The Dental Marketer

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What is it like to escape as a refugee, build a life from scratch, and eventually knock down the doors of dental success? In an honest, heart-to-heart conversation, Dr. Fern White doesn't hold back, unveiling her unique childhood, the influence of her hardworking parents, and her journey towards becoming a respected dentist in Australia. Her story is a testament to the extraordinary power of resilience, adaptability, and enduring passion.

Yet, the road to success isn't typically linear, is it? There are detours of struggle, self-doubt, and immense pressure that often lead to a moment of crisis. Dr. Fern faced these challenges head-on, ultimately reevaluating her definition of success, and embracing a healthier, more balanced approach to life and work. This personal transformation not only improved her own life, but also ignited a passion within her to extend help to her peers. From pulling her siblings' teeth due to financial necessity, to leading a revolution of change within the dental profession, Dr. Fern's journey is nothing short of inspiring.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The inspiring journey of a Vietnamese refugee to a successful dentist
• How struggles and setbacks can redefine your outlook towards success
• The importance of self-care and a balanced approach to life and work
• Insights into the development of "Practice Your Passion" for dentists
• Relatable advice for aspiring leaders and professionals in the dental industry

Take a journey through Dr. Fern White's life, from a courageous refugee to a respected dentist, and how she's changing the face of dentistry and inspiring others!

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Get a head start in your community with the Ground Marketing Course and receive $419 off your purchase with the code "practicelaunchpad"! You can sign up here: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/

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Guest: Dr. Fern WhiteBusiness Name: Practice Your PassionCheck out Fern's Media:

Practice Your Passion: https://www.drfernwhite.com/learn-about-pyp

Website: https://www.drfern.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfernwhite/

Email: [email protected]

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Other Mentions and Links:

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Software/Tools:

• Slack

Products/Brands:

• Bulletproof Coffee
• Snickers
• Mars Bar

People:

• Brené Brown
• Tony Robbins
• Wayne Dyer - "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
• Wim Hof
• Brendan Burchard

Books/Publications:

• Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
• Hamlet
• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing
• The High Performance Planner

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

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Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

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p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

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Do you want show employee appreciation, but your budget feels tight when it comes time for bonuses? Join us in this fascinating episode, as we sit down with Shawn Peers, an expert in dental team dynamics, to discover the powerful impacts of spoiling your dental team with direction. In an industry often focused on patient care and latest dental technology, the importance of strong team dynamics, onboarding procedures, and continuous professional development is often overlooked. Shawn shares his insights on how aligning these aspects transforms your practice, resulting in increased morale, productivity, and ultimately profit.

Swim against the current with Shawn as he dismantles common misconceptions that hold dental practices back from investing time in improving systems. Shawn stresses on slowing down to build solid foundations for your team, using tools like comprehensive onboarding processes that focus on training and building confidence in new staff members. The importance of fostering a culture of growth and continuous improvement within your practice is highlighted, with the instigation of dedicated team meetings to openly discuss issues and develop solutions.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The significant impact of directing and empowering your dental team
• The power of comprehensive and confidence-building onboarding processes
• Breaking down barriers to developing effective systems within your practice
• The importance of continuous improvement and fostering a culture of growth
• The value of implementing dedicated team meetings for issue resolution and solution development
• Handling team dynamics and maintaining a harmonious work environment

Tune into our conversation, as we delve into the heart of successful dental practice management. You wouldn't want to miss out on these game-changing strategies to inspire and empower your team!

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Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:

Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/

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You can reach out to Shawn Peers here:

Website: https://dentalpeers.ca/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 613-867-8502

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If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey, Shawn, so talk to us. What's one piece of advice you can give us this Monday morning?

Shawn: Hey, Michael, thanks for having me. But a one piece of advice and I'm going to give you one that sometimes gets me a little trouble when I say it right off the bat, because dentists give me kind of a screwed up face.

Look, when I say it, I tell them. Don't be afraid to spoil your teams. And these days, you know, I kind of think you want to strike terror into the heart of the dentist, like post COVID, tell them that the key is they need to spoil their teams. Cause they're going to look at you and say, man, you didn't pay attention to what happened after COVID now, did you?

You've seen how salaries have gone crazy. pay them enough. We can't keep them long enough. They just bounce around. They don't want to work as hard. They want easier work hours. They don't want to work any evenings at all. And you're sitting there telling me that the key to my success is going to be spoiling my team.

You're nuts. You're just nuts. And I say, let me tell you a story and tell you a story about this one doctor who was going through all the same things that you're going through post COVID. And I talked to him about the importance of making sure you spoil your team, but you spoil them with direction. The key to it is, is you don't just spoil them and, and you know, like we've, we've heard all the talk about, Hey, if you want to keep team members on these, they've got to feel engaged.

They've got to be feeling empowered. And I believe that a hundred percent, but you still need them to feel engaged and empowered To do what you want them to do. You can't tell them what they want to do. Cause you tell them they're just going to go. No one wants to be told what to do.

So you, what you got to do is you've got to figure out how to allow them to do what you want them to do. So you've got to spoil them in the way that will encourage them that way. And a big part of that, what this dentist figured out, what he was really struggling with, same thing that everyone was. Team members were leaving.

Someone else down the street was offering another 5, 10 an hour more. Gone. So he understood, look, I got to be competitive, right? I can't, you know, underpay people. The market has changed and I have to respond to that. But that's not keeping people loyal. So he embarked on this whole new onboarding system.

And he spoiled them with the training. That gave them the confidence that they could come in and do their jobs in a relatively stress free environment because too often when we bring on new team members into the dental world, we just say Here's your desk. Here's your operatory. Have fun. you have any questions, just ask.

There's your onboarding process. So this dentist has embarked on something where he doesn't even have anybody doing any solid work for two weeks. If they're a hygienist, they don't see a patient for two weeks. If they're an admin team member, they don't answer a phone for two weeks. The first week he has them just going over policy and procedures manuals.

He has them doing Phone training, both for their video tutorials and, and one to one with a service that he's contracted out with. he does the same thing with his practice management system. Brings in all the video tutorials for them and also one to one training. That's the first week. The second week they come into the office, they're starting to do things, but mostly on an observation level.

Occasionally showing a little bit about what they do. It's only after that second week that he starts to kind of unleash them. And he's got the happiest team he's ever had, while his colleagues around him are still complaining that people are leaving left, right, and center, and it's a, you know, it's just this musical chairs with one day they've got a team member, the next they don't.

He's like, I got a full compliment. And they're happy. They're trained. They know what it is they're doing. They're not stressed trying to figure it out. So, he's spoiled them, but he's spoiled them in a way that he's given them the direction he wants them to go in, and he can now feel comfortable that he is allowing them to do what he wants them to do.

That's how you spoil

Michael: them. Gotcha. Okay. So then, that's spoiling with direction. I know you mentioned allow them to do what they want you to do. What you want them to do. Yeah. What you want them to do. Would that be? I guess so slowness plays part of that. It looks like it's a slow process, right? Because I feel like if you're like bringing somebody on, you're like, I need someone hygienist, right?

Come on. Like, I need you to start working at least within the second week. How can we combat that feeling of I need you to hurry up? And, and I need you to come on for what I hired you for to, all right, take your time. And you know,

Shawn: I mean, that's a psychological barrier know, we're just sort of geared in the world of dentistry that, you know, we don't take time out to really try to improve systems because anytime we do that, that means we're not producing.

And the dentists that I've talked to that feel they've gotten to where they've, they've You know, not necessarily where they need to be, but they're in a better spot than where they would be. Otherwise, they've said they had to recognize that it meant taking a step back for a little while, and you do have to be prepared to look at it and say, okay, it means I got to shut down for certain meetings.

Then we'll shut down. It's better to do that than try to cram a meeting into a lunch hour where people might be paying attention for 30 minutes, and that's not enough time to actually solve any issues that we might be wanting to discuss. So no resolutions are ever arrived at. We talk and we talk and nothing gets solved.

So then the next people next thing you know, people are like, why bother with the meeting and they're tuned out for the whole thing anyway. So yeah, you take a little bit of less production that day, but the idea is to build it up so that it becomes more sustainable down the road. And that's what these dentists that are doing that figured out.

You do have to be prepared to slow down. You do have to be prepared to train people. I can put somebody in to answer the phones today. I could put a hygienist in and not really introduce that person to the practice and where they're going to find everything and how we operate and how to put, notes into, into the computer system in the proper format, where we want them, all that kind of stuff.

