Nobody Told Me That! A Dental Podcast with Teresa Duncan

Episode 61 Highlights 

Onederful Is Trying to Keep You From Calling Dental Carriers - Fingers Crossed!

My insurance nerd flag was flying for this one! Karen Taylor of Onederful joins me to talk about the technology behind dental carrier information. If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the scenes then this one's for you. 

• Karen and Teresa discuss the timesuck of gathering eligibility and benefits 
• What the heck is API? You use it almost every day in the office. 
• Why wouldn’t carriers simplify this process? What about practice management systems? 
• What is the Onederful Road Map?
• Can we use this technology to streamline claim status checks?

Quotes

• “API, you can think of it as a facilitator of data” 
• Accurate benefits ‘result in no surprise bills to the patient” 
• “It is a digital process, fully automated with no phone calls made” 
• From the carrier side: “Not only do they have to staff someone to take our calls, but we ask a lot of questions” 
• Karen says “I am seeing the carriers start to look more holistically at their programs” 
• Teresa complains “At the pharmacy not only to they fill my prescription but they know my info, check my benefits and fill it, so quickly” 
• “Every dentist can use this, even if you are out of network” 

 How to connect with Karen Taylor and Onederful: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenyt/

Onederful’s Website: https://onederful.co/

Principal Partnership Blog Post: https://developers.onederful.co/blog/principal-insurance-partnership/

Links 

**If you like the show then I’d appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!**

Teresa’s Website- https://www.odysseymgmt.com/ (sign up for my newsletter!)

Teresa’s Book Moving Your Patients to Yes! Easy Insurance Conversations

http://odysseymgmt.corecommerce.com/Book/ (use ‘newsletter’ for $3 off

Episode 60 Highlights 

My benefits buddy Colleen Huff returns for another session of carrier happenings. We talked about PPE payments (who is paying and how to apply the payments) and how some plans are relaxing frequency limitations in light of COVID-19. Have you noticed that managers are burning out? We have. We’re hearing and feeling it. How you train your new employees can make your life less stressful down the road. Don’t skip the onboarding process because you don’t have time - it will come back to bite you in the butt! Enjoy our incredibly nerdy insurance conversation! 

We cover:

• Frequency Updates
• PPE Updates and Colleen’s PPE Spreadsheet 
• Hiring and Training Opportunities
• Burnout and current challenges for managers
• Sidebar: How we as managers can keep an eye out for child and elder abuse in our offices. We play an important role in identifying the patterns and signs. 

Quotes

• RE: PPE payments: “I don’t want it in the software at all, I want it out” 
• “I am seeing a huge need for hygienists” 
• “I am getting a lot of emails for doctors looking for a manager, where they didn’t have one before” 
• “Covid brought out some good and bad for all of us” 
• “It’s assistants that everyone is crying for” 
• “We as managers are bearing the burden of so much” 
• “Give me someone to train who knows nothing, they are my favorite” 
• We have a role in identifying abuse: “Child abuse reports are down, but that does not mean it’s not happening.” It means teachers are not seeing it to report it.

Links 

• Colleen’s Website - http://colleenhuff.com/
• Colleen’s Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Dentalinsurancecoach/

**If you like the show then I’d appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!**

Teresa’s Website- https://www.odysseymgmt.com/ (sign up for my newsletter!)

Teresa’s Book Moving Your Patients to Yes! Easy Insurance Conversations

http://odysseymgmt.corecommerce.com/Book/ (use ‘newsletter’ for $3 off)

Ep 59

Often we don’t discover the legal side of practice sales until we’re in the thick of it. Join me for a very information-heavy episode that focuses on ownership, numbers and how patients react to practice transitions. Natasha walks us through why a business plan and certain analytical reports are needed. She has a 3-Step Process that she uses with clients on both sides: buyer and seller. The devil is in the details and contract law is full of them. After this episode you’ll at least know what to expect should you or your doctor take this path.

