https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-oaYnApC1k

In this solo session from the Jameson Files podcast, host Carrie Weber dives into a vital topic for dental professionals: How to strategically plan for 2025 to lead your practice to greater success. Whether you're a dental team member, practice owner, or business leader, this guide offers actionable insights to navigate the common challenges facing the dental industry. Here, we'll break down the podcast session into a comprehensive blog post, exploring key strategies and providing practical steps for future planning.

Reflect on Your 2024

Before embarking on a new year's plan, take a moment to evaluate your journey over the past year. How did 2024 unfold for you? Did you accomplish your goals? Understanding what worked well, and what areas need improvement, will set the stage for your 2025 strategy. Remember to ask yourself:

How did the year end up for you and your team?

What worked well and what could be improved?

What is your focus for the coming year?

Understanding the State of the Industry

Strategic planning requires awareness of the broader industry context. The American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute offers valuable insights into emerging issues via surveys and reports. The most recent report identified three top concerns for 2025:

Staffing (62%): Finding the right team members remains a prevalent issue, with supply not meeting demand.

Insurance Management (58%): Navigating insurance complexities continues to challenge practices.

Rising Overhead Costs (45%): This aligns with shrinking profitability and rising salaries.

Let's delve into these concerns and explore strategies to address them in your practice.

Addressing Staffing Challenges

Building a strong team is crucial, especially when the market is competitive. Consider the following steps:

Revise your job ads to stand out and reflect your practice's unique culture and values.

Maximize the efficiency of your current team through clear roles, responsibilities, and cross-training.

Create an exceptional onboarding experience to ensure team members understand your practice and excel in their roles.

Navigating Insurance Complexities

Streamlining your insurance processes can alleviate burdens on your practice. Some suggestions include:

Define clear roles for staff responsible for insurance management.

Consider outsourcing aspects of your revenue cycle management, if beneficial.

Evaluate your relationship with insurance plans by assessing profitability and patient acceptance rates.

Enhancing Profitability Amid Rising Costs

Improving your financial health involves increasing production, adjusting fees, and cutting costs:

Increase production through improved patient acquisition strategies and treatment acceptance.

Perform a fee analysis to ensure competitive pricing.

Review inventory control, marketing investments, and overall spending to cut unnecessary costs.

Crafting Your Vision and Strategy for 2025

Crystalizing your practice’s vision is a vital step toward success. Start by asking yourself, "What does right look like?" and manifesting a clear vision across various practice aspects (dentistry focus, team composition, facility appearance). Then, prioritize goals to achieve this vision.

Specific Actions to Propel Your Practice Forward

Here are actionable steps you can implement in 2025:

Increase referrals and patient reviews.

Add new customer service elements to enhance patient experiences.

Use intraoral cameras and scanners more frequently.

Evaluate and optimize your marketing efforts.

Update your facility to reflect modern standards.

Plan team meetings with intention and clear agendas.

Cultivating a Strong Practice Culture

A positive practice culture attracts and retains both the right team members and patients. Leadership, clear vision, accountability, and genuine care for patients are the foundations of a culture that contributes to ongoing success.

Conclusion

As 2025 approaches, now is the perfect time to solidify your strategy and prepare for the year ahead. Reach out to Jameson if you need resources or guidance, and take steps to create a thriving practice environment. Cheers to a successful year ahead, and remember, fostering the right culture can impact every aspect of your practice positively. Here's to your progress and achievements in 2025!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHy0h5zu5Jw

Introduction: New Year, New Goals

Welcome to the Jameson Files! As we step into a new year, many of us are focused on strategizing and setting goals for our practices. Marketing plays a crucial role in these plans, and today, Carrie Weber and her teammate Nate Porter explore this ever-evolving world and how to enhance your marketing efforts.

Understanding Marketing Trends and AI

January is a time when many practice and business owners strive to redefine their strategies. Often, the buzz words and shiny new approaches, like artificial intelligence (AI), dominate the conversation. While AI-driven strategies hold potential, it’s essential to approach them with caution. AI can assist with idea generation and structuring content but cannot create original works. Instead of solely relying on trends, find ways AI can complement your existing efforts.

The Importance of Internal Marketing

In today's competitive market, traditional approaches continue to generate solid results. Looking at practices nationwide, the American Dental Association states that approximately 60% of new patients are gained through internal referrals. Hence, focusing on internal marketing remains essential.

1. Personal Outreach: Utilize resources and communication tools to engage current patients, enhancing your relationship and fostering loyalty.

2. Analyzing Reports: Delve into practice management reports to identify which treatments have been prescribed but not yet accepted, and which patient groups could be targeted for follow-up.

3. Consistency and Repetition: Repetition is key. Consistent outreach and marketing efforts ensure your message resonates with patients, thus encouraging reactivation. ---

Creating a Roadmap for Success

Marketing success lies in having a strategic roadmap. At Jameson, we offer a Dental Marketing Bootcamp designed to equip practices with the necessary skills and strategies to implement effective marketing plans.

Event Focus:

Communication Workshops: Enhance verbal skills and learn how to sequence conversations with patients effectively.

Photography Sessions: Improve content quality with better practice documentation.

Social Media Planning: Develop a yearly strategy with our templates and guidelines. By attending, your team will have a tailored plan ready to implement, driving practice growth from the ground up.

Sustainability through Proven Approaches

Success is often rooted in practices that have stood the test of time. While trends like AI may offer new methods, integrating them with proven strategies will yield the best outcomes. Relationships and consistent communication are central to achieving growth from within.

Conclusion: Plan, Execute, and Grow

As we launch into 2025, remember that marketing is fluid yet foundational. Consistency in your efforts, guided by a comprehensive plan, will ensure sustained growth. Embrace both new trends and time-tested strategies to achieve the vision you have for your practice. Join us at the Jameson Dental Marketing Bootcamp, and let's make 2025 a transformative year for your practice. Stay connected with the Jameson Files community, share our podcast, and continue learning and growing with us. Here's to a successful year ahead!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-i2iy-XEYY

In the dynamic world of dentistry, integrating new services into your practice can be both an exciting opportunity and a significant challenge. Whether you're considering adding orthodontics, introducing new technology, or expanding your practice's range of services, preparation and planning are crucial. As highlighted in a recent episode of the Jameson Files podcast featuring McKenzie Webb, successful integration involves much more than just acquiring new skills. It requires a comprehensive strategy that involves the entire team.

1. Embracing a Unified Vision

The first step in successfully implementing new services is ensuring that your entire team is aligned with the practice's vision. This means having open conversations about what the new services are, why they are being introduced, and how they will benefit the practice and patients. It's essential that every member of the team understands the goals and feels invested in the new direction. **

2. Comprehensive Training for the Entire Team

While acquiring the clinical expertise is vital, it's equally important that both the clinical and business teams are thoroughly trained. McKenzie Webb emphasizes that effective implementation requires everyone to be competent and confident, from the receptionists handling phone inquiries to the assistants supporting orthodontic procedures. This includes understanding new coding requirements and having rehearsed verbal skills to discuss treatments with patients.

3. Developing Effective Systems and Processes

Creating clear systems and processes is crucial for ensuring smooth operations. This involves planning how to execute the new clinical services and developing case presentation skills and financial arrangements. The objective is to make sure that everyone in the practice is prepared and knows their role, which in turn helps minimize disruptions and maintains efficiency.

4. Marketing the New Services

Introducing a new service requires more than just internal preparation—it also involves marketing it effectively. McKenzie Webb notes the importance of promoting the new offerings both externally to the broader community and internally to your existing patient base. This includes updating your website, using social media, and having visible promotions within your practice to raise awareness.