But I'm always going to be having to compensate for what I haven't shown that person, how I want things done. So yes, in the short term, It might seem like it's better than not having somebody in there at all because you're training them. But then when they get going, when they hit the ground running, they're able to go faster.

They're able to learn new things quicker because the foundation's been set for them. And they are able to actually maintain that higher level of production for you going forward.

Michael: I like that now. So when it comes to the retaining part, so let's just say we did that. We did the two weeks we onboarded them and it was fantastic.

They love it. Now, where do you see, we need to start taking it slow again, or do we even need to start taking it slow again with our team?

Shawn: to the extent that look we we still are always looking to improve our processes And that means we are going to have team meetings. Maybe we'll have a monthly team meeting.

I'm a firm believer set the time aside and book at least two hours You know, never mind trying to squeeze it in for an hour at lunch. I've seen too many offices try to do that. Just doesn't work. You can't get the time in. So block off a good two hours, allow people, you know, a few minutes to get there because people are going to be late depending on when they excuse their last patient, they want to have a minute to wash up.

If they need to clean up their operatory a little bit, deal with the instruments, get there, get a little bit of their lunch into them, say hi. And then you can start the meeting, you know, say 20 minutes or so into, into that time slot and then hold your meeting for an hour and 15 minutes or so, and then recognize it.

Okay. Out of that, about that point in time, it's getting to say, let's say 20 to two. Now we're coming up on our two hour mark and people are starting to think about their two o'clock patients. So. Give them time again. So it's not so much that you're going slow, but you are going to be prepared to say, if we are serious about being in a state of continuous improvement, we do have to take a step back even for that moment, even for that one day a month.

But if it helps us deal with open time, let's say, let's say that's a problem and you can come up with a solution that works better. You've identified what the issue is, and now you can bring everybody on board because you're talking about it and you're developing the policy that will help. Correct that issue.

You'll fill in more open time. You'll make up for it. You'll more than make up for it. So it's not that you stay slow indefinitely. You'll have a period where, okay, we're going to take a pause today, but it's a productive pause because we're working on the business as a team. But we're not, you know, we don't, it's not that we want to just sort of be cushy and say, hey, don't work hard.

We still, we still have expectations. We're still going to hold people accountable. But you spoil them in the right way and give them the tools and give them the expectations. A lot of times holding people accountable is easier than you think. People kind of get it in their heads. They think, oh, that's a hard conversation.

Somebody didn't do the job well. And it's a hard conversation if you never set out the expectations. So the person's going, what? But if they knew what was expected and you gave them the training, they're kind of expecting and they kind of know if they fell short and you have to hold them accountable. So that's an easier conversation when you set the table properly.

Michael: Gotcha. Now, have you ever seen this, uh, Sean, where people are spoiling their team, they feel like they're doing everything they can, but they're just not happy still.

Shawn: Are you talking about the team now or

Michael: yeah, the team, the team, like the team is like maybe they're. You spoil them. You feel like you're doing everything right as a practice owner, but then the team is not.

They're still calling the shots that you almost feel like, ah, they're the ones who are the boss and I have to come to work for them and I have to bend over backwards for them.

Shawn: you're doing it the right way, as a general rule, no, there are going to be occasional team members where they're just, Hey, you can't stop spoiling me.

And, and those are ones that, you know, People have to recognize that and They're not just going to be impacting you. They're not just going to be impacting your production They're going to be impacting the other team members and occasionally that does mean We have to extend an invitation for that person to find their dental home in another location And that's okay.

If as a team there still seems to be an issue Then sometimes what that takes is figuring out. Okay, we've got a disconnect here because I think i've Really pulled all the right strings here. what's going on? So, you know, you have to be open to having a frank dialogue and saying team I've been trying to do this what's happening people don't seem to be responding sometimes that becomes a conversation that I get involved with working with clients and teams because the dentists They're uncomfortable having it.

They don't see it. The team is uncomfortable saying it to the dentist, but if they can build trust in a third party, you become that intermediary that can sort of bridge that gap for them a little bit. So I've certainly seen that happen. And it's just usually it's that issue that, what I thought I've communicated, you didn't hear.

And that old idea that if you're not hearing what I'm saying, it makes it pretty tough to lead.

Michael: Yeah.

Shawn: So we just have to solve that communication problem. If there's an honest effort being made. By both sides, then it's always solvable, in my opinion.

Michael: Awesome. So Shawn, where can people find you if they have any questions or concerns or anything like that?

Shawn: You can reach out to me at Sean, S H A W N at dental peers dot C A D E N T A L P E E R S dot C A. That's one way you can just drop me an email, me a call, 613 867 8502, call or text. check me out at dentalpeers. com. www. dentalpeers. ca. Learn a little bit more about some of the crazy things I like to do to help the world of dentistry.

Michael: Awesome, Sean. I appreciate you and everything you're doing at Dental Peers as well. We really appreciate you. And thank you so much for being with me on this Monday morning episode.

Shawn: Appreciate it. The time. Thanks so much. great to be here, Michael.

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Have you taken the leap to embark on the challenging but fulfilling path of entrepreneurship? In this episode, our guests Dr. Vitaliya and Dr. Eddie, the successful owners of "Dental Bar," share their wins, missteps, and the lessons they learned while traversing the path of starting and managing a dental clinic. From Vitallya's incredible journey from Ukraine to the US and her transition to dentistry, to Eddie's application of his industrial psychology background in navigating their dental industry, the episode is packed with inspiring stories and practical tips to help you also take the leap.

Our conversation gets intimate as they share the challenges of choosing the right location for a clinic, relocating due to unprecedented circumstances, and their resilience amidst these hurdles. They give an insider perspective on managing growth pains, from hiring the right people to vendor contract complexities. With a focus on cultivating a healthy work climate and a meticulous hiring process, their approach to building a strong team is enlightening. We also delve deep into the critical aspects of handling pricing and fees and responding to negative reviews with grace and tact, highlighting the importance of adaptability in a dental practice.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How to set a solid foundation for a successful dental practice.
• Personal experiences and hurdles in starting a dental clinic.
• Hiring practices to build a strong, effective team.
• Importance of understanding your practice's culture and climate.
• Navigating the complexities of vendor contracts.
• The significance of meticulousness in handling fees.
• Turning negative reviews into positive experiences.

Ready to unveil some business wisdom nuggets and set a solid foundation for your entrepreneurial venture? Plug in your headphones, hit play, and get ready to be inspired!

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Guest: Dr. Vitaliya & Dr. EddiePractice Name: Dental BarCheck out Vitaliya and Eddie's Media:

Website: http://www.dentbar.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dental_bar/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dentbar?mibextid=eQY6cl

LinkedIn for Vitaliya Genieva, DDS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitaliya-genieva-85489634

LinkedIn for Eddie Bitzer, PhD: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-bitzer-phd-a851991

Phone: 703 214 7748

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Other Mentions and Links:

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Establishments/Brands:

• Deloitte Consulting
• Starbucks
• PPO Profits

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

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Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

‍

p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

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Is cybersecurity one of your top concerns as a dental practice owner? If not, today's episode will likely change your mind. Join me in this important conversation with IT expert Reuben Kamp, where we delve deep into the chilling event of the recent cybersecurity attack on UnitedHealthcare. UnitedHealthcare was manipulated into transferring a shocking $22 million in Bitcoin to a hacker group known as "Black Cat" and this incident will serve as a firm reality-check and wake up call for everyone in the healthcare industry.

In our discussion, Reuben unwraps the tangled mess of this cyber-crisis, explaining how these ransomware attacks are affecting dental practices just like yours. Are you aware that a disturbing 6% of dental offices have already faced such debilitating attacks in 2022 alone? Our conversation pivots around the critical importance of stringent cybersecurity measures, such as HIPAA compliance, robust firewalls, ongoing risk evaluations, and how these can be your safeguard against such threats. Stick around as we close with vital insights on the gaping vulnerabilities that led to the UnitedHealthcare breach and how Reuben and his team, at Darkhorse Tech, take proactive steps to ensure that their clients remain secure and HIPAA compliant.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The chilling details of recent cybersecurity incident involving UnitedHealthcare
• How ransomware attacks can deeply affect your dental practice
• The importance of stringent cybersecurity measures, including air-gapped backups
• The crucial role of HIPAA compliance and ongoing risk assessments
• Insights on the vulnerabilities exploited in the UnitedHealthcare incident and how to avoid similar breaches
• The proactive steps taken by Dark Horse Tech to ensure client security

Remember, investing in reliable cybersecurity measures is the first step in protecting your valuable assets. Make sure to tune into this crucial episode and equip yourself with a robust defense arsenal against the rising tide of ransomware attacks!

