic Processes and Organ Function* - Shows how the liver and kidneys adapt safely to a 3-day dry fast through "adaptive" changes.Clinical and Laboratory Criteria for Assessing Severity of Patients' Conditions* - Classifies 3-day dry fasting as a mild (non-harmful) stress on the body.Dry Fasting Club: https://dryfastingclub.comThe Scorch Protocol Hub: https://dry-fasting-club.github.io/sc...*Helpful Resources:**Medical Disclaimer:*The content in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard in this video.
If your team is constantly texting you on your day off, interrupting your vacation, or relying on you to solve every small problem — this isn't a team issue. It's a leadership pattern. In this episode of Choose People Love Pets, Dr. Brianna Armstrong and Phoebe Valdez break down why leaders become the bottleneck in their hospital, how that dependency gets unintentionally created, and what to do instead. You'll learn how to build a team that can think independently, make decisions confidently, and operate effectively — even when you're not there. Because the goal isn't that your team doesn't need you… It's that they don't need you for everything.
Send us Fan MailLisa Hochstein from Real Housewives of Miami has been arrested alongside ex-boyfriend Jody Glidden for allegedly planting a recording device in Dr. Lenny Hochstein's Maybach — and this story goes so much deeper than what's being reported. Today we're going into the actual civil court filings and the criminal arrest warrant and there are critical inconsistencies in Dr. Lenny Hochstein's own story that raise serious questions about his credibility as the key witness in this case. Then there's a HIPAA bombshell hiding in those 98 recordings that were handed over to a private investigator — and if Dr. Lenny didn't handle this the way federal law requires, his own patients could have legal standing to act right now. We're also breaking down Dr. Lenny Hochstein's professional record including six malpractice lawsuits filed between 2019 and 2025, the illegal non-disparagement agreements he required patients to sign before surgery, and a business structure that makes it nearly impossible for patients to pursue him the normal way — and we have the Florida Department of Health records to back all of this up. This one is a gift to Lisa Hochstein and every person who has ever had someone weaponize the justice system against them. RHOM fans and true crime followers do not want to miss this one.
This conversation dives headfirst into one of the most controversial and least understood side effects of GLP-1 medications, what many are now calling the “Ozempic personality.” In this candid interview, Dr. Spencer Nadolsky joins On The Pen to unpack the growing reports of anhedonia, a flattening of motivation, desire, and emotional highs that some patients experience, especially at higher doses of tirzepatide and similar therapies.What starts as a discussion about how these medications work in the brain quickly turns into something much deeper. We explore how GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists don't just reduce hunger, they fundamentally alter the brain's reward system, dampening cravings, food noise, and in some cases, the very drive to seek pleasure at all. That is where the idea of the “Ozempic personality” begins to take shape, not as a diagnosis, but as a shared patient experience that is only now being taken seriously.Dave opens up about his own journey, spending years at the highest dose and slowly realizing that while the medication gave him control over food and blood sugar, it also quietly muted parts of his identity. Hobbies faded. Motivation shifted. The highs and lows of life became more… flat. And it wasn't until stepping away that he could see the contrast clearly.Dr. Nadolsky brings clinical perspective to match the lived experience, explaining how this isn't classic depression, but something more nuanced. Patients aren't necessarily sad, they just stop wanting things. He shares how often this shows up in his practice, how he identifies it, and most importantly, how adjusting dose rather than stopping treatment altogether can restore balance.The conversation also raises bigger questions about transparency in clinical trials, what drug companies knew about these “anti-hedonic” effects, and why something so impactful may not have been formally tracked. At the same time, both Dave and Dr. Nadolsky emphasize what matters most, these medications are still life changing, even life saving, but they are not one size fits all.If you've ever felt like something changed beyond just your appetite while on a GLP-1, this is the conversation you've been waiting for. It puts language to an experience thousands are having but struggling to explain, and it gives you something even more important, a path forward.Watch the full interview to understand the reality behind the “Ozempic personality,” how to recognize it, and how to work with your doctor to find your own sweet spot.
In this episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Zakia Dimassi, a leader in medical education at Khalifa University, to explore an often overlooked issue in simulation-based training: fatigue in standardized patients (SPs). Drawing from her recent publication in Clinical Simulation in Nursing, Dr. Dimassi sheds light on how physical, cognitive, and most importantly emotional fatigue impacts SP performance, assessment accuracy, and ultimately the quality of medical education. Together, we discuss: Why fatigue can begin as early as 30 minutes into sessions How emotional roles (e.g., breaking bad news) take the greatest toll The implications for OSCE reliability and high-stakes exams Real-world observations of performance lapses and scoring variability Practical solutions: better scheduling, breaks, SP-centered design, and de-rolling techniques The future role of AI and hybrid simulation models in reducing fatigue
Anne shares from Habakkuk 1-3.
What if you had more control over your health than you've ever been told?In this powerful and eye-opening conversation, I'm joined by Dr. Ann Hester — a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine (a distinction held by fewer than 1% of doctors worldwide), with over 30 years of clinical experience.Dr. Hester is the Founder & CEO of Inspire Health, author of Patient Empowerment 101, and a passionate advocate for prevention, health literacy, and helping people take back ownership of their well-being.Together, we explore:✨ why so many people feel overwhelmed by conflicting health advice✨ the truth about prevention and lifestyle medicine✨ how simple daily habits can prevent and even reverse chronic disease✨ what patients are often not told — and why it matters✨ how to feel more confident navigating your health and the healthcare systemThis conversation is a beautiful blend of science, practicality, and true empowerment — reminding you that your health is not something outside of you… but something you can actively influence every single day.Dr. Hester's work has been featured on CNN, TIME, and Newsweek, and through her teaching, writing, and courses, she continues to help thousands of people simplify health and create lasting change — without extremes.
Send us Fan MailWhat are your health goals? Is your current medication and treatment plan helping you to meet your goals and give you the quality of life you desire. Using the 4m's from Age Friendly Health systems will give you the framework you need for your next doctor visit. Patients have the right to ask honest questions about their health, medications, and treatment options. Learn how Palliative care offers another layer of support and can improve quality of life for those with serious illness or increased symptoms from chronic conditions. www.ihi.orgSupport the showSeniorSupportStrategies.com when you need guidance navigating senior care or how to create your own Aging in Place strategy.
This episode of VHHA's Patients Come First podcast features Erin Martin, Manager of Behavioral Health with Sentara Health, who joins for a conversation about her work, the Justice Care Coordination program at Sentara Health, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to pcfpodcast@vhha.com or contact on X (Twitter) or Instagram using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.
America Out Loud PULSE with Dr. Randall Bock – The downstream effect is predictable. We start making decisions for regulatory comfort rather than clinical sense. Long-acting narcotics, which actually smooth things out and let people sleep, get sidelined because they were abused years ago. Short-acting pills take over. Now the patient is waking up at two in the morning to stay...
