The Jameson Files

https://youtu.be/2q6jGYppWPQ?si=qzwzYJncO-1vOr-Z Welcome back to The Jameson Files! This episode is an essential guide for dental practices looking to master the ever-evolving landscape of marketing. Joined by Nate Porter of the Jameson Group, we unravel the complexities of digital marketing, the integration of AI, and the timeless value of building genuine patient relationships. The Rapid Shift in Marketing Dynamics As marketing changes at unprecedented speeds, Carrie Webber and Nate discuss why staying informed and adaptable is vital. They emphasize the importance of blending new technologies with foundational marketing principles. Discover which elements are crucial and which new trends might just be noise. The Four Pillars of Dental Marketing Central to effective marketing are the pillars organized by Carrie and Nate. These include: Visibility and Reach: Ensuring your practice is easily found online. Identity and Image: Maintaining a strong, consistent brand presence. Believability and Social Proof: Cultivating a trustworthy reputation through reviews and testimonials. Patient Experience: Delivering an outstanding in-office experience that matches your external marketing efforts. AI's Role in Elevating Marketing Efforts While AI can streamline processes and provide invaluable insights, it doesn’t replace the need for human connection. AI excels in data analysis, helping practices focus on what truly matters. However, human oversight ensures the authenticity and effectiveness of marketing strategies remain intact. Introducing Jameson Hub One of the exciting advancements discussed is the Jameson Hub. This innovative tool helps dental practices evaluate their marketing performance, providing personalized feedback and training opportunities. From analyzing online traffic to offering AI-assisted skill-building exercises, Jameson Hub is a comprehensive resource for improving overall marketing efficacy. Upcoming Opportunities: Workshop and Audit For those eager to deepen their understanding, the Dental Marketing Operating Systems Workshop is on the horizon. Held on July 9th and 10th in Grapevine, Texas, this event offers hands-on training and strategic planning with experts and peers. Additionally, the complimentary Digital Marketing Audit gives practices a detailed assessment of their online presence, comparing against regional benchmarks and providing actionable insights. Conclusion: Embrace Continuous Learning As digital marketing landscapes shift, continuous learning and adaptation become indispensable. The Jameson Files encourage dental practices to stay proactive, leveraging the latest tools while honoring the irreplaceable value of personal interaction and relationship-building in dentistry. For more information on upcoming workshops or exploring the Jameson Hub and the digital marketing audit, reach out at JMSN.com or check our social media for further updates. Join us in evolving your marketing strategies for a successful and sustainable practice future.

https://youtu.be/j72ASnJkWbs?si=LRAVd4-3VGFIE016 Welcome to The Jameson Files!Exploring the latest innovations in dental care, we've got a special feature today that's geared towards a green, all-natural approach to oral health. Meet Tree Manoa of Birch Tree Hemp Products, who, with decades of experience in the dental field, is revolutionizing oral care with the power of hemp. The Journey to an All-Natural SolutionOur conversation begins with an insight into Tree's extensive background in dentistry, spanning over 50 years. From dental assistant to corporate roles in product management and marketing, Tree's experience laid a firm foundation for the inception of Birch Tree Hemp. His collaboration with Karen Mitchell led to the creation of products that harness the benefits of cannabinoids for dental and overall health. Understanding the Power of CannabinoidsTree shares how the body's endocannabinoid system is largely receptive in the oral cavity. This revelation paved the way for the idea of a toothpaste infused with CBD and CBG—two powerful cannabinoids known for their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Unlike what many might think, these products won’t get you high because they contain less than 0.3% THC. The Hemp Toothpaste FormulaThe hemp toothpaste stands out with the inclusion of Manuka honey, known for its healing properties. Despite being a form of natural sugar, Manuka honey doesn't cause tooth decay but instead helps with inflammation and tissue repair. The meticulous formulation process, which spans several years, excludes harmful ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate, a common industrial detergent, and fluoride—catering to those seeking fluoride alternatives. Myths vs. Facts About CBD Dental ProductsDespite the rise of CBD products, myths persist. Fear not, as Tree addresses misconceptions head-on, ensuring that Birch Tree Hemp products are thoroughly tested and transparent about their cannabinoid content. A Product for Every PatientThe toothpaste is suitable for anyone seeking a natural oral care solution, particularly beneficial for patients with chronic gum issues or undergoing medical treatments that affect oral health. This product is not only about cleaning teeth but promoting overall oral wellness, making it ideal for holistic care. Explore Birch Tree HempInterested in trying these revolutionary products? Visit birchtreehemp.com for more information. Tree Manoa himself is there to assist with any inquiries, offering a personal touch to a groundbreaking product. Conclusion: Embrace the Future of DentistryDentistry is evolving rapidly, with innovative products hitting the market that prioritize health and holistic care. It's essential to stay informed and provide patients with top-quality, reliable products. Birch Tree Hemp is leading the charge in cannabinoid-based oral health solutions, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact these products will have on patients worldwide. Keep an eye on this space for more insights into dental innovations with The Jamison Files.

https://youtu.be/Cv8B39g414s?si=JvE5q2HkU8Aanss8 Introduction In the ever-evolving landscape of dentistry, managing insurance and revenue cycles has become increasingly complex. Recent insights shared by Theresa Duncan reveal the significant challenges and new trends affecting dental practice management. As practices adapt to technological advancements and regulatory changes, understanding these dynamics is crucial for efficiency and sustainability. The Evolving Landscape of Dental Insurance The discussion highlighted how the management of dental insurance has transformed over the years, moving from straightforward procedures to a complex web of administrative tasks. Theresa Duncan stressed the importance of understanding these complexities, as even minor missteps can have sizable financial repercussions for dental practices. Training personnel to stay updated with changes in insurance processes is essential to avoid costly errors and inefficiencies. The Role of Technology and Artificial Intelligence A significant theme is the integration of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), into dental insurance management. While technology is often expected to streamline processes, it introduces new complexities that require dental practitioners to adjust and learn rapidly. AI is being used in various ways, including verification, eligibility, and claims processing, but Duncan advises caution against vendors who overpromise on the capabilities of AI solutions. AI in Clinical Documentation and Efficiency Theresa Duncan expressed enthusiasm for AI's potential to enhance clinical documentation. AI tools can guide practitioners by prompting necessary information, ensuring thorough and compliant documentation that meets both insurance and legal standards. This advancement not only bolsters financial and legal protections for practitioners but also supports maintaining high patient care standards. Outsourcing for Efficiency For practices grappling with staffing challenges or inefficiencies, outsourcing insurance management tasks may be a viable solution. Duncan discussed the benefits of this approach, which can lead to cost savings and improved efficiency compared to handling these tasks internally. She emphasized the need for choosing outsourcing partners with expertise in practice-specific software and a commitment to accountability and transparency. Common Challenges and Recommendations Duncan shared key insights into prevalent challenges in dental practices, particularly related to radiographic documentation. Adhering to individualized patient needs for radiographs is becoming more scrutinized by insurance carriers. Proper documentation and diagnostic-quality imaging are imperative to avoid financial penalties from insurance audits. Conclusion Theresa Duncan's insights into dental insurance management provide invaluable guidance for dental practices navigating this intricate field. Staying informed and leveraging resources like those offered through Odyssey Management and the Dental Revenue Network are crucial for continuous improvement and adaptation to ongoing industry shifts. These efforts ensure that practices remain efficient, compliant, and successful in a rapidly changing landscape. This format ensures a clear and structured presentation of ideas without the use of concluding or transitional phrases, as requested.

https://youtu.be/hCgzxWJp7RI?si=MT-PAJXy1GKPgE7k In the latest episode of the Jameson Files, host Carrie Webber engages with Kevin Henry, a notable figure in dental journalism and the founder of Dental Assistant Nation. The conversation highlights the evolving landscape of dentistry, detailing significant themes that influence practitioners today, from technological advancements to changes in continuing education and staffing challenges. The AI Revolution in Dentistry Artificial Intelligence is at the forefront of discussions in dental circles, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down. Kevin Henry shares that AI is rapidly transforming the dental industry, notably in radiographic analysis and insurance processing. Despite its potential benefits, the proliferation of AI platforms necessitates a cautious approach. For dental practices, selecting the right AI solutions and understanding their implementation is becoming increasingly critical. As AI continues to shape content consumption, Henry reflects on its influence in journalism, where AI-generated summaries are altering how content is delivered and engaged with. There's a growing need for unique, human-driven content that stands out amidst AI-generated material, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in written works. Continuing Education: Embracing Change The landscape of continuing education in dentistry is shifting towards more niche and focused learning opportunities. Smaller, topic-focused gatherings are gaining popularity, potentially challenging the status quo of larger traditional meetings. Both Webber and Henry note that education paradigms are changing as new generations prefer consuming information through digital channels. Consequently, practices must carefully choose educational opportunities that align with their goals and adapt to hybrid formats that blend online and in-person learning experiences. Staffing Challenges: The Ever-Present Concern Staffing remains a critical issue within the dental industry. The shortage of clinical team members, particularly hygienists and assistants, persists with little immediate relief in sight. Henry underscores the importance of fostering a positive workplace culture to retain existing staff. In an industry where qualified professionals are in high demand, practices must prioritize maintaining staff satisfaction and engagement to ensure stability. Conclusion: Preparing for the Future This episode underscores the need for dental professionals to stay informed and adaptable amid rapid industry changes. From integrating AI thoughtfully into practice and selecting strategic educational opportunities to addressing staffing challenges, the discussion advocates for proactive measures to navigate the evolving landscape of dentistry. In an era where technological advancements and shifting educational preferences converge, practices are encouraged to embrace change to thrive amid industry transformations.

https://youtu.be/KACaV9wGtXk?si=r2SfALiF55DUnEZd In a recent episode of the Jameson Files, host Carrie Webber sat down with Brandi Williams, Chief Growth Officer for Catalyst Dental Allies, to discuss the evolving landscape of dental practice management. As Williams returns for another enlightening conversation, her insights provide valuable guidance for office managers and practice administrators striving to excel in their roles. The Role of Office Managers One of the central themes of the discussion centered on the pivotal role office managers play in dental practices. Williams emphasized the importance of strong relationships with patients and the need for office managers to prioritize the daily schedule. By focusing on these aspects, the rest of the tasks often fall into place naturally. However, to achieve this, office managers must balance their time and not become overwhelmed by administrative tasks such as insurance verification. Another crucial point noted was the value of office managers spending time with their team rather than working behind closed doors. Visibility allows them to guide the staff effectively, address their needs, and lead the practice toward higher levels of success. Training and Development Continuous training emerged as another significant theme. Williams highlighted the necessity of ongoing education on existing resources and tools available to dental practices. Many office managers are only utilizing a fraction of the potential of these tools. Regular meetings, as Catalyst Dental Allies conducts, were suggested as an essential method to keep staff informed and competent. This approach not only ensures that all team members are on the same page but also helps integrate new team members more effectively. Empowering Team Leaders Williams also underscored the advantages of leveraging team expertise for training and development. Encouraging staff to mentor and teach one another fosters leadership within the team and can alleviate the office manager’s burden of being the sole source of training. This peer-to-peer learning is vital for personal growth and team cohesion. Embracing Technology and AI The future of dental practice management and its challenges were explored, especially the role of technology and AI. Williams shared her insights on the growing importance of phone AI and how it can enhance call conversions, which is a critical point of interaction for potential new patients. While AI presents opportunities, it is also accompanied by a learning curve, requiring practices to assess their specific needs carefully. Alignment and Buy-in Creating alignment within the team and ensuring everyone's buy-in is another fundamental aspect of successful practice management. Goal setting and team discussions are the keys to creating a shared vision. When the team is engaged in setting the goals, they are more likely to be committed to achieving them. Conclusion Navigating the intricacies of dental practice management requires a blend of effective leadership, continuous education, and strategic use of technology. By focusing on relationship-building, utilizing existing resources to their full potential, and embracing emerging technologies, dental practices can position themselves for success. Empowering office managers and their teams to lead with intention and integrity will pave the way for a thriving practice environment.

https://youtu.be/Gfd6prF7j-s?si=FPA2Hvv5cz0d2uO3 In the latest episode of the Jameson Files podcast, host Carrie Webber sits down with Lori Streeter, the VP of US expansion for Max Assist, to explore the intricacies of change management in the dental industry. With decades of experience in the dental sector, Streeter shares insights into overcoming the challenges that come with leading change. The Emotional Side of Change A key theme of the discussion focuses on the emotional aspect of change. Streeter highlights that change is not merely logistical but deeply emotional. Leaders are often advised to leave emotion out of business decisions, but as Streeter points out, that expectation is unrealistic. Emotions like fear can surface when staff members are faced with change, whether it's a new process, software, or role. Understanding and addressing these emotional responses can facilitate smoother transitions. Adapting to Change The conversation delves into how crucial adaptability is within a practice. Both Webber and Streeter agree that change often requires adults to adjust ingrained behaviors, which can be challenging. Drawing from historical shifts in dentistry, they note that adaptability should be celebrated and viewed as an opportunity for growth. Streeter emphasizes the importance of breaking down large changes into manageable steps, making them easier for staff to embrace. The Role of Communication Communication emerges as a pivotal tool in guiding a team through change. Streeter introduces the concept of "communication as change currency," asserting that clear, consistent communication fosters trust and buy-in from the team. This involves articulating the "why" behind changes and making sure that everyone understands the benefits for both the practice and the patients. Embracing New Technologies The episode also tackles the topic of AI in dentistry, recognizing both the hesitancy and the potential it brings. Streeter reassures that AI will not replace the essential human connection central to dental practices. Instead, AI is positioned as an efficiency tool, capable of streamlining workflows and enhancing patient care. Weber and Streeter encourage leaders to approach new technologies with curiosity rather than fear, ensuring they can harness these tools to benefit their teams and practices. Support Systems for Leaders Streeter underscores the importance of office managers and team leaders taking ownership of their roles, effectively becoming co-leaders within their practices. This sense of ownership not only alleviates the burden on practice owners but also promotes a culture of shared leadership. By continuously developing their skills and staying curious, leaders can better adapt to industry changes and cultivate a supportive environment for their teams. Conclusion Navigating change is an inevitable part of working in the dental industry. The insights shared by Lori Streeter in this podcast episode serve as a valuable resource for practice leaders aiming to lead their teams through transitions smoothly and effectively. By embracing change emotionally, communicating clearly, and staying open to technological advancements, leaders can ensure their practices not only survive but thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.