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For DSO integrations, startup solutions, and all your dental IT needs, let our sponsors, Darkhorse Tech, help out so you can focus on providing the amazing care that you do. For 1 month of FREE service, visit their link today! https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/darkhorse-deal/

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You can reach out to Reuben Kamp here:

Website: https://www.darkhorsetech.com/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 800-868-4504

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarkhorseTech

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Mentions and Links:

Businesses/Services:

• UnitedHealthcare
• Henry Schein
• Change Healthcare
• Aspen Dental
• UPS
• ConnectWise

Other Mentions:

• BlackCat Hackers
• Bitcoin

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If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey, Ruben. So talk to us. What's one piece of advice you can give us this Monday morning?

Reuben: Wow. Well, we're going to talk about cybersecurity. just recently we had United healthcare. I think you've heard of them before. Uh, they just wired 22 million in Bitcoin to a hacker group called black cat.

that name is familiar. It's cause they hit Henry shine three times last year. So. This Monday morning broadcast is about cybersecurity and how you can protect your dental practice.

Michael: Interesting. Yeah. You sent me that the literally right before we're about to record right now, the link to it and it happened, it says on March 1st, a Bitcoin address connected to, and then it 350 So then they basically United healthcare paid them, right?

Reuben: So the full story is. Last week, uh, they noticed something was wrong with their system. this is Change Healthcare. They're owned by United Healthcare. their role in a, in a dental practice is they are the middle man. They process claims.

They are also involved on e prescribe, right? narcotics, you know, you're clicking your button in your practice management software, that's getting sent to the local pharmacy. That is actually still down by the way. so we're, we're 10 days with so far. and the E prescribed modules that are powered by that are down.

What just happened? Um, but you were referring to that article I was talking about is I was going to ask you how, how many Bitcoin do you think 22 million is? But I think I already told you, it's not that much, it's like, 22 millions, about 350 ish Bitcoin. and you can see how devastating the attack was because they actually paid it.

which is insane. I think, uh, you know, when you, when you think about organization, a business that gets. Hit by ransomware. Why don't they have backups? why do we have to pay this ransom? You should have backups. Well, they either didn't have backups Which again just absolutely insane for an organization this size the backups were also encrypted which again is just mind boggling For a company of this size that they didn't take their internal IT Uh, seriously.

Michael: Interesting. So then let me ask you, because this has happened with UnitedHealthcare, oh, huge organization, right? So how could this be prevented and can something like this happen on a smaller scale, like a practice, single practice, single doc practice?

Reuben: Yeah, I mean, the stats last year. So we, um, I should say 2022 because we don't have clean data yet for 2023.

That's still being compiled. So the big kind of flashing yellow banner here is 6 percent of all dental offices had an issue with ransomware. In the year 2022. So I mean, quick math, 250 practice locations, uh, 6%. So that means 15, 000 dental offices dealt with ransomware last year. It's not a small number, the problem is getting, you know, even data further than that. Basically, once this happens and there's a breach and patient health care information is involved. we're talking about radio silence, right? The, the OCM, these government organizations try to keep it unless it's a giant thing.

They, they try to keep it relatively under wraps. Right. So this is something that a large percentage of the industry is dealing with, I mean, think about like. If 6 percent of all the drivers on the road got into accidents, that would be a monstrous number. so to answer your question, small dental practices, small DSOs, emerging DSOs, midsize DSOs, large DSOs, like Aspen Dental that got hacked last year, they're all dealing with this same problem.

But UnitedHealthcare is a larger target. Right, so they're going to attract black cat is like the creme de la creme of the hackers out there. they were the ones that did shine, as I mentioned before. were not involved in the Aspen Dental, but you know, those are three big, splashy events, that happened and are breaches because patient health information, in this case, six terabytes of patient health information, claims data, social security numbers, treatment performed, that's why they paid 22 million.

Michael: Okay, so you mentioned two things. Their backups, they probably didn't have a backup or their backups were not encrypted or encrypted or something like that, right? You said

Reuben: so how you're supposed to do backups is you're supposed to have two copies. One can be connected to your server and the other one needs to be what we call air gapped, basically one step removed.

And the reason is. What we're talking about right here. You get hit that one that's actually connected to your system directly is also going to get compromised. So that's why you need to have an air gap. You know, sometimes that's a cloud backup. that's probably the easiest way to explain it to the audience here is like you have a local backup, you have a cloud backup backup should be set up to be air gapped so that I mean, we can talk about ransomware with the building burns down, you want your backups not in all in one, not have all your eggs in one basket.

So backup. if anyone ever pays the ransom, you know that their backups are not working properly here's what happens when you have a backup hacker comes in, they encrypt your data. You say, Oh man, that sucks. And then you kick them out of the system, clean it all up and you restore from your backup.

You do not have to pay. The ransom, the ransom is there because they are saying, Hey, you want your data back? You have to pay to get it. Well, you should be like, no, I have, I have backups. I'm not going to pay you go away. so it's just like, if you ever see an article about someone making a ransomware payment to hackers, it's because their backups didn't work.

Now there's a lot that goes into protecting a dental practice. Backup is just one part of that, but it's a hundred percent of the time that if they're paying the ransom, it's because they don't have backups.

Michael: Interesting. Okay. So then this can be prevented. How besides having backups, like you just tell your it company, like, Hey, make sure everything's backed up.

That's it.

Reuben: Yeah. I'll just, uh, for the sake of ease, assume everyone works with a competent it professional. So yeah, you should say, Hey, it company, am I HIPAA compliant? Are all my systems HIPAA compliant, right? Cause that should really answer the question, uh, questions, you know, one through 100 that follow after that firewall anti ransomware antivirus software, or you're keeping your computers up to date, you know, all this boring stuff, dentists just want to practice dentistry.

And then we, you know, keeps us up at night over here on this side of the world, um, and backups. Which are the last line of defense, right? You get hacked. It's because something got through your firewall. Something got through your email filter. Something got past your antivirus software. The only reason we're talking about backups is because everything else failed.

Michael: Hmm. Okay. So this is the last resort kind of thing is if

Reuben: you're using backups, let's say outside of, I guess let's just continue to focus on ransomware, right? Because if your server fails, Hey, I've got a backup. No problem. We're going to get a new server. We're going to, but again, when we're talking about, if you're down because of ransomware and you're making a payment to this company, it's because you don't have backups.

You would just tell them, hey, thanks for, uh, that headache, go away, cause you wouldn't have to worry about it.

Michael: how common is this Ruben? Honestly, like within practices, have you seen this? Like, Oh my God, ransomware has happened.

Reuben: Yeah, we don't have to deal with it as an IT company. We work for currently 1077 distinct practice locations, right?

That's a lot of patient health information. A lot of different networks. We're not dealing with ransomware. Okay, and it's because it's not rocket science. It does take. Someone who's devoted and pays attention to the market, you do what HIPAA says you get a firewall in there, you get anti ransomware, you make sure the network is set up properly, you make sure, you know, Wi Fi is secured, backups, and this is not something you deal with.

So, you know, the fact that it's affecting 15, 000 dental offices and, you know, it's crazy. It's affecting the small, the medium, and the large, right? No one is being spared by this. You know, uh, people continue to hire professionals that are, are saying, Hey, yeah, we got you covered doc. But what's actually happening is, is not that, so, you know, it's, it's a really hard.

Position for the doctors in, right. You get, let's say you get a referral from buddy who's not in healthcare that doesn't, you know, Hey, I got a great it guy. Well, it's really important that he knows what it takes to protect your practice. Right. And again, yeah, backups is one part of that. I would argue it's the most important part, right?

Backups equals downtime. They're not set up properly downtime. Patients are walking in the door, your systems are down, you can't take x rays, they're looking at you in the face, it's embarrassing that your technology doesn't work, let's just skip that and just do it right the first time.

Michael: Mmm, gotcha. Okay, so it's more like the HIPAA compliance type of deal.

You gotta ask them, hey, are you HIPAA compliant? And if they're like, yeah, sure. Like, yeah, sure.

Reuben: Well, uh, yeah. And then I guess the, the, the follow up question, the magic words you could say is at, you know, where's your risk assessment, ask them for a risk assessment. And that's basically they have to give you a report.

And this is the first thing. If you ever get audited by OCR office of civil rights, who's in charge of enforcing HIPAA and the fines and all that, that's the first thing they asked for, where's your risk assessment, right? It is. your self evaluation, It is, Oh yeah, we have this old CBCT that only works with a Windows seven PC.

