https://youtu.be/mTXoI6XeQp4?si=W4SGsE1A5ejqjDp1

This transcript with our Jameson Files host Carrie Webber has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify.

Dr. Kahn's Dental Successes and Challenge

Carrie:

Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and it's such a pleasure to be back with all of you for another episode. I am so happy today to be joined by a longtime friend and client of the Jameson Group, Dr. Donald Kahn from Long Island, New York. We had the pleasure of meeting with his partner, Dr. Angela Ferrari, and she's a part of a previous episode. But today we're going to talk about a new perspective from their amazing practice– Dr. Kahn as the founding owner of Kahn, Ferrari And Aldieri and his amazing story in his journey through dentistry. You know, for me it's really about his amazing intentional approach to building a culture that matters in his practice for patient care, and to provide the type of dentistry and the way that he wanted to provide it. And that involved amazing partnerships that also led to a very successful transition as Dr. Kahn is now enjoying retirement after retiring this year. I'm so thrilled to have you with me, Dr. Kahn. Thank you so much for being a guest.

Jameson’s Influence on Dr. Kahn’s Professional Career

Dr. Kahn:

Thank you, Carrie. I really appreciate you asking me to join you for the podcast. Your organization, Jameson, has been a part of my professional career. It has been 34 years since I met Kathy at a study club meeting, and as other people can attest, she just blew me away. I realized at that point what my practice was really missing. So once again, I just want to thank you for having me on because you, and your mom and your dad, and the whole organization, and all the people that I've come in contact with through 34 years of practice management have been just wonderful. It's made all the difference in the world, and it is the number one thing I can put my finger on in terms of why we were and are as successful as we are today

Carrie:

That is so kind of you to say. And I hope that you know that the feeling's mutual. It is such a joy to have been part of your professional career. And I love that we are continuing on to be able to share so much about what you have learned, and the successes, and even the challenges that you've had over the years. What a gift to the dental community! So, as we start, you know that I really feel passionate about talking about building that thriving practice culture, and being so intentional about the evolution of your practice, and finding the right people to be a part of your journey with you. So I'd love for you to share with us, Dr. Kahn, a little bit of your story, a little bit of how your practice evolved over time, and some of those lessons that you've learned, and the things that you felt like helped you be so successful.

Dr. Kahn:

Oh, how long do we have for this project?

Carrie:

I'll try to keep you under control. 

Keys to Successful Practice Management

Dr. Kahn:

I retired this year after 46 years of practicing. I just have one practice. I always focused on just the one practice. I always was in wonder of how people with multiple locations run their practices. It's hard enough to run one practice correctly. And every single time I saw that, that was really what was missing. The one thing I always say, and I've talked about this, and I know that Dr. Hyman, who I know and I've spoken with, talks about the fact that when we come out of dental school, we barely know how to do dentistry, let alone how to run a business. They had one course for 30 minutes, and that was it.

Nobody even told us even how to balance a checkbook. And I'm being facetious, of course, but I mean, there was nothing about practice management. That's it. So when I came out, I was lucky enough to buy into a practice that was existing. And, may he rest in peace, Stuart Glassman was a great mentor. He taught me a lot about dentistry. But, once again, he taught me about business, but not practice management. 

And then I saw a lecture that Kathy lectured. It was a study club. It was an hour-long lecture in a restaurant. And I said, that's it. That's the missing link. We really don't know anything about practice management. So I spoke to her that day. She gave me a card. She was coming in to speak at the midwinter meeting– New York Greater Dental meeting.

And I met her there and we talked. And that's when we decided that we were going to start utilizing her service. That's the part that I think is important that people understand, especially today. I made a decision back when I first started that I was going to have a fee-for-service dental practice. I worked in a couple of clinics. I didn't like the environment. I didn't like the pressure. I didn't like having to overwork and spend so much time on so many patients. I felt it was impossible to develop a relationship with these people. 

Being Committed to Patient Relationships 

So in doing a fee-for-service, yes, it's very difficult in today's world. I have lived through the seventies, and 1987, and 2007, and all the times the market changed, and dental practices always take the first hit because they're on the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to importance when patients are struggling. But I decided that you don't have to have volume if you have quality dental care. That is the most important thing. And I've said that for so many years. And then I realized that, yes, you have to be a good dentist; you have to practice well. You have to treat and do the things to the best of your ability, but successful dental practices have very little to do with that. And I've seen it all the time. And with your mom's help, and Drew's help, and the other people that came to the practice, we learned how to manage people. We learned how to treat people. We learned how to love. We learned how to touch. We learned how to connect with people.

That's why the practice was successful. If people don't have pain and their teeth look good, that's really all they care about. When they come in and you have that connection with them, and then they send in a close friend, and then you have a connection with them–making that connection with them, putting your hand on their shoulder, asking them how they are. If they tell you something important about what's going on in their life, make sure you make a note of that. Because the next time they come in, if you say, “Mrs. Jones, how's your mom? The last time you were here she wasn't well.” These are the kinds of things that patients really remember. 

I never appreciated that during the 46 years before I retired– the outpouring of love, and cards, and letters, and gifts about how I touched them. They talked about the dental care and how I took good care of them, but they talked more about the connection that I had with these people. 

And my staff will say, “You hug everybody.” “Yeah, I guess I do.” “Don't you worry about that in today's world?” No, I don't. That's just me. I've always been that way, and the patients appreciate that. You know, my last patient that was in the office when I retired, she came into the operatory and she said, “Dr. Kahn, can I give you a hug?” And I said, “Of course.” She comes over, gives me a hug, and she's crying on my shoulder. 

Carrie:

I love that. 

Dr. Kahn:

And I go, oh, boy. And I turned to my head assistant Angelica, and I looked to her for help. And the tears are coming down her face. It wasn't very, very helpful. Those are the kinds of things that we led by example. But anybody who is doing dentistry today that is not involved with practice management to make sure that the most important person in your office is the person who answers the phone. That first person can make or break you if they don't know how to talk to people. If they don't know how to turn people who call up and say, “You accept my insurance?” You have to be able to take that patient and turn them and explain to them why they should come in and see the office, and speak to the doctors, and see that what we do is different than the other 10 dentists down the street. I lived and died by those basic rules that you have to make that connection because those people will stay with you for life. And they have.

Carrie:

You know, it's interesting, Dr. Kahn, that you say that you never really realized the impact of focusing on the patient and patient care until you retired. I find that interesting because from my perspective, the way patients are handled on that first telephone call is such a pivotal moment. And seeking out practice management and coaching support, it feels like you always knew that that focused intention on elevated patient care and building those relationships was the pillar that you wanted to build your practice on. So how did you make those decisions? How did you find team, and how did you instill that kind of mindset of that patient-centered, relationship-centered care throughout your practice, even in your partnerships, so that you could be a fee-for-service practice throughout your career, and so that you could build a patient family that was committed to you in your practice throughout all your 45-plus years of practice. How do you feel like that was centered in your decision making?

Building a Community of Like-minded Team Members and Partners

Dr. Kahn:

The hardest thing that we do is get good people to work for us. There's just no doubt this was true on Long Island; I'm not sure if it's the same in Oklahoma or in Dallas. I think finding the right people and starting off with the right people is important. Now, I got very lucky. I made a decision a long time ago that I did not want to practice by myself. I wanted to practice with somebody else.