Participatory governance in healthcare means asking the right people the right questions. Three stories where listening as leadership changed everything. Summary This episode is about listening as leadership — the gap between where knowledge lives and where decisions get made, and what it costs when we pretend that gap doesn’t exist. Three stories from my career as a nurse manager, quality director, and VP — three moments where participatory governance in healthcare produced the same result: a no to the status quo. Not a radical no. An obvious one. Obvious, that is, once someone finally asked the people living inside the system. Topics covered: Open visiting hours in the ICU — and what happened when staff pushed back Seven therapy visits, no prior authorization required — and what happened when the company was acquired A disability services resident on a board of directors — and the simple fix that improved every patient experience metric Why participatory governance is the fastest, cheapest diagnostic tool most health system leaders never use The honest difference between patient advisory boards and actually sharing power with patients What patient-centered care looks like when it moves beyond consultation into real shared decision making Click here to view the printable newsletter. More readable than a transcript. Contents Table of Contents Toggle EpisodeProemPart 1: ICU Doors OpenPart 2: Seven Visits, No Questions AskedPart 3: The Right to Say GoodbyeSynthesis: What's Common Across All ThreeReflection Podcast episode on YouTube Episode Proem I’ve spent most of my career in institutions, hospitals, managed care companies, and disability services agencies. These are large, slow-moving systems with their own inertia, logic, and knack for designing processes that work best for billing, and not so well for those receiving or providing services. I should know. I’ve been inside these systems as a clinician, boss, consultant, caregiver, and patient. The boldest changes I was part of didn’t come from a consultant’s report. They didn’t come from a board retreat or a leaders' strategic planning day off-site — though, Lord knows, I’ve sat through plenty of those. They came from the moment when someone, usually someone with very little institutional power, said: This doesn’t work. It’s hurting us. The hardest part wasn’t hearing that. The hardest part was finding the gumption to act. Institutions are good at explaining why things are the way they are. They have binders of policies for that. My secret as a consultant was embarrassingly simple: the people who hired me already had the answers they needed. The nurse who’d been there fifteen years knew. The member who couldn’t get her calls returned knew. I sought them out, listened, and translated their words into a PowerPoint that the boardroom could hear. I want to tell you about three times I got it right. Three moments when the change that mattered was a no. No to visiting hours that kept families from the people they loved. No to a prior authorization process that treated patients and clinicians like suspects and required an army to administer that suspicion. No to a system that let care aides disappear from people’s lives without warning or goodbye, as if the people whose lives they were in didn’t deserve a heads-up. None of these nos were mine originally. I heard them from a family pacing a waiting room, from a member who couldn’t get the help she needed, and from a man with a disability who sat on our board and told us, plainly, what it felt like to wake up one day to find that someone essential to his life was simply gone. Participatory governance sounds like it belongs in a policy manual, right between stakeholder alignment and learning organization. When participatory governance works, it's permission. Permission for the people living and working within a system to tell the truth about it. And the willingness, on the part of whoever’s in charge, to let that truth land. Even when it’s inconvenient. Especially then. Part 1: ICU Doors Open My first experience as a boss was as an ICU nurse manager, a job I got, I should mention, without ever having worked in an ICU or having been a boss. A story for another day. The honeymoon was short. Strictly prescribed visiting hours, ninety minutes in the morning, ninety in the evening, were leaving families miserable. I could see it. They could feel it. In collaboration with my bosses, the ICU medical director, and the chief nurse, I eliminated visiting-hour limits entirely. My staff, who had recruited me for the role, now deeply regretted it. I hadn’t consulted them or thought through the workflow implications. They were furious, and they weren’t wrong to be. But we kept the visiting hours open. Over time, something shifted. I learned how to be a boss. Nurses learned to include families in care and treatment. Patients and families arrived home better prepared. Physicians, for their part, didn’t much care either way. The lesson I learned: this was a story about control. Mine, the nurses’, and ultimately the families’. We eventually set up an informal patient and family advisory group, not because I had planned to, but because we needed them in the room. Part 2: Seven Visits, No Questions Asked My job title was Director of Quality at a behavioral health managed care company. If you’ve spent any time in managed care, you know what that means: Director of Trying to Get an A+ in Every Measure, Whether It Has Meaning or Not. Prior authorization was the centerpiece. A member needs therapy. Their provider submits a request. Someone on our end reviews it, approves or denies it, requests more information, waits, and follows up. The member waits. The provider waits. And somewhere in all that waiting, the person who needed help either got it, gave up, or got worse. I inherited this process. I did not invent it. My boss and I set up an advisory group with members on one side and providers on the other. We asked about their experiences with our company. They were not subtle. Members said the pre-auth process made them feel they had to prove they deserved care. Providers said the company’s default assumption was that they were lying. Neither response was a ringing endorsement. So, we experimented: seven visits, upon request. No authorization required. If a member or their provider asks, they get them. No forms, no review, no waiting. The result: outcomes held. Members received care faster. Providers stopped spending half their administrative time on the phone with us. And our call center, the engine room of the prior authorization machine, grew quieter. Then quieter still. A substantial portion of our staff spent all day managing a process that, in large part, was designed to manage itself. Strip it out, and you didn’t need nearly as many people to run it. The bureaucracy wasn’t protecting anyone. It was the cost. We had real data. Member satisfaction trended up. Providers, for the first time in recent memory, said something positive about the company. The advisory group had surfaced a truth that no quality metric had found, because no quality metric had asked the right people the right question. Then the company was acquired. New owners, new priorities, no appetite for any of this. The program was terminated, and the advisory group disbanded. I can only assume the prior authorization process resumed its proud tradition of making everyone miserable in the name of oversight. I learned that participatory governance surfaces the truth faster than most quality improvement methodologies I’ve encountered. But institutions don’t always want the truth. Sometimes they want the process. The process is familiar. It distributes responsibility. It means nobody has to decide. The advisory group uncovered a truth. It turned out that the people who bought the company got a veto. Part 3: The Right to Say Goodbye There’s a particular kind of organizational meeting where everyone knows something is wrong, the data is right there on the slides, and somehow the conversation goes nowhere. Lots of nodding. Lots of concern. Lots of commitment to further analysis. I worked as VP of Quality at an organization supporting forty thousand people with disabilities, many of them living in group homes, relying on personal care aides for the most intimate parts of daily life. Getting dressed. Eating. Toileting. Moving through the world. At my first Board meeting, we reviewed satisfaction survey results, which were poor. They were not nuanced, requiring careful interpretation. They told us something was bad. And we were doing what organizations do: analyzing, discussing, and scheduling follow-up meetings to review the analysis. We were not asking the people who lived there. The agency was committed to resident/patient participation in governance committees, including the Board; in this case, a resident of one of our group homes served on the Board. Not as a symbol. As a Board member. At one of these meetings, in the middle of what was shaping up to be another productive session of collective concern, he said something that stopped the room. He said: People leave without warning. A personal care aide, someone who helps you start each day, who knows how you take your coffee, which jokes make you laugh, and how you like your blanket folded, is just gone one morning. No notice. No goodbye. Someone new shows up, and you’re expected to adjust. He said it