Okay. That's an identified vulnerability in your system. That should be in your risk. So that's just one example. It's basically an analysis of your practices, security profile.

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. So in a nutshell, United healthcare, were they not HIPAA compliant?

Reuben: We know they're not HIPAA compliant because they paid the fine.

Michael: We can

Reuben: skip right to the conclusion, which is, again, you're paying the fine, you didn't do your backups properly. We know that six terabytes of patient health information have been compromised. Names, date of birth, social security number, treatment provided. We're talking about, you know, claims. So prescriptions, I mean, this is a monumental event, uh, in the industry.

Michael: Yeah. And it just happened because of an email.

Reuben: So I'm glad we got to the why right? So we look at Aspen Dental. We look at Shine last year. Exactly what you just said is true. It happened just because of a single email, right? We can talk about fishing. Fishing is Someone pretends to be someone else.

Could be UPS, it could be your boss, they want you to click on a malicious link. So someone from, let's say Shine, clicked on the link, it encrypted their information, all of a sudden, you can't order supplies from Henry Shine's ordering website or for your rep, and, uh, they got hacked a couple times just because of some hubris that happened.

But, this changed healthcare, UnitedHealthcare situation is actually a different attack vector. All right. So we learned the lessons from that one. It was a great reminder, train your staff, have good email filters. Okay. This one, you want to guess how they got, you're never going to guess because it's so stupid.

All right, Michael, you know what remote access software is?

Michael: Yeah. Where you can access it from like a, another location, right?

Reuben: Yeah. All right. Well, United healthcare. Wanted to save some money, so they bought a program and hosted it themselves, I'm a small business owner like many people listening here.

I do the real thing It's a cloud product. It gets updated in real time. They bought a old product to use called connect wise And they hosted it in their own facility. Okay. And didn't update it. So black cat found the vulnerability cause it hadn't been updated in years, got into the system and the rest is history.

So lessons are, I mean, this, this is applicable to windows security updates, right? There's a reason that Microsoft releases them. call it patch Tuesday, right? There's that Tuesday they it's because people like black cat are getting into the system, right? Researchers as well are identifying and windows is releasing, patches to fix those holes in the system.

All right, well, imagine if, you know, you wait a couple of weeks, probably not that big of a deal, right? For your system to be out of date by a couple of weeks, take it back a month, still probably not six months. That's getting to be a little worrisome, right? That vulnerability has been known for six months.

Okay. Oh, now we're talking about four times that amount of time. And I keep going back to the size of these companies and it's the hubris. It won't happen to me. is just, again, it's one of those things you don't think about. I call it roads and bridges, right? You don't think about it until you haven't paid enough attention or spend enough money on it, and then something like this happens.

Michael: Interesting. All righty, Ruby, man, and your company dark horse tech covers this, right? So if I were to sign up with you guys. Immediately and ask you, Hey, make sure you do the HIPAA compliance. Everything it's already cut.

Reuben: We do not enter into client engagements without this being in place, this protection being in place.

So yes. And, uh, you know, to further accentuate presence in the industry. Um, if something ever did happen, right, I started this 12 years ago. This is not something we've dealt with at all. If something were to happen, that is going to be on our cyber liability insurance, not the clients, because that would be a failure of a service that we're providing to them.

So it's, it's probably a topic for another day, but, uh, I will leave you with, please have your it company sign business associates agreements.

MME Reuben Kamp Ransomware DRAFT: Nice. Okay. Awesome. Ruben, I appreciate your time. And if anyone has further questions, where can they find you?

Reuben: CEO of Dark Horse Tech, dark horse tech.com. I am admin A DMI [email protected].

Um, email, call me numbers everywhere. You know how to reach me on Facebook, I'm around.

Michael: Awesome. And that's gonna be in the show notes below. So if you wanna ask Ruben any more questions or concerns or look into Dark Horse Tech at the same time, going to channel Notes below. Look for Reuben's name and look at those links there.

And Reuben, thank you so much for being with me on this Monday morning episode.

Reuben: Thanks Michael.

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How did a small-town practice owner rise up to become a trailblazing figure in advanced dentistry? In this episode, we weave through the fascinating journey of Dr. BJ Moorhead, who started from modest roots to dominate the realm of patient-focused, anxiety-reducing dentistry. Discover how BJ nurtured his solo practice whilst teaching at an IV sedation program for dentists, embracing a forward-thinking dental care approach that centers on the patient's comfort and trust.

Find out how Dr. Moorhead triumphs in managing fear-based patients, stressing the significance of open-ended dialogue and giving patients their rightful control over their treatment decisions. We venture into his effective marketing strategies, demystifying his utilization of Google Ads and shedding light on why benefits reign over technical jargon in his promotional handouts. Our discussion concludes with BJ disclosing his three revolutionary tools and a wealth of advice for dentists facing adversity. This episode encapsulates insights and practical tips to nurture a thriving practice in today's modern world.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The importance and implementation of open-ended patient dialogue
• Crafting marketing strategies that prioritize benefits over technicalities
• Dr. BJ's unique path towards success in advanced dentistry
• Innovative tools and methodologies applied in Dr. Moorhead's practices
• Engaging with fear-based patients and strategies to inspire their trust
• Wisdom for overcoming hardships in your dental journey

Feel inspired? Don't miss out on this exciting journey! Tune in, uncover the secrets to growing a successful practice, and learn firsthand why patient comfort is the pinnacle of advanced dentistry.

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Guest: Dr. BJ MoorheadBusiness Name: StreamDentCheck out BJ's Media:

Website: https://www.streamdent.com/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 502-509-1570

IV Sedation Training for Dentists: https://www.ivsedationtrainingfordentists.com/coaching

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Other Mentions and Links:

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Software:

• Weave
• Dentrix
• DEXIS
• Google Voice

Establishments/Brands:

• Spear Education
• Invisalign
• NuCalm
• Triazolam
• Valium
• Applebee's
• Henry Schein

People/Public Figures:

• Walter Hailey's Dental Boot Kamp
• Dr. Ted Raybould
• Dr. Rodger Levin
• Socrates
• Grace rizza - Chicago Marketer
• Dr. Darren Greenwell
• Dr. Jack Turbyfill (Branching Technique)

Organizations:

• ADA
• Kentucky Dental Association

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

‍
Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

‍

p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

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Are you struggling with retaining employees in your dental practice? In this eye-opening episode, Glenda Acevedo, a seasoned scholar in employee retention strategies, unravels the crux and possible remedies for the high turnover rates frequently witnessed in dental practices. Glenda takes us through a systematic approach to bolster employee retention by tackling two main dilemmas - employees leaving prematurely and employees demanding more wages than the practice can comfortably afford. With a wealth of wisdom extracted from her corporate America experience, she explains the immense value of applying effective onboarding systems, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and creating a detailed roadmap for engagement and progression within a dental practice.

Moreover, she introduces us to a paradigm shift in goal setting within organizations, urging dental practice owners to leverage team-centric goals over individual-centric ones. Glenda firmly believes that this method gives employees a sense of belonging and teamwork, inspiring them to pull together for the overall success of the practice. This episode is packed with innovative insights to help you revolutionize your employee retention strategies and create a thriving and stable workforce.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Understanding the significance and challenges of employee retention in dental practices.
• The role of effective onboarding systems in employee retention.
• The benefits of providing clear roles and responsibilities to your staff.
• How to create a roadmap for success within your dental practice.
• The impact of setting team goals versus individual goals in fostering a culture of teamwork.

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Push play and let's take your dental practice to a whole new level of stability and success!

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Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:

Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/

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You can reach out to Glenda Acevedo here:

Website: https://www.glendaacevedo.com/

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Mentions and Links:

Publications:

• Fortune 500

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If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey, Glenda. So talk to us. What's one piece of advice you can give us this Monday morning?

Glenda: Hi, Michael. Thank you for having me on. Um, I would have to say if I wanted to give a dental practice one piece of advice, it would probably be around employee retention. I know that so many dental practices are really struggling with this issue.

Um, there's a couple of different things going on it with it. In my mind, you've got people that don't want to stay. They're only there for a very short period of time. they're leaving. Or you have the other side of the coin where you have people kind of holding the business owners hostage. for more money and in most cases more money that the practice is really not in the position to be able to pay.

And so I would like to address this today and give practice owners some ideas around what they might be able to do to encourage employees to stay longer term. I know it's a challenge hiring right now, but there are so many options for hiring new employees, including going to grocery stores and finding people in good customer service or to restaurants or to spas and finding people that are really good at their job and providing customer service.