5. A Collaborative Approach to Implementation

Successful integration of new services is truly a team effort. It involves a shared understanding of the practice's objectives and a commitment to thorough planning and execution at every level. By following these best practices, you can ensure that new services not only integrate smoothly but also become a valuable addition to your practice. In conclusion, expanding your dental services is a substantial undertaking, but with the right strategy and collaboration, it can lead to great success and growth for your practice. If you're looking for tailored guidance to refine your skills or expand your services, consider exploring resources such as Jameson's Grow Coach online virtual coaching program, which provides personalized coaching and learning tools to support your journey. For more insights and guidance, listen to the full episode of the Jameson Files podcast with McKenzie Webb. Continue to stay informed and proactive in your approach to practice growth and service integration for a successful future in dentistry.

https://youtu.be/YKCatslzGRQ?si=bWpe2Tjj81Ok1DKC

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

Jameson Hygiene Coaches Discuss Pain Points in Your Practice

Carrie:

Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and I am so excited today because I have more members of the Jameson team as guests with me. I have Becky Spear and April Welker. Both are Jameson advisors, both business and clinical advisors for the Jameson team. And so, thank you ladies for being with me.

Becky and April:

Thank You.

Carrie:

Absolutely. We are here together at the Jameson offices doing work on our own personal skills and development, just like we do with all of our clients, helping you to be better and better every day. We do the same thing. So we gather together, and we meet, and we work through areas that we can improve so that we're bringing our very best to our clients across the country. 

And the cool thing about Becky and April is, like I said, they're business and clinical advisors. So these ladies are both hygienists that have worked clinical and dental practices. April's actually still a working hygienist out in the world. And so they bring to the table in their work with our clients, not only the perspective of those business systems that are so important, but the clinical systems and how to truly have a high performing clinical team and hygiene team in your practices. So what I really wanted to talk about today is from your perspective in the work that you do with practices across the country and what you're seeing in the industry as a whole, what are the trends in hygiene specifically, what are the pain points that you feel like practices are struggling with, and where are those opportunities that practices need to perhaps put some attention on that could really help improve their practices from that perspective?

The New Periodontal Classification System Helps Patients Understand the Value of Care

Becky:

Right now, I think one of the big things that we are teaching in many of the practices that we go to is staging and grading, which is the new periodontal classification system. It's not a new periodontal classification system, but we are finally starting to get that into our practices, getting the documentation to be correct, because we know how important documentation is. And it also is a system that is creating some urgency, and it's more understandable, I think, for the patients, and I think that's why they came up with this. 

Carrie:

I like that. So it really plays a role in educating patients on the need for treatment and that focus on their ongoing health.

Becky:

Right. You know, we could say stage one to four in the past, you know, you’re stage one, stage two, or I shouldn't say stage, it was class, class one to class four, but now when you tell somebody stage 1, 2, 3 or four, we're used to hearing stages in the medical world. And so I think that's what they've done by bringing the staging and grading into dentistry. Now people who are already familiar with that terminology are hearing that in the dental office as well.

Carrie:

Such a great point. And any opportunity to help patients see the urgency of the need for treatment and the disease that's happening in their mouths is helpful. Do you find that when you're practicing, does it make a difference in terms of patient education? 

April:

Absolutely. I think that's a great point, Becky, too. And I think anytime a patient hears they have a stage of any type of disease, they're listening more. They want to hear what's going on. They are ready to sometimes accept it or not accept it, but they're more likely ready to hear what the treatment is going to be and move forward with getting that care that they need.

Proper Time Management Aids in Communicating the Value of Care

Carrie:

What are you finding as you're practicing, April, are those obstacles that you feel you need to have tools or skills to overcome when it comes to the patient's understanding of the value or urgency for their ongoing care?

April:

That's a great question, Carrie. And I think it's really important for us as hygienists to take time to listen to the patients and to understand what they really need and what their goals are. And sometimes I think we get in a rush and we don't have time, and we try to get through these appointments. But sometimes the patient just needs us to slow down a little bit, hear what's going on, and really make a full complete treatment plan based on what their needs truly are.

Carrie:

In a previous episode, we were talking more on business and leadership with two other members of the Jameson team, Suzanne and Brenda, and something that we talked about from the business side– and you said that we're not prioritizing that time for education and communication and listening– was time management. And something that we hear from time to time when we're trying to introduce adding something or doing something more intentionally in hygiene appointments is, “I don't have time for that.” What do you see? Do you see time management as an obstacle? And, what are things that hygienists or clinical team could pay attention to and be more intentional on to help manage their time and appointments more appropriately?

April:

So being clinical, some of the things that I've had to work on over the years and learn is just to cut my chitchat down a little bit. 

So we need to prioritize the most important things of the appointment. And I think sometimes we forget how important documentation is, and we skip over that, or we go to something else. And I think really looking at the appointment as the entire appointment and really prioritizing and finding a time for these things. And sometimes we do have to add more procedures or different things that we're doing for the patient's care, but really taking a step back and just looking at, what am I doing? How can I improve? 

And then two, don't be afraid to ask your fellow hygienists for help. Coming together and having these calibration meetings is really helpful to make sure that, well, I didn't know you were doing this, or I'm doing it this way. And really coming together as a hygiene team is so critical. And it's important.

Carrie:

I love that.

The 20-20-20 Rule for Hygiene Time Mangement

Becky:

I agree. I think those are all good points. You know, some hygienists actually have to get a piece of paper and time themself. You know, there's the 20-20-20 rule that we've talked about over the years. And so first of all, we've got to see what's putting us behind. And many times it's not the diagnostics, it's like you said, it's the chitchat. And so, obviously, it's all about building the relationship as well. So there is definitely room for chitchat, but we've got to make sure that the oral hygiene instruction and the home care instruction is not the part that's being left out because it's not literally a procedure. And that's what I see. I see that getting limited as we add things. So I think it's really about timing and really knowing where you are in that appointment so that you are managing your time, just like with any other appointment,

Carrie:

Becky, can you give a brief refresher and reminder of what you mean by 20-20-20? 

Becky:

Sure. So the 20-20-20 rule is basically the first 20 minutes is diagnostics. The middle 20 minutes is the hand scaling, air polish, rubber cut polishing. And then the evaluation comes with the last 20 minutes. Your time to turn over the room, check out the patient, and get ready for your next patient, documentation as well.

Carrie:

So that middle 20, for those of you, when we're thinking about managing time, Becky said that the doctor evaluation ideally, is falling in that middle 20, so that the hygienist, you have time to get any kind of diagnostic information, and take the photographs, or any of those pieces, already start preheating any conversations that need to be had. There's some due diligence that's done and is ready before the doctor comes in. 

And we want that in the middle because by the time you get in the final 20, what's happening, right? The patients are starting to check out and move on to their next scheduled piece of their day. 

When you think about time management, it really does become that, as you were saying, really thinking through, what is my process and what do I need to be accomplishing? And also remembering why are those pieces important?  So if we're finding ourselves saying we don't have time to do things that would be integral pieces of patient education or helping them move forward with needed treatment or dealing with disease, we're actually sacrificing something that could be the make-or-break piece of that patient's decision-making process. Do you find that with your patients today? 

April:

Absolutely. Right. The patients need time to process this information too. And as you're saying, that last 20 minutes, they're already checked out, they've been sitting in the chair, they're waiting, and they're ready to go. And so the patient education piece is so important from the beginning to the middle, right to the end. And so yes, I completely agree.