Episode 59 Highlights 

• Natasha’s background in contract law and transitions work
• Best practices to work with lenders and borrowers 
• Her 3-Step Process for Practice Sales
• Vision Boards and Business Plans 
• Marketing, Competitive and Financial Analysis 
• Legal Contracts 
• Acquisition Road Map

Quotes

• “What you think your practice is worth, may not be what it is worth” 
• “Like listing a house you need to understand what goes into showcasing your practice in it’s best light” 
• “You can't look at practice ownership in a vacuum, the emotional parts are very important” 
• “When you are in your mid 50s it’s a good idea to start considering your retirement plans” 
• “These dental business plans don’t Harvard Business School plans” 
• “You never want to compete on price” 
• “The buck stops with the dental CPAs”
• “I don’t promote litigation, to the furthest extent possible, keep your feet out of court” 
• On practice sale considerations: “The patient has gone to a new practice without knowing it, and that is a sense of betrayal” 
• “There is no test drive, once you close you close, there are no take backs” 
• Gold advice: “Avoid shady sellers” 

Links 

To connect with Natasha check out:

Her firm: https://www.thegillisfirm.com/ and her podcast, Dental Bites with the Smiling Lawyer and the Dental Zorro

• Facebook
• Instagram

Empowering Business Women in Dentistry Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2335189716581443/

**If you like the show then I’d appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!**

Teresa’s Website- https://www.odysseymgmt.com/ (sign up for my newsletter!)

Teresa’s Book Moving Your Patients to Yes! Easy Insurance Conversations

http://odysseymgmt.corecommerce.com/Book/ (use ‘newsletter’ for $3 off

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Episode 58

Angela Davis Sullivan and I go way back in our consulting days. I’m excited that you’ll hear her solutions for handling employee personalities and the weird situations we find ourselves in as leaders. Her advice is just so solid and I hope it’s helpful!

Highlights 

• Covid-19 and charging for PPE - how has it affected her clients
• The concept of ‘work family’
• What will happen when kids don’t go back to school
• Communication within your practice
• Discussion around new hires and their first 30 days
• 360 Feedback - what the heck is it?
• She recommends Forte and other personality type assessments 
• How she trains for patient onboarding
• Teledentistry - is it working for her clients?
• 10 office agreements you should have
• Why you need an end of year assessment
• Angela’s book is Coming Home to a Better Practice - definitely worth a read!

Quotes

• “I started in dentistry when I was 16 years old…it was before gloves if you can imagine that”
• On PPE: “Just own it, tell the patient ‘I know you can’t see it, but I am smiling under this mask and I am excited to meet you’”
• “I am also encouraging whoever is going to see that new patient to make a call and start that relationship building” 
• “That personal stuff is more important now than it ever has been” 
• “You have to have fun…if you can’t have fun it's going to be a long day"
• “Finding the people that want to be there is number one” 
• On employee struggles: “It wasn’t even having fear of the virus it was the side effects from PPE”
• “If they do well, then I do well. The whole team does well”
• On team agreements: “If they had a role in creating it, they are a heck of a lot more likely to follow it”
• “If you don’t act like a professional, they are not going to treat you like a professional, and you will not earn like a professional”
• “When everybody does everything, then nobody does anything…there is no accountability” 
• “Don’t forget to dream :) ”

Links 

**If you like the show then I’d appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!**

Angela can be found on Facebook and IG. Check out her book on Amazon and her website. 

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Teresa’s website- https://www.odysseymgmt.com/ (sign up for my newsletter!)

Teresa’s book can be found here Moving Your Patients to Yes! Easy Insurance Conversations

(use ‘newsletter’ for $3 off)

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Episode 57: Popular guest Lois Banta is back! This time we talked about the many conversations we've had with colleagues about leaving their jobs but staying in dentistry. Then we switched gears so she could share what her clients are doing to keep their practices humming along. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The NYT article regarding meetings in COVID age
• Speaking Consulting Network information
• Lois talks about her 10-10-10 method for adding time to appointments until you get the hang of PPE and team changes (add 10 min between, add 10 min to the appt and also add it to your huddle)
• 'Rightsize' your fees 3-5% to absorb fee costs

If you need more conversation surrounding SCN or consulting with your practice then send her an email. She's always helpful!

Email: [email protected]

Site: www.bantaconsulting.com Keep an eye out for her new book High Impact Communication (upcoming release)

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**If you like the show then I’d appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!**

Teresa’s Website- https://www.odysseymgmt.com/ (sign up for my newsletter!)

Teresa’s Book Moving Your Patients to Yes! Easy Insurance Conversations

http://odysseymgmt.corecommerce.com/Book/ (use ‘newsletter’ for $3 off

This is not news to you but leadership has evolved since COVID-19 steamrolled came into our lives. Out of necessity, new leaders with new leadership styles have emerged. How are you handling upset patients, new coding and exhausted coworkers? First, take a breath and realize you're not alone. Then let Geri give you examples of how her teams (and others) are navigating the "new normal." Don't you hate that phrase? Me too but at least you know what I mean! 