plainly, not as an accusation but as a fact. He apparently assumed, incorrectly, that we already knew. We didn’t. Or rather, someone knew. The people living in the homes knew. The aides probably knew. It just hadn’t made it into the meeting room until he put it there. The fix was insultingly simple. When an aide left, for any reason, residents would be told in advance. A chance to say goodbye. A proper introduction to whoever came next, rather than a key, an address, and good luck. That was the intervention. Advance notice, a goodbye, a hello — the basic courtesies we’d extend to anyone, anywhere, in any other context. Survey results improved dramatically in the next cycle. Not in one or two categories. Across the board. Because what was wrong wasn’t a program or a resource allocation. It was that the people living inside the system had been treated as though their experience of it didn’t count as information. The lesson I carry from that room is the simplest I know: the person living inside the system always knows. They know what’s breaking, what would fix it, and they’ve usually been waiting, sometimes for years, for someone to ask. You just have to put them in the room and believe them when they speak. The keyword is just. Just assumes a lot. Synthesis: What's Common Across All Three Three organizations. Three populations. Three problems, unresolved within systems staffed by smart, well-meaning people. In every case, the answer was already there. It lived in the wrong room. I want to be honest about something. Looking back, only one of these three was truly participatory governance: the man in the group home who served on our board. The ICU families and advisory group members had real influence but no structural authority. They could inform decisions, but they couldn’t stop them. That distinction matters, and I don’t want to paper over it. What they all shared was something simpler yet harder than governance design: someone with institutional power chose to ask, then chose to act on what they heard. The families pacing the ICU waiting room knew visiting hours weren’t protecting patients; they were protecting the unit’s sense of order. The members and providers in that behavioral health advisory group knew prior authorization wasn’t ensuring quality; it was ensuring paperwork. The man on our board knew what was breaking down wasn’t resources or staffing ratios. It was the simple human expectation of a goodbye. None of them needed a consultant. They needed someone with enough authority to ask the question and enough humility to sit with the answer. Here’s what I’ve come to believe: participatory governance, done seriously, is the fastest and cheapest diagnostic tool any leader has. Faster than a consultant. Cheaper than a task force. More accurate than a satisfaction survey that asks the wrong questions of the right people and calls it listening. The nos in these stories weren’t radical. They were obvious, embarrassingly obvious, once you asked the people who already knew. What made them feel radical was the gap between where the knowledge lived and where decisions were made. That gap has a name. Several, actually. We call it hierarchy, liability, chain of command, and expertise — the comfortable assumption that the people at the top understand a system better than those inside it every day. Sometimes that’s true. Often it isn’t. And the cost of acting as though it’s always true is borne by those with the least power to push back. The anxious family in the hallway. The member who couldn’t get through. The man in the group home who, generously, assumed we already knew what he was about to tell us. They were the experts. We had the org chart. Reflection Honestly, I’m proud of these three stories, but I’m not sure I deserve much credit. In each case, the hard work, the observing, the enduring, the knowing, was done by someone else. A family pacing a hallway. A patient who kept calling back. A man who showed up for board meetings and told the truth to a room that had been avoiding it. I contributed a willingness to ask and enough positional authority to act on what I heard. I'm struck by how long those answers had been waiting. The ICU families weren’t new. Frustration with prior auth wasn’t a surprise to anyone who’d navigated it. How long had group home residents been losing people without warning? Nobody seemed to know exactly, long enough that it had stopped registering as a problem and had started registering as just the way things were. That’s the part I can’t shake: the way systems normalize their own failures. The way this is how we do it becomes indistinguishable from this is the only way it can be done. And the people most hurt by that confusion are usually the least positioned to correct it. I got lucky. Three times, I was in the right seat, and the right person was willing to tell me what I needed to hear. Not every leader gets that, and not every leader goes looking for it. The question I’d leave you with — the one I still ask whenever I walk into a new system, a new organization, or any room where decisions are being made about people who aren’t present: Who already knows the answer? And what would it take to let them say it out loud? If you’ve been in that room — where someone finally said the quiet part and the right no was finally spoken — I want to hear about it. Find me at dannyhealthhats@gmail.com. Tell me your version. I promise you: it’s better than you think. And someone out there needs to hear it. Please comment and ask questions: at the comment section at the bottom of the show notes on LinkedIn via email YouTube channel DM on Instagram, TikTok to @healthhats Substack Patreon Production Team Kayla Nelson: Web and Social Media Coach, Dissemination, Help Desk Leon van Leeuwen: editing and site management Oscar van Leeuwen: video editing Julia Higgins: Digit marketing therapy Steve Heatherington: Help Desk and podcast production counseling Joey van Leeuwen, Drummer, Composer, and Arranger, provided the music for the intro, outro, proem, and reflection Claude, Perplexity, Auphonic, Descript, Grammarly, DaVinci Inspired by and Grateful to: Jan Oldenburg, Laura Marcial, Ronda Alexander, Libby Hoy, Lacy Fabian, James Harrison Photo Credits NASA Referenced in episode Related episodes from Health Hats https://health-hats.com/patient-family-advisors-back-2-basics/ https://health-hats.com/teachable-spirit-patient-family-advisors/ https://health-hats.com/pod237/ Artificial Intelligence in Podcast Production Health Hats, the Podcast, utilizes AI tools for production tasks such as editing, transcription, and content suggestions. While AI assists with various aspects, including image creation, most AI suggestions are modified. All creative decisions remain my own, with AI sources referenced as usual. Questions are welcome. Creative Commons Licensing CC BY-NC-SA This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. CC BY-NC-SA includes the following elements: BY: credit must be given to the creator. NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. SA: Adaptations must be shared under the same terms. Please let me know. dannyhealthhats@gmail.com Material on this site created by others is theirs, and use follows their guidelines. Disclaimer The views and opinions presented in this podcast and publication are solely my responsibility and do not necessarily represent the views of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®), its Board of Governors, or Methodology Committee. Danny van Leeuwen (Health Hats)
Sex hormones shape cardiovascular risk in subtle yet powerful ways. From estrogen-driven changes in coagulation to formulation-specific differences in VTE risk, the nuance matters. Transdermal estradiol offers a safer path, while ethinyl estradiol reminds us that dose and route are destiny. The key is not avoidance—but precision: matching therapy to individual risk. Three takeaways: • Formulation matters • First year matters • Patient factors matter #Cardiology #Thrombosis #PrecisionMedicine #HormoneTherapy
Rise of Religiosity Among Young Men: A recent Gallup survey shows a significant 14% increase in men under 30 who say religion is "very important" to them, even as interest among young women has dropped.Trump's Messianic Imagery: The hosts examine the controversy surrounding Donald Trump's social media posts, specifically a meme depicting himself as a messianic figure, and how it relates to historical tensions between heads of state and religious leaders.Sports Gambling as the New Pornography: Scott and Sean explore the cultural impact and addictive nature of the burgeoning sports gambling industry, drawing parallels to the social harms of pornography.Hidden Awareness in Vegetative Patients: New research into the consciousness of patients in vegetative states is analyzed, raising profound ethical and theological questions about human value and medical care.Audience Question: Politicians and the Bible in War: A listener asked about the ethics of politicians using biblical passages to justify military conflict, leading to a discussion on the "just war" tradition and the potential for scriptural misappropriation.Audience Question: Favorite Movies of All Time: In a lighter segment, the hosts share their personal favorite movies, discussing how film can reflect deep human truths and provide meaningful entertainment.==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.
