Sometimes having dinner with friends brings out hidden talents. My companions were Lisa Spradley of Front Desk Lady for Hire and Angela Martinez of CareCredit. Here’s some of what we talked about:

• Patient trust is directly tied to financial honesty
• How Lisa brought her treatment planning philosophy to corporate dentistry and then enhanced it with their systems
• Is there a place for DiSC or personality types in these conversations?
• How does sticker shock play into this?
• “Happy patients refer happy patients” – Angela’s motto has roots in her thousands of case presentation
• CareCredit’s Payment Options Form (Payment Calculator) is a secret weapon
• Build your team’s confidence!

If you like this podcast feel free to vote for me on this poll of the Best Dental Podcasts:

• Click here to vote!

**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)

 ---

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

The 2020 Coding Update Webinar is brought to you by NEA Powered by Vyne. Register today to grab your spot for the live and/or recorded webinar! 

Register using this link

If you like this podcast feel free to vote for me on this poll of the Best Dental Podcasts:

Voting here! 

More management and insurance knowledge in my newsletter:  https://www.odysseymgmt.com/newsletter

Let me tell you about 11 separate antitrust lawsuits filed against Delta Dental Plans Association and all of the state Deltas. The case brought by Kaufman & Kaufman Smile Design Studio, LLC is available as an attachment for you to follow along. I dissect the document and make it easier to understand. 

This is a story I'll keep up with. The rulings (in either direction) will have a significant impact for carrier/provider relationships. 

Click here for the marked up copy of the Kaufman/Kaufman vs. Delta Et al. suit. 

Click here for the state market share listing

Thanks to Dr. Mike Davis for the information.

 -------------

I created Dental Revenue Network to foster collaboration and networking amongst RCM professionals. Billing company owners and billing professionals will have access to skill building sessions, current carrier news and insurance discussions beyond “what's the code?" Check it out - I hope you'll join! https://dentalrevenuenetwork.mn.co/

-------------

My insurance course Dental Insurance Design and Management is geared toward those who want to understand the how and why of insurance. As a loyal podcast listener, please use "NTMT" for a $75 courtesy toward your investment. 

-------------

Visit odysseymgmt.com to check out my book, webinars and courses.

-------------

Don’t forget to check out my other podcast Chew on This - A Dental Podcast! 

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

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@odysseymgmt

Thanks for letting me tell you about the most common inquiries I receive. Today’s episode is a virtual amalgam (see what I did there?) of many insurance issues.

1. Non-covered services: what difference does it make if a plan is self-funded? I give you a quick description so it will click when you see one in the wild. The ADA did a webinar on this if you want more information: https://success.ada.org/en/dental-benefits/self-funded-erisa-dental-plans-what-you-need-to-know-webinar

1. Spotted at a recent insurance meeting: a Humana Medicare Advantage that has a very, very odd way of applying the yearly benefit. Be on the lookout for this plan – hope you don’t run into it. Biggest takeaway? Creative cost containment measures will continue to pop up.
2. An appreciation benefit from carriers? Cool! Paid to you? Even better! But it belongs to the patient. WHAT? Let’s explore this more so you’ll know what to do when you see it.
3. Submitting secondary explanation of benefits (EOBs): you don’t need to photocopy in 99% of the cases. Keep the cash flow going by sending the claims – and the primary EOB - electronically.
4. Patients usually have two evaluations per year, right? What happens when they need three? Let’s talk that through. I give you some conversation examples – use them, please!
5. What type of call breaks my heart the most? Let me share why we need to listen to the very faint warning bells that ring from time to time.
6. The link for the 2020 Coding Update is live! Grab your spot for my yearly webinar that reviews the coding changes and what you need to know about them.

Hope these are helpful for you! I’ve seen many of you on the road lately and have been blessed with great feedback on the podcast. Let me hear your suggestions/critiques etc – I do this for you! I will always appreciate a good rating on Apple, Google Pods or your current podcast provider. Until the next ep, cheers!

----

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

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

---

Teresa’s educational offerings are supported by CareCredit and Weave.

