The Shared Practices Podcast - Archives

This week on Shared Practices we are joined by Laura and Michael from Wonderist. Wonderist Agency was started by Laura Maly at a kitchen table in Los Angeles as a small, one-woman marketing consulting group. Two years later, it got wings when Michael joined the team, and a full-service agency was born. Since then, Wonderist Agency has been dedicated to providing data-driven results and personalized design in a marketing landscape that is all too often cookie cutter or old school.

In the discussion we talk about how marketing can be used as a tool for case acceptance and how precisely you can accomplish this. From the landing page on your website to talking about the traffic on your way to work, Laura and Michael give some sound advice on what to share and how to balance it with the rest of your work.

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:: Links ::

Wonderist - https://wonderistagency.com/

:: Topic Time Codes ::

00:00 - 06:21 Introduction to the episode

08:16 – 14:15 Introducing Laura, Michael and Wonderist.

14:16 – 16:14 How do you build trust online and the continuity of experience as a goal.

16:15 – 17:56 How does marketing relate to case acceptance.

17:57 – 21:00 Proper utilisation of images and video.

21:01 – 23:06 How prevalent is the problem of a negative culture and how you can mitigate it.

23:07 – 26:16 Figuring out your brand.

26:17 – 29:53 Balancing quality with quantity on social media.

29:54 – 32:06 Deciding what to share online.

33:09 – 42:28 Communicating your message through testimonials and social media.

42:29 – 43:20 Can you develop a system for social media that is easy for a team to adopt.

43:21 – 46:03 Different platforms and where to put your content.

46:04 – 54:20 Wonderist's online consultancy programme and more on using video.

54:21 – 55:46 Educating patients through marketing.

55:47 – 59:29 Some final thoughts and conclusions.

59:29 - 1:02:27 Outro

This week's guest is Sandy Pardue, Sandy is a Senior Consultant at Classic Practice Resources and a Lecturer specializing in growing practices and de-stressing practice owners. Sandy is one of the industry's leading authorities on team training, organization systems and processes. Her years of consulting and speaking experience gives her a unique advantage and understanding of what it takes to motivate teams and create organized, productive practices with less stress for the practice owner.

In this episode Sandy goes over some vital information for practice owners, pertaining to the administrative side of case acceptance and general practice efficiency. We start by defining some key terms and goals, then go into how we can measure them and the most efficient ways of accomplishing them. Sandy covers everything from when to utilise pre-pay methods and why proactive phone out culture is desirable, to the finer points of internal finance communication and good philosophies to build a team around.

::Links::

[email protected]

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::Timecodes::

01:53 – 03:43 An introduction to Sandy and a bit about her background.

03:44 – 07:09 How does Sandy define a 'system' and why they are important.

07:10 – 13:32 Handling the financial schedule in order to counteract broken appointments.

13:33 – 20:05 Setting up a financial report and the uses of health credit ratings.

21:57 – 24:59 What metrics should you be tracking and other tips for streamlining.

25:00 – 27:44 The importance of finding proactive staff and being consistent with phoning out.

27:45 – 30:11 Pre-pay, when and when not to use it.

30:12 – 33:48 Why you should focus on case acceptance.

33:49 – 36:39 How to utilise software with, and some good practices for follow ups.

36:40 – 41:37 Clinician's roles in treatment conversion.

41:38 – 44:29 Some finer points on internal finance communication.

44:30 – 46:10 How Sandy's programme can assist practices with staff changes.

46:11 – 47:34 Final points on building a team.

This week on Shared Practices our guest is Dr. Derek Williams, the guest of our most popular episode. Derek began a practice in East Texas straight out of school and took that practice previously collecting $570k per year, up to $1.3M, and would become a multi-practice owner and build a mini-DSO.

In this episode Derek talks about some of the ways he refined his methodology in the early part of his career, and how he found his footing after his first acquisition. George asks him about the how what and when of employee policy implementation and the guys talk a lot about large unexpected treatment plans and how patients are likely to respond. With a focus on the early part of a dentists career, this episode is a great resource for young dentists just getting out of school who are trying to decide whether owning a practice or an associateship would be better for them.