In today's episode, you will hear a big talk from Lee Powers, an amazing speaker and alum of The Big Talk Academy Mastery. Lee Powers is a registered nurse, ICU and workplace violence survivor, and an international speaker. She's dedicated her life to transforming personal trauma into purpose. Her journey began while completing her Nurse Practitioner training when a patient assault left her critically injured. She was put on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma, yet she was fully aware of everything that was happening. That life-altering experience completely reshaped her life, career, and mission. In her big talk, "A Nurse's Awakening from a Coma: Lessons Learned from Being the Patient," she explores: The alarming rates of workplace violence that healthcare workers face compared to other industries Raising awareness about Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), a little-known condition that affects over 50% of ICU survivors Why the way we treat unresponsive patients matters deeply How she transformed her devastating experience into a mission to improve patient care and reduce medical trauma More from Lee Powers Website: https://leepowersrn.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-powers-rn-bsn-034845337/ More from Tricia Grab your copy of my new book, Being Smart Is Stupid Join me LIVE for my Free Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram Connect with me on Facebook Connect with me on LinkedIn Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com
This week we review a recent Australian prospective assessment of aspirin resistance in children undergoing heart surgery. How common is this seen in this patient group and what are the reasons? What is the best test to perform to assess this and what tests may not be worthwile? Who deserves 'routine' testing for this possible problem? Cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Supreet Marathe of Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane, Australia shares the results of this recent publication. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2025.09.013
"Not every patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is going to progress and die. Only 10%–20% of them will evolve into acute myeloid leukemia. And not all of them need blood transfusions. Some present with low platelet count. It's not just people who are anemic that have MDS—it's different depending on what type of MDS they have. These are averages. We're giving you statistics based on averages, and you're an individual, so we want to treat you as an individual," ONS member Sara Tinsley-Vance, PhD, APRN, AOCN®, nurse practitioner and quality-of-life researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, told Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS®, TCTCN™, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a conversation about myelodysplastic syndrome. Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by April 17, 2027. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Learning outcome: Nurses caring for people with myelodysplastic syndrome require knowledge of its pathophysiology, the presenting symptoms, and its diagnosis. Episode Notes Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. ONS Podcast™ episodes: Episode 339: A Lesson on Labs: How to Monitor and Educate Patients With Cancer Episode 302: Patient Navigation Eliminates Disparities in Cancer Care Episode 256: Cancer Symptom Management Basics: Hematologic Complications ONS Voice articles: Manage Cancer-Associated Anemia With Erythropoietin-Stimulating Agents Whole-Genome Sequencing May Guide Treatment Choices for AML and MDS Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles: Deciphering TP53 Mosaic Variants on Germline Biomarker Testing: Implications for Oncology Nurses Myeloid Malignancies: Recognizing the Risk of Germline Predisposition and Supporting Patients and Families Oncology Nursing Forum article: Impact of a Hematologic Malignancy Diagnosis and Treatment on Patients and Their Family Caregivers ONS book: BMTCN™ Certification Review Manual (second edition) ONS Clinical Practice resource: Genomics Taxonomy Genomics and Precision Oncology Learning Library American Cancer Society: Myelodysplastic Syndrome Prognostic Scores Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation Blood Cancer United: MDS Diagnosis HealthTree Foundation Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation: What Is MDS? To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities. To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library. To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email pubONSVoice@ons.org. Highlights From This Episode "In the bone marrow maturation process, you have a pluripotent stem cell. You have myeloid and lymphoid, and then on the myeloid side, you make your white blood cells, your red blood cells, and your platelets. And during that maturation process, there's this problem that arises. It's called a clonal variation. Or something goes wrong as the cells go through that process year after year. It's called ineffective hematopoiesis. ... That process of becoming mature, functioning cells, arising from that hematopoietic stem cell is broken, and this leads to low blood counts. Usually, it's anemia, so the hemoglobin is low. You can see that the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is really high, and those are clues that a patient might have MDS—anemia with a high MCV." TS 3:05 "The International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) was the first way that we staged MDS into lower-risk and higher-risk disease. Now we have the IPSS-R, which is the revised system. And that was intended to be a way of classifying patients into lower-risk or higher-risk disease, where we talked about the goals being different. And it's really looking at the depth of the cytopenias, so how low are those neutrophils? How low is the hemoglobin and the platelet level? What percentage of blast does the patient have in their bone marrow? [This] gauges whether they have lower-risk or higher-risk disease. And now that we have the Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-M), we also take into account the variants that a patient has and that can really change whether you think they have lower-risk or higher-risk disease." TS 8:46 "During a person's lifetime, if they were a heavy smoker, we always think of lung cancer, but it can actually predispose a person to MDS. If they worked heavily in chemicals. I can remember more than one patient who worked for pesticide companies. Repeated exposure to these things that can affect our blood cells cumulatively, they can make a person more prone to MDS. Also, patients who have family members who have had bone marrow problems." TS 13:39 "The way I explain it to patients who say, 'What does dysplasia mean?' I say, 'Well, if you had a picture of a face. If the cell has too many eyes, or one eye above the other or below the other, or too many ears, or they're just disfigured. They don't look right and they don't mature normally.' And so, the descriptions I frequently see are nuclear budding and micromegakaryocytes. Once you read a lot of the reports, you start to pick out, 'Okay, these are the terms that go along with dysplastic red blood cells or dysplastic megakaryocytes,' which are your precursors to platelets." TS 21:28 "The cytogenetics and the variants—that's a hard concept to explain to patients. And staying current on how we understand the disease and how it evolves. Now we have pre-MDS states called clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance. That was new to me. And then clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate significance. And some of those clones have other healthcare problems that go along with them." TS 30:52
In this episode, Rebecca Baute, BSN, RN, Chief Nurse Executive of Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, and Brittany Barasa, DNP, RN, Manager of Patient Care for Nursing Throughput and PCT Float Pool, join the podcast to discuss how executive leadership support drives frontline success. They share insights on initiatives like annual nursing skills days, strategies for identifying and managing bottlenecks, the impact of discharge lounges, and approaches to improving patient satisfaction across the care continuum.
If you thought healthcare had enough to juggle already, think again. This episode dives headfirst into the latest "Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns," and spoiler alert—AI is sitting right at the top like it owns the place. From the growing pains of AI-assisted diagnosis to the not-so-small issue of whether anyone is double-checking the robots, things get interesting fast. Toss in cybersecurity risks, workforce shortages, and a system stretched thinner than your patience on hold with tech support, and you've got a conversation that's equal parts eye-opening and "wait… are we okay?" More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/556
Nick Wilson and Daryl Ruiter debate whether hosts are obligated to provide lunch during mid-day birthday parties. They then pivot to the Cleveland Guardians, specifically expressing concern over Cade Smith's reliability as a closer and the potential role of Carl Willis in fixing his mechanics. 01:02 - Birthday Party Food Etiquette 03:17 - Cade Smith Bullpen Struggles 06:07 - Assessing Guardians Bullpen Leash 12:58 - Carl Willis Coaching Impact
In this episode of The Full Arch Podcast, Dr. Kiefer Schmidt is joined by Dr. Derek Williams and Dr. Grady Gores to discuss the role of mentorship in accelerating growth in full-arch dentistry. Drawing from their own experiences transitioning from dental school into clinical practice, they break down what effective mentorship actually looks like and why it plays a critical role in building confidence and competence early on. The conversation explores the gap between promised mentorship and real support, highlighting how consistent feedback, preparation, and access to experienced clinicians can dramatically shorten the learning curve. They also dive into the importance of ownership, removing ego, and actively seeking feedback—showing how doctors who grow the fastest are the ones who take responsibility for their outcomes and fully engage in the process. Key Insights: Mentorship That Works – Why real mentorship goes beyond promises and requires consistency, access, and real-time feedback Ownership Drives Growth – How taking responsibility and removing ego accelerates clinical improvement Learning Through Community – How shared experiences, feedback, and collaboration help compress the learning curve