If you have systems in place, which happens to be my specialty, um, I help businesses document their systems. And so onboarding systems is just one part of what I do. But the reason I'm talking about that is because when you hire employees, the one thing they want is to be trained. developed and to clearly understand the roles and responsibilities.

And so when I talk about this, if you don't have those types of systems in place, if you can't bring someone in and show them how to do their job, develop them in that role and actually get them a roadmap of how to achieve success, they're probably not going to turn into a long term employee. So every practice should have that.

And I think I think the reason I'm so passionate around this area, in my previous life, as I like to say, I spent 18 years in corporate America at a fortune 500 company as a salesperson, I can tell you at the beginning of every year. I always had a roadmap. Of what I had to accomplish that year, what were the gates for me to achieve my bonus and to reach each of those gates.

Now those gates were always derived based on the company's goals for the year. And so when I met my goals. and earn that big paycheck. So did the company, they reached their goals. So I'm fairly new to dentistry. I've only been in this community for about three years, but I think every dental practice should be like a sales organization.

We should outline the roles and responsibilities for every single position, and we should give every employee a roadmap to success. And how they achieve that in the practice, because people, when they have something to strive for, especially money, they typically want to put it all in, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing individual goals.

There could be some individual, but I'd recommend team goals because we want to encourage our team members to work together and put them in a position to where they have to work together to achieve the overall goal of the practice. So again, it always goes back. If our employees win, so does our dental practice win.

So I'd honestly like to see every business owner put the onboarding systems in place to train their employees, to develop them, to see their path, that they can grow within the business to become more than what they are today, because don't we all want to achieve success in what we do in life? We all want to know what do we do to get better, to do more, to earn more, to become a higher level within the company.

So how do I do that?

Michael: Gotcha. That's what you want them to ask them. You want them to ask the practice owner. So then if we rewind a little bit, you mentioned the roadmap to achieve success. What does this roadmap look?

Glenda: Well, I think the roadmap is going to be a little bit different for each employee, but the roadmap has to come from the business owner's goals.

So what are the goals of the business and how can we take those goals and roll it into the day to day activities of every employee? And when you do that. You create a step by step process again. We're circling back to systems were circling back to how do we perform our jobs? And what do we have to do in our day to day activities to do that?

Now that we could be talking about the front desk, we could be talking about clinical. And if we were switching over to talk about clinical, it may be making sure that we're adding fluoride for every patient that comes in the door. And perhaps that's one of our goals. It may be a small cell, but a cell to every single patient that comes through the door would certainly increase the revenue of the business overall.

There are many ways that we can do that in just understanding and looking at our business, defining what are we doing today. What could we do differently tomorrow? How do we work this into the daily activities of our employees? And again, I know I keep circling you back, but it's really by creating systems and training our employees to understand what our goals are.

How they follow those steps. And typically what I do to support that is I create the step by step systems, but I also create the checklist, which really simplifies it for the employees to do that. So every one of these pieces, Michael always goes back to creating the training to train our employees to do what we need them to do inside of our business.

And there's another part to that. And it's something I always like to talk about because business owners. Our managers are often quick to blame employees when something goes wrong. But my thought process behind that is we should always blame the system first because typically it is our system. Either we don't have a system or system is broken.

Either that or employees are not following them. But we need to identify which one of those are and we want to support our employees, not blame them. And so we always need to take a deeper dive into why is this happening and what can we do to resolve the issue to support our employees so we get it right every time, or at least achieve to get it right every time.

Michael: Can you give me. a team goal example. So you know how you said individually, you don't recommend it. You recommend it as like a team. What would be an example?

Glenda: Well, we could even take the clinical as an example. If every one of our hygienist that has a patient comes in, sells a fluoride case or adds fluoride to their treatment, And at the end of the day or at the end of the week, the month, whatever that how the goals are set up, we have to promote it as a team.

We need the entire team to come forward and we need everyone to try to sell this. And we don't want to put it at where you have to do everyone. We want to give them a goal to be able to reach and to reach beyond that. So, there's all types of different goals that you can put in place to support one another in different ways.

It might be the front desk with, maybe we're working with a marketing company, and maybe it's on how many leads can we convert? How can we support one another in converting leads in closing treatment cases? So it could be case acceptance. So there's a number of different ways that you could combine that and turn it into team goals with working together.

We really have to break down what the goals again are of the practice. And what does that look like when we actually roll it to the team and how can we combine them together with something that makes sense because we want everyone to achieve for individual results, but also team results, because again, we want to encourage teamwork.

Michael: Okay. That's good. I like that a lot. What happens if we are in the case, let's just say we're listening right now. Sounds great. Great. But we're in that part where we're feeling like a hostage, where if we even implement this, they're like, why are you going to give us a raise to do this? What do we

Glenda: do?

I think that is a great question. And I happened to be at an office last week, working with the client and this hostage situation happened to be going on with their entire team at two locations. They were all demanding a higher wage. And so what we basically did was break it down because they were comparing their hourly rate to what they would get if they were a temporary hire.

As temps, they were making 55 an hour. So they wanted their doctors to raise them to 55 an hour, but what they were not taking into consideration were, the 4 percent match that they were receiving and all of the money that they invested, they had an investment plan. They had benefits. This company had even given them at one point, a payout at the end of the year.

of like 10, 000 per employee. This office was going over and above with delivering results for their employees. And yet the employees were not taking that into consideration. So we talked about that with each employee and ask him, do you need benefits? Because if you don't want the benefits, we may be able to afford to pay you a little bit more per hour.

But if the benefits are important, it might be something you want to consider. Also, in the temporary position, is that going to be full time work for you? Because I'm providing you with full time hours when you work for me. And this has been a long term arrangement. The other thing that we did was to actually analyze the practice numbers.

where they were, their percent of payroll up against what the average is. And what we found was the company, the practice was already over by at least 5 percent in their payroll. So the only way that practice could realistically. afford to give them the raise they wanted is if they were to improve their production.

So we turned it back on the employees and said, okay, we'll consider the raise, but this is what we need from you. And so one of the programs that we introduced again, going back to fluoride, which is something really simple to sell is. You need to include a fluoride case with every one of these and as we improve our numbers and our production, and we go from 30 percent back down to 20 or 25 percent in the right range, now we can afford to talk about giving you a raise.

But we need you to work with us, and being able to make sure that we're hitting the numbers that we need to hit as well. And so it's all about how you position that conversation.

Michael: Glenda, thank you so much for being with me on this Monday morning episode.

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How does one successfully launch a boutique dental practice in a saturated market like New York City? In this episode, we speak to, Dr. Arti Jagirdar, who shares her journey of establishing Flatiron Dental, a distinguished dental practice that offers more than just the basics. She offers a candid account of her decision to adopt a patient-centric, fee-for-service model and its subsequent impact on the practice. Dr. Jagirdar’s unique offerings such as sleep apnea treatments and airway consultations have been key in differentiating Flatiron Dental in the bustling cityscape of New York.

We also delve deeper into the nitty-gritty of setting up shop, from navigating lengthy lease negotiations to the vital role of legal consultations in contract signings. Dr. Jagirdar also recounts the unexpected challenge of a trademark battle over her practice's name, underlining the importance of resilience, legal advice, and the power of standing by your choices with integrity. Rounding up the conversation, we discuss the critical role of cultivating relationships and harnessing the power of word-of-mouth in attracting new patients to your practice, and how becoming a thought leader in the dental community can build a strong brand presence.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The importance of a unique service offering in a densely saturated market
• Insights into the fee-for-service model in dentistry
• Why never to sign a contract without a lawyer's approval
• How to handle unexpected challenge such as trademark disputes
• The power of word-of-mouth and relationships in building a patient base
• The potential for thought leadership to strengthen your brand

Don't miss this episode full of valuable insights from Dr. Jagirdar - it's brimming with lessons for anyone wanting to make their mark in a competitive market!