Carrie:

And I think it's a fine line, right? The chitchat. It’s such a fine line because relationship is so important with our patients, so that they have that trust and relationship and commitment to their ongoing care. And we have the very important things that we need to make sure we're accomplishing in those appointments. 

Becky:

Absolutely. I think that when I go into practices, and hygienists truly are running behind and they're using the entire hour,

https://youtu.be/sqC6Wr8kr3Q?si=LoCrgVydl3GGlK1T

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

Carrie:

Welcome back to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and it's always so great to have our Jameson Files community joining in. Wherever you're viewing the podcast, you may be watching us on YouTube or on Facebook, or you may also be listening to us through iTunes or Google Play. Whatever you do, thank you for being a part of the community. And if you have friends in the dental industry that could benefit from the conversations we have here, please share and help us spread the word and grow our community. I'm really excited today because we're here at the Jameson offices in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and we have members of the Jameson coaching team here, which is awesome because we're all over the country, and we always look forward to those times when we can come together, and just like we encourage dental practices to do, work on our skills, work on the business together, improve our efforts, and grow and develop together.

And so that's what we've been doing today. And so in this episode, I have two members of the Jameson coaching team, Brenda Wittenbauer, and Suzanne Wardell, both of which are business advisors for Jameson, and have their own incredible history in dentistry. Something I always love to say is that the members of our coaching team all come from dental backgrounds and have that direct experience and empathy for all of you and the work that you do day after day after day. And so, thank you ladies for joining me for the episode. 

Brenda:

Happy to be here. 

Suzanne:

Yeah. Excited.

Leadership Lessons for a Successful Practice

Carrie:

So this is for business coaching. We wanted to take this opportunity to talk about on the business team, or in the leadership of the practice, what the pain points are that we are finding over and over and over again right now- the trending pain points, I guess we could say, that we're seeing in practices and then give you all some insights and hopefully some helpful tips on ways that you can address these areas in your practice if they're pain points for you as well. So, which one of you would like to take this on. What are you seeing in the trends of the practices that you work with, and what are the opportunities for practices to really put in some effort to improve? What are you seeing and recommending?

Holding Team Members Accountable

Brenda:

Okay. So hot points in my practices that I've been working with my teams all year–accountability or lack thereof. And how do we hold team members accountable? How do we not feel powerless in our own practice to hold people accountable for fear they'll leap. And that's the theme repeated in practices. It doesn't matter where you are, the pool for talented team members is so limited right now,  or so it seems, and they are settling for mediocre–afraid to hold people accountable– and it's a difficult situation and not one I want to see my doctors or my office managers in.

Carrie:

Yeah. And when you think about accountability and the lack thereof, how's that showing up in practices? Where are they finding the struggle when people are not being held accountable or that mediocrity is starting to rule the day? What’s that looking like?

Suzanne:

I see it so much in time management. It's always, “I don't have the time. I can't get that system done. I don't have the time.” So when I've come back six months later and we say, “What have we been working on?” Well, it's, “We didn't have the time to do it.” So working on that time management and what's “mission critical” for me to do today to be able to get that system done? What are some good “to do’s” and what's not really something that I need to focus on, but what's “mission critical"? 

Carrie:

I love that. Time management is always one of my primary issues, so you're not alone if that's your pain point. Accountability or lack of accountability, it may not necessarily be that you don't want to do it, but you are overwhelmed because we're not managing our time well, and I really like that–what's “mission critical"? 

Would you recommend that we start every day thinking through that and prioritizing that day? How are you encouraging team members that struggle with time management to take control of that aspect?

Choosing Our “Mission Critical Tasks”

Suzanne:

That's great. And it's coming up with tier one, tier two, tier three, tier four things of what we need to do. And tier one are your “mission criticals,” and they're usually the hardest things that you have to do, so you want to push those down the list because you want to pick maybe those tier three things, which are fun, and we enjoy doing them, but they aren't necessarily what's going to make my day go smoothly or have a system run smoothly. So I've got to really focus on what I have to do today so that the airplane won't crash. You know, not, I can stay up in the air and everything will go okay, but what's going to make the plane crash? And then I've got to think about what that “mission critical” task is. And if you have more than two or three on your list, you're probably not going to get through them all. So try and keep it condensed and focus in on that. 

So if you're working on patient retention, it's got to be that I'm going to call at least one or two patients today. If I say, “I've got this list and I'm going to call all these people,” it's not going to happen. So decide to call one person in the morning and one person in the afternoon and make that manageable.

Brenda:

I like that.

Carrie:

I like that– attainable.

Suzanne:

Yeah.

Utilizing the Rule of “10 Over 5”

Brenda:

What I tend to see happen is that they have their list of tasks that they have to do, their systems they are accountable for, and their least favorite get pushed away. Collection calls–those never happen, and yet that's a vital part of the practice to keep the money in. So I really stress that we all have the same 24 hours, right? Nobody is different. So how are we going to use that eight hours that we have in the practice to the best of our ability? And it has to include mapping out your day, your week, so that you touch all of your systems. So you need to have chunked into time blocks, and you need to schedule it. 

I am a big proponent of protected time for those critical systems and team members are really nervous to implement that. They feel like they can't go for an hour and work uninterrupted and leave their teammate to fend for themselves, and yet if we don't block that time we get behind in our systems. 

So what happens is those systems that were operating really well, once we focus on some of those that aren't, those ones that were operating really well now start to dip down in their performance. So you can't take your eye off anything. So you really have to manage your time effectively and plan it out. I do the same sort of thing, Suzanne, especially with doctors. Every Sunday night, I want you to do 10 over five. That means pick out your top 10 things for this week. You have five days to get them done. And start with your hardest.

Carrie:

I love that. Start with your hardest. Wait, say that again?

Brenda:

It's 10 over five. So every Sunday night, you can let it go, you can plan it out. You write down your top 10 things that you have to get done this week. You start with the most difficult on Monday when you're freshest. Get those done. And obviously, delegate, delegate, delegate wherever you can. But if you chunk it into small achievable tasks, you feel good. You don't feel like, “Oh, I'm never gonna get through this.”

Not Being Ruled by the “Tyranny of the Urgent”

Carrie:

Yes, just pick two balls. It doesn't have to be that you're calling the whole list. Pick two because you're making progress. When we were meeting earlier today together as a group, we talked about progress over perfection. And progress is progress. We simply need to get in the rhythm of momentum of “we're making progress on this very important piece of the puzzle.” To your point with collections, for example, and I love it because I say this all the time, that we go to the easy and sometimes irrelevant tasks on your whole list of responsibilities because they are easy and because you did things, you feel like you've been productive–actually, you're being busy, you're not being productive. And we all want to avoid the hard stuff.

Chuck Blakeman talks about how we often find ourselves getting caught up and focusing on the tyranny of the urgent instead of the priority of the important. And that's when this time management piece, especially in the business team, happens a lot. We've got so many irons in the fire and so much happening throughout the workday that we very easily let this go. And it's such a pivotal piece of hitting goals. We're making progress or improving the things that need to improve in a practice. So, such great points. 

