My Practice My Business: The Clinical Business of Dentistry

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What happens if the office manager croaks, the hygienist calls in sick, or the dental assistant runs off with prince charming? Does anyone see the need for some cross-training? Missing a team member for even one day can lead to chaos in a dental office. Team members feel overwhelmed, which could ultimately lead to a decline in the quality of patient care. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Let Go Of Your Control....

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The majority of dental teams have been convinced that if dental insurance won’t pay for it, they have to write it off. Heaven forbid you actually charge the patient directly for services the PPO Plan won’t cover.

Dental insurance plans don’t pay for tooth whitening, yet most dental offices charge the patient for it directly. The same applies to electric toothbrushes. In addition, most dental insurance plans don’t pay for dental implants. Yet every office seems to charge for those products and services, right? In those three examples just listed, you wouldn’t think of not charging the patient for those services. Am I wrong? Nope!

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Over the last several months Tracy and I have observed “Leaders” emerge from the ranks of every type of dental team member in the dental offices we have had the opportunity to train. Leadership is critical to the success of any business, and it’s why two of our team training modules focus on leadership skills. And it’s why we take a deep dive into effective leadership skills in our office manager/front office trainings.

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You absolutely can if you allow yourself to paid fairly by holding the patient responsible for their dental care, instead of doing it for free like you’ve done for years. Stop listening to misinformation, and lies, from dental consultants, and others who have never read one damn insurance contract, never spoken and asked the “right” questions with insurance managers, never read the CDT Code Book cover to cover, have no understanding of laws within the state you practice, let alone have never passed a dental law protecting dentists and the patients they care for. With that said, look for opportunities, not obstacles, in your pursuit of obtaining and maintaining a financially healthy dental practice filled with happy satisfied patients you serve, along with happy team members, including you Doc, working smarter…not harder.

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So many times we see dental teams struggle with charging their patients for the services they provide. They often times feel they are nickel and diming their patients. Nothing could be further from the truth. Layering your treatment plans, being transparent with the codes and services you have diagnosed, and being paid fairly for those services is not gouging, nor nickel and diming the patient. This is an actual mental block many dentists suffer from because they are sincerely altruistic. They forget they have to learn skills to run their businesses, and if they are not profitable, they will fail. PPO Plans are constantly nickel and diming dental offices with reimbursements, or the lack thereof. Understanding their contracts, and how to be paid fairly for dental procedures is what we teach here at MPMB.

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How many times do we attend a CE course, a church meeting, or some lecture somewhere, and the presenter says something where our mind says, “oh, they lost me on that statement.” Have you ever thought that maybe you missed what was being said because your mind was off in some delusion of grandeur, or you were on your damn phone not paying attention?

Maybe what you thought you heard wasn't accurate. Our thought leadership needs to be the search of truth, and not our own bias. Opportunity can be lost with just one confirmation bias. 

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There are times where I wonder if the ADA really knows what is going on with dentists on the front lines. It’s apparent their actions often times do not reflect it. 

Many years ago, Tracy and I began research on bundling of procedures by dental insurance companies. We began to build the case against third-party payers with their constant tactics of preventing us from being paid fairly for the services we provide as dentists and hygienists.  

Again, years ago, Tracy came across a statement from the ADA Center for Professional Success which reads, “Claims bundling is the systematic combining of distinct dental procedures by third-party payers that results in a reduced benefit for the patient/beneficiary. The ADA considers bundling of procedures to be potentially fraudulent.”

If that is the case, then why is bundling verbiage found in the CDT Code Book?

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Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you there are dentists that make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what the hell happened. It’s not that simple. But, could there be a fourth doc? Or is the fourth doc just a unicorn...

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The list is long and unfortunately distinguished. Don’t get me wrong, most of the time we don’t like dealing with insurance plans and their reps either. But we are the only major consulting company that teaches dentists, and their teams, to keep them, because we know how to be profitable with them. So, who teaches dentists to drop their PPO Plans? Individuals who don’t know what they don’t know. 

Great leaders don’t resist or fear change, they embrace it, or even initiate it. Be that dental leader, and make that call to us here at MPMB. I promise you it will be the best business decision you make in your dental career.

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Insurances, laws, office manager and front office training, Disney Institute and leadership, ending with DSOs and why you don't need them. To date, there is one DSO that is  showing some promise with how they function and treat their docs, but the jury is still out. If they come through with their promise, we will sing their praises and point you to them if running your own business just isn't in your DNA. The rest of the DSO culture is something dentists need to be careful of. 

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