Girl, I don't know what to say. Anything is possible. Join me. — Support and sponsor this show! Venmo Tip Jar: @wellthatsinteresting Instagram: @wellthatsinterestingpod Bluesky: @wtipod Threads: @wellthatsinterestingpod Twitter: @wti_pod Listen on YouTube!! Oh, BTW. You're interesting. Email YOUR facts, stories, experiences... Nothing is too big or too small. I'll read it on the show: wellthatsinterestingpod@gmail.com WTI is a part of the Airwave Media podcast network! Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to other incredible shows. Want to advertise your glorious product on WTI? Email me: wellthatsinterestingpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dear listener, it is possible to scale your practice and keep your sanity! Kiera discusses three overall pieces of advice for those who have expanded/want to expand to multi-practice ownership, including centralizing atmosphere and tactics, establishing leadership infrastructure, and keeping your communication fluid. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent- Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And today I wanted to dig into multi-practice management and how this can be something so fun. I know several of you have multiple practices. I had multiple offices and I just think that this is a space of like, all right, here we go. How can we make this amazing? And how can we lead, scale and stay sane? I think is a big spot because I think that when we go from one practice to two practices, I know I went. insane and it was not fun. And so for you, I just wanted to break this down because I really think this is a popular thing. And also if you're sitting on the fence of should I grow, should I not grow, I think it's going to be a fun discussion for us today. And I just wanted to say, welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm Kiera Dent and I'm so happy you're here. I love all things dentistry. I love everything that we're about. I love helping you have the best day. I love positively infusing you and your practice with goodness. I love reminding you that you are in the absolute best profession. And this podcast is made free because you guys share, review, like, and you're able to bring in more and more listeners for us. So I just want to say thank you. And if you haven't done that today, please share this, like this, review this. That's how we're able to stay at the top of the list for more offices to be positively impacted, to grow their practices with ease, and to realize dentistry should be fun again. So with that, I want to talk about like, when we go into multi-practice ownership, it can get really freaking thrilling. So. I want you to look at like, okay, things that we need to do are as we grow and evolve. Number one, I want you just to ask why are you doing this for ego? Are you doing it for impact? Are you doing it for fun? Are you doing it to be acquired by a DSO? Knowing your why and then putting that up on the mirror so you never miss it is going to help you tremendously. Like genuinely a hundred percent just have that why because then it gets really, really thrilling. And so for you then it's going to be, okay, great. Once we have that, I look at like, what can we centralize? So when we brought our second practice, it was make everything very, very simple and very easy for us. Meaning I want it to be all of our software is going to be the exact same. So we have the same software, the same colors. So from practice to look like the different locations when doctors go multi offices, it actually is very easy. Also, we had billing. So we had one person who was over the billing of all the practices. What about our reporting? Can we have the same reporting? So different scorecards that are reporting the same thing. over the location that we have at centralized so we can quickly look and see how is each location doing. And then also making sure like our handbook, our SOPs, our operations manual is the same. So we set up the operatories the same. We do the same thing for hygiene. Everything is the same. So again, think about McDonald's. Could you imagine McDonald's or Chick-fil-A or any fast food restaurant opening multi-locations if the experience isn't the same that actually gets hard. Now there can be some nuances but the core infrastructure should be very, very similar. Then after that, you also want to make sure that you have the same culture, team culture and patient experience. So again, go back to Chick-fil-A, the employees all have about the same, the culture is the same, we have the same experience every time we go in, no matter where I'm going across the nation or the globe, it's the same experience. And so for you, how can we make sure that we've got same team culture, same patient experience? You want to make sure your leadership team is really, really solid. And then you've got to have like shared tools. So the KPI dashboards, we've got to have low specific views. So if you're having things that are on a ⁓ software, so like if Open Dental, you've got to have it to where I can access every single practice easily or if it's in the cloud and there are pros and cons between cloud software versus none. I have found that a lot of cloud softwares are awesome for ease of access at home. I will say Dentrix Ascend is my least favorite even though know they're coming back and they're popular. What happens is like I have a practice that switched to curve and they love it. but there's nothing that can really integrate oftentimes. So you can't get analytic reports. You can't get other things. They're not as open source for you. And so if you ever want something outside of that software, that's usually cheaper, more affordable, helps you. That tends to be an issue with the cloud-based softwares. But when we got multi-practices, it becomes much easier because then we can sink in. We can look at it. We can have centralized billing, centralized, re-care, centralized phone systems, but you can also do this with a server. So when we look at this, I think it's really great because we have practices and when we standardize how we schedule, we standardize our software, we standardize our billing procedures, the practices actually grow 10X. So I have a location, there's five practices and when we standardize these items, I kid you not, we add about a million per practice per year. So when you go across this, five million growth and you get 10 million growth and you get 15 million growth and you get 20 million and consistently every single year we're typically adding, but it's because things are standardized, things are centralized. We're able to say, right, All offices, this is how we're now gonna block schedule. All offices, here are your goals. All offices, the billing is processing. All offices, this is how we do new patients. And it really is able to help you. So you've got to centralize what you can across the board and then have it localized at certain levels. But then it means like each office manager does the same thing, but they're making sure team spirit and team culture is the same. Patient experience is the same of what we do as an overarching multi-location area. So that's step one. Step two is we wanna build a leadership infrastructure. So what this is, is we've gotta make sure that we've got regional managers, office managers, department leads. Sometimes multi-office locations are gonna have a hygienist that's over all hygienists of all practices. Other times it's at the practice level. But regardless across the board, there are set standards and set processes that are going to be there for you. So I really wanna make sure that you have that. And then we also need to clarify like who has ownership of this, who's entering scorecards, who's entering KPIs. I like it to be that each office manager is responsible for their practice. So that way their office needs to be profitable, hitting the KPIs, the metrics, all the different pieces in the organization total org. Now I understand some practices, like I've got two locations. One's a very expensive location, one's a less expensive location. But across the board, you need to have leaders at both locations, because we're really struggling with these two locations. We have a regional that's bouncing back and forth between the two, but no one owns the accountability of these practices. And as it gets larger and larger and larger, Guess what? Capacity struggling. So now we're having to put into place office leads in both location, office scorecards in both location, office hygiene departments. So looking at this and you've got to train the leaders how to lead, not just do. So I can't just be like, okay, you do this X, Y, Z. It's gotta be, how do I grow the practice? How do I make sure everybody's engaged? How do I really get people very talented, very excited about this? Like making sure they know how to hire and fire and have the one-on-one conversations. And what do the scorecard numbers mean? And what are we looking at? And what is a healthy practice? What isn't a healthy practice? Usually my regional is meeting with my office managers weekly to make sure that they're successful. And what I found is when we track and measure all the locations, the practices increase. So typically as we're tracking and measuring, we're then able to grow them, elevate them and make them so much stronger because we're truly leading. So you've got to make sure you've got a strong leadership infrastructure. And if you don't have that, you don't have the pieces, multi-ownership gets really hard. If you're in multi-ownership right now. You need to start appointing these people, having KPIs that they're reporting on, helping them see like how we run leadership meetings, how we run these meetings that are very successful, what your ownership piece is, what are you responsible for, how are you winning? And I think if you think about it, imagine a DSO, they're going to come in and they're going to take over your practice. Well, you better believe that they're gonna have KPIs scorecards for every location. They're going to have leaders at every location. They're going to have regionals. They're going to train. So if that's what a DSO is going to do, why not do that yourself of multi-locations and learn from them because they're smart. They have these systems in place. You can do this as well. And then the third step on here just to help you guys is we've got to make sure that we've got like communication that's fluid rather than it just sitting there. weekly leadership calls are non-negotiable. We're talking run them on traction style, whatever your style is. but we review where we're at, like where are headed as an organization? What are the numbers tell us? And then what needs to get accomplished? What are the blockers? What are the issues? What are the problems? And having that. Now, some offices, depending upon how large they are, some have a regional. So like we're gonna have a board that talks about the whole organization as a whole. Other times I have it where we're talking about each practice and we run individual ones for the practice, or there's maybe a hybrid of both. I recommend the hybrid of both. I think as an organization, we need to make sure we're healthy. And then each practice is individual time where they're having these weekly meetings. They're also having ⁓ our KPIs by location. And we also are making sure that everybody's aligned. Then in addition to that, I'm very big on quarterly calibration and quarterly meetings of where are we going for the quarter? What are the rocks, if you will, with air quotes? What are the big objectives that we're accomplishing for this department, for this practice at this time? And what needs to get done? So it can be different. Each location might run a little bit differently. And that's where it's really great because across the board, all of us quarterly know, and then we roll that down to the full teams. So as an org wide, where are headed quarterly? As practices, where are we headed quarterly? And then also making sure