::Links::

http://thelifestylepractice.com/

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::Timecodes::

02:25 – 06:52 Being a young dentist and owning a practice, with a little about acquisitions.

06:53 – 08:29 What Derek attributes his growth to and seeing things from an owner's perspective.

08:30 – 10:50 When is a good time to start implementing employee policies.

10:51 – 15:49 Derek's experience starting in a practice with a different culture to what he is used to.

15:50 – 18:01 When and how to bring up large treatment plans, unexpected by the patient.

18:02 – 20:35 Typical patient responses to unexpected large treatment plans.

22:07 – 24:19 How long into an acquisition do you feel the necessity to find new patients.

24:20 – 28:38 Selling yourself as a leader to your team.

30:52 – 32:24 utilising your hygienists and how your treatment plans change early in your career.

32:25 – 39:04 The benefits of starting your career in an associateship and Growing clinically.

39:05 – 41:17 What's the one thing that Derek does, that he believes helps his case acceptance the most.

41:18 – 48:23 Discussing some of The Lifestyle Practice's core concepts and the guys final thoughts.

This week sees the return of Dr. Chris Salierno to the show. Chris lectures internationally on clinical dentistry and practice management and is currently the editor of Dental Economics. Magazine. While in dental school he was the national president of the American Student Dental Association.

Chris returns to the show to discuss all things case acceptance. Chris has implemented his own systems for case acceptance from the ground up, giving him a great perspective for the interview. We cover patient interaction, measuring results, how to open, avoiding pitfalls and practical examples as well. Chris even gives us some specifics on his own methodologies, applicable to many varied situations relating to case acceptance.

::Links::

Chris's previous episode: http://sharedpractices.libsyn.com/podcast/16-the-3-part-associateship-eval-with-dr-chris-salierno

Read Chris's articles here: www.dentaleconomics.com

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::Timecodes::

01:23 – 02:16 Introducing Chris.

02:17 – 07:34 Why case acceptance is important and measuring success for growth.

07:35 – 11:59 Is there a clear way to quantify case acceptance beyond acceptance rates alone.

12:00 – 15:13 Measuring case acceptance through patient interaction.

15:14 – 19:35 Chris's opening methodology, complex vs simple cases.

19:36 – 22:22 interaction examples of Chris's techniques.

22:23 – 24:57 How Chris manages his free consultancies.

24:58 – 25:55 Why creating space and time is important for case acceptance.

27:48 – 29:48 What steps can be taken in the interim after the consultancy and beyond.

29:49 – 35:06 Reading in between the lines when interacting with patients.

35:07 – 43:49 Tips for productive consultancies and some do's and don'ts for communication.

43:50 – 48:51 Dealing with 'no' and avoiding manipulation.

48:52 – 53:10 How to approach patient anxiety.

53:11 – 58:33 Building systems for patient classification and how that can help case acceptance.

58:34 – end Outro

This week's guest on Shared Practices is Dr. Richard Evangelista. Richard is the CEO and founder of Dentalforce, with over 15 years of proven success in dental practice and dental management. In the last five years, Dentalforce has grown from 5 locations with 30 employees to now over 40 locations with a little over 400 employees. The company is revolutionizing traditional dental management by combining non-traditional systems and customized metrics with hands on implementation and personal development. Dentalforce now supports hundreds of practices with their essential support services and personal coaching.

In this episode Richard discusses how he ended up with so many practices under his belt and the systems he put in place to help him scale his initial business model. He discusses what it is like being based out of the bay area and what hurdles he faced when approaching case acceptance for such a high-level operation. The discussion's main bulk deals with the interpersonal nature of case acceptance and what tool and mindsets you can use or avoid to help you be more effective.

::Links::

Richard's course: dentalforce.com/dental-force-events

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::Timecodes::

01:24 – 04:01 An introduction to Richard and how he ended up with 40 practices under his belt.

04:02 – 06:28 What are the logistics like, being based out of California.

06:29 – 07:50 Fee for service practices and why Richard chose that model.