https://youtu.be/G12UjkdD61Q?si=8_RuUtVV8lHnBCnB The Jameson Files podcast recently hosted a special episode featuring Judy Kay Mausolf, an esteemed guest on the verge of retirement from a successful career in dental consulting and speaking. The conversation explored her career highlights, lessons learned, and the insights gained from her extensive experience. Reflecting on a Fruitful Career Judy's career in the dental industry began in the early 1980s, evolving over two decades with a steadfast passion for the field. Her journey from working as an administrator to establishing her own business is a testament to growth and dedication, even when initially lacking a dental background. Her narrative illustrates the power of perseverance and an unwavering love for the industry. Lessons in Leadership and Culture A key theme in the discussion was the emphasis on leadership and the importance of nurturing a positive culture within dental practices. She advocated for leaders to treat each other as well as they treat patients, aiming to establish an environment free from negativity and toxicity. Her firm yet supportive approach earned her the nickname of the "velvet hammer," highlighting the leader’s pivotal role in maintaining the health and morale of a practice's culture. The Art of Communication and Engagement The conversation also covered the art of effective communication, stressing the necessity of conversations that promote growth rather than conflict. By connecting genuinely with team members, she underscored the importance of creating an engaged and motivated workforce. Her approach to addressing behaviors constructively was discussed as a crucial skill for leaders. The Power of Authenticity and Mentorship Authenticity and mentorship emerged as crucial elements of a successful career. She highlighted the impact of bringing one's true self to work and the significance of supporting future leaders. Encouraging practitioners to seek mentors who align with their values and vision was emphasized as a means of fostering professional growth and development. Preparing for a New Chapter As she transitions into retirement, her decision is driven by a desire for personal balance and quality time with family. Although stepping away from speaking engagements, her passion for dentistry remains vibrant, underscoring the importance of living a life without regrets and pursuing happiness actively. Conclusion Her journey serves as an inspiring testament to a career marked by passion, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. The insights shared on leadership, culture, communication, and authenticity provide valuable lessons for dental professionals, highlighting a legacy rooted in mentorship and authenticity that continues to inspire.

https://youtu.be/yFdg1JGjgq8?si=TT0Qhm1ei4vHbPuq Welcome back to another engaging episode of the Jameson Files! Today we dive deep into the world of dental practice compliance and infection control with expert, Tia Hunter. Join us as we explore practical steps to ensure that your practice is not only compliant but also operates seamlessly. Meet Tia Hunter: Your Infection Control Expert For those unfamiliar with Tia, you're in for a treat. With an impressive background as a speaker, educator, and trainer in the dental industry, Tia focuses on infection control and has a deep-seated passion for aiding dental assistants across the nation. Her work is pivotal in helping practices maintain compliance and improve their operational standards through customized infection control solutions. Understanding the Compliance Landscape Tia emphasizes the importance of avoiding complacency in dental practice management. Many practices often overlook tasks like documentation, resulting in potential compliance issues. She highlights the necessity of thorough documentation—not just for patient chart notes but also for areas like OSHA, HIPAA, and equipment maintenance. Alarmingly, more than 50% of practices neglect proper documentation of Hepatitis B vaccinations, which should be completed within ten days of hiring clinical personnel. Steps to Improve Practice Compliance Consistent documentation and maintaining a well-organized compliance system can protect your practice from potential compliance breaches. Tia advocates for actions such as appointing staff members to manage specific areas like OSHA, infection control, and HIPAA compliance. This delegation reduces pressure on single individuals and ensures thorough, consistent attention to critical details. Utilizing SOPs and Compliance Calendars Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a compliance calendar are invaluable tools. Tia assists practices in creating these resources, ensuring that tasks like routine equipment checks and waterline testing are performed timely. To ease the burden further, her digital compliance calendar helps practices track key compliance tasks systematically. Addressing Common Compliance Myths Tia dismisses common misconceptions about generic online OSHA and HIPAA training, emphasizing the necessity of practice-specific training. Accessibility to a knowledgeable trainer for clarifying doubts is crucial. For ongoing support, consider more interactive learning tools that offer customized solutions for your practice. The Role of Culture and Onboarding Effective onboarding not only meets compliance requirements but also integrates new employees into the practice culture. A robust onboarding process ensures staff members understand what's expected and how their roles contribute to the success and compliance of the practice. Take Your Practice to the Next Level Collab Con is an exciting upcoming event offering practices the opportunity to enhance their learning curve. Scheduled for November 14th and 15th in Nashville, this conference gathers dental professionals from various specialties to collaborate and drive forward practice improvements in a unified manner. Concluding Thoughts The journey from good to great—and then to better—involves intentional commitment to compliance and practice growth. Start by designating responsibilities, invest in customized training resources, and continuously engage in professional development opportunities, such as Tia's upcoming Collab Con event. Reach Out to Tia Hunter For those ready to elevate their practice's compliance journey, Tia Hunter offers an array of resources. You can contact her at [email protected] and explore her extensive expertise. Thank you for joining this insightful episode of the Jameson Files. Let’s stay connected, share these vital insights, and work toward an enhanced, compliant practice together. Until next time, be well and take care!

https://youtu.be/QAOFNTZeuqg?si=bWxnKPcXqEtwr4cT In this episode, the conversation centers on the unique challenges and opportunities facing dental practice owners, with a special focus on intentional planning for the future. The discussion explores the concept of a “family office” approach to financial and business planning, traditionally reserved for the ultra-wealthy, and how this model can be adapted to serve dental professionals at any stage of their careers. Learning from the Past: The Importance of Proactive Planning A powerful story is shared about a family member who, despite being a successful orthodontist with multiple practices, faced financial hardship due to a lack of proactive planning and coordination among advisors. This experience underscores the need for dental professionals to think beyond day-to-day operations and consider long-term strategies for wealth, legacy, and personal fulfillment. The Family Office Model: Teamwork and Collaboration The family office model brings together a team of experts—accountants, attorneys, insurance advisors, and more—to work collaboratively for the client’s benefit. This approach relieves practice owners from the burden of coordinating between different professionals, allowing them to focus on what matters most: their patients, teams, and personal lives. By having a comprehensive checklist and regular reviews, practice owners can ensure that every aspect of their business and personal finances is aligned and optimized. The Roadmap Conversation: Defining Goals and Values A central theme of the episode is the “roadmap conversation,” a process that helps dental professionals and their families clarify their goals, values, and vision for the future. Rather than focusing solely on numbers or reactive problem-solving, this approach encourages practice owners to define what financial freedom and success mean to them personally. The conversation often reveals that, once basic needs are met, many professionals aspire to give back to their communities and create a lasting legacy. Aligning Values with Business Decisions The podcast emphasizes the importance of aligning business decisions with personal values. When practice owners are clear about what matters most—whether it’s family, community, or personal growth—they can make better choices about investments, team building, and practice management. This clarity also helps in communicating vision and expectations to the team, fostering a positive culture and improving retention. Proactive vs. Reactive: The Power of Planning Ahead Many of the challenges faced by dental professionals stem from reactive decision-making—responding to crises rather than planning ahead. The episode advocates for regular, proactive check-ins with advisors to anticipate issues like taxes, retirement, and practice transitions. By starting early and staying organized, practice owners can maximize the value of their business and avoid costly surprises. Empowering Teams and Building Culture Attracting and retaining great team members is a hot topic in the dental industry. The discussion highlights the value of engaging with team members about their personal and professional goals, helping them grow alongside the practice. This investment in people not only improves morale but also drives the overall success of the business. Getting Started: The Complimentary Roadmap Session For those interested in taking the first step, the episode describes a complimentary “roadmap” session offered by the advisory team. This session helps practice owners and their families clarify their goals and values, providing a foundation for all future planning and decision-making. Key Takeaways: Proactive, intentional planning is essential for long-term success and fulfillment. A collaborative team approach (family office model) can simplify complex financial and business decisions. Defining personal values and goals is the foundation for effective business strategy. Investing in your practice and your team yields the greatest returns. It’s never too late—or too early—to start planning for the future. Whether you’re just starting out or preparing for retirement, taking time to clarify your vision and build a strong support team can make all the difference in your journey as a dental practice owner.

https://youtu.be/Nn2jG4yHOXk?si=N6WZOUoDjyCu92OK Introduction Welcome to this week’s edition of the Jameson Files recap, where we delve into the latest episode with Carrie Weber and her esteemed guest, Rachel Wall. Rachel is the CEO and founder of Inspired Hygiene, a leading consultancy dedicated to enhancing hygiene departments in dental practices. In this engaging episode, Carrie and Rachel explore the pressing issues facing the dental industry today, including staffing challenges, compensation trends, and strategies for improving practice capacity and efficiency. Understanding the Current Challenges The dental industry, like many others, is grappling with significant challenges. At the forefront are staffing shortages, particularly in hygiene departments, and the resulting capacity issues practices face. Rachel discusses the pressures of reconciling competitive hygiene compensation with the economic sustainability of a practice. Additionally, there is a persistent need for strategies to manage patient flow effectively, ensure diagnosis time, and ultimately improve patient retention. Expanding Capacity and Enhancing Practice Efficiency Addressing the backlog and scheduling issues is paramount. Practices are encouraged to explore creative solutions such as expanding hygiene hours, considering assisted hygiene, and evaluating insurance participation. By doing so, practices can potentially ease capacity constraints and improve overall operational efficiency. Rachel suggests practices conduct brainstorming sessions to identify innovative ways to expand the hours available for patient care. Aligning Compensation with Value Delivered As the discussion unfolds, it becomes clear that aligning hygiene compensation with the value provided is crucial. Rachel emphasizes that the gap between requested compensation and delivered value often fuels legislative debates around dental hygiene education and licensing. She advises hygienists to work to the full capacity of their licenses, enhance their diagnostic skills, and involve themselves deeply in patient education and treatment planning. This not only elevates their role but also justifies compensation levels. Embracing a Culture of Continuous Improvement Rachel and Carrie discuss the importance of fostering a culture that encourages continuous improvement and celebrates team achievements. Whether it's through leadership in standardizing care practices or exploring adjunct services to offer patients, hygienists can significantly impact patient care quality and practice success. The concept that "a rising tide lifts all ships" is highlighted, illustrating how collective performance improvements benefit the entire practice. Resources for Further Learning Rachel generously shares resources from Inspired Hygiene. These include a downloadable standard of care worksheet available at their website, which can aid practices in identifying and standardizing best care practices. Additionally, Rachel invites listeners to explore their YouTube channel for webinars, particularly one focusing on assisted hygiene, which can provide further insights into implementing effective hygiene practices. Conclusion In conclusion, the conversation between Carrie and Rachel brings to light the necessity for dental practices to adapt, innovate, and invest in their hygiene departments to thrive in today’s challenging climate. By strategically addressing capacity issues, aligning compensation with performance, and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, practices can not only overcome current obstacles but also excel. Be sure to check out all the resources provided by Inspired Hygiene for guidance in navigating these challenges effectively. For more insights, tune in to the Inspired Hygiene podcast and catch future episodes of the Jameson Files. Here's to building stronger, more efficient dental practices together!

https://youtu.be/e7CDTKrPPCo?si=L5NGlh5t-n6Mh_nJ Introduction Welcome to another engaging edition of the Jameson Files! I'm your host, Kerry Weber, and I'm thrilled to introduce you to a new friend and outstanding guest, Andrew Johnston. Andrew is not just any guest—he's the co-founder of the influential podcast, A Tale of Two Hygienists, and the VP of Hygiene Operations for an emerging Dental Service Organization (DSO) in the Southeastern United States. Today, we'll delve into his insights on success in dental practice, the importance of hiring, the value of diagnostics, and building a thriving team culture. Finding Success in Dental Hygiene Practice Andrew shares an inspirational journey of growth and leadership in dental hygiene. Beginning with his entry into podcasting in 2015, he has consistently demonstrated the value of clear vision and team collaboration. His experience shows how a well-structured approach using established best practices can deliver outstanding results even in today's competitive environment. The Power of the Right Team Andrew emphasizes one key element above all: the importance of hiring the right people. Ensuring that new hires align with the practice's culture is crucial. Andrew discusses how they look for hygienists who are self-starters and aim to provide top-quality care. This practice ensures that motivated individuals join the team, bringing a positive change and a commitment to excellence. Diagnostic Excellence as a Foundation Partnering closely with doctors is paramount. When hygienists and doctors co-diagnose and set accurate treatment plans together, patient outcomes drastically improve. Andrew highlights the need for team synergy, where everyone from the administration to the clinical staff plays a vital role in elevating patient care standards. Motivation and Engagement in the Workplace What drives Andrew’s team forward is more than just financial. It's about a commitment to doing what's right for patients. He shares an initiative where the team is involved in selecting products, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and valued. This engagement fosters a culture where each team member feels like an integral part of the practice's success. Maintaining a Learning Mindset As a true student of the profession, Andrew advocates for ongoing learning and development. He believes in mentorship and creating environments where team members can grow continuously. The establishment of anchor hygienists or lead roles within practices is a significant part of nurturing new talent and ensuring sustainable development across the board. Conclusion Andrew Johnston's journey through the dental hygiene profession offers invaluable insights for any practice leader looking to thrive. From hiring the right people to maintaining a patient-centered approach through accurate diagnostics, Andrew's strategies are a blueprint for excellence in the dental industry. For more extensive insights into the field of dental hygiene and operations, don't miss the A Tale of Two Hygienists podcast—a treasure trove of knowledge for every dental professional. Subscribe to the Jameson Files Thank you for joining us on this enlightening episode. Be well, and we look forward to our next engaging conversation on the Jameson Files. Until next time!