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Guest: Dr. Arti JagirdarPractice Name: Flatiron DentalCheck out Arti's Media:

Website: https://www.flatirondentalnyc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flatirondental/

Flatiron Dental Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qHLpjIikJHlEOVv3Y7dYY?si=5d09cbd507704653

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Other Mentions and Links:

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Podcasts:

• 438: DR. AVI PATEL | CLEAR ALIGNER ADVISOR

Books:

• Man's Search for Meaning
• The Denial of Death
• The Artist's Way: 30th Anniversary Edition

Software:

• Open Dental

Businesses/Brands:

• Henry Schein
• Wonderist Agency
• HDA Accounting Firm
• Method - Unified Smiles
• Tend Offices in NYC
• Ideal Practices
• Breakaway Seminars
• Invisalign
• Queensboro Plaza Dental Care

Locations/Establishments:

• NYU
• Fordham Law
• Mount Kilimanjaro
• Kois Center

Banks/Financial Institutions:

• First Citizens Bank
• Bank of America
• Wells Fargo
• Huntington Bank
• Provide

Organizations:

• HIPAA
• OSHA
• Spear Education

People/Connections:

• Robert Montgomery
• Dr. Michael Nguyen
• Dr. Frank Spear
• Dr. Alina Lane - all smiles Dentistry
• Alan Withall - Henry Schein
• Dr. Scott Leune
• Jayme Amos - Ideal Practices
• Elizabeth Mulderig - Ideal Practices
• Reed Wrisley - Practice Real Estate Group
• Patrick Black - Precision Contracting Corp
• Jaclyn Ionin - Intellectual Property Attorney
• Mike Gharib - Ideal Practices
• Chrystle Cu - Cocofloss

Other:

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
• Marfan Syndrome

‍

Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

‍
Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

‍

p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

‍

‍

‍

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How do your patients REALLY perceive your dental practice? How can convenience, image, and service make or break their overall experience? In this compelling Monday Morning conversation with industry veteran, Keith McLachlan, we dive deep into the heart of these issues. Keith passionately argues for the urgent need for dental practitioners to adopt a retail business model that is profoundly patient-centric. And not just in theory, but in practice - with a focus on delivering care that brilliantly suits patients’ lifestyles, work schedules, and personal preferences.

Keith takes us on a journey of understanding through the eyes of patient, shedding light on the overlooked importance of practice accessibility. Is your office meeting the demands of the early birds and night owls who work 9 to 5 jobs? Are you addressing the needs of those who can only carve out time over weekends? Keith doesn't stop there. He delves into addressing tricky roadblocks like work-life balance and provider burnout, while underlining the potent impact of a strong online presence and memorable first-visit experiences in captivating new patients. Keith makes a compelling case for reshaping our practice mentalities, daring us to redesign our dental offices with a healthier balance of professional commitment and patient-centric empathy.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The crucial role of a patient-centric approach in running successful practices.
• The underestimated power of operating hours in patient retention and satisfaction.
• How to prevent provider burnout while still accommodating patient needs.
• Tips for creating a strong online presence and memorable first-visits.
• The importance of work-life balance in avoidance of provider burnout.

Tune into this intensive MME with Keith now, and take a leap towards a more inclusive, patient-centric service delivery model!

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Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:

Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/

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You can reach out to Keith McLachlan here:

Website: https://dentalteamfinder.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dental-team-finder/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dentalteamfinder

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5mEcmTS-xGSt5gpbajZ6ow

Email: [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

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Mentions and Links:

Books/Publications:

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

‍

If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

‍

Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey Keith. So talk to us. What's one piece of advice you can give us this Monday

Keith: morning? Oh, Michael, well, thank you for having me on and thanks to your listeners for listening. Um, one piece of advice that, you know, I obviously am not a dentist or dental provider, been in dentistry for 30 years, but, one thing that I see, and again the concept was introduced to me in full disclosure by somebody else, but it bears repeating as much as one can do as a dental provider and still maintain some quality of life, think of your business as a retail business. think in terms of, maybe you can have on one end of the spectrum, you can have your old medical provider, 1950s medical office where you have the sliding, opaque, you know, separation barrier between, um, patients and the team members.

And then you have kind of what we have today, which is more of your open concept, right? So there's been some adaptation to that idea. But in terms of offering, right? Are you working four days a week? Eight to five? As a dental practice provider. Um, well, ironically, most of the patients are probably working Monday through Friday, eight to five, and they have to take off work to see you.

So perhaps thinking in terms of, earlier appointments before eight A.M. or uh, maybe, uh, extended hours after, maybe two hours after. Five o'clock. Not every day necessarily. Some offices do a successful seven to seven shift between two doctors. somebody will do the morning shift and one do the afternoon shift.

If it's a multiple doctor I. Practice. Some will do a weekend, half day or full day weekend. Um, and they find that those are wildly popular hours. Mm-Hmm. But the whole idea, and again it's, not just one thing. like I said, I can credit Fred Doyle for this idea and it. Book, everything is marketing, but think in terms of your business as a retail business as opposed to kind of the old school medical offices that were not very patient-centric.

Gotcha. Okay.

Michael: So it sounds like practices today they're looking more modern, right. When it comes to like their. I guess like design and everything, but the way of working, like their culture, whatever, like their time is still kind of stuck back into the nine to five, right? Or eight, nine to six kind of thing.

Yeah. And so you're kind of thinking, hey, adjust it, hybrid it, right? Like time and things like that. Is that what you're.

Keith: Absolutely. So you're just making it easier for your patients to come see you, in times that they're not already working times that they may not be available without having to request off.

we also see it in emergency visits, right? Being available to see emergency patients and I understand if they're not a patient of record and there's some concern with that but especially for your patients that are established patients being available to see them when they're in need.

Let's face it. An emergency patient will pay any price and meet you at any time to get out of pain. That is in Maslow's hierarchy of need. One of the greatest motivators, right? Somebody that's in pain and wants to be out of pain. So, yeah, just making it easier for patients to find you, um, and again, not putting up a road box for your patients to come see you.

Michael: Gotcha. In your experience, Keith, what have been some of the, besides time, right, besides like the, I'll be more available in the afternoons. What have you seen that really hasn't changed where it's like the most or the biggest roadblocks?

Keith: I would say it, it comes down to mostly quality of life choice.

Right? Maybe uh, the provider has a family. Maybe they want to be able to have dinner with their family at night. They want to enjoy their weekend time with their families. I would say, and again, we're all, Dentist or or non dentists were all guilty of saying, I, I'm gonna put up some, barriers, where it comes to interfering with.

My time out of the office. So that's probably more of what it is. as opposed to, it is just more about in terms of thinking as a patient and not as the doctor or the business owner. thinking in terms of, you know, uh, uh, I've heard this expression before. When's the last time As a dental provider the owner of the business walked into the waiting room as opposed to walked into the back door. Right? It's a whole different experience, right? You're seeing through the eyes of your patients, right? that might be a good exercise is, you know, know, when I walk in my office, Do I see an optimal patient experience? what do I pick up on? What cues do I pick up on visually, audibly, is it pleasant? Is it relaxing? what are my sensory cues telling me here?

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. So kind of walk in with a.

Patient point of view. So then the biggest roadblock that you've seen besides time, would be quality of life. So it's more like the doctors thinking, I wanna be home. I want to have Friday, Saturday Sundays off. I only wanna work four days a week. Mm-Hmm. But this is possible though, right? To have that.

Keith: It is very possible.

And that's where you see, um, many dental business owners get an associate, maybe that associate can help augment the hours, maybe they can stick to their same schedule. The business owner while the associate may work, different time slots, right? Or they can split it up a little bit, but it's not all dependent upon one person.

It can be divvied amongst another doctor and team members for that matter.

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. So then if we did do that, let's just say we treat it like a retail business. We're open on weekends and we're doing all these things. Do you foresee burnout

Keith: If one person or a set of people are asked to do more without a necessarily wanting to do more, I.

Or B, not getting. Something more from it, compensation wise, then yes, I could see burnout at, or I would say even before burnout. You may have attrition, you may have people that, leave. They're like, I didn't sign up for this. I wanna work for practice that I can get my kid from daycare by 5:00 PM or whatever the case may be, right? So other people have put up their roadblocks, but as far as burnout, I talk to dental business owners that even have Sunday hours. Now, again it's not always the owner, but, they tell me that those are some of the most coveted appointment times.

Or the weekend times. Because they don't have to take off time from work or from school to see the dentist.

Michael: Mm-Hmm. Yeah. Okay. That's interesting. Yeah. So when it comes to the retail part, what else? How else should we treat our practice in the form of a retail business besides like the hours.

Keith: Well, remember patients have a choice. There are, I mean, I've talked to plenty of successful dentists that have multi-generational, right? They've seen three generations of families at the practice, and that's great, but for the vast majority of people today, there's more credibility online than there is from a personal referral.

So take a look at. Your website, take a look at your social media. If you don't have somebody, I'm not saying you have to manage it, but have somebody manage that and remember that what's gonna make your office stand out to somebody that's new to the area, to somebody that doesn't already know about you, to another practice down the street.