quarterly we're doing some type of team bonding or engagement, because as you get larger and larger and larger, the team culture really can drift. And I know we talked about that at the beginning of like centralizing that and localizing. the OMS are responsible for patient experience and team culture. But at the same time, you've got to make sure that quarterly, like it's an all team alignment. We send out updated handbooks or protocols across the board, but we also get them like excited. So I'm really big on your communication and your metrics need to be solid. So I'm talking weekly L10s. They usually run for an hour, hour and a half at each office. You also should probably be having department meetings every single week as well to make sure the departments are growing. And then quarterly for sure having amazing like incredible quarterly meetings that are going to really, really help people drive to those quarterly results, the quarterly pieces and make it to where it's just fun and then do something fun. You don't need to run this as a leadership team, but it is a way for you guys to all start leveling up, have fun together. Remember why we all went into this and it's not just like the drudge of quarterlies. It is truly something fun and exciting. And I have a practice in New York. I've got eight locations over there. And I'm not joking every three to six months, we are meeting with every single practice, setting up goals, setting up pieces, having the full teams bought in and engaged. think I meet like 250 people in about four days. And the goal is to get team alignment, to get buy-in, but we know as an organization what each of the practices need to do, but we're getting team buy-in from them. And I think when you do that, what happens is the KPIs, when we start tracking them, when we get the quarterly buy-in, the whole organization rises up because a big pitfall that people don't realize is multi offices. You've got so many team members. You've got so many offices. You got so many places that you can actually let KPI slip profitability slip. And what happens usually in multi offices is one practice is actually draining. It's not as profitable and all the other practices are doing well, but yet all the other practices are having to take care of our draining practice. And it's how do get all the offices leveled up? Do all offices need hygiene? Do all offices need block scheduling? Do offices need to be reporting on what we're doing for the doctors? And I think when you're able to have that and establish that, you're able to have much, much, much easier multi-practice management, how to lead it, scale it, and grow it. So when we look at it, just a quick recap is we've got to centralize across the board. So our softwares are centralized, our billing is centralized, how we do our patient experience, centralized. Then we need to make sure we've got leaders in place. So regional managers, office managers, having that go through to where we've got that whole infrastructure, they've got their KPIs, they've got their ownership, they know. And then we also are going to make sure that we are going to have tight communication. So we're running those weekly meetings, we're running those quarterly meetings. Everything is running and driving really, really well. And this is just one of those things of like, we're not doing more. As you see, we've got directed people in their seats, having ownership. So we're able to mass scale across the board. and make sure all the practices are humming in the right direction. Yes, sometimes personable pieces aren't as common, but you don't have to lose that because you can set that as this is part of our culture and we put in every single practice. The OMS do it, the departments do it, we have fun. I have multi-offices that compete with each other, that have fun with each other, but this is something and I really feel like if you were trying to scale, your sanity is going to be number one. When we scaled, I started working double time and I was already working about 14 hours a day. So I know there's not 28 hours in a day. It's close. And I was literally sleeping about four hours a night and I was trying to manage all the practices, but it was because I didn't do these things. I did not put into place centralized across the board. Like didn't have it. We then hired a biller that did all the billing for it. We then had our office managers and we set up the software that were the same. We then had it to where here are the like protocols of how we set up the rooms. but it took me so long and I was already in it rather than having this built before I did it. I did not have leaders of both. I was trying to be the leader to both locations and I was running myself ragged and it was exhausting. Like literally burnout to the nth degree, but you're just in it. And so you're like, there's no way to get out of it versus realizing like, no, we can have a regional, we can have managers, we can have scorecards, we can have KPIs. And if you have this really dialed in at location one before you open up, Great. If you're already in the location for let's get these things into place and make sure that they're all profitable and then make sure we're weekly, monthly, quarterly team meetings, calibrating them and driving for those results using the numbers, using the culture, using the team. But this is where we're headed over the next quarter. And then we track and measure for that. I promise you, if you do this, you will be able to have multi-practices grow with ease. You will keep your sanity. And then you're tracking and keeping tabs without having to be the doer of all of it. This is what we do. We build scalable systems for practices. We grow leadership for practices. We train you. We coach your multi practices. We train your office managers how to do it. Our consultants have managed hundreds of employees at one time. They've done this. They've done it successfully. So this is the time for you to truly jump in, call, make your life easier. So reach out. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. This is something and if you guys want more tips on this, send this to your regional or send this to a COO or send this to your leadership team. If you're thinking about growing a practice and you want to scale, like let's talk about it. Let's help you and your office manager know what's going to happen or get you and your regional managers or help out. do multiple, multiple, multiple multi-office locations that we consult on. So reach Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, your sanity is your gift. This is something that you owe yourself, your practice, your patients. And these are three quick, easy ways to be able to scale, sustain and grow. and keep your sanity. So reach out if we can help you. And as always, thanks for listening. We'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.
In this episode, Justin sits down with Samantha to break down the real challenges she's facing while trying to grow her HRT practice. Like many new practice owners, Samantha has already taken the leap, but now she's dealing with the frustrating reality of low patient volume, slow growth, and uncertainty around what to focus on next.Together, they unpack what's likely holding her back, where her strategy may be falling short, and what she should be prioritizing to start gaining traction in a competitive HRT space. This episode is a real-world look at what happens after you launch, when things don't grow as fast as expected, and what it actually takes to turn things around.If you're building an HRT or men's/women's health practice and feel stuck, Samantha's situation will probably sound very familiar.
Dental A-Team is all about case acceptance. In this episode, Kiera shares how a practice can double its case acceptance in one month (or even one day! She has receipts!). She gives five tactical tips practices can apply today to refine that acceptance and start upping that percentage of "yes." Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent- Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today is a great day. I hope that you're loving it and I hope that you remember just as a quick little motivational thought for you that what's right is just as available as what's wrong. And I think so often we're looking at what's wrong in my life and why isn't this working versus thinking what's going well, what's right in the world, what's what's and I'm not saying to belittle, miss sunshine and not see all the things that are really going on. But I do think that what we focus on, we attract and we achieve more of. so practices that are high performing practices that really have great cultures, they're looking for what's right in this world. They're looking for the good, the positive, they're building that. But that does not mean that they're not seeing the things that need to be impacted and fixed. And so I just really want you to, to think about that today as we as we tackle a fun topic, and that's about case acceptance. And if you know me, you know that I'm obsessed about case acceptance and Today we're gonna go through how to double your case acceptance in 30 days or even just one day. And it's really true. I've done this multiple times. We've taken practices from 50 % case acceptance to 100 % in one day. I have some practices, they know who they are, they listen to the podcast, shout out to them, where we coach their treatment coordinators. And we've been doing this for several years and we've added multiple millions to their practices. We're not quite to the billions, no pressure team. I know you guys like a good challenge, ⁓ but genuinely, and it's through helping. just people have better lives. And I think about case acceptance and people are like, but you know, case acceptance, Kiera, it's about like money or it's this objection. And I just want to say that realistically, most treatment coordinators, what happens is we accidentally plant weeds in our flower gardens, aka objections in our case acceptance, unintentionally. And I can have the exact same patient, exact same scenario, different treatment coordinator, different result. And so what I found, and this is why I love this, this is where I got my start. You guys know that I'm obsessed with helping patients and teams and dentists just have their best lives possible. And so really just giving you guys some tips on how we can do this, how you can boost your case acceptance. And these are tactical ways. So like take the recipe today, take this in, apply it. But what I want to say is I believe that case acceptance is a journey and it's not an overnight sensation. And these practices I alluded to, again, they are some of my favorite clients to work with. The team is amazing. They show up, they have grit. and they recognize that it is always a next level to improve. And so that's why we work together because we are like, I've trained them for years and yet they keep coming back and we keep refining and we keep going to the next level and we keep improving because there's always a next level within case acceptance. And I think when you recognize that and you see that you can actually be an even stronger treatment coordinator. you guys know, Dental A Team, we are obsessed with making your life better. We love to work with doctors and teams. We love to do it virtually