Keeping Team Members Accountable with Frequent Check-in Points

Brenda:

Let’s talk about the lack of accountability. So I have every intention as a team member to get to my system. Things happen and I don't. If nobody's ever checking in with me until it's too late, until we can't make payroll because we didn't have enough money come in… There needs to be connection points scheduled in. I believe in that. I tell all my office managers, you need one-on-one with each team member to see where they're feeling successful and where they're struggling, where they feel challenged too much in a way that they're not feeling like they're thriving or what resources can I get you? We have to have check-in points,

https://youtu.be/499eBRMKtv4?si=4Ly36FNrI-hRQ34y

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

Carrie:

Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and it's always so great to be with the Jameson community introducing you to amazing people in our profession that are doing amazing things for dentists and teams.  I'm really happy to have Geri Gottlieb on my podcast today. Geri, if you don't know Geri and, and her company, GG Practice Coaching and Development.... Did I get it right, Geri? 

Geri Gottlieb:

You did.

Carrie:

…she's doing amazing things and has been in the dental industry for, goodness, almost 30 years.

Geri Gottlieb:

32

Carrie:

Over 30 years. So doing great things throughout that history.

Geri Gottlieb:

Started in ortho.

Carrie:

Oh, wow. So, this is a woman that if you don't know this person, you need to know this person, if for nothing else, then if you need a good dose of energy in your life, Geri's the person to bring it to you. So, Geri, thank you for being with me today. I appreciate you.

Geri Gottlieb:

My pleasure. My pleasure. As soon as I got the invitation, I said, of course, I would spend time with Carrie. You kidding?

Carrie:

I have a feeling this conversation may go off the rails at least three times, but I'm gonna love every minute of it. 

Geri Gottlieb:

Exactly.

Geri Gottlieb’s Beginning in Dentistry

Carrie:

So obviously I need to learn a little bit more about your story into dentistry, too. So let's start there. Tell me a little bit about how you started, how you found yourself where you are today. I'm sure there's a lot of interesting stuff in that journey.

Geri Gottlieb:

So, I was recruited into my first dental practice, which was an ortho practice, while I was in college pursuing a degree in psychology with a minor in music.

Carrie:

Oh my gosh.

Geri Gottlieb:

I know Miss. Singer,  we're twins, like, we're spirits.

Carrie:

Okay, keep going. 

Geri Gottlieb:

So I was, and I was working full-time for Macy's. It wasn't Macy's at the time. So I'm from Seattle area, and at the time it was actually called the Bon Marché, and then Macy's bought them out. But I was managing a Clinique cosmetic counter and going to school, and one day I was helping a gentleman with skincare products, and he said, “I want you to come work for me.” And I said, “What do you do?” And he said, “Well, I'm a dentist.” And do you know that little Christmas story cartoon thing where the little elves and the one little elf that wants to be the dentist? And then he says that at the table and everybody goes, “Ah dentist!”

This is what's happening in my brain. And I'm like, I have teeth. I go to the dentist. Never, never had it ever been a thought in my brain of possible career choices or jobs that I would look to have. And he said “You know, I’m an orthodontist and I'm opening a practice, and I could train you on to be an assistant and  everything. I could train you to do everything I need you to do, but I can't train you to be you.”

And I thought, well, I gotta really think about this. And I was newly married at the time, and I said, “Well, tell me a little bit more.” And he told me to come visit the practice, kick the tires, see what it's like. Here's what I knew. They worked four days a week, no evenings or weekends. And my whole life, and even going to school, I was working in retail, and working that evenings and weekends and holidays. So for me, I was like, “Oh, yeah.”

Carrie:

This sounds cushy.

Geri Gottlieb:

And he said, “You could still finish school. Work around it.” And I was like, “Okay.” Long story short, I started off as an assistant. A couple of really unexpected things happened, Carrie. One is I fell in love with dentistry. I fell in love with watching people's lives change. Countenances change.  I fell in love with having relationships with patients that were coming in and then seeing them again. Team–I'd never really done team sports or things like that–so I was loving that aspect of it. 

About six months in, I don't know where it was. It is 32 years ago now. So it could have been six weeks, it could have been six months. But at some point this doctor says to me, “Geri, do you have a few minutes after work today or tomorrow, whatever, to sit down? And I'd like to talk about how it's going.” So basically a review. And I was like, “Yeah, of course.” And so we sit down and he said, “How do you think it's going?” And I started just jabbering on about all the things I think are so great and that I love, and I love being there. And he said, “And we love having you here, and assisting is not your gift.”

Carrie:

Okay.

Geri Gottlieb:

And so I thought like, “Oh, I'm getting fired. Okay, well, we tried it, you know? Whatever.” And he said, “But if you're willing, would you consider the role of treatment coordinator?” 

Carrie:

Oh, wow. 

Geri Gottlieb:

It turns out I was really good at that. So I said, “ Of course.” 

Fast forward, then I became a practice manager, went on to work in other practices and then other disciplines in dentistry. But perio didn't come into the picture until my 21st year in dentistry at that point. So, you know, I continued my education, but I also dove into dentistry. I loved everything about it. And I was pretty fortunate to get to work with, and in, practices that truly were about continuing education, growing and developing people, which was right up my alley because my degree in psychology was meant to be child development.

I wanted to work with teenage and preteen girls, because I really just wanted to help. Back when I decided that's what I was going to do at 18, it was how can we work together better? Why do we have to compete with each other? Why aren't we just working together on things and helping each other have better lives and be better? So I thought, well, I'll catch 'em when they're young and try them through high school and get them, you know, whatever.

Carrie:

 I'll fix this early. 

How Geri Became Involved in Dental Coaching

Geri Gottlieb:

So fast forward, I'm in practice management, you know, over in practice administration–  big practices, little practices–and I was divorced with two little girls and was a part of the Seattle Study Club with one of the practices I was managing. We were Seattle Study Club members, and it was through the Seattle Study Club that I met my periodontist husband.

And I did not work for him or them. I wasn't their coach. We met through the Seattle Study Club, and I had already started my journey into coaching. And at the same time, Carrie, I had gone back to school to get a master's in psychology.  Because I thought I had to leave dentistry. I thought, I, as a single mom, was gonna raise these two girls. I wanted them to go to college. I wanted them to not have to work through college and those sorts of things. So I thought, well, I’ve got to do some more things.

Which is sort of right at the same time as when I started going into consulting coaching. I was going to school and one of my mentors said to me, “What are you going to do with it? What are you going to do with that mask? Are you leaving dentistry, an industry that you know and love?” And I was like, “I don't, oh, I don't know.” And she said, “Why can't you do what you want to do in the industry that you already know and love?”

So that's how I stepped into the consulting and coaching arena. I proxy got into the perio, and I actually never worked in the practices. 

Carrie:

Oh, wow!

Geri Gottlieb:

I coached the leadership team of those practices, but I never actually worked in them.

Carrie:

I think your story is so fascinating from the perspective of that orthodontist. All of us that teach doctors on building a strong team, and hiring, and also leading a team, he checked all the boxes. He found a person who didn't have dental experience, but had the potential or had the characteristics that would make a tremendous team member in the culture of their practice. 

And then you weren't in the right seat, and he saw that. So he had the right team member on the bus, but in the wrong seat. And he put you in the right seat, and the rest is history. That's a pretty phenomenal story. I'm sure you share that story a lot with teams and doctors, because that's the ticket right there. If doctors can have this “aha” moment as a business owner of, “hire the talent, make room to train talent in your culture and in your practice, and then have this awareness of the talent on your team, and make sure you have the right people in the right places so that everyone can thrive.” I mean, you're the story.

How Being a Business Owner Affected Geri’s Coaching

Geri Gottlieb:

Correct. Right. And actually then stepping out– so practice management, and thinking then I'm going to be a consultant. I know all the things. I'm real, I'm good. Look at me. I'm really good at all the things too, by the way. And when I stepped into ownership shoes, it was like a gut punch and all this awareness that I had no idea what I didn't know, and how hard it is to be the practice owner, the dentist, and be a great leader, and a great practitioner, and, and, and…. 