What's gonna make you stand out? Is it a, First-visit impression that you made. Is it what they see online? Is it patient testimonials? What is gonna compel somebody to choose your office versus a competing office?

Michael: you, your own personal experience looking at it from a patient point of view, right.

Let's just say right now you're like, you know, I don't, I'm not in an emergency, but I do need a doctor. Yes to you. What is it where, What would make you, even though your friend's like, Hey, my dentist is good, what would make you ignore that recommendation and say like, let me look at this one person right now because of

Keith: what.

Right. Well, you know, I hear this a lot. I'm not saying it's, right. But you really hear many patients say, I chose this dentist because they were on my plan. Whereas we all know, I can see the eyes are rolling now but we know that's not the best way to choose your doctor.

It, It's almost in spite of that. But most people choose their dentist because I. They were a participating provider, that shouldn't be. But you hear people because they're in, that, they're programmed by insurance to, Hey, they, they're not on my plan, and then I shouldn't go to them.

but usually the best doctors are not on their plan. it's giving them a reason to come. Right. That is, um, convenient hours. It is location. It is. what's the first visit impression look like? Right? Why would I, what's gonna make me want to choose your office?

Right? Is it the stories in the bios? like I said, it's usually in a retail environment. It's about access. How convenient are the hours and a location.

Michael: Gotcha. So convenience and access. Awesome. Keith, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you and if anyone has further questions or concerns, where can they find

Keith: you?

Absolutely. Well, uh, Dental, team, Finder. We're online, dentalteamfinder.com, we're on LinkedIn. If you spend time on LinkedIn, we're on Facebook. YouTube. Also you can contact me. My first name's Keith K-E-I-T-H at Dentalteamfinder.com, or info at Dentalteamfinder.com. So should be able to find us.

Michael: Okay, awesome. So it's gonna be in the show notes below as well, so if anyone wants to go down and click on that. So thank you so much, Keith, for being with us on this Monday morning episode. Well,

Keith: thank you for having me. Yeah.

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What does it take to run a successful dental practice in a small town? Dive into today's episode, as I sit down with Dr. Kim Power, embracing the journey of owning and operating her bustling practice in a rural region of North Carolina. Through her resilience and determination, Dr. Kim navigates us through the challenges and triumphs, from staff shortages, to unexpected challenges, and even embezzlement - offering an incredibly honest take on what it takes to grow a thriving practice despite all odds. She goes beyond the surface, offering insider knowledge on efficient systems investments, hiring tenacious staff, and the significance of maintaining a supportive office culture while detailing her transition from orthodontics to general dentistry.

This episode is filled to the brim with practical wisdom from someone who truly walked the talk. Whether you are thinking of running your own practice or just curious about what it takes to succeed in a challenging environment, Dr. Kim's experience is sure to leave you with meaningful insights and valuable lessons that can be applied in your practice.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How Dr. Kim transitioned from Orthodontics to General Dentistry.
• Dealing with an unexpected path to owning a practice.
• The acquisition process and financial considerations.
• The importance of creating a positive work culture.
• How to overcome embezzlement within a practice.
• Managing a growing practice and delegating tasks.
• Dealing with personal challenges while managing a practice.

Don't wait, tune in now, and gain valuable knowledge from Dr. Kim's unique journey and experiences in practice ownership!

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Guest: Dr. Kim PowerPractice Name: Smithfield Family DentistCheck out Kim's Media:

Website: https://smithfieldfamilydentist.com/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 919-418-0538

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Other Mentions and Links:

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Software/Services:

• Open Dental
• Nadapayments
• Prosperident

Community/Groups:

• Triangle Dental Solutions Group

Establishments/Brands:

• Amazon
• First Citizens Bank
• Southern First Bank

Insurance Companies:

• Aetna
• Cigna
• MetLife

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Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer

Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍

Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society

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Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]

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p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

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Are you feeling overwhelmed by trying to grow your practice? Many dentists think that they need more patients, more marketing, and more work to propel them forward. While these are important factors, there might be another way to a successful three day work week - optimizing your current workload. Today I sat down with the accomplished entrepreneur, business coach, and the author of multiple Best Selling books, Kirk Teachout. His insights paint a clear picture of how we can analyze and customize our dental schedules more efficiently, leading us closer to achieving our revenue goals without having to cope with a turbulent timetable.

During our conversation, Kirk walks us through the process of using time calculation tactics to optimize our schedules. By understanding the time investment for each procedure, we can make sure our appointments fit like puzzle pieces for a smooth daily workflow. More importantly, Kirk showed me that we, as doctors, don't need to rush or feel overwhelmed in our efforts to achieve efficiency. He shared invaluable strategies to ensure high-quality service and productivity can coexist peacefully in our practices.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How analyzing time requirements for procedures can enhance scheduling efficiency
• Essential questions to ask yourself and your team to improve overall productivity
• The role of timers in producing an optimized appointment schedule
• The importance of comprehensive training for your front desk and scheduling operators
• Tips for ensuring quality doesn't suffer amidst your quest for increased efficiency

Don’t let the opportunity slide! Plug in to harness Kirk Teachout’s wisdom to transform your dental practice.

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For DSO integrations, startup solutions, and all your dental IT needs, let our sponsors, Darkhorse Tech, help out so you can focus on providing the amazing care that you do. For 1 month of FREE service, visit their link today! https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/darkhorse-deal/‍

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You can reach out to Kirk Teachout here:

Website: https://thesevenfiguredentist.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirkteachout/

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Mentions and Links:

People/Public Figures:

• James Clear

Books/Publications:

• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
• Parkinson's Law

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If you want your questions answered on Monday Morning Episodes, ask me on these platforms:

My Newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: Hey Kirk. So talk to us. What's one piece of advice you can give us this Monday morning?

Kirk: Sure. Thanks for having me on Michael. So this morning, I can guarantee you we work three days a week and I can outpace any other team. My office can outpace any other team on four to five days a week.

and that's due to scheduling efficiency. So something that we do very well is we look at the schedule about every quarter and see what we can do to improve, see where bottlenecks are. We ask our assistants and our hygienists and our front desk like, Hey, where are you seeing inefficiencies in the, in the schedule and.

We can adjust that accordingly. Um, but it's not cookie cutter. Obviously. I can give you frameworks. Mm-Hmm. But at the end of the day, like I know I was talking to a client of mine the other day and we were looking at one of his doctors outta seven, and I was just asking him simply like, okay, how long do you do each procedure?

So write down how long it takes you and ask your assistance to, 'cause like doctors are oblivious to sometimes to things and like ask like. How long does each procedure take? How long does a three surface filling take? How long does a crown prep take? How long does this take? And when you figure out how long those procedures take.

You can then look at the schedule, figure out the goal you're trying to hit, and really just customize where you want throughout the schedule to run in order to actually hit those goals. I know, like I said, that client of mine, his goal was to hit, you know, 4,800 a a day after adjustments, and after just looking at a schedule and, and simply asking those questions, we were able to focus on the larger procedures.

Fill in with the smaller sort of procedures, and now his goal is 6,500 to 7,000. Just by simply asking those questions, not anything else.

Michael: Interesting. So what are the specific questions we should be asking the team or ourselves?

Kirk: Sure. So like I said, it's, it's asking how long does each procedure take that I do.

Um, and you can add that up like, okay, I know a two surface filling, like getting, getting small, right? Mm-hmm. Looking at the micro level of everything. And, um, I know something that my wife used to do was, you know, most, um, ops have timers in them for the curing and different things, or they, they count and whatnot.

So. Move your uh, appointments based off of how long it takes the doctor to get that patient out of the room. So when they start, start 'em at the certain time and then adjust that appointment time to where it actually took the doctor that long. That's another way that you can calculate that. Like the assistant knows that they left at nine 40 instead of scheduling it to 10 o'clock.

So you move that up to nine 40 and then you look at the schedule and like, okay, this is actually how long it took me to flow through the schedule, do all these things, check hygiene, come back and do everything else. so that way you can actually see how long these things take, if you, you know, are just kind of putting things together, as James Clear says, like we don't rise to our goals.

We fall to our systems. So we're only as good as what the systems that we have. So if you know exactly how long it takes you, then you can schedule accordingly, train your front desk, and scheduling operatories, um, to know exactly how long each procedure takes. with some buffer time, of course, 'cause I know things don't always take that long, or it takes longer sometimes with a curveball, but then you can kind of get a guide together of how to schedule efficiently.