or in person with you and to possibly influence and impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. So I'm so glad you're here on the podcast with us. If you love our podcast, please be sure to like, subscribe, share this with people, leave us a review. I do personally read those reviews and I'm so thankful for you guys. I'm thankful for this community. I'm thankful for ⁓ the, I think just the lives that have been changed. I love meeting you in real life. I love hearing from you in emails. I love. this community of people. I just love people in general. And so I hope that you know that I just truly love and adore you and I hope that you feel that and if I was in person, I'd give you a giant hug today and tell you that I know you're doing better than you think you are. And they're simple tips. ⁓ I can speak very confidently to case acceptance. I was speaking to a candidate that I'm interviewing and there was this there was this humble confidence about them where They didn't have to prove anything to me on the interview. was like, Kiera, I've done this. I've done this many times. It's like, I know how to get the winning championship and it's not hard. And I don't say this egotistically. I will say that I do know how to get case acceptance boosted and our team knows how to do this. And I think this is one of the greatest services you can give your patients is helping them say yes to dentistry that's necessary. And so I hope that you feel that what I'm teaching you today comes from very strong. Experience is not just theories and ideas, but genuinely been there done that done it successfully and I'm here to share that with you So a couple of things is number one. I'm really big on when we are working with this So first steps first I work hard on making sure that we have the right mindset I say mindsets everything So if you think a patient is gonna say no to you You're gonna make yourself correct if you say a patient is gonna say yes to you You're going to make yourself correct. So whichever one it is and to me. I'm like both of those are free Thoughts are free, words are free. Let's pick the ones that serve us. And I'm going to choose the one of everybody says yes to me. I even have doctors that text me and they're like, remember Kiera how you say this? And I'm like, I genuinely believe it. It's because I believe in my doctors. I believe in what we're doing. And I believe that patients deserve to have the best dental treatment and new doctors and new teams are the ones who are going to give it to them. So I'm not going to let this patient leave me just like I'm not going to let somebody who's looking for a great consultant. Leave me, I know we are the best freaking consulting company you could ever have. So if you wanna have the best consultant, call me, call our team, let's work with you because you're going to see results and that's what I'm about. So with your office, same thing, you should have that same level of confidence in your practice. You should be able to say, I want these patients, I'm going to help these patients. Now that doesn't mean I take on their problems, but I do believe that mindset is 80 % of the game of case acceptance. So that's step one is we gotta start with that. Doctors, when you walk into the room, I wanna when you put your foot on that threshold, walking in to do an exam, You come into doctor 2.0, whomever it is, like patients say yes to you. Your job is to give them a very clear diagnosis and to be able to guide them into correct decisions. Words create worlds. What world am I creating for our patients? What am I doing for our patients? Am I helping them see like this is easy to say yes or am I making it so confusing and hard with multiple options? Doctors, I'm calling you out on this. I know you wanna explain everything. You're freaking brilliant, but sometimes that's called confusion. And that makes a patient not wanna say yes to you. Complexity is the enemy of execution. I'll say that again. Complexity is the enemy of execution. So if you don't have clarity and you don't drive people with clean, concise routes, you can give them the options, but let's talk about, do they want fixed or removable? You've got to be very clear and you've got to be very confident when you deliver. Patients are buying your confidence. So number one, I want you to 1,000 % change your mindset. I don't care what you got to do, who you've got to be, but you've got to start with a correct mindset. And if you will do that, your case acceptance will automatically just with that one thing, go up and that's between treatment coordinators, team members and dentists. All of us patients love us. They want to say yes to us and we have a moral obligation to help them. Number two, I'm really big on you guys know we have this where we're going to have doctors having great presentations. So I talk a lot about ⁓ child Dini's principles of persuasion and whether you like those or not, that's fine. Words are free. Options are free. Thoughts are free. Take them if you want them and I'm obsessed with this because if I can get a patient in the mindset of saying yes to me, I've already teed them up into that confidence space. So I recommend doctors when you lean the patient back, you say, can I lean you back? They will say yes. Can I do an exam? They will say yes. This is helping them prime and we're priming them to get them into the mindset to say yes to you. Really, really, really important. And I know you don't want to do this, but guess what? It's very easy. So we have the mindset already there. Then we get them to be saying yes to us. Be very careful treatment coordinators. This does not always apply to you because the last thing I want you to do is do you want to get treatment scheduled? We are not leading them to answers with no. We are only leading to answers of yes. So if you're going to use a yes or a no, you've got to make sure it's gonna lead to a yes. I do not want you planting them with nos. You've gotta be very careful with this. Then step three is going to be, we do comprehensive exams and we wrap it with the NDTR. You guys have heard me preach about this. This was made up in a practice, I don't know, 10 years ago. Shout out to ⁓ my Tucson practice. I know you listened to this. It was your office because your office manager didn't wanna use a route slip. So I made up this acronym that has stuck with us for years and it's become one of the bread and butter of dentistry that I use. And I will tell you, you put this into place, you're going to add multiples to your practice. We call it the NDTR, next visit, date, time, re-care. You get those items, you put it in a nice pretty bow, doctors, you do a comprehensive exam, you make sure you don't have too many of them being crazy. Like get them into pretty much where they're onto one solution. If you are my mom or my grandma or my dad or my brother or my sister, whatever it is. This is what I would recommend for you. If cost wasn't an option, what would you select? You can ask them, what's the most important thing to you? Cosmetic function, cost or longevity. There are ways you can tee people up and then you can guide conversations into exactly what they want. This takes finesse, this takes practice, but ultimately we're after results, we're after the W, we're after helping the most amount of freaking patients that we can, all right? So for you, if you want the W, to me, case acceptance, the way we win is by helping more patients say yes. If you're a great doctor, I want patients saying yes to you. If you're not a great doctor, I want you to become a great doctor so more patients can say yes to you. That's where we're at. So we've got to wrap our pretty little treatment plan up with the next visit. It's clear. What is our exact next visit? Kiera, I want to see you back for the crown in the upper right. I want to see you back in two weeks. That's the date. And I need about an hour and a half of that. Please, for the love of everything, this is step whatever. I don't know. I think this is step three for you. But I want you to make sure it's very clear and concise because Complexity is the enemy of execution. If they're walking up of like, don't even know what treatment I'm coming back for. I don't know what I need to come. A crown is gonna take me all day. I can't do that. Your patient is subconsciously planting objections and why they can't say yes to this. But if you eliminate those, like we're clearing the fog, it's very easy. I just need to see you back in two weeks. I need to see you for an hour and a half and we're gonna take care of that crown for you in the upper right and the fillings. Or we're gonna do implants, whatever it is, I don't care. or like, hey, we're gonna see you in three visits. We're gonna start with the upper right. We're gonna take care of that. Then we're gonna go and do your SRP. And then we're gonna finalize with all the rest of the fillings. I don't care, but make it so clear and simple for them. They don't need it all. And I know we sometimes go, this is where we go from clinical jargon to patient simplicity. Make it simple. When I go in and I'm trying, I remember I was at the van store and this girl was like, so do you want a bag? And I was like, no. Do you want this? Do you want that? Do you want this? I'm like, just like I'm done. You guys mean far too many questions. I don't even want to come back and talk to you. Like keep it. I don't even want to buy it. And I think we often forget that our patients, while we're trying to educate and explain, and there is a line of that, this isn't their passion. And I say that with the most amount of like love, like, know, I know you care about this so much, but they don't. What they care about is, are you the right person? And how are you going to get me healthy and confident? Now they might have questions that they need answers to. That's okay. But for the bulk, people want to know. Where am I at? Why does this need to get done? And what are my steps to get it fixed? I was at the jeweler the other day and like, my gosh, it was like, you have these chips, you've got this, you've got this warranty. And I just, I didn't do anything because it was too much. I don't care about jewelry and chips and this like, is my diamond going to fall out or not? And what do I need to do to prevent that? And then they were like, well, it's this amount. And I was like, okay. But the ring didn't even cost me that much to begin with. So you've got to make sure that it really makes sense to patients in the simplicity. So confidence, number one, you've got that. Words create worlds, you're gonna walk in there. Number two, we're gonna tee them up with giving the yeses. Number three, we're gonna give a very simple NDTR, give it to the patient, make sure it's clear and concise, what is the very next step. It's very clear, very simple for them to go through. And then we take them up to the front office and every person, if they follow this, we use route slips, we have handoffs, I don't care, you can have a virtual. hand off, I don't care, you can type it in, but we need next visit date, time, so we're all saying the exact same thing. So this patient knows my goal for every practice is that that patient leaves the operatory, walks to the front office, which they should not do, but the visual is there that they walk up and