https://youtu.be/96LiB-C9QKc?si=4j3k-FOXtTCfueyf Understanding the Power of Culture Welcome to The Jameson Files. Today, I'll be exploring a topic that deeply resonates with me and is gaining prominence in discussions worldwide: culture. As a practice leader, understanding how to cultivate a meaningful work culture is more vital than ever. In the past few years, I’ve had numerous conversations with doctors and practice leaders who feel overwhelmed by team turnover and lack of engagement. Creating a culture that counts is essential in our quest to motivate teams beyond mere minimal performance to embrace their roles wholeheartedly. According to Gallup polls, as of May 2025, employee engagement worldwide is declining, with 79% of employees feeling disengaged at work. This disengagement translates into a lack of initiative, emotional withdrawal, and a phenomenon known as "quiet quitting." The Challenge of Disengagement Disengagement is a significant challenge, especially when trying to develop a thriving practice. When nearly 80% of employees start their workdays disengaged, striving for an ideal practice vision becomes an uphill battle. Our efforts to create a positive culture must overcome this hurdle. Our focus today is on crafting an intentional, high-performing culture from the ground up. Creating a Culture by Design As leaders, we must decide whether our culture is created by default or by design. Are you living with the results of an unintentional culture, or are you building one purposefully? To foster an environment where your practice's vision thrives, it's crucial to approach leadership with intention. The pandemic has impacted employee engagement levels significantly, and it is critical to evaluate how you led your practice during those challenging times. Your team members today reflect the seeds you planted back then. However, it's never too late to start anew. Culture building is a marathon, requiring clarity, intention, communication, and consistency in leadership. Communicating Vision and Expectations A successful culture aligns with your practice's purpose, vision, and values. Leaders must communicate with transparency and regularly engage with their teams. According to Gallup, only two out of ten employees feel connected to their company's culture. This disconnect indicates a lack of communication and the assumption that employees understand their roles without explicit discussions. The cornerstone of a vibrant culture is clarity in expectations and vision. Being transparent about these aspirations will help establish a team that is committed to growing and achieving your practice's ideals. Remember, assumption is not communication. Cultivating Professional Maturity and Communication Skills Professional maturity and effective communication are integral to a healthy culture. A team must be open to coaching, personal growth, and understanding the dynamic elements each generation brings to the table. This commitment to diversity and understanding will fuel innovation and team cohesion. Setting the Foundation of a Successful Culture To create a healthy culture, evaluate these elements within your practice: 1. Leadership Alignment: Ensure that practice leaders are united in their vision to prevent mixed signals. 2. Purpose, Mission, and Vision Leadership: Lead your team with a clear understanding of your purpose, what you want to achieve, and where you're headed. 3. Values-Driven Decisions: Reflect and measure decisions and relationships against core values. 4. Effective Communication: Foster an environment where open and mature communication is a priority. 5. Generational Understanding: Appreciate the values and motivations of different generations to better connect with your team. Moving Forward with Intention The journey to a culture that counts involves consistent reinforcement of your practice’s message. This begins with leadership alignment, followed by united team efforts toward shared goals. It’s never too late to ignite the passion within your workplace. Roll up your sleeves, embark on this marathon with commitment, and lead by example. Here’s to crafting a healthy work culture where the only direction to go is up. Let’s infuse our dental practices with purpose, vision, and values, creating magnetic environments that attract and retain top talent. Together, let’s cultivate a culture that truly counts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V49eixVsUE&t=5s In the latest episode of the "Jameson Files," host Carrie Weber sits down with special guest Anne Duffy, the driving force behind Dental Entrepreneur Woman (DEW). In a conversation brimming with inspiration and passion, they delve into Anne's journey and her remarkable initiative aimed at empowering women in the dental industry. A Legacy Born from Passion Anne Duffy's journey in dentistry is nothing short of extraordinary. Starting as a dental hygienist, Anne has dedicated over 46 years to the profession. Her journey included ownership and editing of the Dental Entrepreneur Magazine, setting the stage for what was to come. In 2016, she launched Dental Entrepreneur Woman, a community and organization that aims to support and uplift women in dentistry. Despite the challenges faced by women in the field, Anne has created a thriving community of professional women, eager to develop and support one another. Building a Community of Empowerment The core of Anne's mission is to build a strong community where women in dentistry can gather, grow, and thrive. As Carrie Weber highlights, the advisory board of DEW reads like a hall of fame of extraordinary dental professionals, consultants, and leaders. Within this community, members are encouraged to overcome head trash, step out of their comfort zones, and embrace their unique strengths and talents. Anne believes that every woman has the potential to be a leader, regardless of their role or experience. Challenges and Opportunities in Dentistry Despite progress, women in dentistry still face notable challenges, such as underrepresentation at major conferences. Anne passionately advocates for women to step into leadership roles and support one another. She emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for one's career and unlocking personal potential. By fostering environments of encouragement and empowerment, Anne and DEW aim to break down barriers and foster lasting positive change in the industry. The Power of Vision and Connection A significant takeaway from the conversation is the idea of creating a personal vision. Much like setting a vision for a dental practice, individuals can craft a personal vision to guide their career path. This forward-thinking approach helps professionals at every level determine the steps needed to achieve their goals. Anne and Carrie stress the importance of personal connection and community. By going beyond surface-level interactions and establishing genuine connections, professionals can build the relationships that are essential for personal and professional growth. A Call to Action for Women in Dentistry Anne Duffy's message is clear: don't wait for opportunities to come to you. Women in dentistry should actively seek out opportunities for growth, connection, and leadership. Whether it's through participating in DEW events, finding mentors, or simply embracing new challenges, women have the power to transform their careers and the industry as a whole. Anne's enthusiasm, commitment, and dedication to the cause make her a beacon of inspiration for anyone looking to make their mark in the world of dentistry. For more information on Anne Duffy and Dental Entrepreneur Woman, visit DEW's official website, DEW.life, where you can find resources, events, and a welcoming community ready to support and empower you in your professional journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T87C_BPcR4c In recent years, the buzzword "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) has permeated various sectors, including dentistry. In a recent episode of the Jameson Files, host Carrie Weber had an enlightening conversation with dental expert Laura Nelson, who is spearheading the integration of AI in dental practices. Here’s a comprehensive look at their discussion and what AI holds for the future of the dental profession. The AI Journey in Dentistry The conversation began with an overview of how AI has become more than just a technological advancement; it's a tool poised to transform dental practices. Laura Nelson, a trailblazer in the dental industry, shared insights on how AI can enhance efficiency, especially within the dental business team. AI's integration is not about replacing jobs but optimizing tasks, allowing team members to focus on patient interaction and customer service. AI's Role and Impact A significant highlight from the conversation was how AI is moving past its early adoption phase to being widely accepted. Laura emphasized that AI in dental practices can revolutionize how tasks such as radiograph analysis, appointment scheduling, and patient follow-ups are handled. By reducing mundane tasks, AI can empower dental teams to dedicate more time to areas that require human touch, such as patient care and communication. Overcoming Concerns and Embracing Change Despite the promising benefits of AI, there's an underlying fear among dental professionals about job security. Laura addressed these concerns, reassuring that AI will not replace jobs but rather redefine them. The key is embracing these changes and leveraging AI as a tool to improve overall practice efficiency. Training and Communication One vital area highlighted was the importance of training and communication around AI tools. AI’s potential is fully realized only when teams are properly trained to use these technologies to enhance patient interaction. Laura shared gripping examples from her personal experiences, showcasing how effective communication around AI tools can change patient perceptions and improve treatment outcomes. Preparing for the Future As AI technology in dentistry continues to evolve, the conversation highlighted the importance of staying informed and being open to change. Engaging with reputable AI companies and dental experts is crucial in ensuring the correct integration of AI tools in practices. Laura advised practitioners to seek information and demo available tools to understand their functionality better. Conclusion: A Call to Action As we look to the future, embracing AI in dentistry is less about the fear of change and more about the opportunities it presents. The shift to AI-powered practices promises a future where dental professionals can focus more on patient care and building relationships. It’s a cultural change that requires adaptation and a willingness to explore new horizons in dental care. AI in dentistry isn't just a technological advancement; it’s a change maker. Practitioners are encouraged to stay connected with industry leaders like Laura Nelson, who are at the forefront of this transformation, ensuring they are informed and prepared for what lies ahead. For more insights into AI in dentistry and Laura Nelson's work, keep an eye out for her latest developments and contributions to this ongoing evolution. Together, let's embrace this exciting era and revolutionize dental care for a better tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70IBGeLJ778 Welcome to our exploration of dental service organizations (DSOs) and their evolving role within the dental community. In a recent episode of the Jameson Files podcast, host Carrie Weber sits down with two remarkable leaders, Jennifer Vickery, Chief Operating Officer of Ocean Dental, and Brandy Williams, Chief Growth Officer at Catalyst Dental Allies. Their insights highlight the growth, challenges, and opportunities within DSOs, particularly in Oklahoma, where these organizations are making significant strides. Celebrating Leadership in DSOs Jennifer and Brandy have charted inspiring paths in dental service organizations. Both have dedicated themselves not only to their company’s growth but also to fostering community and leadership within the dental industry. Jennifer is a medical school dropout who discovered a passion for the business side of dentistry, while Brandy started in dentistry in a straightforward role and found herself captivated by the evolving opportunities within DSOs. The Rise of DSOs: A New Norm DSOs have often faced skepticism due to the stigma of being "corporate." However, as Jennifer points out, what was once considered unconventional is now becoming a norm. The duo emphasizes that DSOs are not one-size-fits-all; instead, they offer a variety of structures and models tailored to different needs and markets. This diversity enables DSOs to support practices and professionals alike, providing avenues for professional growth and patient care enhancements. Cultural Shifts and Leadership Challenges An integral part of their discussion is the cultural shift in workplace dynamics and employee expectations. Jennifer and Brandy recognize the need to adapt leadership approaches to meet the motivations of a younger workforce. They talk about embracing flexibility, listening actively, and prioritizing engagement through cultural development initiatives. Whether it’s through company newsletters or annual summits, their efforts aim to connect employees, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose. Emphasizing Training and Development A recurrent theme in their conversation is the crucial role of training in ensuring success within DSOs. Both leaders highlight the importance of consistent communication, targeted training, and developing managers to lead effectively. By focusing on growth opportunities and building confidence among their leaders, they strive to create an environment where every team member feels equipped and empowered to excel in their roles. Finding the Right Fit in DSOs When looking at potential DSO partnerships, Jennifer and Brandy advise that understanding the "why" behind a transition is essential. Compatibility between a practice and a DSO is akin to a matchmaking process—where philosophical alignment and shared goals are key to successful collaborations. They recommend prospective partners thoroughly inquire about a DSO's priorities, leadership models, and development opportunities to ensure a good fit. Contributing Beyond DSOs: A DOM Involvement In addition to their extensive work within DSOs, Jennifer and Brandy actively contribute to A DOM, an organization offering support and resources for dental professionals. Their commitment to fostering an educational and supportive community aligns perfectly with their personal mission to "leave the ladder down" for others aspiring to rise in the industry. Conclusion The discussion with Jennifer Vickery and Brandy Williams is a testament to the dedication and innovative thinking within DSOs today. Their stories and perspectives provide valuable guidance for industry professionals, offering a blend of empathy, empowerment, and strategic leadership to navigate the shifting landscape of dental health. Whether you're contemplating a future in DSOs or enhancing your current practice, their insights underscore the importance of leadership development, community engagement, and continuous learning. Thank you for joining us on this deep dive into the world of DSOs. Stay tuned for more insightful content as we continue to explore the dynamic facets of the dental industry.

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, it's that middle 20 minutes where that patient isn't a regular prophy quote unquote

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, because otherwise that once-a-year performance re

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: And you know that direct experience of being the team member and b