07:51 – 10:29 What did Richard do after his HMO practice post school and how he refined the fee for service model.

10:30 - 13:15 What importance does Richard put on patient attrition and how does he alleviate it.

13:16 – 16:18 What was the moment Richard realised he could scale his business model and why you should always be open to opportunity.

16:19 – 20:15 Brokered practices versus word of mouth for growth and how Richard managed the high-level growth of his practices.

20:16 - 26:15 How Richard implements systems for multi practice case acceptance and why scripting is vital.

26:16 – 27:42 A brief overview of Richards seminars on practice management.

27:43 – 32:27 Richard shares some of his insights for interpersonal case acceptance.

32:28 – 34:47 What is the first thing you should say to a patient and knowing when to shut up.

34:48 – 39:16 Richards explains his Diagnosis and treatment planning worksheet and why you should constantly grow your ability to prescribe proper treatment plans.

39:17 - 41:33 What are some common problematic mindsets that you encounter in dentists and how to avoid them yourself.

41:34 – 44:17 The importance of developing your ability to read patients and know when they are resisting treatment.

44:18 – 47:52 The benefits/downfalls of intraoral cameras and other tech versus your own body language and interpersonal skills.

47:53 - 50:47 Richards closing thoughts and conclusions.

This week on Shared Practices our guest is Wade Pilling. Wade graduated in 2005 from the University of Louisville and has grown 2 practices that both produce over 7 figures by mastering the technique of large treatment plan acceptances. Wade also has advanced training in cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry, lectures across the country and has great expertise in high production, low volume practices.

In this episode Wade talks with Richard about the finer points of long-term treatment plan case acceptance. Everything from hiring the right team to outsourcing your marketing and how to communicate with your patients. Wade talks about his recent trip to Ethiopia and dental missionary work, how difficult high-volume dentistry is in a third world nation and some of the challenges he faced. Wade gives some advice about photography and how it can help case acceptance a long with some analogies you can give patients to help your ability to positively explain your treatment.

::Links::

dentalmavericksummit.com/speakers/dr-wade/

Wade's LinkedIn - /in/cosmeticdentistidaho/

Wade's Twitter - /drwadepilling

::Sponsors::

Blue Sky Bio - Download the revolutionary free implant planning software

Design Ergonomics - Optimize your office layout for productivity and future growth.

Go to https://desergo.com/g2mp/ and use promo code "Shared Practices" to get the $230 'Guide to Maximizing Productivity' for free

::Timecodes::

02:07 – 05:10 Introducing Wade and what he is doing currently

05:11 – 09:10 Wade describes his practice, discusses what procedures he focuses on and talks about finding your niche as a dentist.

09:11 – 11:17 How the real estate crash affected Wade and how he recovered.

11:18 – 16:27 What are Some of Wade's techniques for getting patients to accept elective treatment?

16:28 – 22:35 Knowing when to pull back in pitching to a patient and how it can help with patient relationships.

24:58 – 30:36 How does Wade help patients with financial issues and how to present finances positively.

30:37 – 32:07 Wade talks about his team building process and what you should look for when building a team.

32:08 – 34:47 Some analogies you can use when talking to patients.

34:48 – 36:18 What consultation tools does Wade recommend.

36:19 – 38:45 Wade gives us some tips on how you can use photography to help your case acceptance

38:46 – 42:48 Filling the gaps in your skillset with the right staff choices.

42:49 – 50:29 Wade's trip to Ethiopia and the challenges of dentistry in the third world.

On this week's episode of Shared Practices, our guests are Dr. Danielle Davis and Dr. Austin Davis, two of our listeners from Texas who found their inspiration to start their own practice from listening to our show. They also produce a blog documenting their dental start-up journey, intended to give young dentists an insight into what it is like starting a practice early in your career.

In this episode Danielle and Austin answer questions like, how difficult are the first few years of a dental practice? How do you decide where your practice should be? What do the expenses look like? How many new patients are flowing in? What is the biggest roadblock you will hit? We also talk about Austin's residency and Danielle's numerous experiences as an associate. As followers of the show Austin and Danielle also used some of our sponsors in designing their practice and they talk a bit about the advantages of that. Other topics covered are, the hiring process, life as a small town dentist and real-estate costs.