So between what you just said, Carrie and my own stepping into those shoes and seeing it from this 10,000 foot view as well as having been on the ground, I've gotta help not just build leadership teams, like it was done for me. But even more than that to help teams develop and be so strong around their doctor owners that we don't even know who that boss is. 

Carrie:

Yes. Yes.

Geri Gottlieb:

Because I had had that.

Carrie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Yb_CctyvU

My Jameson Journey: Milestones and Metrics with Dr. Jarod Johnson

Carrie Weber:

Welcome to the Jameson Files. It's so great to have all of you tuning in once again. As part of the Jameson Files community, I'm Carrie Weber as always, and I'm your host. Today I am really happy to be joined by a Jameson client, an amazing pediatric dentist from Iowa, Dr. Jarod Johnson of Arctic Dental. Dr. Johnson, thank you so much for joining me today.

Dr. Jarod Johnson:

Yeah, Carrie, I'm really excited for this opportunity. I know we've had to push things off a little bit, but we finally got a time we could connect. I'm super excited to be with your listeners today.

Carrie Weber:

We made it happen. You know, if there's anything about you and I, we're persistent. We're not going to give up. You know, I think it was my husband, Jess, that actually asked if you want to be on the podcast. And I'm so glad that he connected those dots because we connected and had our first conversation a little over a year ago now. That's kind of hard to believe. I think it was spring of last year, am I right?

Dr. Jarod Johnson:

Yeah, I think it was. I think we started with Jameson in July of last year, and we got started figuring out how to make that happen in the early part of spring.

Dr. Johnson’s Beginnings as Pediatric Dentist

Carrie Weber:

And as I was preparing to meet with you for this recording, I was thinking back on that in our conversation and something that really stuck with me was how refreshing it is when you get to talk to doctors and practice owners that really understand the benefit of continuous development and learning. Something that I recognized about you in the past year and even when we were first talking was that you were so genuinely interested and curious and ready for guidance and mentorship and everything that we do. You just take it and you run with it. It's just amazing. And I think that's kind of a part of your nature, too, because you're also an educator. So I'd love to give you a chance as we start off to just share a little bit about your dental journey and what caused you to fall in love with dentistry. You’re a pediatric dentist, so pediatrics especially. And what is it that really drives you from that educational and continuous learning side of things? Would that be all right?

Dr. Jarod Johnson:

Yes, so both my parents are dentists and my uncle is a dentist. They're all retired now. But they really got me involved in dentistry early and it was a big part of my growth as a kid. I would go to all the dental conferences with them on trips. It was just an exciting time to learn about. 

And then in high school, I always made a point to take one art class, even though I was very strong with my science and my math, I made a point to take that class every semester and I really enjoyed working with my hands. So they kind of fit together. 

I ended up applying to dental school and got into that and was interested in pediatrics. And I wasn't sure if I could deal with really little kids because behavior can be one of the most challenging parts of pediatric dentistry. But I had the opportunity to be a coach at the junior high for basketball and football during my time in undergrad. And that kind of got my interest. And when I got into dental school, the rotation didn't seem as bad. And personally, I love pediatric dentistry because it's different every day. You get to tell jokes. You don't have to be as serious. And I think one of the things that is really rewarding is to have that patient that came in and wouldn't even sit in your chair, crying in the corner, and all of a sudden three years later, they're giving you a hug. 

Carrie Weber:

I love that. So am I right that you were in Nevada for some time before you moved to Iowa? Is that correct?

Becoming Involved in Dental Education

Dr. Jarod Johnson:

Yes, so I had the opportunity to go down to UNLV in Las Vegas and train there. It was a great experience. I loved it. We didn't have any other residency programs, so we just had ortho. So all the kids, whether they came in with an impacted tooth or they came in with a need for a root canal, we had that opportunity if we wanted to take it. And I got a great experience. And one of the things that I learned down there was taught by Dr. Ron Leman. It's something with vital pulp therapy. It's one of my passions, but it wasn't something that was as mainstream as it is today. 

And that's really what got me into education ten years ago. I did my first webinar on Dentaltown. Through that, I've had other opportunities. I now own my own CE company. If you want to check out our hands on course, we have one coming up in Minneapolis later this year.

And we do some free content for you throughout the year. And it's just been fun because I don't think pediatric dentistry really is as difficult as people make it out to be. It's not like you're doing these huge implant cases, but you have to understand the nuances and diagnosis and just the basics of dentistry to make it work. 

I think a lot of general dentists maybe shy away from kids when they don't need to. It would help to have those kids treated in your chair and not take up time for kids that really need to be in my chair. So that's been one of my passions is how do we get GPS and pediatric dentists to be more practical with the approach? I think it's very simple to do, but it's hard to understand if you don't understand the basics that go behind the skill of growth and development and managing decay at the same time. We see periodontal patients every three months. Why don't you see your high-risk caries kids every three months? That's what we do at my office. And we can maybe reevaluate something. The kid has a positive experience with the cleaning and now we can get to the restorative. There's practical ways to do things that we aren't really trained to do because people think of only what insurance is going to cover.

Carrie Weber:

That's interesting, so it sounds like the education piece is important, creating your own CE platform, lecturing– because you lecture across the country too on all of this, yes?

Dr. Jarod Johnson:

Yes. So if someone gives me an invitation, I'll be happy to take a look at the proposal and see if it works. I've got young kids, so if it works with the family. I’m speaking at SmileCon this year. I've got an opportunity here in western Nebraska later next month. And one also virtually for Wisconsin, their pediatric dental association. I'll be with them in September. So lots of opportunities. Virtual's great. And then also in person is another opportunity. It's something I'm passionate about and I'm happy to get anyone more information if they want to get in contact.

Carrie Weber:

And you know, it's interesting, the passion piece has to play a part because, just like you said, there's the dental practice, you have a family, you have a lot of pieces like that. And so how do you make those decisions? How are you balancing that between the passion to educate, but also the passion for your practice and your patients, and obviously keeping that time ready and available for your family?

Dr. Jarod Johnson:

I think that's one of the things that's been a little bit more difficult. And obviously, if it's going to have to wait, it's going to be the CE. Family is first, and then I have patients to take care of. Usually, I'll work on the CE stuff on Friday, so I'm getting a lot of stuff done today. I probably need to look at hiring someone to assist with this a little bit more so I can be a little more organized than I am right now. But as things come along, we look at the schedule and see if we can make it work. And if we can, we do. And we try not to let it be too much of a disruptor in those other two areas. 

Handling Changes with Insurance Relationships

Carrie Weber:

Of course. So when you and I first spoke, you were about eight years into owning your dental practice. As you're looking at the 10 year mark, because now you're nine years in practice ownership, what do you feel you are looking forward to or working on for your practice right now that perhaps other pediatric dentists would appreciate or would love to hear your insights on?

Dr. Jarod Johnson:

I didn't think I'd say this, but I think a lot of my colleagues are now getting out of insurance and going PPO, and we've had a lot of challenges recently that we're trying to address at my office. And it's not something, I just want to rip the bandaid off right away. But we're working through things, and that's one thing that's been helpful to work with Jameson is to see how to make the schedule more effective. How do we figure out how to navigate withdrawing from some of these insurance companies without affecting the bottom line? And as an owner, something you worry about is losing an insurance company. Who's going to stay with you and how do you retain those patients? 