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? And the characteristics that they shared was that t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y8GKSDy354 Questions to Ask Before Seeking Financing for Dental Startup or Acquisition Carrie: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Weber, and it's so great to have all of you back in the Jameson Files community today. We're excited. We have a very special guest who has come to the Jameson offices to be in person with us for this interview. This is Tom Angeloni, the National Sales Director of Bank of America. We were talking earlier, Tom, we've both been in the industry for about the same amount of time. It's been over 20 years for you.  Tom Angeloni: Like a quarter century. I have to date myself. The Future of Dentistry Carrie: Well, a lot has come and gone. I'm really excited and very grateful that you've come by to spend some time with us because, for those of you out there, whether you are a young dentist starting out, looking to get footing into your own practice ownership situation or whether you're a practicing dentist and have been practicing for some time and are looking for opportunities to expand, you may have a lot of questions about financing and what things you need to be considering. What is the environment like today and what things can you plan for? So, Tom, I'd really love to have a conversation about that. I’d love to start out with just giving your perspective on where things have come, after all of this time. From your perspective, where do you see things right now in the dental industry? In the dental environment?  Tom Angeloni: Honestly, it's driven demographically.  There have been a lot of states, different territories that were heavily driven by startups. Over the years, depending on where you're at, that has moved more towards acquisitions. Overall, we still find that the dental economy is still very strong. Dental spend is up year over year.  The last stat I saw from the ADA is that between 2021 and 22, there was an increase, not a huge increase, but about 1.2% increase in graduates. And then over a five year span, there's been about a 7% increase in graduates. So you still have a lot of graduates coming out. And the trick is to keep pace with who's retiring, right? That's always the trick. So the projections, again, ADA and some different consultants are really looking at it and say that over the next eight to 10 years, so 2031, they say that there's going to be a shortage of about 30,000 dental professionals. So you can look at that as, you know, very optimistic and an opportunity. There are still, as it stands right now, about level or a little bit more graduates compared to those that are retiring. Starting a Dental Practice from Scratch or Acquisition Carrie: Wow.  And I don't know why that feels surprising to me, but, you know, that gives a lot of opportunity to these young dental graduates. You do a lot with dental students and with those new dentists in trying to educate them on what their options are. And they think they know the direction, but I don't know that they've done a lot of due diligence in terms of how to make the best decisions for the start of their professional career. Some of you have, but some of you may still be really unclear about how you get from here to there. What are some of the questions that you get asked a lot from these dentists starting to explore purchasing or even starting up a practice from scratch? Tom Angeloni: I'll tell you the most common question in all the lecturing that we do at different dental schools across the country.  Almost 80% of the time we do this, the question comes up, should I start a practice from scratch, or should I do an acquisition?  And a lot of people have different opinions, right? Obviously, when you acquire a practice, you have a built-in patient base, you have a staff, you have equipment. It's almost like you flick the switch and get going. But what I've always seen is that it really has so much to do with what the transition plan is, right?  So if you're going to walk in and do what we call a walkaway acquisition where a dentist has been there for 30 years and he leaves on a Friday, and you come in on a Monday and take over that practice, with no transition plan in place, it's hard, right? You see a lot of attrition from that, because a lot of people have been driving past three or four dentists to go to that dentist, because that is what they have done their whole life and they leave. They say, well, there's no reason for me to pass up. I don't know the new person anymore.  So, a walkaway transition doesn’t work well.  I'm not saying there's not opportunities for that, but it is much more difficult. And sometimes, as you know, when you buy a dental practice, you pay a percentage of the revenues. So if you pay it and then all of a sudden you lose 10% from an attrition standpoint, you've just lost that, right? So in my experience the key is to have a very good transition plan where the existing dentist is going to stay. You don't want them there for a long time, but at least six months. So you get one rotation for everybody coming through for hygiene. Then you slowly transition. And when you do that, you don't have as much attrition, because every time a new patient comes in, they're introducing you as an associate. And all of a sudden, they don't even realize it, now you're the owner, right? When you do it that way, and you have a good transition strategy, there is much less attrition, and that might be a better situation than a scratch startup.  Now, the flip side of it is that when you do an acquisition, you're basically taking over a practice that already has character to it.  It's already been doing things a certain way. The staff has been doing things a certain way, and as we all know, people are just naturally adverse to change. So you come in, and again, you think that you have a staff, and then you start changing things and you realize that the staff doesn't like that and they leave. So in that scenario, it may be better to go ahead and do a scratch startup. You can do things the way you want with your equipment and build your staff how you'd like. So I'm really not for or against either one.  Carrie: You do a lot of both. Tom Angeloni: A lot of both, right. It's really just the transition and, and where you're at. And if the transition strategy is done right, then maybe an acquisition is best. Carrie: I think this is really great. I'm glad you brought it up, Tom, because as I think about doctors that we've talked to, practices that we've worked with, and conversations that we've had, this is so true, and it's interesting coming from your perspective to also be recommending that. This is something for anyone listening, if you're the doctor looking to acquire, think really clearly about it before the purchase is made. How are you going to enter into that practice and have that be as successful as possible? But also if you are looking to sell, if you want that practice to be successful long after you're gone, what are you willing to do? What intentional processes are you willing to partner with the buying doctor to help that be that successful transition? I think from both sides, that's a really important thing to consider for the success of the practice, and for the patients, and the team. So that’s a great point that you make there.  The Key to Making Wise Financial Decisions when Acquiring When you think about the financial investment that these doctors are going to make, whether purchasing or starting up from scratch, what would you say is important for them to consider, long before, in preparation for taking these leaps in this next step of their careers? Tom Angeloni: I think what you just said there, preparation, that's the key. I always say it's vital that you surround yourself with industry specific people that can advise you. We talked a little earlier about how so many say, I want to buy a million dollar practice. And you're like, well, maybe you do, but maybe you don't, because there's a big difference between a million dollar practice and a profitable practice. Right? Carrie: Wow. Say that again.  Tom Angeloni: There’s a huge difference between a million dollar practice, a million dollars being produced in the practice and a profitable practice. So many get it locked in their head that production is important. I want to buy a practice, or I want to start a practice and get it up to a million dollars or 1.5 or 2 million dollars. And if it's not a profitable practice, you don't want that. So yes, having a team of advisors that can come in and look at it and say, okay, well this practice is doing a million or 1,000,005, but overhead is up here. It's not the most profitable practice, so maybe you don't, and you can take that analogy across to all different aspects of starting a practice or growing a practice and say, look, you really have to have the right people around you to advise you. And that would be from the right dental specific lenders to CPAs, to financial analysts, to contractors, to equipment providers. You really have to take your time and prepare, as you said. And that's whether you're starting or whether you're growing.If you're doing a second or a third practice, you need people that can come in and advise you on whether this the right time to go from one to two or two to three, or is my infrastructure set up correctly to go from three to five?  We were making jokes earlier that you would think just like when you have children, right? You have one child, and two wasn't hard. So you figure, how much harder could three be? And then you have the third and you move from man-to-man defense to zone defense. It's very similar when you buy practices, right? Going from one to two isn't all that difficult. You can hire an associate, you spend some time there, I'll spend some time here, but then you go to three, then you go to four,...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBSxnl4wTvk How EndoConnect Can Improve Endodontic Care for Both Practices and Patients Carrie: Welcome back to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Weber. Dr. Randy Middleton, of Dallas, Texas, thank you so much for joining me today.  Dr. Randy Middleton is an endodontist in the Dallas Fort Worth area, and he has started a new company called EndoConnect. He is on a mission to help make the referral process of the endo needs in a general practice as easy as possible by providing a service that makes that in-house for general practices. Dr. Middleton, I'd love to learn a little bit more about your services through EndoConnect, but before we do that, let's back up a little bit and would you mind telling the listeners and viewers a little bit about your backstory? What led you to endodontics and what ultimately led you to the path that you're on today in your professional career? The Beginning of EndoConnect Dr. Middleton: So I found endodontics actually in dental school. It was something I was drawn to– the actual work itself, the meticulous nature of doing the actual procedures attracted me. So I just ran with it from there. That was probably my second or third year in dental school, so I had a lot of time to reflect on what practice life looks like. It never seemed right to me to duplicate everything that a general dentist has, an office, the chairs, the staff. Everything is literally a carbon copy, but down the street, and it just didn't seem right. I thought there's a better way for this. Patients don't like traveling. It's hard to collaborate on cases when you're down the street. So I always thought this would be something I did, and it's slowly building, so I'm excited for the future.  Carrie: So exciting! For some time, you've been doing this on your own. You’ve been going into the practices, you bring your assistance, you bring all of the equipment that you need, and you basically are collaborating and partnering with these practices, providing your endodontic services however many days a month that they need you there, correct? Dr. Middleton: That's right. It's interesting that it can grow organically, you know, just vendors and assistants and dentists. Everybody you know knows 10 more people, and it's really grown bigger than I thought it would without a whole lot of advertising, at least so far. Carrie: Yes. What's interesting to me is when this started taking off, had you known about this model before or is this something that you took the lead on and said, why don't I just come to you? How did this really begin? Dr. Middleton: Well, I kind of conceptualized it loosely in dental school and then residency. Then I was actually connected with a DSO, which had the same model. And I thought that I would just link up with them. And then as I got my footing there and learned the business side of it– things that I like and things that I can do better. And then it grew in parallel. It started with vendors, and I've found connections through hygienists that I've met. Word of mouth is very powerful. The Advantages of Formal Marketing Over Word-of-Mouth Carrie: That leads me to something interesting. You said just a minute ago that this has really started pretty organically. You made one connection, and then the word got out about you and that this was something that you would provide. You had mentioned that to this point it's been organic, but you are definitely a forward thinker in terms of all aspects of marketing your business. You really do put your own effort forward to help that word-of-mouth marketing grow. But also you're investing in your own marketing efforts and you've been trying to do that since I've met you. So how do you see marketing in terms of its role that it plays in your career in this particular approach to endodontics that you're taking? Dr. Middleton: Word of mouth isn't direct. You can't control where that goes. And I like that I can control where I'm marketing the practice. That's really the onus of, number one, to scale the practice, but also, to be able to direct it geographically in certain areas. That's a lot more easily controlled with formal marketing, so that's what drove me to the formal marketing campaigns. Carrie: It's really a matter of being able to direct the message that you want to get out there, because it is a very specific process of how you work with these practices. So I'm sure you want to make sure that they understand what this is all about and what we do. Would you agree? Dr. Middleton: It's a different practice type. A lot of practices have never heard of it. And formal marketing is not my area of expertise. I'm not a marketer, right? I have a loose vision, but I don't know the psychology of what a flyer needs to look like. How does my website need to flow? And so that's what led me to find a professional that does this. So yes, I don't pretend to be an expert in marketing, so I'll just stay in my lane. The Role of Endodontists in Patient Care Carrie: You have your expertise, right? You know what your expertise is. So let's talk about your expertise– endodontics. Interestingly, in 2024, I've been doing some work more specifically in specialties. Something that's very unique about Endo is there's not very many of you out there. You are one of the lowest represented specialties nationwide which could lead to definitely the demand of what you provide. What do you see in terms of what you all bring to the profession and bring to patient care? Why do you think there's so few people that choose the Endo path? Dr. Middleton: I don't know if too few people choose it. I think there's just not a lot of programs. It's highly competitive, so I don't think there's any programs that aren't full. I think the interest is there. I think it's an attractive specialty to a lot of dentists. I don't know why we don't have enough specialists, but I don't think it's a lack of interest. Carrie: Well, and it's interesting because it seems as if this is one of those pieces, especially complex endo cases, that the GPs want to pass off to somebody else. And that's what brings you to the table. So for those that are considering endodontics or those younger doctors that are just getting started in Endo, what kind of advice would you give them that you've learned at this point in your career as an endodontist that would really help them thrive in this specialty? Dr. Middleton: I think just viewing the specialist as a partner to the practice. It doesn't have to be in my model, it can be in the traditional model, but the goal is partnering with them to take care of this patient. So whatever that means or whatever that looks like for that practice and you know, specialist and dentist together. But the more that I lean into the partnership aspect, the better we collaborate together. And I think the patient feels that seamless transition when the care is passed from the general dentist to the specialist. We all know what's going on, and so that makes everybody look competent and the patient feels even that much more comfortable with us. How EndoConnect Partners with GPs Carrie: The ideal piece about what you're doing is it really puts the emphasis on a partnership, a true collaborative relationship for the sake of the patient. This feels like a good time to share a little bit more specifically. Endo Connect is your company that's creating this community of partnership with GPs and Endodontists, yourself included. You’re going into the general practices and providing that Endodontic care, Can you give a little bit more of a deep dive description of what that looks like? What is the relationship between the partnership with the practice and with you and your company? How is that realized? What's that look like? Dr. Middleton: So an office would traditionally send their patients to the office down the street. They don't do that anymore. They schedule them in their own office on a day of their choosing, and based on their volume. We'll come in and we'll see their patients, morning and afternoon, all day, however many they need seen and at whatever frequency is good for them. So the patient never really knows of this relationship behind the scenes, but all they know is they go to the same office, they have a procedure done by a new dentist, but one that their dentist is endorsing because it's in their office. And most of them will get their final restorations right after the endodontic procedure. So they're not running around in a temporary crown. They're not driving across town. EndoConnect Benefits Both GPs and Patients From the patient's perspective, it's seamless, and the relationship on the backside is not complex. They bring us in, we charge them a fee for every procedure that we do, and then they bill their patients as they normally would. So it really works well. I think that the idea seems intimidating, but in practice the offices seem to be able to integrate it quickly and easily. The front desk staff don't change much of what they're doing. They just add a new column, you know, for the Endo day. It seems to be pretty smooth once we get past the mental hurdles of having a new provider in the office. Carrie: Yes. To me, it’s brilliant. It answers such a high level of customer service for the patient, Time is one of the biggest obstacles for care for patients. So to me, the convenience and the time saving is so huge. Plus for the patient, they don't have to go somewhere new and strange. They can go to the place that they're most familiar and comfortable with. And then also in terms of the comfort level for the actual practices: they get to schedule, they get to do the financial arrangements, they get to care for that patient and lead that patient through treatment like they would any patient in any treatment....