:: LINKS ::

Dentaltown thread - 2 young, new grads do a startup

Austin and Danielle's practice - 901dental.com

:: Sponsors ::

Blue Sky Bio - Download the revolutionary free implant planning software

:: Topic Time Codes ::

01:59 – 04:42 Introducing Austin and Danielle's story and documenting a start-up.

04:43 – 09:18 Austin's residency's, AEGD's and is the procedure mix what he hoped.

09:19 – 12:24 Danielle's experience with associateships.

12:25 – 17:45 Student debt and small-town dentistry

17:46 – 25:30 Deciding where to start your business and what to consider, like patient to practice ratios.

25:31 – 29:42 Demographic reports and how long did it take to find their practice.

29:43 – 34:46 Breakaway and the cost/benefit of large real-estate costs for a start-up.

34:47 – 36:00 Design Ergo and obstacles you can face designing a new practice.

36:01 – 42:06 Marketing decision and the hiring process.

42:07 – 45:04 Hygienists and more on hiring and retention.

45:05 – 54:34 How the start-up is faring financially so far.

54:35 – 56:49 Final advice and conclusions.

This week's guest on Shared Practices is Paul Edwards, CEO of CEDR HR Solutions and now a management expert and a well-known healthcare-industry speaker. CEDR have for almost a decade been helping dentistry practices with HR solutions in all fifty states. Helping dentists put enforceable employee policies in place so you can stay compliant with all employment laws in your state and simplify your daily operations.

In this episode George and Paul cover a wide range of topics related to HR in dentistry. Paul explains what CEDR do and how they help different practices, before going into further depth of why a preventative mindset is the right way to approach setting up your company policies. George asks about various topics including employee coaching, structuring associate agreements, employee classification and retention of staff. Paul tells some great anecdotes to back up his points and gives some really good advice for young dentists, anyone who is starting a new practice or reviewing their HR policies.

:: LINKS ::

Paul's Twitter - twitter.com/cedrceo

CEDR Facebook - facebook.com/thecedr/

CEDR Solutions website cedrsolutions.com/about-cedr/

:: Sponsors ::

Blue Sky Bio - Download the revolutionary free implant planning software

Design Ergonomics - Optimize your office layout for productivity and future growth.

Go to https://desergo.com/g2mp/ and use promo code "Shared Practices" to get the $230 'Guide to Maximizing Productivity' for free

:: Topic Time Codes ::

00:00 – 02:02 : Introduction to the episode and of Paul Edwards.

03:50 – 06:12 : Who are CEDR HR Solutions and a brief history of the company.

06:13 – 09:54 : The main ways CEDR help practices, from employee handbooks and ongoing HR support, to state regulation and proprietary software.

09:55 – 14:30 : The importance of young dentists learning their HR responsibilities and some lessons for starting a practice.

14:31 – 21:51 : Why you should have a bespoke employee handbook, operational simplicity vs protection from litigation.

21:52 – 27:39 : Some examples of HR issues you can face even with a good system in place.

28:55 – 35:25 : Handling recurring issues with employees and progressive corrective coaching.

35:26 – 37:48 : Some issues CEDR don't handle and why you should emphasize prevention.

37:49 – 44:33 : How to structure an associate agreement and some notes on employee classification.

44:34 – 47:15 : Tracking associate growth and how to help retain and train associates.

47:16 – 49:10 : The importance of constant growth as a team.

49:11 – 51:01 : Paul's final thought's and contact details.

51:02 – 53:47 : Richard and George's conclusions.

This week's guest for episode nine of case acceptance season is Adam McWethy. Adam is currently the vice president of marketing for Spear Education, and previously served the company as director of human resources. Adam has a master's degree in human resources and industrial relations from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. He has nearly 10 years of experience in human resources in a variety of industries, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

Adam Co-wrote the Spear case acceptance handbook with Frank Spear and has a great wealth of knowledge on the subject. In this episode we cover all aspects of the Spear education programs, in terms of how they can help with case acceptance. We discuss the Spear consultancy program and how to prioritise patience for case acceptance. Adam goes in depth on the Spear patient filter process and explains why it's important to manage patient expectations.