I attended a recent course presented by Dr. Jeff Sulitzer who is the Chief Clinical Officer at SmileDirectClub (SDC). You've probably heard a lot about SDC as they have haters and lovers all over the net.

Listen in as I recall the conversation and what it means for your office (do you see SDC patients after the fact?). The bigger picture is something else completely and I'll expand on that towards the end.

Key points:

• the liability is not where you expect it to be
• the FTC and FDA have written legal briefs siding with SDC
• should we blame patients for being convenience driven?

And SDC is not the only one. I'm aware of at least 8 other companies who are going straight to consumer with these treatments. You don't need to change your business model but like I say in my classes: you can't make good decisions without all the facts.

Share this with your friends to continue the conversation. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the show!

Links:

SmileDirectClub  https://smiledirectclub.com/

Article: ADA's duel with SDC heats up  

Article:

SmileDirectClub is now the worst unicorn IPO of 2019, down nearly 60% from its debut

Article: SDC's official reaction to a recent class action suit

----

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

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

----

Teresa is partly supported by Weave Communications and their Practice Growth Summit. Register for it and receive unlimited access to videos given by leading dental educators (CE too!). It’s not Weave stuff – it’s business stuff:

https://try.getweave.com/weave-practice-growth-summit/

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

After some chatter about Dentrix’s Business of Dentistry event, we get into why our health histories are really only surface level information. What if you were a bit more inquisitive in asking the ‘why’ of their health and medications?

Going paperless is unavoidable in today’s modern practice. Dayna walks us through expectations – spoiler alert: there’s still some paper. Our patients expect us to be modernized and portals and forms are their first interaction with us. How is your office presenting itself?

Dayna then dives deep into health history forms and how we can sometimes screw it up. BUT she talks about how we can improve the process so that if your records are subpoenaed or reviewed you won’t feel like a bundle of nerves.

Towards the end we talk about intra-office communication and how that’s essential now. We’ve moved past Post-it notes!   

--------------------------------

Dayna’s latest NEA webinar can be found here: https://nea-fast.com/webinar-recordings/

The episode from A Tale of Two Hygienists that discusses dental emergencies from an EMT point of view.

You can reach her via these channels:

Twitter: @mynovonee

Facebook: MyNovonee

Web: Novonee

Email: [email protected]

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

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

Teresa is partly supported by Weave Communications and their Practice Growth Summit. Register for it and receive unlimited access to videos given by leading dental educators (CE too!). It’s not Weave stuff – it’s business stuff:

https://try.getweave.com/weave-practice-growth-summit/

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

Dr. Etchison is a former client but I can’t take the credit. The man is motivated and super-smart about the dental business side. I’m not talking about the numbers – he knows systems and how to be a good boss. Listen in as we talk about:

• How documenting processes save him so much time. Teams change but how we treat our patients doesn’t.
• He’s retaining team members. He knows he’s in a good spot but he shares how he worked through the struggles.
• How much does he utilize the assistant and how do you get them to that level?
• Four handed dentistry is not that prevalent and it’s a damn shame. Watch an example of it here (complete with slow jazz!)
  • https://dentistinmiramar.com/ergonomics-and-four-handed-dentistry-with-the-dental-operating-microscope/
• Business round up: he’s transparent with the team and believes in upping the production number rather than hyper-focusing on the expenses.
• What would we bring on a tropical island? Floss or coconut husk? (It cuts out a bit here – apologies!)
• What are we watching? Paul gives OA a mind-blowing thumbs up.
• We did get cut off here and I apologize for that! Please go check out Paul’s info – he’s a great guy with great info!