https://youtu.be/3er-1SUZwHg?si=c6mP1B689NNeEtDo Carrie and Jess Webber Talk about the Most Commonly Asked Questions 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 Webber: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Weber, and I am very happy today because I have coerced my partner in crime and all things in life, Jameson CEO, and my partner in business, Jess Webber. Yes. He's also my husband. Jess Webber: That's how it works. Carrie Webber: So this is probably the first time you have joined me on a Jameson Files episode, which is kind of amazing considering how long we've been doing the podcast, but we finally have lured him in. Today I'm excited because we're going to talk about trends we see– the questions we are getting asked the most from doctors across the country when we're having conversations with them. So thank you for agreeing to join me and being a guest. Jess Webber: You're welcome. Since 2020, we've started to see a lot of different questions come up in the industry, and I think it's great that we're going to discuss this with you. Carrie Webber: Absolutely. Jess Webber: Not at the dinner table. Carrie Webber: Not at the dinner table, not in the car. Our kids will be so happy we found a different place to have this conversation.  How to Determine the Profitability of Your Practice Most of the doctors that reach out wanting to know about Jameson services start the conversation with me. And often once they are clients of Jameson, for one reason or another, they'll find themselves having a conversation with both of us or with you, when it's about specific things. So that's what I really want to tap into. When we're having conversations with clients, we're certainly seeing some themes in what those conversations are about. Number one being the pain point of the cost of running the practice. That is something that most of you may have experienced in the big jump in inflation, or costs of salaries and so on, that we've experienced over the last 12 to 18 months especially. Let's talk a little bit about what those conversations are, how we're exploring ways that we can help them, and what you're finding as you're looking at P&L’s and talking through this with doctors. Jess Webber: Sure. So that's right. Since 2020, the team costs have risen with inflation. We have different types of pressures on costs including salaries and supplies and lab and all the things that it takes to run a practice. So we continue to see those, probably not as much this year as we did last year, but it's still definitely there. And we're not going to kid ourselves, costs have always been an issue and a question in a dental practice. Just now, people are really hypersensitive to it for all of the reasons that we're seeing.  Carrie Webber: Well, and what I hear a lot is it's not necessarily that there's a specific area of cost that they're struggling with. But sometimes the question is, I want to know if I'm even in the right realm in terms of my benchmarks and what we call the key performance indicators of cash flow, of the overhead of the practice, and so on. That's a question that we get a lot. I don't know if those of you that are watching have those questions yourself, but a lot of times doctors just want to know if they’re even in the right range.  Jess Webber: Anybody, any specialty, GP, it doesn't matter. If you want to know those specific ranges, you can just ask us. We'll tell you it's a lot easier.  And if you don't know how to figure that out, we can obviously do a little lesson in that math too. But you do need a great P&L. It's easier if you have an accountant do it, because it breaks it down a little bit by percentages and puts it into a normalized type of profit and loss or P&L. So what we do is we obviously gather our clients and we work with a great company called Cain Watters. They are a financial accounting firm out of Dallas that works specifically with dentists, and they work with like 3000. I don't know the exact number but it’s a lot. So it's a big enough sample size that we can get some good solid numbers. So like I said, just ask us and we can help you evaluate if that's something that you're in need of.  The absolute top cost in any practice is your team. And that's what we've seen going up over the last year, I would say. The other area is supply and lab. Those two in general are the two top areas. Carrie Webber: Well, and I think something that you're experiencing more and more, especially those that are in network with a large number of PPOs and insurance plans, is that those plans are cutting into your profit because of the write-offs, obviously. So as you start to see this swell in the costs of running the practice, or rather the investment of running the practice. I hate to say team is a cost, but it's an investment that must be made to keep the practice up and running. As you see these things happen, you need to be very aware of the relationships that you are in, what your write-offs are, how many of your patients are in these different plans, and what's the cost of participating. I've had Lois on the podcast, and she's done a pathway on our Grow platform about this topic specifically because it's not a matter of us telling you to be a network or not, it's really for you to understand what you are a part of. And that all plays a part in what your bottom line and what your profit is. The way that you are going to become more profitable is by becoming more productive, increasing your fees of the dentistry that you provide, or reducing the cost of running the practice. Those are the ways. When you're in network with PPOs, that definitely has an impact that's worth exploring. So are there ways that you can be more productive? Are there opportunities in the practice for growth to help you cover the costs of running the business? And also are you in relationship with the right kinds of plans that benefit your patients, but also are most beneficial for you as a business? Jess Webber: Yeah, it's definitely worth an evaluation. If you're in network with PPOs, you really need to take some time– work with somebody or do it yourself– but you need to evaluate what those fees are and how many PPOs you're associated with. Because if you're involved in one, I bet you don't know you're involved with a lot. So it's definitely worth evaluating what you're getting reimbursed for, procedure by procedure. Because sometimes you might be losing money every time a patient shows up. So it's worth that evaluation. I highly recommend it. Like I said, you can do it yourself. It's not rocket science. You know what it costs and you can see what you get reimbursed for. So it's the alligator mouth, one of them is greater than the other one. Figure it out. Carrie Webber: The alligator mouth? Jess Webber: Greater than, less than. Carrie Webber: Oh, the Pac-Man.  Jess Webber: I’m from Florida. It's the alligator. Carrie Webber: Oh, geez. We're going off the rails.  Understanding of the Profitability of Your Practice is Valuable when Transitioning Something that we find ourselves engaging in perhaps not as much as the topics of the cost and managing your practice appropriately, but some practices are starting to go on the path of considering that they want to sell, or wanting to affiliate or perhaps even wanting to expand themselves into multiple locations or services and so on. So there's definitely a lot of consideration in terms of what we need to do in our practice to either be ready to sell, or be able to expand, or do things in a different way.  Jess Webber: This is actually probably one of the biggest topics right now because we see it at all ages of practicing dentists. We have young people wanting to sell. We've got people who are more experienced who are wanting to sell. And it's interesting because historically how you got out of your practice was you worked a long time, and then you found somebody that wanted to work a long time, and then you brought them in and they associated, and then you eventually sold out to them. So there's a lot of variations to how you can do that.  But now we're in an age of DSO and affiliations and non-captive models that you can get involved with where you maximize your practice right now and continue to work and then maximize it again. So it's a very, very, very great opportunity. I can't encourage you enough to start learning about the different ways that you can maximize your practice right now, whether that's, like I said, a DSO, or a non-captive type model. Carrie Webber: And the magnet to your practice – whatever stage or whatever approach you're wanting to take is going to be– is the profitability of your practice. It’s what we were talking about at the beginning, having a really clear understanding of your overhead, your profit margin, working to streamline systems, and your cash flow so that you become more profitable. It’s getting your overhead in check as best as you possibly can, and then having systems in place so that anybody can see new patient flow is coming in. You are a healthy, growing, thriving practice. You run well. You are up to date; your facility is up to date. All of those pieces of the puzzle are considerations on whether or not you’re the right fit for what somebody's looking for. And so if affiliating, if being bought out, if any kind of transition of your role is something that you are wanting to look toward in the not so distant future, it's important to do your work now to make sure your practice is attractive to an outside entity. How EBIDTA Affects the Value of Your Practice Jess Webber: If you're wanting to get involved in maybe affiliating

https://youtu.be/mTXoI6XeQp4?si=W4SGsE1A5ejqjDp1 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. Dr. Kahn's Dental Successes and Challenge Carrie: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and it's such a pleasure to be back with all of you for another episode. I am so happy today to be joined by a longtime friend and client of the Jameson Group, Dr. Donald Kahn from Long Island, New York. We had the pleasure of meeting with his partner, Dr. Angela Ferrari, and she's a part of a previous episode. But today we're going to talk about a new perspective from their amazing practice– Dr. Kahn as the founding owner of Kahn, Ferrari And Aldieri and his amazing story in his journey through dentistry. You know, for me it's really about his amazing intentional approach to building a culture that matters in his practice for patient care, and to provide the type of dentistry and the way that he wanted to provide it. And that involved amazing partnerships that also led to a very successful transition as Dr. Kahn is now enjoying retirement after retiring this year. I'm so thrilled to have you with me, Dr. Kahn. Thank you so much for being a guest. Jameson’s Influence on Dr. Kahn’s Professional Career Dr. Kahn: Thank you, Carrie. I really appreciate you asking me to join you for the podcast. Your organization, Jameson, has been a part of my professional career. It has been 34 years since I met Kathy at a study club meeting, and as other people can attest, she just blew me away. I realized at that point what my practice was really missing. So once again, I just want to thank you for having me on because you, and your mom and your dad, and the whole organization, and all the people that I've come in contact with through 34 years of practice management have been just wonderful. It's made all the difference in the world, and it is the number one thing I can put my finger on in terms of why we were and are as successful as we are today Carrie: That is so kind of you to say. And I hope that you know that the feeling's mutual. It is such a joy to have been part of your professional career. And I love that we are continuing on to be able to share so much about what you have learned, and the successes, and even the challenges that you've had over the years. What a gift to the dental community! So, as we start, you know that I really feel passionate about talking about building that thriving practice culture, and being so intentional about the evolution of your practice, and finding the right people to be a part of your journey with you. So I'd love for you to share with us, Dr. Kahn, a little bit of your story, a little bit of how your practice evolved over time, and some of those lessons that you've learned, and the things that you felt like helped you be so successful. Dr. Kahn: Oh, how long do we have for this project? Carrie: I'll try to keep you under control.  Keys to Successful Practice Management Dr. Kahn: I retired this year after 46 years of practicing. I just have one practice. I always focused on just the one practice. I always was in wonder of how people with multiple locations run their practices. It's hard enough to run one practice correctly. And every single time I saw that, that was really what was missing. The one thing I always say, and I've talked about this, and I know that Dr. Hyman, who I know and I've spoken with, talks about the fact that when we come out of dental school, we barely know how to do dentistry, let alone how to run a business. They had one course for 30 minutes, and that was it. Nobody even told us even how to balance a checkbook. And I'm being facetious, of course, but I mean, there was nothing about practice management. That's it. So when I came out, I was lucky enough to buy into a practice that was existing. And, may he rest in peace, Stuart Glassman was a great mentor. He taught me a lot about dentistry. But, once again, he taught me about business, but not practice management.  And then I saw a lecture that Kathy lectured. It was a study club. It was an hour-long lecture in a restaurant. And I said, that's it. That's the missing link. We really don't know anything about practice management. So I spoke to her that day. She gave me a card. She was coming in to speak at the midwinter meeting– New York Greater Dental meeting. And I met her there and we talked. And that's when we decided that we were going to start utilizing her service. That's the part that I think is important that people understand, especially today. I made a decision back when I first started that I was going to have a fee-for-service dental practice. I worked in a couple of clinics. I didn't like the environment. I didn't like the pressure. I didn't like having to overwork and spend so much time on so many patients. I felt it was impossible to develop a relationship with these people.  Being Committed to Patient Relationships  So in doing a fee-for-service, yes, it's very difficult in today's world. I have lived through the seventies, and 1987, and 2007, and all the times the market changed, and dental practices always take the first hit because they're on the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to importance when patients are struggling. But I decided that you don't have to have volume if you have quality dental care. That is the most important thing. And I've said that for so many years. And then I realized that, yes, you have to be a good dentist; you have to practice well. You have to treat and do the things to the best of your ability, but successful dental practices have very little to do with that. And I've seen it all the time. And with your mom's help, and Drew's help, and the other people that came to the practice, we learned how to manage people. We learned how to treat people. We learned how to love. We learned how to touch. We learned how to connect with people. That's why the practice was successful. If people don't have pain and their teeth look good, that's really all they care about. When they come in and you have that connection with them, and then they send in a close friend, and then you have a connection with them–making that connection with them, putting your hand on their shoulder, asking them how they are. If they tell you something important about what's going on in their life, make sure you make a note of that. Because the next time they come in, if you say, “Mrs. Jones, how's your mom? The last time you were here she wasn't well.” These are the kinds of things that patients really remember.  I never appreciated that during the 46 years before I retired– the outpouring of love, and cards, and letters, and gifts about how I touched them. They talked about the dental care and how I took good care of them, but they talked more about the connection that I had with these people.  And my staff will say, “You hug everybody.” “Yeah, I guess I do.” “Don't you worry about that in today's world?” No, I don't. That's just me. I've always been that way, and the patients appreciate that. You know, my last patient that was in the office when I retired, she came into the operatory and she said, “Dr. Kahn, can I give you a hug?” And I said, “Of course.” She comes over, gives me a hug, and she's crying on my shoulder.  Carrie: I love that.  Dr. Kahn: And I go, oh, boy. And I turned to my head assistant Angelica, and I looked to her for help. And the tears are coming down her face. It wasn't very, very helpful. Those are the kinds of things that we led by example. But anybody who is doing dentistry today that is not involved with practice management to make sure that the most important person in your office is the person who answers the phone. That first person can make or break you if they don't know how to talk to people. If they don't know how to turn people who call up and say, “You accept my insurance?” You have to be able to take that patient and turn them and explain to them why they should come in and see the office, and speak to the doctors, and see that what we do is different than the other 10 dentists down the street. I lived and died by those basic rules that you have to make that connection because those people will stay with you for life. And they have. Carrie: You know, it's interesting, Dr. Kahn, that you say that you never really realized the impact of focusing on the patient and patient care until you retired. I find that interesting because from my perspective, the way patients are handled on that first telephone call is such a pivotal moment. And seeking out practice management and coaching support, it feels like you always knew that that focused intention on elevated patient care and building those relationships was the pillar that you wanted to build your practice on. So how did you make those decisions? How did you find team, and how did you instill that kind of mindset of that patient-centered, relationship-centered care throughout your practice, even in your partnerships, so that you could be a fee-for-service practice throughout your career, and so that you could build a patient family that was committed to you in your practice throughout all your 45-plus years of practice. How do you feel like that was centered in your decision making? Building a Community of Like-minded Team Members and Partners Dr. Kahn: The hardest thing that we do is get good people to work for us. There's just no doubt this was true on Long Island; I'm not sure if it's the same in Oklahoma or in Dallas. I think finding the right people and starting off with the right people is important. Now, I got very lucky. I made a decision a long time ago that I did not want to practice by myself. I wanted to practice with somebody else....