Adam's Twitter - /adammcwethy

Adam's LinkedIN - www.linkedin.com/in/adammcwethy/

www.speareducation.net

:: Sponsors ::

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Find out more about discount on pair Q-Optics loupes Email: SP16 to [email protected]

:: Topic Time Codes ::

00:00 – 00:58 : Intro.

03:13 – 05:58 : Meeting Adam and talking about co-authoring with Dr Spear.

05:59 – 09:22 : Adam's old personal training business and it's parallels with dentistry.

09:23 – 13:43 : Understanding problems to solve them and Adam goes into the philosophy behind Spear education.

13:44 – 17:45 : 'Proactive Patients' and patient retention's influence on case acceptance.

17:46 – 21:10 : Spear consultancy, it's reach and how it works.

21:11 – 27:01 : Overview of the case acceptance handbook.

27:02 – 33:19 : Some examples to aid proper utilisation of the Pear education programs.

35:23 – 39:57 : Spears offerings for dentists aiming to increase case acceptance through their team.

39:58 – 45:50 : Takeaways from the Spear case acceptance handbook.

45:51 – 51:31 : Prioritising patients effectively for case acceptance.

51:32 – 55:08 : The Spear patient filter process explained.

55:09 – 1:00:46 : Proper management of patient expectations and the benefits of it.

1:00:47 – 1:03:33 : Final thoughts from Richard and Adam.

1:03:34 – 1:10:05: Outro and takeaways from the interview with Richard and George.

Episode 8 of this season of Shared Practices see's George interviewing Paul Goodman. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Goodman has been practicing dentistry for over 10 years and shares his personal experience with retiring dentists in managing the expectations of their patients and team members during the transition process. He is the founder of Rising Dentists Study Club and Rittenhouse Consulting, LLC – both in Philadelphia.

In this episode George and Paul cover all the ins and outs of case acceptance for implant patients. They discuss everything from the benefits of having an in-house specialist and what we can learn from Korean dentist practices to Breaking patients down into demographics and avoiding negativity. Paul uses some very helpful analogies for understanding the subject as well, making it easy to digest. He goes in depth on the stigma around implants and the sometimes-counterintuitive attitudes of dentists but also covers some really practical solutions to real world problems. While chief dental resident during his general practice residency and hospital fellowship at Albert Einstein Medical Center, Paul received advanced training and also placed and restored 150 dental implants, making him the perfect guest to take us through the minutia of case acceptance in this context.

http://www.drpaulgoodman.com/

:: Sponsors ::

Blue Sky Bio - Download the revolutionary free implant planning software

Design Ergonomics - Optimize your office layout for productivity and future growth.

Go to https://desergo.com/g2mp/ and use promo code "Shared Practices" to get the $230 'Guide to Maximizing Productivity' for free

:: Topic Time Codes ::

00:00 – 02:49 : Episode Intro

02:50 – 07:23 : Paul's introduction to dentistry and early career.

07:24 – 11:31 : Deciding when to refer cases based on difficulty.

11:32 – 13:46 : The benefits of having an in-house specialist.

13:47 – 18:23 : How to effectively break down implant patients into demographics.

18:24 – 23:53 : Problems with fixed implants vs removable implants for long term cases.

23:54 – 27:21 : Peri-implantitis and why you should avoid negativity.

27:22 – 32:04 : Bridges or implants and managing patient expectations.

32:05 – 34:43 : The stigma around implants and dental school brainwashing.

34:44 – 36:38 :AD GAP

36:39 – 43:25 : George and Paul roleplay some techniques and key-words for implant case acceptance.

43:26 – 49:44 : What are the next steps after establishing patient concern.

49:45 – 53:38 : Payment options and how to present them.

53:39 – 1:01:30 : Why this can help you and final thoughts.