Links from Today’s Show

• Paul’s Podcast - http://dentalpracticeheroes.com/
  • My guest spot is http://dentalpracticeheroes.com/teresa-duncan-epic-insurance-conversations/
• Paul’s Practice Heroes Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dentalpracticeheroes/
• Paul’s book (get it – it’s good) – https://amzn.to/2ZqihNW
• Paul’s upcoming video series will be a huge resource for you – get on their email list now to be alerted to their launch. https://www.dentalbusinessmentor.com/

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

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

This podcast is partly supported by Weave Communications and their Practice Growth Summit. Register for it and receive unlimited access to videos given by leading dental educators (CE too!). It’s not Weave stuff – it’s business stuff:

https://try.getweave.com/weave-practice-growth-summit/

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

Colleen Huff is back with me for another carrier round up. This is one for the insurance geeks! Finally, I found someone who loves teaching workman’s compensation reimbursement. It’s one of my least favorite types of claim but she loves it – who knew? Other discussions centered around:

• Paper appointment books (wayback talk!)
• Facebook groups’ bad advice
• Why you should get to know your dental society’s executive director and legal counsel – it makes a huge difference. Colleen walks us through how to make contact.
• Can a patient have two Deltas through one employer group? Yes! With different addresses? Yes! Confused yet? We sure were. 

Links from Today’s Show

Colleen’s Website - http://colleenhuff.com/

Colleen’s Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Dentalinsurancecoach/

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

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

Colleen’s latest DentistryIQ article: https://www.dentistryiq.com/front-office/insurance-coding-and-tips/article/14035989/

In this episode, Teresa and Kevin discuss generations, employee caricatures and how change can suck. Are you typecasting your coworkers? We all do it but part of our growth as a manager is how we handle our professional interactions no matter our personal feelings. 

Kevin shares the different DiSC personalities and what he’s seen so far for each position. 

• Dominance: managers and dentists
• Influence: RDHs
• Steadiness: dental assistants
• Compliance: a mix but more clinical

Teresa recalls a recent class in which the audience was very clued into the generational differences and had questions about the infamous Queen Bee personality. We give you some solutions in case you find yourself in these situations. The real tip is to make sure your environment doesn’t foster this type of character.

Items of note: 

• We will be holding team events around the country in 2020. We’re staying out of the big cities though. Why? One reason is to find new strains of bacon. We love bacon. Stay tuned for dates/cities!
• Kevin’s watch list includes the new Spider-man: Far From Home and Yesterday. Can you imagine a world without the Beatles?  
• Teresa recommends Dark on Netflix but you’ll need a character guide. It’s not a simple series.
• We discuss the infamous Fonzy Jumping the Shark episode of Happy Days. Yes, we’re dating ourselves but it’s relevant – we promise! 
• Fat Thor and Skinny Thor – thoughts? 

Thanks for listening! If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to the podcast. 

Odyssey Management – Teresa’s site and newsletter

Teresa’s Instagram: treeduncan

IgniteDA – Kevin’s company and newsletter

Kevin’s Instagram: kgh23

My guest today is Susan Gunn, CFE. That’s short for Certified Fraud Examiner. Our talk today isn’t all about fraud though. We talk about money, receivables and why ethics is an issue today. Susan is a prolific author and sought-after speaker in the dental industry. She’s one of my top financial go-to persons so keep her information handy! A couple of high points from our conversation:

• Hear what Susan and I both think about EFTs (electronic fund transfers). Her take on it comes from a Quickbooks and accounting point of view while I tackle the workload issues.
• Fraud in our industry is more widespread than you think. If you ask any speaker/consultant they’ll tell you reported numbers are low. Why is that? What do you do when you spot it?
• What does ethics have to do with dentistry? How often do Susan and Teresa hear crazy ethical questions? Often. We’ll describe different scenarios so you can be on the lookout.
• What’s this trend of zero-ing out fee schedules? We shake our head at this all too common phenomena.
• If you give employee benefits, are you reporting it correctly? Can it come back to bite you?
• We transition into one of Susan’s older books about caregiving. Whatever stage of life you’re in it’s applicable.
• Do you have a succession plan for when a key player like a manager or even the doctor pass away? Here’s how to put that in motion.

Resource Links:

Susan’s books:Money In, Money Out: : $en$ible Financial Organization In Your Practice

Matters Of The Heart: A Journey in Caring For Aging Loved Ones

How to find Susan:Susan’s company on Facebook

Susan on Twitter

Susan on LinkedIn