So some of those things are things I think people right now are very aware of. I see a post on Instagram about dropping Delta almost every day. The world has changed a little bit with Covid and inflation and insurance. And I think a lot of people are finally moving away from it. And I think there's a right way to do it to be successful, but you have to have some help to hold your hand along the way because we didn't go to school to learn how to communicate on dropping insurance. You learn dentistry.

Carrie Weber:

Exactly. Most dentists aren't going into dentistry thinking, oh, I can't wait to figure out how to balance my business with insurance. And I'm sure it comes, you know, the insurance piece– I remember talking to you about this when we first connected and we first started with you—the insurance piece is difficult for any dentist no matter what your specialty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svdwh5G5MNk

Kevin Henry and His Role as a Dental Assistant Supporter

Carrie Weber:

Welcome back to the Jameson Files. I'm so glad to have all of you with me. Thank you for being a part of our Jameson Files community and staying connected and engaged and looking to improve your professional lives every single day. We're so glad you're here and you're in for a big treat today because my guest is none other than Kevin Henry. Kevin is a good friend. 

I was saying when I was speaking with Dana, your better half, in her interview on the Jameson files that I've known her for several years, but you and me go way back into the depths of time. I think I've known you as long as I've been in the industry. That's been 24 years. Am I right?

Kevin Henry:

You're right, because I've been in it 25. So we kind of came in together, which is a really cool thing. I love that.

Carrie Weber:

It's really cool. And so for those of you that might not know Kevin, he has an amazing history in dentistry. Kevin is the former editorial director of Dental Products Report, and the former managing editor of Dental Economics, and currently is still tapping into his incredible gift in journalism for dentistry as the editor in chief of DrBicuspid.com. In addition to that, Kevin has really blazed the trail and his passion for supporting the dental assistants in our profession and has an amazing podcast, Dental Assistant Nation, that I encourage all of you to go check out and follow and subscribe to. 

But Kevin, you've not only been stepping out to support assistants, but you really have become a prominent figure in the speaking arena for dentistry. Our paths cross frequently on the lecture circuit. And so continue to be so happy and proud of the things that you're bringing to our profession. And I'm so grateful you're with me today, so thank you.

Kevin Henry:

I'm glad to be here. And I'm always glad when our paths cross out there no matter where that may be, even if it's online like this. So I think it's great.

Carrie Weber:

Thank goodness for technology, right?

Kevin Henry:

Amen to that.

Recognizing a Need for Support for Dental Assistants

Carrie Weber:

Today, I think, our conversation is probably going to veer in a lot of directions. We tend to do that when we're having conversations, but our primary focus is going to be maximizing the talents of dental assistants in our practices. I know that's where your heart really lies in our profession. 

I'd love to start with how that came to pass for you– 25 years in dentistry, 25 years on editorial teams of our most premier publications in media in dentistry. I'm sure you've been exposed to a great deal of insights and information. What landed you in this place of wanting to support dental assistants the way you do?

Kevin Henry:

I'll be perfectly honest. I fell into it. Back when I was managing editor for Dental Economics– I have such fond memories of working with John and Kathy during that time whenever they were right for dental economics, getting to know them, going down to the ranch, all that good stuff. It was about six years into my journalism there at Dental Economics that I realized we had Dental Economics Magazine, and we had RDH magazine, but we didn't have anything for dental assistants. And so I started a publication, it was all online. It was called Dental Assisting Digest, and it eventually turned into a weekly newsletter that we sent out to our dental assistants. I felt like that there wasn't really anything out there that was letting them know every day, or at least weekly, as much as possible, how important they were, how much that they're valued.

I got very lucky. You and I were talking before we went on the air about the Oregon meeting, and the Oregon Dental Association reached out to me in 2005 and said, “Hey, we need a dental assisting speaker. Could you put something together?” And I was like, “Yeah, that would be fantastic.” So it's been about 20 years of speaking to the assistants, and I love whenever I can do something online to remind them, but whenever I can get in a room, as you well know as a speaker, when you can really see it in their eyes that they get the message, that just makes a world of difference.

Carrie Weber:

Wow. You know, Kevin, I don't know if you remember this, but the reason our podcast is called The Jameson Files is that it’s named after my dad's old dental economics column, The Jameson Files. Do you remember that?

Kevin Henry:

I absolutely do. And I'll tell you, seriously, I came from sports, public relations into dentistry and I knew nothing about this, but John and Kathy were two of the first people to put their arm around me and say, “You know what? Let me teach you. Let me show you some things. Let me introduce you to some folks.” And so I will always be grateful to them for that. Your family has blazed such a trail, and Jameson Files held a special place in my heart too, for sure.

Carrie Weber:

I love that. And seeing the need among assistants, I think that is just such a tremendous gift that you've given because I agree. There's so much untapped potential and opportunity not only in the professional development of our clinical assistants but in them embracing another level in their roles in the practice and the power that they have in the health of the practice and in the relationships with the patients. 

Areas of Opportunity to Maximize Team Members

So with 20 years of speaking and really connecting to these assistants, I'm sure you have learned a lot along the way and have really honed in on some specific areas of opportunity to maximize these team members. Can you share a few of those insights that you've gained over the years?

Realizing your Value as a Team Member

Kevin Henry:

Yeah. It's funny, but the insights that I learned back in 2005 and early on, they're the same now, but they're so much more critical now that we have the staffing shortage, and then we have to make sure our teams stay together. And I think you hit something on the head when you were talking just a moment ago, they have to realize themselves how important they are. I have met countless assistants, and I'm sure you have as well with all that you do, that they introduce themselves as just an assistant. Or they see themselves as this person that doesn't matter in the practice. And let's be perfectly honest here, we're in a safe space here, The Jameson Files, right? They know they're the lowest paid person on the team. They know that, everybody knows that. And so we have to make sure that that elephant that's in the room kind of comes out. 

You know, what? Money's one thing, but the empowerment and getting them to really buy into the fact that they have this relationship with the patients, that they have this trust that they build with the patients, that the patients almost see them as an equal. And, I will tell you, if you can have your assistants understand the value that they bring to each and every appointment when that patient's in the chair, it's a game changer for them and for the practice as well.

Carrie Weber:

And would you agree, Kevin, that so much of that is the culture of the practice itself–what the leaders of the practice are doing to instill that sense of value into those assistants? There's so much trust that the patients have from long-term team members, so much trust that those patients are looking to those assistants to determine if they're making the right decision or if it's a decision that they even need to make. So I'm curious, in your presentations when you're speaking to assistants, what are the biggest pieces that you're encouraging them to do to level up their skills or lean in more to accomplish in their roles?

Taking an Active Role in your Career

Kevin Henry:

The biggest thing that I always tell them is to not be passive. They have to actually take control of their own career. And for a lot of dentists who may be listening to this, I know that that may sound a little scary, but what I'm asking them to do, and what I'm kind of pushing them to do is not sit back and wait on the dentist to say, you know what? I would love it if you did this. I want them to research their state laws. I want them to know what every dental assistant can do in every state, and then come to the dentist with a business plan and saying, if I'm able to be trained on this, and if we incorporate this into the practice, here's the bottom line impact. And here's what it can do for us. I think whenever they come up with a business plan on their own, they come up with a plan for their future on their own, they own it much more than somebody else saying, here's what I want you to do.