https://youtu.be/og1NMmWJqv8?si=lraDnkhbc-mIHVag 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. Setting our Team up for Success Regarding New Team Members Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and I'm so glad to be with you once again for another episode. As we roll into the end of 2023, something that we're finding in the seasons of our dental practices is perhaps some of you are overcoming that challenge of finding new employees and getting people hired. Today I want to talk about setting your team up for success when you are bringing a new employee or a new member of your team on board whether that is now or in the very near future. We're going to talk about things to consider and ways to successfully and effectively onboard new employees. And then the big question that is often asked is, how do we retain superstar team members?  I recently did a presentation on recruiting, onboarding, and retaining new employees, rockstar dental team members. When we asked the group what the most important pieces of this topic were that they were hoping that we would cover, the large majority of the requests and the goals and objectives for our time together were how do I retain, how do I build accountability, how do I build engagement in my team? So it really has come full circle to not finding team, but now that I've found somebody great, how do I keep them? So again, today on the Jameson files, we're going to talk about how to set our team up for success, especially when we're talking about hiring, onboarding, and those new employees that are so valuable. Of course all of our team members are valuable, but how do we keep these valuable team members onboard and have them be as successful as possible in their new role? So let's get started. Have a Clear Structure in Place When Onboarding a New Employee When I think about the successful onboarding process of a new employee, it's important that we have clear structure and intention in place on that onboarding process and timeframe. We're looking at those 30, 60, 90 days of how to make this successful. We're measuring from all of that time as we're training, is this person the right fit? Can this person do the job that I have hired them to do? Am I training them successfully and clearly? Am I giving clear expectations of the role so that the person that's coming on board fully understands their responsibilities in this position in my practice? And do they have the desire and the willingness to do the job to the level of expectation that I have clearly set? So this is the thing that we want our pro training programs in our dental practices to do. We want them to help a new team member get fully invested into the practice and into your practice's culture, get fully productive in their role so they are as productive as possible and meeting or exceeding the expectations that you have set for that employee, and get interested in being successful. We want them to be bought in and interested in experiencing full success and excellence in their role in our practice. So remember, we want our new team members to get fully invested, fully productive, and get interested in being successful. That's what a great onboarding and training program is going to do in your practice. So when you think about effective training, I want you to start thinking about what the plan is that we have in place to help this person be successful. We want clarity and consistency in training and onboarding. So as you are preparing for this new employee that's coming on board in your practice or that will be in the future, think about these things and make sure that we have all of these items in place in that training and onboarding window of time.  Have Clear Roles and Responsibilities Lined Out For the New Team Member Number one, have clear roles and responsibilities lined out for that team member for whatever role they're coming in on. Something that I find, especially if you have multiple business team members, is that we're hiring a lot of people to fulfill specific elements of the business systems of the practice, but often there is confusion in practices about who's ultimately responsible for what. So bringing on a new employee is probably a great opportunity for you and your practice to review the roles and responsibilities of the team you have in place, get those streamlined and clear, and then make sure that the roles and responsibilities are lined out clearly for this new person that's stepping into this new role. So make sure clear roles and responsibilities are lined out and that we are able to review that with that team member so they truly know, understand, and are up for the job they're stepping into. Have a Clear Documentation Process We need to make sure we have a way of documenting all of the things that person gets trained in, and that we're checking those boxes when those items are completed. We do that when we have that documentation process, and we can check the boxes and say, we've trained on this, we've trained on that, we've trained on that. That prevents things falling through the cracks and those accidental executions of systems. So what we want to do is protect the systems you've worked so hard to create in your practice. We want to protect that which is working really well for you. The only way we can do that is make sure we're training up successfully the person that's stepping in to help execute those systems now. So document the items that need to be done, and make sure we're keeping track of that. Have a Schedule in Place for the Training Process We want to schedule training. We don't want to just throw them out off the cliff and say, good luck. You said you had dental experience, so let's see what you're made of. We want to have a schedule in place. We want to have a training plan so that that person knows when to expect this training to occur and you have a clear process to follow. That makes it much less stressful and a much clearer line toward the end result, which is a fully trained, fully engaged new employee.  Delegate Different Aspects of the Training Plan to Appropriate Team Members We want to delegate to appropriate team members different pieces of the training plan. It doesn't have to be one person training a new employee on all the elements of their role in a practice. In fact, I want the person training that employee on different elements to be the one that does that step the most or has the most experience or understanding of what “right” looks like in that process. So if you are hiring a clinical assistant, I'd love to have another assistant leading them through some of the training. If you are hiring a hygienist, if possible, have another hygienist do some training. If it's a business team member, I want to be sharing that training process with any other business team. Doctors, you can delegate this out to different members of your team. Office managers, you can do the same. In fact, the more people that are involved, the more likely we have cohesiveness across the board, and the more invested everyone's going to be in making sure this team member is successful.  Block Time for Progress Review So delegate to appropriate team members, the different aspects of that training plan, and then make sure you're blocking time for progress review. If you are an office manager that's ultimately responsible for the training of a new team member, or if you, as a doctor, are the one that's leading this process along, we want to make sure we're blocking time regularly in those first 30, 60, 90 days to sit with that new employee, review what has been trained up to this point, give time for questions and for review, and answer those questions or do some continuous training or course correction. That's going to be important, especially if early on you're getting lots and lots of questions from new employees. We want to give them time to batch those questions and ask those questions so that we build up their confidence and their competence in their role. So again, make sure you have clear roles and responsibilities lined out and that we're clearly setting expectations of what “right" looks like in this position. We wanna make sure we have some kind of document in a sheet where we can do documentation of training progress.  We want to have a training plan and schedule in place. We're going to work on X, Y, and Z this week, and next week we're gonna work on A, B and C and so on. We want to delegate to appropriate team members different elements of that training process and training plan so that we're all sharing the responsibility of helping this new employee, new teammate be successful. And we want to block time for progress review so that we can reduce the amount of distractions that those of you that are in the training positions may be experiencing and you can fully support that employee in their work and their training and their progress. So remember, clarity and consistency is important.  Train to the Standards that you Want to See Executed We need to train to what “right" looks like. A lot of you that listen to the podcast or have seen me speak, ask this question all the time. In your processes, in your ideal dental days, what does “right" look like? So we need to make sure we're training these new employees on the answer to that question. Something that we always put ourselves at risk at when we hire someone, especially when we hire someone with dental experience, we're so relieved to have someone in that position that we just assume they know how to do things the way we would want them done. Do not assume that they're going to do things the way you prefer them to be done or the way that works great for your practice....