That way it doesn't feel like it's super chaotic. ' cause I know that's kind of, that target market that I typically talk to is people that are three to five years out and in order to, really, increase their revenue. The only way they feel like they can do that is by doing more.

Well, really they're probably not optimizing what they're already doing. They just feel like they have to do more. So it comes down to Parkinson's Law, so you fill the time that's allotted for it. So for instance, we do three days a week and we do almost double, if not more than what most dentists do on four to five days a week.

Production and collections wise? Just because if it snows on Monday, I know, you know, we've been snowed out all week. Mm-Hmm. If it snows on Monday and you're there Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, you have to find a way to fit those patients in throughout the week. It's a small margin that you have to add in and you figure it out.

So why don't you force yourself to figure out an efficient way to do that every single week? And so that's what we've done by doing, using these small tips and tools that I've just told you. Huh?

Michael: Okay. So then have you ever seen Kirk where someone is doing that but then they kind of feel rushed? You know, nobody's rushing them.

Right. But then they're like, I'm rushing. I'm rushing. And this maybe the quality may go down or What are your, what are your thoughts?

Kirk: Yeah, it's definitely, um, it's definitely a feeling that you're gonna have. So that's, it's kind of two prong, or really three prong. So, uh, you know, obviously you have to, you have to figure out what you're doing as a doctor.

You have to relay that to the scheduler up in the front, but then you also have to train your clinical team. So a lot of people feel rushed, honestly, because they're doing things that doesn't require their license. So another tip is to sit down for a a day and write down everything that you do, whether it be numbing a patient, whether it be doing a filling, whether it be scanning a patient, if you're in a digital office, writing a note, all the things that you do.

On that list throughout the day, figure out what does not require your license to do it. So as a doctor, you're the producer, you're the biggest producer. You have to be able to do the things that make the most income and most revenue and generate that. And most of the time docs are doing things 'cause they don't like to let go.

Of their control. Mm-Hmm. But really they need to be able to, to humble themselves, get rid of the things that are not required by their license and delegate and train somebody else to do those things like scanning a patient if they're legally allowed to or doing a note and then you check the note or doing different things.

If you allow your clinical team to do what their job is, then that frees you up to not feel rushed, because now you can only do the things that you're allowed to do with your license.

Michael: Ah, that's good advice right there to really look back. So then if we're looking back. Let's just say like we have a small team and we're like, okay man, Kirk, there's stuff I have to do because like, you know what I mean?

Maybe, or I don't even know if you would say you have to do it, but there's stuff that I want to do. Right. Kind of. Right. Like the note taking maybe, right? Yeah. You're checking the schedule or calling post ops. Right. I feel like it's so dynamic that it can change. Yes. you review that every, what, three months?

Kirk: About once a quarter. I mean, we do, we have a meeting cadence every month where we, we meet with the team, we on a Thursday afternoon. 'cause we don't, you know, they work three and a half days. We only work three. and so on a Thursday afternoon we bring in lunch for everybody and we go through what went well over the last month, what didn't go well, what can we adjust based off of what they're seeing.

And so that way. We catch things on the front end versus when they become a real issue. a lot of times. Uh, but yeah, we, we evaluate team members, kind of what they're doing about once a quarter, but then we go through what I call issue processing about once a month to try to figure out what's going wrong, where are the bottlenecks and where can we improve?

So constant learning.

Michael: Gotcha, gotcha. What typically, from your experience, doesn't go well? Like what becomes the real issues?

Kirk: it's all over the board. I feel like I, I mean, like I said, a lot of the stuff is just delegation. A lot of people don't like giving up that control. And I get it. I'm, I'm a control freak too.

I don't like doing it. But at some point, in order to not be a slave to your business, you have to allow people to do other things. And if they're not good enough, train them after training. If they're still not good enough, you gotta find a different team member. you know, we evaluate when I come in. I evaluate the team members.

I allow the doctor to evaluate, ask me the reason why on a scale of one to 10, there are six outta 10. And then we look at that. I'm like, look, if there's six, like they're never gonna be a nine. they never will be. That's them. And that's okay. There's a place for them somewhere, but it may not be here.

So if you want to have an extraordinary practice, you're gonna have to find really great team members. And a lot of people I know are gonna be like, oh, but I'm in a bad area. Finding team members is hard. It's super competitive. I can't pay him. That's great. I'm in a rural area where there is almost no resume that comes in when I make a post, I get it, but I've still been able to find really great team members that I can train because I hire for personality and I can train skill.

That's not an issue. I. If they're a nine outta 10 or a seven or above on personality wise that fits with our culture. I can train all day. That's not an issue, hiring for personality more so than skill skill's, A plus.

Michael: Gotcha. Okay. So would you say it's more when you go back in into an office and you're saying like, Hey, there's an issue.

Then you kind of go the next quarter, same issue, you say, it's more like a team. Okay. Somebody's dropping the ball here. Susan, it's you or Billy, it's you kind of like that or kind

Kirk: of or. As Jocko Willink says, in extreme ownership, and I say this all the time, there are no bad teams, just bad leaders.

So part of what I do too is developing leadership skills in these doctors. Um, I know associates reach out to me all the time like, what are, what is something I need to work on while I'm in clinic? I'm like, you need to develop your leadership skills, number one, because when, and, and try it on your peers too.

Like you can, you can work in clinic and lead your peers to do that. Then when you get to a team setting. Like in an office, when you own the practice, even if you're an associate, you can develop those leadership skills and really grow. So that way when people come to you for things, you can train them and they respect you enough to actually want to do it instead of you dictating that they do it.

Mm-Hmm.

Michael: I like that, man. So it's kind of like developing these leadership skills or being a leader. For your schedule. That way, like the schedule doesn't lead you. You know what I mean? Yeah. You're just following, oh, there's another no-show. Right, right. Speaking when it comes to that, like you're making the whole schedule and then there's like, oh my gosh, this root canal took way longer than expected.

Sure. And the patient didn't numb as much, and the buffer, or like even a no-show. How do we determine that? Like as far as, so the schedule doesn't fall apart. We don't, are super rushed now

Kirk: and stuff like that. So, I mean, obviously things like that are gonna happen. There are days even on our schedule that feels chaotic.

it's far and few between the more that we've done it, but the way that we really be able to fill the schedule with no shows is through emergency appointments. So, like we have strategic emergency appointments throughout the day that way, and, and we always tell 'em, look, you're not gonna get work done today.

we frame it that way, like, you're not gonna get work done today. We're going to, take a pa, do a limited exam, see what's going on, and get you out of discomfort. And then if we have time, we'll do it, but most likely you won't get anything done today. but the great thing is that if there is a no-show or a cancellation, then we can actually do that work and then they're happy.

Our schedule's happy because we're hitting that goal still, and it kind of goes from there. And it's about asking certain questions, getting as much information about that emergency patient to know where to put them, because if I know that half the tooth is cracked or it's broken, or a filling fell out or whatever, I kind of know what that's gonna be on the back end, so I can schedule accordingly if that crown falls off.

That emergency patient scheduled at the same time, I just pop 'em over, do the crown and it's done. And that, that appointment was, wasn't a loss. But another way to fill in that schedule with, you know, not, um, having no shows is by charging a deposit. So we have most of our work make a deposit before they leave to schedule that appointment.

They do a $50 deposit that goes towards their treatment. Now after we've trained our patients now, they're like, yeah, I get it. Like I understand. And that way, if they don't show up or give us a forty-eight hour notice with our business days, then we have that $50 No-show fee already. I.

We don't have to worry about chasing it now. and they just have to make another deposit in order to schedule. once you educate the patients on that, then it's really not a big deal. They come to expect it. You're gonna get some pushback and that's okay. But most likely those people who are pushing back weren't gonna show up anyway.

Hmm. So really you're quietly dismissing your patients through your policies instead of having to tell them, Hey look, it's just not gonna work out here.

Michael: Yeah. Awesome. Okay. All righty, Kirk, thank you so much for your advice, where can people find you or reach out to you?

Kirk: Sure. The best way on Instagram at Kirk Teachout, I'm on there all the time.

I'm always on there. Um, you can also, if you wanna free guide of how we do three days, you can go to TheSevenFigureDentist.com, you spell out seven, don't put the number and they can download that free guide for me. Schedule a call with me there. That's fine. I do a free business audit, so any of that would be fine.

Awesome.

Michael: So that's gonna be in the show notes below. And Kirk, thank you so much for being with me on this Monday morning episode. Yeah, of

Kirk: course. Thanks Michael.

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