Investing in Team Members

Now they're saying, here's what I want to do. And so I think as a dentist, if you're listening to this, I hope that you'll encourage your assistants to come up with that map. Where do they want to be a year from now? And what's it going to take to get there? What do you need to invest in their learning, in their empowerment, whatever it is? What kind of resources do you need to put toward that? Because again, safe space here, these dental assistants, I hear constantly that they all want money. They want more money, they need raises. I will tell you, the vast majority of assistants that I talk to, it is not about the money. It is about going somewhere where they feel valued. And they feel like they're actually a part of the team. And if you can instill that in them, that's worth more to them than an x amount of dollars more per hour anytime.

Carrie Weber:

Yes. There was a study that the ADA Health Policy Institute did about the top reasons hygienists have left a dental practice. What are the top reasons hygienists are leaving? And it also gave a nod to responses that assistants gave of why they left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8218sVLg_Q

Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Workflows for Maximum Efficiency

Carrie Weber:

Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Weber, and it's so great to be back with you as we have an amazing guest with us. Dana Johnson is with us today. Dana is a good friend of mine. We've known each other for several years now, right, Dana?

Dana Johnson:

Many, yes.

Dana Johnson and Novonee Consulting

Carrie Weber:

And you know when you're all in the same realm in dentistry and in consulting and working with dental practices, you can't help but become friends when you're on the road speaking in consulting. For those of you that may not be familiar with Dana, Dana has a consulting company called Novonee. And Dana's background is pretty incredible as a Dentrix trainer moving into consulting. Some of your accolades are Dentrix Trainer of the Year and Top 25 Women in Dentistry. So it's a real honor to have you on as a guest. Dana, thank you so much for being with me.

Dana Johnson:

Well, thank you for having me. When you were talking about me being on the Jameson files when we were at Hinman, I'm like, oh my gosh, that sounds so fun. And I am super excited to share some experiences with all your audience.

Carrie Weber:

Yes. And you know, for those of you that are wondering, “What's Novonee?” There are times when I'm talking with practices and their specific need is around getting team onboarded and utilizing Dentrix in a maximized way, and becoming more efficient, more effective in their work, especially in the business side of the practice with their practice management software. And boy, that's when your name comes up a lot, Dana, because you excel in your expertise and in your ability to give instruction that's not only helpful for the team to learn, but you also help them know how to apply it and implement it, which is the key. 

So that leads us to today's conversation. Something that you've been talking about a little bit more and more recently is workflows and what that means in dental practices, what practices are struggling with. So as we step into that conversation, which I'm actually really excited about, I'd love to hear what's led to this element of what you're instructing and teaching practices. What is it that you're finding in the dental practices today that has really put an emphasis on helping them build out workflows in the practice?

Why Proper Workflows are Important

Dana Johnson:

Yeah, thank you. There have been three layers that I've been noticing across our industry– new team members coming into dentistry for the very first time. I have several practices, and so do you, probably, with new team members who are coming from retail or they're coming from medical or they're coming from another industry and they have no idea how to work the front desk in a dental practice. And so a lot of times what happens is you hire this new team member and you kind of throw them out to the sharks with no training, no onboarding. And they're wondering what to do. So these new team members are really looking for help. They're looking for onboarding, they're looking for training and that. So that's the first layer I'm seeing a lot of.

And then we're also seeing a lot of team members, whether they're a dental assistant moving up to the front desk, or maybe somebody that started out as an amazing receptionist and now she's being promoted to a treatment coordinator, and she's asking, “What is this job supposed to do? Help me.” 

Then the third layer I'm seeing is a lot of doctors reaching out to me and really wanting to be more involved with what their team should be doing every day, every week, every month. They have no idea. They’re in the back treating patients, but they really want to have a more hands-on approach. And so I've been having a lot of doctors reach out to me saying, “What should the daily, weekly, monthly workflow even look like?” It's been really, really great. And because I can help with all of that, it's been really fun.

Carrie Weber:

I'm curious when you go into conversations about workflows, are there some specific ones that you see the most frequently non-existent in a practice. I always talk about when there's a lack of intentionality, a lack of process, typically how that shows up in practices that are lacking systems, processes, workflows, is chaos. A lot of people throwing their own past experiences into the pot and just hoping it all works out. Where do you see it show up the most in the work that you do? A little bit of that accidental workflow or lack of workflows, so to speak. 

Dana Johnson:

I really see it showing up with a lot of frustration, a lot of feeling overwhelmed and stretched. I feel like a lot of people are reverting back to their old ways. This is how I used to do it. I'm just going to go back to this way. I'm going to pull out my three ring binder and start writing down patient names because I don't know how to do it in the software. And so I'm just going to go backwards. But then I find that they're spending an enormous amount of time, because anytime you have that manual system, it takes three times longer to do it. So team members are getting to the end of the day and they’ve worked eight hours and don't feel like they’ve gotten anything done. Or they're getting home late to their families and they're frustrated. 

And so I feel like team members are at their wits end. They don't know what to do, and so then they leave because they don't know what else to do. They're not getting the training and support that they really are asking for.

Carrie Weber:

Yes. Two out of the three main areas that you're seeing these requests or needs for workflow training and clarification are in that onboarding process. Either hiring a brand new employee or bringing a person that's on the team into a completely new role, which still demands training as if you're onboarding them as a new employee because they're entering into a whole new realm of the practice.

Dana Johnson:

Exactly. 

Using Practice Management Software to its Full Capabilities

Carrie Weber:

It’s interesting, I think you probably say this, too, especially when it comes to practice management software, or any of the software's tools, technology, if we were to step into anybody's practice, the likelihood is that they're all only utilizing it at a fraction of the capabilities that that tool has for them to be efficient and successful.

Dana Johnson:

For sure. 15 to 20%. Most offices are only using about 15 to 20% of the software's capabilities. 

Carrie Weber:

Wow! What are maybe one or two of the things that are huge missed opportunities that you see again and again for those 15 to 20% utilization practices?

Dana Johnson:

Definitely what I see is the operational side of the practice. I talk about that in the weekly workflow. That is keeping your schedule full and productive and keeping money in the bank. Those two things, being productive and collecting what you produce happens in that weekly workflow. Most teams that I go into work with, or do a practice assessment for, or I'm just having a discovery call with a doctor, most practices do not know the reports or the lists that they can generate out of their own practice management software to find patients that are unscheduled. They have post-IT notes all over their desks for their patients that want to come in sooner. 

I remember walking into an office in Alaska once, and on the backside of where you walk in, you have cabinets and stuff where all the office supplies are, and there were color coded post-it notes everywhere. And I'm like, “That's beautiful. Tell me what that is.” And they said, “Those are all the patients that want to come in sooner.”

Well, you know you have an ASAP list for that, right? And so they just didn't even know what the ASAP list was. So I see millions of dollars sitting on the treatment manager of patients that have unscheduled treatment and they just don't know that these reports or these lists even exist. And so that's where the 15 to 20% comes from. Because they just don't know what they don't know. 

Carrie Weber:

They're barely using it for its scheduling functionality. They're barely documenting what they need to have documented in there for each patient record. 

Dana Johnson:

I know.

Carrie Weber:

That's something else that I thought about when you were talking about the chaos and the stress and the overwhelm. So many practices are living almost in a little bit of a digital purgatory. They want to go paperless or they want to be more digital. They want to maximize the tool, but like you said, they get overwhelmed and then they revert back to those old habits. And so they're often doing both and end up with the inefficiencies of double work because, well, they put it in the computer, but then they write it down over here so that they have easy access, and we're asking, “Why are you doing it twice?”

Dana Johnson:

I know. And I say, redundancy will kill you. 