https://youtu.be/BYqBZ89Jtd4?si=QlFSJspjQ2wmxA0v How Authenticity Can Help Your Marketing Efforts The following podcast has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie Webber: Welcome back to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Weber, and so excited to be coming back. While we're recording this, we are entering into the fourth quarter of 2023. And why I wanted to bring that up is because today's topic is going to be all about the trends in marketing, what we see happening, because what I hope that all of you are doing is preparing yourself now for the year you want to have in 2024. I'm thrilled to be joined with my guest friend and teammate, Nate Porter, who is the chief marketing officer of the Jameson Group. Nate, thank you so much for joining me today. Nate Porter: Yeah, thank you for having me. Excited to talk about this topic. Carrie Webber: Yeah, and my hope is that in this episode we can share with you what the Jameson marketing team has been seeing, as of late, in terms of what's getting results in marketing or what's happening that dental practices or dental business owners need to be aware of. And also, like I said, how to plan for this upcoming year–what you need to review and what you need to strategize for so that we can help you grow your practices or your businesses, whatever the case may be. So, Nate, I want to pass it over to you for a little bit. Tell me what you're seeing and what your recommendations would be at this point in the year. Authenticity Breaks through the Noise in Marketing Nate Porter: It's interesting to watch trends and see what's happening with marketing in general. One of the things that we see a lot of is a really widening gap in terms of what people are doing for marketing. Things have evolved and some people are still looking back at their 2015, 2016 strategy, and they think that it’s going to continue to work, and it may in some markets. But what we are seeing is that there's a lot more people who are really advancing in their marketing, and they're really putting a lot of effort, a lot of resources behind their marketing. And so what that looks like is, as we've been talking about over the last number of years, is a trend towards more authenticity. And so they’re moving away from this templated, very static, very generic feel to online marketing, to social media, all of that sort of thing, to a much more genuine approach. And, I think, as you look at the marketing industry as a whole, and you listen to leaders in the industry, what you hear is the importance of understanding the signal-to-noise ratio. So as you have more demands on attention, more demands on people's time, more competition, frankly, in the marketing space, including dentistry, you have a harder time breaking through that noise. And so what can break through is not shouting louder about your list of services that you offer, or being more pushy about your message, but being more authentic. And so what we see as tools for that are creating a conversation with your potential patients or even with your patients online. That conversation needs to start online.You can't wait for it to start in your practice. And so that can be things like video, like what we're doing here today, where we're having a conversation about topics that are relevant. It can be authentic photography of your team, and your practice, of you interacting with patients. Dentistry can be something that creates anxiety. This feels warm, it feels welcoming, it feels like something that you want to engage with. The contrast has gotten so much clearer between what was common in the early 20-teens to today. It’s night and day from people who have kept up and kept moving their marketing forward. Carrie Webber: I love this point. I think the hangup, especially in dentistry, is historically it felt like you could have this set-it-and-forget-it mentality.  I am there, I'm online, I have a website, I have a logo. (Whether it's a good one or not is for another conversation.) We just don't put enough emphasis on the “why” behind marketing in the first place.  I love your point about the authenticity and the use of video. People feel like they don't even know where to start with that. Start with the people and the products and the brands and the businesses that you really enjoy seeing online. I guarantee that almost every time, the social media influencers or businesses that you follow have some kind of fantastic video piece that's included, because of your point, Nate, the authenticity of it. We get to see a little bit more of the “who” behind the “what” and to see that type of connection. I always tell people in lectures that marketing evolves quickly, and it evolves because of how the consumer is gathering information, how the consumer is using online resources, and how the consumer is finding what they're looking for. So marketing isn't continuously changing just to make your life harder. Marketing's actually changing to make the consumer's life easier. And so that was something that I wanted to share concerning what you're talking about. Sorry to interrupt, but I love the point that you're talking about in terms of authenticity. Authenticity Helps Businesses with Smaller Budgets Compete Nate Porter: I think it's a really, really important point. The other thing too, I think is, you can probably get a little bit discouraged if you see some of the big corporate entities coming in. Some of them look really polished, and a lot of them are spending a lot of money on marketing– TV and otherwise– and you wonder how you are ever going to compete with a $12 to $15,000 a month budget per practice. The thing is that they are taking a shotgun or sledgehammer approach to it. So there are a lot of ineffective dollars being put towards marketing in those situations. And you can compete if you're authentic and you're strategic with a much, much more affordable plan. Just the fact that you are personal, that you do care, and that you are focused on the patient is a big differentiator if you can frame that message in a way that breaks through. Carrie Webber: Absolutely. And just to answer the question for yourselves as businesses– how can I be more present in my efforts? How can I really show up more? It doesn't have to be perfect. To your point, Nate, it doesn't have to be this shiny thing. It's really about that authentic presence in your message, and repeatedly doing that. You have to be continuously putting effort into it. Some of our favorite clients use a combination of the services that we provide for them, and they bring in their own mix to the recipe, using their own team and skills and time and efforts. And I think that's really a secret sauce–using professional services to give you some really high level great content, great video, a great website–all of those pieces. Then combine that with your own personal efforts as a team to be continuously posting and reaching out and connecting with your community, your patients, your online reach, and so on. Would you agree with that? Nate Porter: Yeah, a hundred percent. I think it’s really important. One of the things that can be overwhelming for practices is understanding what tools to use for what purposes. And so you try this, and try that, and do a little bit of everything, and you can probably feel overwhelmed and discouraged pretty quickly. One of the things that we look at when we look at practices is their goals and the outcomes that they’re hoping for, and then we identify what tools meet those needs.If you're looking to build referrals and engage with your current patient base, we really recommend strengthening your social media efforts, and maybe even personal email campaigns, because that really connects with your existing patient family and it helps create some buzz around your practice. Improving Your Business’s Appearance on Google If you're looking to grow new patients and build traffic in that way, your focus really needs to be on your website, and it needs to be on the ways that you can leverage your website to grow traffic from Google. We know that 85 to 90% of that traffic comes from a Google search to your website, so that's everything. It can be as simple as making sure that you're asking for reviews verbally when you have patients in your practice, not just putting a sign out there that says, give us a review. The other thing that you might want to look at is what the patient sees when they are searching for dentistry in your area. If your listing comes up on Google, and there's a picture on your Google listing that looks dark and uninviting, or maybe just a picture of the street view of your building, you can change that really easily and give a more welcoming feel. And often for people that's the first, and sometimes the last, impression of your practice. Things like that are things that would be easily updated and changed. I really like what Gary Vee says, putting it in dental terms, “You no longer have the luxury of being a dentist who does marketing, you're a marketer who does dentistry.” You have to think about how you incorporate storytelling throughout your process and your day. Carrie Webber: Oh, I love that. And you can see it online. You can see it with the people that just get it– that recognize they need to be continuously on top of what's working and staying relevant. I was just talking about this the other day. Your online presence is not only building a type of perception for potential patients and your existing patients, but it's also building perception for potential employees of whether or not you are a practice that they would want to work at and be a part of. So it's important to keep in mind that this needs to be a priority, not just once,...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFBFU64O-TU Dr. Dimple Desai and Her Career in Cosmetic Dentistry The following podcast has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Video Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11pxopvZ9Fq2Tk2OrGS96Ttyo7XfndvHC/view?usp=sharing Carrie Webber: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and we are back recording live episodes at the AACD annual meeting in Grapevine in Texas. I am so thrilled to have with us today our Jameson marketing client, Dr. Dimple Desai from Newport Beach, California. Dr. Desai, thank you so much for joining me.  Dr. Dimple Desai: Thank you for having me.  Carrie Webber: Now, I can't wait for this conversation because we have just met. You've been working with my team, but I haven't had the privilege of getting to know you, so this is going to be my opportunity to learn just as much about your story as everybody else.  Dr. Desai’s Beginnings in Dentistry Dr. Desai practices extraordinary aesthetic dentistry in Newport Beach, California. When you're walking around the AACD meeting, she's on videos, she's in the magazines. Your work is incredible. I would love to know how this all started for you. Tell me a little bit about your story in dentistry. What led you to dentistry, and especially what led you to this specific focus in dentistry? Dr. Dimple Desai: So when I was, I believe 13 or 14, my mom's local dentist needed an assistant. So my mom said, “Hey, Dimple, do you want to go help out?” I said, “Sure.” So that was my first real exposure. Thereafter, I knew I wanted to do something in healthcare. At 17, I started school at USC, and I didn't know what to do. I was like a lost puppy. Mind you, I'm also the first female who ever went to college in my family. So I didn't really have any guidance or support. I just had to figure it out and take it from there. So I went to the counselor and I said, “I need help. What do I do? This is where I want to be, but I just don't know which avenue to take.” So she said, “Well, why don't you look into dentistry? The dental school is on campus. Go on over there.” So next thing you know, I was there every single week, and they would hear my footsteps and the admissions director's name was Mark Mitchell. He would hear me, “Is it Dimple? Is that you again? Oh my God, You're too much.”  I said, “Mark, you know, I'm 17. I don't know what to do. I need help. I think I'm going to be a dentist.” He said, “Okay, so let's help you out here.”  So they had a program where you can go through dental hygiene school and then move on to dental school so you can shave off a year from dental school. At that time, that's what sounded good. And he said the same. You can learn great chairside manners, practice dental hygiene, which is a great career in itself, and build your skills to that level. So I did everything he told me to and started dental hygiene school at USC my third and fourth year. I did all the prerequisites and so forth. Thereafter I finished, and I decided to work six days a week and make a little bit of money. So I practiced dental hygiene for two years and then went back to dental school and the rest is history. Then obviously I got married, I had my children, and so I was just an associate, but I would always go to continuing education courses. I never stopped and I'd come back Monday morning super hyped like everybody else from learning and ready to implement. However, it's different when you're an associate and you're not able to implement right away because you have an employer who's not always on board. Desai Opens Luminous Smiles and Focuses in on Cosmetic Dentistry So finally I decided that I need to practice dentistry the way I want to, and I opened Luminous Smiles.  I call it my third child. It's five years old now, and I can't tell you how much joy it's brought me. It's not easy, it's not an easy path, but at the same time I'm able to practice dentistry the way I want to.  Thereafter I finished my Kois education and I got into AACD.  I remember my first meeting was in 2018 and I saw what it was doing for people and the high end aesthetics. So that put me on another mission of getting accredited. Now you have five years to complete accreditation, but I felt as though I needed to catch up because I lost so many years from being an associate. So I finished accreditation in one year. I just put my head down and went to work. I can't tell you the journey, the people I've met, the mentors, the friends–  you're surrounded by like-minded individuals to practice this quality of cosmetic care and deliver the best to your patients. I'm forever grateful. And now I'm onto the next pursuit. Carrie Webber: When you started honing by obviously getting some extraordinary advanced clinical training, how were you able to start to establish yourself in your area, in your community, as offering that type of dental care that patients might be seeking out? What were your starting points there?  Dr. Dimple Desai: That’s a great question. So in Newport Beach, everybody's a cosmetic dentist; however, there isn't really accredited cosmetic dentistry and it really distinguishes you from the rest. In addition to just the label, it's the way you perceive dentistry, how you practice it. So for me, I had to build my reputation, and at the same time I would publish articles. I would get myself out there and just work with individuals who can hone in on my skills and help me improve. For me, it wasn't a mission to be known. It's just as long as you provide quality and do the right thing, you will get the referrals you need and get to be known out there. Carrie Webber: I love that point. It wasn't your mission to be known, and yet here you are, you are known, because you committed very early on, from actually the very beginning, to whatever you were going to do, you were going to do it really well.  Tell me what that continuous development looks like for you now. You've reached so many great way points in terms of becoming accredited and starting to be known for those types of patients that are looking for that type of care– that advanced level of care. But for you, what does that  continuous development look like? Dr. Dimple Desai: So for the next chapter of my life, I want to provide education, and help those who want to learn these skills, and start lecturing, and doing some hands-on training. I have some gigs set up already. Dentistry's so amazing; there's so many avenues you can take, and if a person wants to take a different avenue or pursue, say, cosmetic dentistry, you have to improve your skills. It takes practice, it takes repetition, and I would love to help somebody. Even while I was here, I've had a few individuals come up to me who've seen my Instagram, seen my work, and comment that they've read my journal. I can't tell you how humbled I am just for them to say that to me. So my next step is just providing education and helping those who want to be helped. How Quality Marketing has Helped Desai Become Known in Cosmetic Dentistry Carrie Webber: I love that you want to help others and that you're now in a phase of mentorship, but I also keep thinking about the “being known” aspect. I keep going back to that because I think you do put forth effort. You see the value. You're a marketing client of ours, and so you see the value of the message. And you've mentioned your Instagram and putting really quality content out for people to find that reflects who you are and your practice as a brand. There are a lot of practices that are basically checking boxes. They have a website done, but they're not really and truly invested in making sure that everything that is out there represents who they want to be. Why do you see the value in that? You've seen it from the beginning. You can tell by the way your messages are, and how you are found, your social media, and everything. Why do you think that that resonated with you and you saw that important so early on? Dr. Dimple Desai: I'm just very detail oriented. Every little bit matters. And it's exactly what you said. It's just representing you. So how do you want to be represented out there? I want to show you what I can do and what I can provide. At the same time, my pictures have to be perfect. The alignment has to be perfect. How much should I drive you guys crazy with the website and with the development?  I still look at it and I'll say, “Hey, we need to change this, or let's fix this.” Carrie Webber: But that's also what makes you such a tremendous clinician– that attention to detail. Dr. Dimple Desai: I have been super detail oriented from day one. I can do the same procedure every single day, but yet to me it's a different procedure. And I'll check and triple check just to make sure everything's perfect before we move on. And my team or whoever works with me, they know too. How to Find a Focus for Your Dental Practice  Carrie Webber: They know. For those that are at this meeting for the first time, or are exploring and wanting to pursue a specific area of focus, or bring new services or procedures into their practice, how would you prepare them for that? What advice would you give or are you giving to these people that want to be doing more or want to be doing things at your level? Dr. Dimple Desai: I would say invest in continuing education. Nobody can take away what you've learned. Practice. For instance, I love doing composite bonding, and that is not an easy procedure, especially aesthetic composite bonding. During Covid, obviously we were all shut down. I set up my entire dining room table into a laboratory and all I did was bonding on my table. I bought my hearing light home. I bought a waxing unit off eBay and, I think,...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RagPVYRK1w0 Dr. Cappy Sinclair Shares About the Power of Vision in Dentistry The following podcast has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zsfYdt8jDBr6H-lmkSWfcjxdjG7znpfw/view?usp=share_link Carrie Webber: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber. Thanks for joining us for another episode. We are really excited to be joining you today from Grapevine, Texas at the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry's annual meeting. We're thrilled to be back at the AACD meeting. It's been some time and we’re so happy to be here with the Jameson team. I'm especially thrilled that we're spending some time today with our client, a great friend, Dr. Cappy Sinclair.  Dr. Cappy Sinclair:  Thank you.  Carrie Webber: Dr. Sinclair, thank you so much for being with us.  Dr. Cappy Sinclair:  Glad to be here. Carrie Webber: Before we started this episode, we were reminiscing that Dr. Sinclair was the Jameson Files’ very first podcast guest when we launched the podcast in 2019.  Dr. Cappy Sinclair: And I got invited back. Carrie Webber: I know. It was a success. So we'll see how you do this time. No pressure. I’m thrilled that you’re  here. There are two episodes with Dr. Sinclair from very early on in the podcast, and I invite and encourage you to go find those episodes because I still feel like they're very powerful, and you shared some great information and insights in those episodes.  Dr. Cappy Sinclair: I talk about that probably at least once a week to someone that reaches out and wants to know how I got to where I am and what was the most important thing that I did.  I still feel like one of the most important things was setting up where I wanted my practice to be. Without that vision, I would not be where I am today.  Dr. Sinclair’s Beginnings with the AACD Carrie Webber: I love that. I love that. And speaking of establishing that vision of where you are, not only in how your practice runs, but in the clinical skills that you do, you have chosen to become deeply involved with the AACD and have been for several years now. Would you tell us a little bit about how you chose to be a part of this organization and a little bit of how you started within this, because now you are an accredited member? For those of you that aren't familiar with that process, boy, that is a feat. That's a lot of work and effort. Dr. Cappy Sinclair: Besides starting my practice, I would say that's probably the one thing that I've learned more about anything else in dentistry– making myself a better dentist, seeing what education I should take, where I direct my attention– all of those things were because of trying to become accredited. Now being on the other side, we're starting to mentor other people that are going  through this process. Having the insight of going through it myself, I can give them experiences that I learned along the way that hopefully will help them out.  Carrie Webber: I love that. I love the story of the beginning of your relationship with this organization. I think it's pretty special for young doctors that are just getting started and really trying to find their way. Will you share that with the audience? Dr. Cappy Sinclair: This meeting's special in particular for me in Grapevine because this location was the first AACD meeting that I came to in 2010. I was actually working close by. I worked in Oklahoma City. I actually did not know you guys at that time, which is crazy. Carrie Webber: That's a strange connection. Dr. Cappy Sinclair: I worked for a group practice there and I just wasn't happy. And so long story short, I ended up quitting that job in May or April. And I knew this was going on in Dallas, so I tried to time my leaving that job with coming down to this meeting. So I think I left on Friday from Oklahoma City, packed up my stuff, and then drove down here to the Gaylord. The problem was I had just quit my job. I was in tons of credit card debt from traveling back and forth all over the country, and I didn't know what to do, so I couldn't stay at the Gaylord, which was probably $600 a night or something crazy, so I ended up camping. There's a campground actually a mile and a half away from here, so I ended up staying there for about four or five nights. It was beautiful. There's a lake there. I got to watch the sunrise and the sunset every day. I would ride my bike every morning from the campground over here. I didn't know a soul, but the dentistry that I saw here changed my life. I knew that one day I wanted to do what these people are doing here. I think that drive and ambition really fueled me continuously over the years. So it was an experience I'll never forget. I drove the rest of the way across the country, back home, and then two years later ended up starting my practice with the vision of knowing that I wanted to be on the stage accredited someday.  Carrie Webber: Wow! And where are you staying this year? Dr. Cappy Sinclair: I'm actually staying in the hotel, which is great.  Choosing Resources that will Aid you in Your Dental Vision Carrie Webber: It's a true success story. I think that's so amazing and I love that this was one of those pivotal moments for you that really started to create the framework of your vision for how you practice. Something that I really appreciate about you is that as long as we've known you, you have truly and intentionally sought out resources and training–both clinically and for the business side of your practice. You’ve taken your vision and sought out the right resources for you. Because you're also very involved in other things, not just AACD. So would you share a little bit for those that are trying to find their resources, their training, their people or organizations? What do you go through when you’ve decided that this is what you’re going to explore at this time?  Dr. Cappy Sinclair: I think the hardest part for being a dentist, and especially if you're a solo practice owner, is there's only so much time for you to leave the office. And if you're going to be doing that, how do you make it count? If I leave the office, it's for a vacation– I love to travel– or I'm going to go to do some educational event.  For me, when I was trying to establish again where I wanted to go in my dentistry, I considered who are the clinical leaders in the world that are going to be the best dentists for me to learn from, and how do I get there? What's my path and how do I start at some of the more basic things and move forward? I think one of the biggest challenges is that with social media today, a younger dentist graduating is just barraged with clinical photos on Instagram of “before and afters”, but they don't see the journey that the dentist went through to get there. A lot of people, unfortunately, want a really quick fix. What's the one course that I can go to to make the difference? And there's not one course. It's going to Kois; it's going to a functional occlusion, learning how the teeth work, how function masters and creates the proper aesthetics, business training courses... Once you do the dentistry, how do you sell the dentistry to your patients? How do you motivate your team to sell the dentistry to your patients? All of those courses, I think, compound into your education, and if you're just going to take a course on the weekend because you like the location, then is that really the best place to go?  So just because it's a course on implants and you want to place implants, is that the best place for you to start or do you need to learn how to take teeth out first? So, if you're a dentist learning or wanting to expand your horizons, I would actually say figure out where the baseline is first. It might not be the sexiest place to start, but it's probably the best place from a foundational aspect, and then build from there. Carrie Webber: My father, John Jameson, had an identical mindset and mentality to yours. If he were here, he would say to doctors that are looking to expand the way they practice or even just the depth of their skills, that one of the greatest investments he made for himself was continuing his clinical training and education. He chose his people, his resources, his organizations to be a part of and never stopped as long as he was practicing until he retired. I don't know if this is good news or bad news for a younger dentist, but it's not over at graduation. It’s just starting, because at that point, there's a lot of work to be done for your own self and your own skillset, your own efficiency, your own level of success, whatever that is. So the vision is so important. Where do you see yourself in the foreseeable future? What do you want that to look like for you? I love your point of starting at the very beginning. Where am I right now with my skills or with my business or whatever? Where do I just need to start? Dr. Cappy Sinclair: Yes. Mastering the basics is really important. Most great athletes practice the fundamentals before they become great. So again, it's the same process of just practice, practice, practice, but practice the basics and get good with that. Carrie Webber: Yes. A lot has happened since the last time we were sitting across from each other like this in 2019. You now have a business partner, Dr. Mark Reichley. You now have taken two locations between the two of you, and you have combined them into the most extraordinary facility. Dr. Cappy Sinclair: Yes. It's awesome. Carrie Webber: It's gorgeous. You both have continued to invest together in clinical training, but also you've done deep work together as business partners in aligning your vision and recasting a vision that make