like, hey, Kiera, Dr. Smith wants to see me back in two weeks for a crown and it needs an hour and a half for that. If it is that clear, and I need to schedule my cleaning with Sarah. Do you think that patient's bought in? The answer is yes. You've already got them like 90 % of the way. Now all we've got to do is deal with finances. Like that's truly it. And sometimes that's not even the issue, but we need to make sure that we have that. Now, step four is schedule first. Put the emphasis and the priority on the schedule. People are like, so we got to do the crowds. It's going to be this amount. No, why are we talking money first? Dentist diagnosed it. We need to get this treatment done. Why are we sitting here wondering if money is the issue or not? It's not, let's get the treatment done. Let's assume they want to do treatment. Remember, everybody says yes to Why would they the dentist if they don't want to get treatment done? They are here because they want to get their mouth healthy. They don't come here because they're like, well, I'm not gonna do anything with it. I went to the jeweler because I wanted my ring fixed. They made it so hard, I walked out of there because it was too hard for me. If they would have said, Kiera, perfect, your two choices are, we can either do it on warranty and this is how much it is, or if you don't, this is how much the total is. If they would have just said it that simply for me, I would have probably fixed my ring. But it was all this nonsense that I walked out. So think about your patients the same way. So schedule first, that is our next step. Hey, perfect, so Dr. Smith wants to see you. He wants to see you back in two weeks. You're like, care of my schedule is so booked. Fine, when your schedule and my schedule align, please stop making objections for things that are simple. I need you to get out of your own way on case acceptance. You sit there and over explain, give too many options, don't think it's good to give them urgency, cause you're like, well, the two is not gonna break. I hear you. But what you're lacking is they're gonna leave your practice, go to Costco, be thinking about cereal and the kids and dance. This is the time that they're dedicating to themselves to get their dentistry done. Be respectful of their time and make them a raving freaking fan. Make it so easy for them. I think about Disney. Disney makes it so easy for me to spend money with them. It's a mobile app. I don't have to go stand in lines. I have this, I have that. They make it so easy for me to say yes. And my question to you is, are you making it easy for your patients to say yes to you or are you making it so hard that they don't want to? Are you making them so confused? They're like, I don't even know what just happened. With IVF, do you know how many words they talked to me about that I don't even know? But it was like, Kiera, this is your next step. This is the total of how much you'll pay and here are financing options if you need them. Now, the only reason I use that as an example, is because IVF is about $50,000 per treatment. Just like you're all on excess cases, that is the appropriate time to talk about financing there because not everybody has 50 grand just sitting there, just like in that. But most people usually are okay with one to two to three to five to 10,000 even. Not all the time, and I'm not saying that, but be careful that then with treatment coordinate, and this is the fifth step, is we need to make sure that when we're presenting treatment, we don't assume that it's money. We don't assume it's all these things. It's not, it's your confidence in how you're saying it. Schedule first, talk money second. Now when we're talking money, we go into it and they're like, but what's it gonna cost? No problem, I'm go over that. You're gonna be super confident. We're gonna make sure we take care of all that. Dr. Smith's super busy and I wanna make sure I reserve that time for you. I have Monday or Wednesday, which works best for you. Control the conversation, make it very simple for them. Make it very, very easy for them. Then after that, what we're gonna do is we present the totals. Here's the total amount. Here's the estimated insurance amount. This'll be your total when I see you on Wednesday. What questions do you have for me? I want you to be super confident moving forward. I say super confident moving forward. I am guiding them. I am saying what I want them to do. This is all words again are free. Use them. I believe that this patient deserves it the best dentistry and I wanna make it as easy as possible. There was no pressure on it. There was nothing. It is very, very simple. I've told you what you need. We've got you scheduled. Here's the total. What questions do you have? Some people will be like, let's talk about financing. Absolutely, we've got financing. Do you have savings or do you want to talk about third party financing? I'm not just throwing out my Rolodex because what happens is, and I did this, we were buying bikes. My husband and I were buying bikes back in COVID. And I remember they were like, ⁓ and or you could do this like thing and you won't have any interest. My husband and had the money. We would have paid right then and there, but because they would not stop talking and assume we weren't going to say yes, They offered financing. And I know a lot of people fight me in the industry on this and like, no, Kiera, you should offer financing. Like that's the way of the world. I am really pro simple equates results. And if I can have simple things, I'm going to get a lot more yeses. So treatment coordination, we're going to have financial options. Make sure you have it. We want to have them immediately. We want to be really, really solid with this. We are going to present all of our treatment there. And then if they are not on a yes, I go past it two times. If they're still not a yes, I'm gonna follow up with them in two days, two weeks, two months. Follow-up matters. You have got to follow up on this. We need to check in with them. People get busy, they've got questions. Love them. Do this out of love, not obligation. And that might be like my best line for you. Do everything with case acceptance out of love. I told the team the other day, I just imagine when a patient sits with me, I'm giving them a warm hug. And it's like, not an actual one. Please don't get weird. But like, how can I make you... feel like you are the most important, incredible human being sitting right in front of me and I'm gonna help you get the best dentistry possible and I'm gonna make your day just a little bit better because you happen to be in my world today. That's the direction to come from. Doctors, that's the direction to come from when you're doing your case presentation. Hygienist, this is how we tee it up to our doctors. These are simple little steps and I promise you, if you will do these items, your case acceptance will flourish. If you choose to pick and choose like this as a buffet, it won't grow. It is all of these steps. consistently every time when we look at the results, we review the results, we see how are we doing and we refine. Case acceptance is about refinement, it's not about perfection. Where am I having that one or two words where I just need to do that, just change it a little bit, what needs to happen? And I promise you, you're going to get it. So if you want help with this or you wanna be like the team where we're adding multiple millions, please, please, please join us. Reach out, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. But you, your practice and your team. deserve to have the best case acceptance. You deserve to have patients that love you, that wanna work with you. This is what it's about. They love you. So let them work with you. Make it easy to work with you. Progress over perfection is where it's at. And I am obsessed with this. Just think about it. People are like, well consulting, can cost so much. And I say, if I helped you get one or two more cases closed every single month, we'd pay for ourselves. And you have a fairy godmother on your team. And you have somebody you can talk to about finances and you have somebody who grows your team and you have somebody who's going to help you with the business side of it. And you're going to have somebody who's way freaking smart in dentistry. And you're going to be able to have access to our entire group. And you're going to be able to come to a mastermind. Like why not? It is that simple. And this is what we do. And this is how we pay for our consulting. Plus give you your life back, plus help you with your patients and make your life incredible. So reach out. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.
What happens when a patient can't afford the treatment you prescribe but is too embarrassed to say so? Health care executive Adam Cunningham joins the show to unpack the devastating ripple effects of medical debt, drawing on his KevinMD article, "The hidden toll of medical debt on patient health and survival," and sharing how one friend lost her job, her insurance, and nearly her ability to function before finding affordable biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis overseas. You'll hear why 16 percent of U.S. suicides have a contributing factor of medical debt, how patients weigh financial ruin against ending their lives, and what makes China's tier one hospitals a surprisingly viable option for Americans priced out of care at home. Cunningham explains the accreditation systems that ensure quality abroad, the role patient advocates play in navigating costs, and the one question every physician should ask before assuming a patient will follow through on a treatment plan. If you've ever wondered whether medical tourism is legitimate or just risky, this episode offers a grounded, practical perspective you need to hear. Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story. PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended
A new study is being pushed through the media claiming AI chatbots are dangerous because they struggle to diagnose patients with incomplete information. Really? So do doctors. Every single day. Patients walk in with vague symptoms, missing details, bad memories—and doctors guess. They call it “clinical judgment.” When AI does the same thing, suddenly it’s a crisis? Give me a break. Because buried inside this so-called warning is the truth they don’t want you focused on: when the data is complete, AI doesn’t just compete—it dominates. Accuracy jumps north of 90 percent. So let’s be clear about what this actually is. Not a warning. Not a breakthrough. A narrative. This is the beginning of the medical establishment circling the wagons. Because AI is exposing something they never wanted you to question—that the system isn’t nearly as precise, as consistent, or as untouchable as they’ve claimed. AI doesn’t get tired. It doesn’t have an ego. It doesn’t rush you out of the room in seven minutes. And it doesn’t protect a broken system. So now the messaging begins: “Don’t trust it. It’s dangerous. Stick with us.” But what they’re really saying is this: Don’t replace us. We break down the study, the spin, and why this could be the opening shot in a full-scale war against AI in medicine. If you’re ready to take control of your health without waiting on a broken system, start here