Carrie Weber:

Oh, that's good. Redundancy will kill you. And it’s a little bit of a case of we've always done it this way. This is the way so and so wants it done or whatever the case may be. But it's almost like they haven't fully embraced or fully believed in the tool to say that this is where we're going to put it. This is how we're going to do it, and so eliminate that extra work.

The Advantages of Proper Onboarding

Dana Johnson:

And what happens is, for example, that you have an outgoing office manager or treatment coordinator who is now training the new person coming in. So your outgoing office manager, she only uses 15 to 20% of the software. And now she's training your new person. 

Carrie Weber:

So you’re just passing on the bad habits.

Dana Johnson:

Yeah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6sMK06djfw

Leading Change with Confidence

Carie Weber:

Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Weber, and today I'm flying solo. I’m going to give you some thoughts and some interesting considerations as you try, in your very best way possible, to lead change in your practice or in your organization. This is something that we at Jameson have helped practices do for over 30 years, and I'm finding myself teaching and working through this with doctors and leaders more and more this year. I believe a lot of great decisions and refocusing of vision and changes are being made and introduced into practices to help those practices and those doctors and business owners thrive and be healthier and happier in their professional lives, which is what is most important to us to help doctors and practice leaders do. 

So, let's talk today in this episode about change, about why people resist change, and about what we as leaders need to consider as we are leading change in our practices and in our businesses.

I believe we'll find that when we get hit with resistance, when those obstacles come our way, chances are we are at a point where we need to make decisions to pursue and persist, re-clarify, and continue to lead forward even when it's hard. So, how to lead change even when it gets difficult. Let's go. 

Why do People Resist Change?

So first, as we talk about this, we want to think about why do people resist change in the first place? Why is change so difficult in practices? Perhaps it hasn't been that difficult for you, but perhaps you have struggled with incorporating something new into your practice or helping your team adapt to change. And there are a lot of reasons why people resist change, or why practices and teams resist change, or perhaps even the leaders resist change. Your overall busyness and overwhelm can be a determining factor. When we're already very overwhelmed with the workload, the idea of incorporating one more new thing into our day-to-day can be a little stressful at best. And so you can find that people resist.

It also may be that they're not against the idea, but their speed of change is very slow because they're busy doing other things, they're distracted, or they're generally overwhelmed and can't handle the idea of taking on one more thing.

Lack of respect for the leader can be one of the reasons. Fear of personal loss or fear of failure. The tradition of how it's always been can really help put a roadblock in front of you in terms of that change. The requirement of additional commitment and narrow-mindedness is going to thwart the acceptance of new ideas. The rewards don't match the effort required. These are all just a version of some of the reasons why you may be met with resistance. The fear of the unknown. It won't happen when people are engaged in negative thinking. All of these are reasons why change is resisted. 

And then of course, there are the two primary reasons why people resist change. And that's, we've always done it this way, or we've never done it that way. I'm sure all of you can appreciate that that is a primary deterrent for change for many people. 

How do we Help our Team Overcome these Mental Roadblocks?

So how do we help our teams overcome those mental roadblocks and become more open-minded and willing to not only explore the idea of doing something in a new way or integrating something new into our workflow, but actually implementing that change to where it becomes a habit? I’d like to have everyone visualize a rubber band and visualize yourself as that rubber band. And when we need to use that rubber band, we're often stretching it to wrap around whatever we're using it for.

You're feeling stretched when you're asked to change. You're going outside of your comfort zone, and all it takes is one day falling apart or getting really busy, or one team member calling in sick, and we all have to roll up our sleeves and help fill that void and we snap back. Just like if you released a rubber band, you're going snap back to how you always did things because that's most comfortable to you. That's the habit. It doesn't even matter if it's inefficient, if it's ineffective, if it actually in the long run adds more stress to your day. It's how we're used to doing things, and therefore we snap back to that place of comfort. So that is a challenge that we have to overcome, is being comfortable with the stretch, being comfortable with stretching outside of our comfort zone, because it is in the stretch that growth and positive change occur, right?

So one of the things that we want to think about when we are facing change, or doing our best to lead change, is that many, many, many people that we're going to work with and try to lead in that positive direction have become very comfortable. They have become complacent. They''re comfortable with where they are. They are happy and comfortable in status quo. And so what we're battling against is complacency. 

Yes, there is apathy. As we know from studies, 60% of the workforce considers themselves “quiet quitting,” which is basically doing the minimum acceptable to get by, but really not contributing any more than that. So we're faced with that sense of apathy, the “quiet quitting” complacency. 

What Keeps us From Battling Complacency?

So how do we battle complacency? Well, first, let's understand where complacency is coming from. Often we can play a part as leaders in the level of complacency or even apathy that we are faced with with our teams. There may be little to no training or development provided for our teams, and that can cause that. The culture may be toxic or negative, and, wow, all you need is one toxic person and that is going to hinder any efforts that you put forth to help change your business or your practice in a positive way. 

There's no team alignment or an aligned pursuit of vision and goals for the practice. This is what I often ask doctors, practice owners, practice leaders. What is your vision for the practice? What are your expectations for each team member within that vision of the pursuit of your ideal practice? And do they know what those expectations are and are they on board for it? That alignment is so key and imperative for us to have a team that's motivated and engaged enough to want to implement something new successfully.

We may be in denial, because of stress or overwhelm. We may be in denial at just how mediocre our performance has become, or how status quo our performance has become because we're so overwhelmed in our minds. This is great, this is fine, everything's fine. Right? We may be avoiding issues that are causing this complacency to take root in the practice, and the pursuit of the ideal vision comes to a halt. What is it that we're avoiding? What performance issues are we avoiding? What critical conversations are we putting off or looking the other way because we want to avoid conflict? What decisions are we avoiding because they seem so hard or difficult or we can't imagine what the reality could be in the aftermath of that decision? Lack of performance feedback, no accountability. This goes hand in hand with the avoidance of issues.

If we aren't holding our team members and each other accountable for high performance, it’s going to be very difficult to expect them to take those steps forward in incorporating change for the better in the practice. Whether that's incorporating the new technology you've invested in, or it may be changing the way that you're scheduling, going out of network with a large insurance plan, whatever those changes may be. If we already are avoiding critical conversations, it's going to be really difficult to lead that change successfully. 

Low performance standards. If our standards of expectation of how our team and how we perform is already low, there's no reason for them to take those extra steps of effort because we have created a culture, an environment that nurtures low performance. I know that's a hard one to really hear, but if you're allowing low performance, and that has been the common acceptable approach to performance, why would I do more? Why would I take those steps forward to do more or do things differently or get uncomfortable when really, historically, it's been fine that I've done things this way? 

You see this a lot when leaders and doctors are really excited after coming back from a conference, or they went and took a course, they bought the equipment, whatever the case may be, and the team is literally sitting there just telling each other, if we just wait two more weeks, doctor's excitement will wear off and we'll get back to normal. That is the kiss of death for positive change. So we as leaders have to persist and we have to get really clear on our vision, the why behind the what, the why behind the change, and we have to lead that forward by example and holding people accountable to incorporating the change as effectively, as successfully, and as quickly as possible.

So those are the reasons why complacency starts to take root in our businesses and our practices. So the question is for you, of those areas, are there particular ones that hit home for you? What do we need to do to address the culture of performance so that change can be successfully implemented whenever it is needed as your practice or your business evolves. 

How Do You Gain Confidence?

A great book about building influence and being more positively influential and having the aura of confidence and competence is a book called Presence by Amy Cuddy. And in that book, she talks about how they ask people in a survey, they ask those participants of these particular people in business that were considered successful or influential, what were the characteristics about those people that made them influential to them?