Geri drops advice on several topics such as:

• What new managers can do to establish systems after all your systems are thrown out of whack. 
• Are you a unicorn employee? If not, how do you find one and better yet, become one. 
• What bold moves her clients are using
• Why non-traditional meeting methods should stay (Zoom, chat etc)

She also recommends the book The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick Lencioni. 

You can reach Geri via:

• her website 
• her email
• her IG and her Facebook 

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**If you like the show then I’d appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!**

Teresa’s Website- https://www.odysseymgmt.com/ (sign up for my newsletter!)

Teresa’s Book Moving Your Patients to Yes! Easy Insurance Conversations

http://odysseymgmt.corecommerce.com/Book/ (use ‘newsletter’ for $3 off

Andre Shirdan is a former Patterson trainer and the founder of the Eaglesoft Field Guide Facebook group. Even if you're not an Eaglesoft office, this group discusses everything dental - you need to sign up for it! He is a 'recovering front desk person' and his therapy included training hundreds of other practices. He now speaks around the country on not only Eaglesoft topics but management and leadership. We had a great talk about progress notes (yes, I was in heaven!) and tracking costs with the extra PPE we now wear. Some highlights:

• How progress notes have evolved (Wordperfect and paper charts anyone?)
• What is Andre's big fear with teledentistry?
• What does his crystal ball tell us about our industry

Resources: Andre's Eaglesoft Field Guide on Facebook

Andre's book on Progress Notes 

Check out the podcast page for the full show notes!

I asked Lois to do a quick take about the controversial discussions surrounding PPE charges. She shares:

• her verbal skills should you decide to charge a fee
• why you need a system for inventory expense tracking
• her thoughts on if PPE fees are here-to-stay or just temporary charges

If you need more conversation surrounding the topic then send her an email. She's always helpful!

Email: [email protected]

Site: www.bantaconsulting.com Keep an eye out for her new book High Impact Communication (Spring release)

Check out Speaking Consulting Network if you are looking to advance your dental career.

Periodontal claims can be frustrating for even the most veteran of insurance coordinators. Rachel Wall of Inspired Hygiene is here to teach us how the new classifications will impact patient care. She goes over:

• What is staging and grading?
• How do systemic issues like diabetes, heart disease and inflammation factor in a patient's stage?
• We talk about the answer for "is it once a perio, always a perio?" It's about risk.
• How to incorporate this information into your claims and conversations.

The new guidelines can be found here: https://www.perio.org/2017wwdc

Rachel's book Return on Hygiene is a necessary business book for any office that has a recare program (that's most of you!). Managers - this is required reading, in my opinion.

Find Rachel at www.InspiredHygiene.com and visit her Resource Page for complimentary downloads. 

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**If you like the show then I’d appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!**

Teresa’s Website- https://www.odysseymgmt.com/ (sign up for my newsletter!)

Teresa’s Book Moving Your Patients to Yes! Easy Insurance Conversations

http://odysseymgmt.corecommerce.com/Book/ (use ‘newsletter’ for $3 off)

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How are your teams shaping up? Are you reconnecting as well as you thought? Ginny has worked with so many teams who were grateful to have someone help them to find their groove. Leadership is not easy and leadership during crisis is a real look at who you are as a manager/leader. We talked about a few different issues including:

- Staying connected with no physical contact - Finding and trusting resources when news is so fluid - How the Society for Human Resources Management should be a bookmarked site for managers - What you should be doing when everyone gets back together

Ginny said something I love: people support what they help create. To help with that, she talks us through creating/updating your procedures manuals and is offering a protocol sheet which will help with this. Email her at [email protected] for the form! 

Ginny's book is on Amazon: PIVOT:  Practice Leadership Redefined! 

Here is her HR GPS® Suite of Online Courses: Hiring | Onboarding | Developing a High Performance Team & Culture.

Connect with Ginny here:

• Website
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

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**If you like the show then I’d appreciate a good rating. Tell your friends. Even podcasters ask for referrals!**

Teresa’s Website- https://www.odysseymgmt.com/ (sign up for my newsletter!)

Teresa’s Book Moving Your Patients to Yes! Easy Insurance Conversations

http://odysseymgmt.corecommerce.com/Book/ (use ‘newsletter’ for $3 off)

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FYI: Teresa’s educational classes are often sponsored by CareCredit