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEcKkM2Qcn4 Our transcript of the discussion between Lois Banta and Jameson Files host Carrie Webber has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Utilizing Your Dental Practice’s “Why” to Help Navigate Relationships with PPOs Carrie : Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber. Thank you so much for joining us once again for another episode, or perhaps for the first time. We are certainly so glad to have you with us as we continue to bring information and resources and experts to you to help you be as productive, as profitable, and as fulfilled in your dental practicing life as you can possibly be. Today, I am so excited. We are coming to you from the Jamon offices in Oklahoma City, and look who I have here, our dear friend and colleague in the dental realm, Lois Banta.  Lois Banta: So excited to be here and doing this with you for the first time. A real honor, and I'm sure we'll share a few giggles. Carrie : Maybe so. We just need to try and keep ourselves under control. We'll see.There are no rules in this. I'm just so glad to see you face-to-face and to have you in the room with me. This surprised us because we have collaborated together, and we have Lois as a guest educator and presenter on the Grow pathway that is launching as we speak on the very popular and needed topic of how to navigate PPO relationships in your practice. It’s going to be a phenomenal resource for all of you that are on Jameson's Grow learning platform. We’re very excited to share your knowledge with the members of Grow.  How to Make Healthy Decisions about Your Relationship with PPOs in Your Practice Today we're going to dip our toe into that topic a little bit because it only seems right to keep carrying forward the conversation that we've started here about PPOs. How do you navigate those relationships? How do you make healthy decisions about your relationship with PPOs in your practice? Do you have one? Do we need to perhaps step out of one? Do we need to do something different in the months and the years to come to help you in your pursuit of your ideal practice vision? Really, that's what it all comes down to. Lois Banta: It's such an important decision to make, and it’s one of the most difficult decisions that practices in our industry make. It’s scary. There's a lot of thought that has to go into it, and if you don't do it the right way, you could lose all your patients. So it's a pretty serious topic right now, especially with the insurance reimbursements being lowered across the board with many of the plans. Practices are taking a really big financial hit. It's really time to consider where you are in that relationship and where you want to go. Carrie : It's interesting because you've been educating dentists and teams for a long time, 23 years now. Jameson has been in the industry as a company for 32 years, and over those years, the landscape has really, really changed. We're seeing this continuous shift, and truly two paths diverged in a woods, and you need to decide what path to take. As you’ve said, it really has to align with your “why”. Lois Banta: Yes. You have to be very passionate about why you're making the decision. As soon as you can wrap your heart around your “why", the decision becomes fairly easy, but you still have to pay very close attention to the process in making that decision. But ultimately, back in the day when insurance was even invented, I think in the seventies, there really weren't a lot of in-network plans. It was just insurance coverage, and it typically covered most of the patient's dental care for a 12 month period. And now those maximums haven't changed, not because of the insurance industry, but because of employers' budgets not wanting to pay high premiums for those benefits. So the maximums don't change, but the cost of that dentistry has changed greatly. So somewhere along the line there became this process of, if you become an in-network provider and you make a contractual deal with us to lower your fee-for-service fee, you'll be able to get more patients. So it was used as an avenue to acquire more patients, but it became the beast. It was a really great idea, and maybe it is still a great idea for some practices. Some practices can manage it very well, but the ones who are really getting caught off guard and caught by surprise with the insurance industry lowering reimbursements and increasing adjustments, have really taken a hit in the pocketbook. And that's when it becomes a really important decision. Where's your tolerance level? When is it time? And once you've made the decision, it's time, how do you do it? Myths that Prevent Practices from Making Healthy Decisions about PPOs Carrie : I know that you work with a lot of teams in retreats and in your mastermind sessions on how to do this and on how to make these decisions. At Jameson, we help practices step out of relationships in PPOs all the time. But I think you and I both know that sometimes that process and releasing the fear of the “what if” with practices can be very difficult. What's some of the pushback that you see and experience that you've overcome with practices? Let's bust some myths here that may be preventing practices from making really healthy decisions about this. Lois Banta: It's the noise that plays in your team's heads where they're very, very sensitive to what they feel the patients want and need. So it's a perception. You're going to get the pushback when the team has a general perception that it's going to cost the patient a lot more money. So one of the myths is that it’s going to cost the patient a lot more money. Insurance reimbursement typically increases when a dentist changes the relationship with how they work with them. So they're no longer in-network, so they've removed the barrier of having to charge a lower fee. They charged the fee-for-service fee. Typically, the reimbursement will catch up to that fee-for-service fee. So one of the myths is that your patient's out-of-pocket expense isn't going to go up by the amount that the practice is writing off. The practice is writing off those dollars because the dentist signed a contractual relationship with that insurance company to lower their fees, therefore increasing adjustments Carrie : I think you're going to have to go on the Grow pathway to get all the details, or go see Lois in lecture, or bring her in for a retreat. Something that really resonated with me was the reality of the write-offs. A lot of decisions are being made, or not being made, in dental practices without the practices doing the due diligence to understand really what your relationship with these plans are.Some of the most painful realizations are when a practice is meeting their production goals, high-fiving each other, thinking this has been a great month, and then bam, you're cut up at the knees because you just wrote off 50% of what you produced that month. You worked your rear end off for that. You had some really “aha” moments in that part of your presentation. Understanding the True Cost of PPO Relationships in Your Practice Lois Banta: Yeah. The twofold analysis is analyzing all the data of production, collections, and adjustments. Then if you're going to dig a little deeper in it and really analyze the “by code” adjustment percentage, most practices realize that they're struggling when the doctor goes to pay the bills at the end of the month and suddenly, “Hey, we've produced all this money. How come I don't have enough money in my bank account?” Because they haven't really gone in and done a deep dive as to which plans they're adjusting the most dollars off, which ones are not allowing the benefit when the benefit should be there. It puts the practice in a hypothetical position that the team tends to adopt, so the thing causing how to react to everything is based on inaccurate data. Then the team starts having these conversations with the patients telling them that they can't do this or that because their insurance doesn't allow it. Then the practice is at risk for diagnosis and treatment plan discussions based on what the insurance does and doesn't cover, which of course is not in the patient's benefit. It's almost like a scare tactic that then drives the mindset. And that's where you're going to get a lot of pushback from the team with that mindset, because they're so entrenched in what insurance will and won't cover, what maximums are going to happen, and when they're maxed out or whether there's a deductible. It drives the conversation instead of letting the practice drive the conversation with what is truly in the patient's best interest. Carrie : It’s interesting. I was just kind of reminiscing back to the last AADOM conference. I was on a panel, and you were the moderator of the panel. And I always say: why don't they just put all the insurance speakers and experts on the panel, because the questions are always about reimbursements or being in-network, or changes that are being made to the agreements? And you know, you found yourself working a little harder. Lois Banta: I did. I found myself being on the panel and being the moderator.  Carrie : Again, the point always is that your practice vision can be whatever you want it to be, and if being in-network is important to you and how you want to care for patients, that's great. You do you, but understanding what that means and what that's going to have to mean in terms of how you run your practice is important.  Lois Banta: You're going to have to make financial decisions on your expenses. A lot of practices make these decisions based on where their overhead starts or stops. If they paid attention to the overhead part first they would make different dec

https://youtu.be/aybdFJs9nig Our transcript of the discussion between Dr. Angela Ferrari and Jameson Files host Carrie Webber has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Dr. Angela Ferrari Speaks about the Importance of Team Development Carrie Webber: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and we are so excited to be presenting to you this episode live from the AACD annual meeting in Grapevine, Texas. I am very excited that in this episode we are with a client of Jameson. I don't even know how long; you might have to tell me– Dr. Angela Ferrari of Long Island. Dr. Angela Ferrari: Oh, it's such a pleasure being here. The Beginnings of her Dental Journey and Their Involvement with Jameson Carrie Webber: I feel like we are kindred spirits. We are just so happy to be together. And I'm so thrilled that you said yes to being on this episode because I feel like a lot of pieces of your dental story and your dental practice is going to resonate very deeply with listeners or viewers of the podcast. And so, to start with, I'd love for you to share a little bit about your dental story. What has led you into dentistry to where you find yourself today? Then we’ll go from there. Would that be all right?  Dr. Angela Ferrari: First of all, I just love you. Thank you so much for having me here. This is just an honor. Thank you so much. As for my story, I figured out that I wanted to be a dentist when I was in high school. And actually my own dentist, Dr. Donald Conn, became my partner, but that's getting ahead of ourselves. I shadowed him as a high school student, and it was one of those Oprah “aha” moments, where I was interested in science, I was interested in medicine, but that didn't quite fit the bill. I watched, I shadowed for a summer and I felt like, “This is it”. This is exactly what I want to do. The patient care, how he was with his patients, the work he was doing, working with his hands, the artistry, I realized this is for me. From that point on, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. It was just like eyes on the prize– focus all the way to the end. Carrie Webber: Wow! I love that. And today you have quite a significant practice. You all have really built something wonderful. Share a little bit about what the practice is today, your size, what you  focus on, and the energy that your practice is for you. Dr. Angela Ferrari: I want to start from that history. When I graduated dental school, I went to Donald's and I said, “I'm done. Do you have a place for me?” And he said, “Come on in.” So we started working together and I said that I have one more person to bring into the group. And it was my husband who I met in dental school. So Dr. Aldi and I were like a pair and… Carrie Webber: He is in the wings as we speak right here. So I feel like you need to lean in and wave. Come into the camera. I love it.  Dr. Angela Ferrari: So our practice became a real family. Donald was definitely a mentor to us. I joined in 2001. We became partners in 2005. So it was all history after that. It was the three of us. Donald actually introduced us to Jameson, and that was in 2003. So it's been a really long time that we've had Jameson to help us grow as providers. Carrie Webber: And we continue to work with you. You still have Cathy at your practice. Recognizing Each Member of Your Dental Team as Important Dr. Angela Ferrari: It became the fabric of how we work. It really resonated with us with how we want to practice– the methodology and being there for your patient, not only with your skills and your clinical excellence, but with how you treat people and how you treat your team. Your team is everything. And I feel like that is what Jameson brought to us, and that's why we continuously have Jameson back. It refreshes us and fills the bucket. It's awesome. Our team is special to us, and I feel that that's what makes us excellent providers to help bring this excellence to our patients.  Carrie Webber: Yes. I love that. And you know, something that we had talked about before we started this episode was how your team and how you all have been very committed, and not just with Jameson, but in overall development, training, and education. That seems to me, as a person watching you, that that's been a big priority for you over time. Share a little bit about the decisions that you make as business partners, as the leaders of the practice, of how you choose to do that and invest in your team, and what you get back from that, from the team in terms of performance or commitment or the culture of the practice. Dr. Angela Ferrari: We are so proud of our team and how highly trained they are. They bring an energy that makes them easy to train, and we want to share knowledge with them. It's so important to have them be on the same page as us. I always say I cannot do what I do without my assistants, without my entire team, my front desk team, my office manager, everyone. They are amazing. It's really not just about you the doctor; it's about how every interaction that your patient has– from the minute they get that phone call, from the minute at the desk when they're welcomed to bring Brooke back into the chair. Then, you know, I'm the 10th person they see. Carrie Webber: Absolutely.  Dr. Angela Ferrari: I want my patients to have a stellar experience and that's all from my team. And I think going through continuing ed is what helps them grow. They want to provide that. My team wants to give that, and I'm happy to help them get there. It just helps everyone. So it's very, very important for us to stay up on their education just like here at AACD, and that is why we're super excited to be here learning new techniques. My assistant already texts me. She's asked, “What are you buying? What are you bringing home? I want to get trained. Tell me everything.” And that's awesome. I love hearing that. And I don't just work with one assistant. I have a team of seven assistants, and we rotate through. So everyone has a chance to work with every provider and get a feel for what we're doing. It's a real integrated team.  Carrie Webber: I love that. And it's obvious that you have instilled into the culture of your practice that genuine curiosity and passionate enthusiasm for continuously developing and learning, and that your team is wanting to know what are you bringing back? What are you learning or doing, what's, the new thing we're going to be working on? Instead of the mindset of, oh boy, here they go again. Instead there's this passionate enthusiasm for what you all continuously do and work on. I love that so much. And I love what you were saying about how each member of the team is (you know we believe this), each member of the team is such a key component to the patient's relationship to you, with you, the relationship to their own dental health and that journey. You're building those building blocks of value and trust with every interaction before they've ever even set eyes on you. Dr. Angela Ferrari: Yes. Carrie Webber: And so I just want to reiterate how much I love what you share about that and your mindset on that because it's so true. Staying Relevant as a Private Practice Dr. Angela Ferrari:  I feel like it's a very interesting time in dentistry. As far as a private practice goes, staying private and not changing that. And what sets you apart from all these other offices that are popping up- corporate offices- all down the street.  Dr. Angela Ferrari: I just think it's an experience. The patient, they know that. They feel it; they tell us; they tell my assistants; they tell my team. I love hearing that. But honestly, that's what I think is the future. There will be corporate dentistry, but I think that we still have a niche. There are patients to still value the kind of service we want to give - the personalized service. That I know you, Carrie, and you're coming in to see me today, and my time is devoted to you, and only you, for that time period. I'm not going to be pulled in 85 different directions seeing different people. I am here for you. And I only hope that continues- that people still value that. But I know it's what we value and we're staying strong. Carrie Webber: And you obviously know that all three of you have had a very unique relationship in every way- that you are aligned in that and that you are that united front for your team to say, “This is important to us.” And also that you recognize and pursue that there is a place for your practice even in the changing environment and the changing tides of our profession, but it takes effort. It takes intentional effort to carve that place out for yourself, but it exists because there are patients, I bet, that are coming to you every single day because they know your names. They know your reputation. You're known in your area and community, and you worked hard for that to be the case. Dr. Angela Ferrari: I definitely think that it's never ending. It's constant. It's also staying up with the changes that are happening. You know, like getting your name out there. In years past, you'd put an ad out in the paper. And then there was a period of time where I did radio and I was on radio, and that was like a period. Nobody listens to the radio anymore. They have an iPod or whatever, so they're not listening to that anymore. So how do you catch people's attention? How do you become relevant to them? Social media? I'm not a dancing dentist, I'm not going to be TikTok dancing, so don't look for me.. But how do you stay relevant to your patients on a social media platform, which is where people are getting a lot of critical information and a lot of it isn't correct? So with the team helping with that- my team is awesome- the

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xht1ztyldHc Dr. Klein Discusses the Importance of Airway Treatment in Your Dental Practice Below, we’ve compiled the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 149. To enjoy the full episode you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie: Hi everyone. Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Weber. Thank you so much for being a part of our Jameson Files community, and for watching or listening wherever you connect to us, right here on our pod podcast. We are recording live once again at the ADA annual meeting, Smile Con 2022 in Houston, Texas. And I am over-the-moon thrilled to have a special guest with us for this episode, Jameson client and friend, Dr. Cassie Klein. Dr. Klein, thank you so much for joining us today. Dr. Kassi Klein: Of course. It's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. Carrie: I'm excited to talk to you. Dr. Klein is from the Houston area, Spring, Texas, not too far from where we're sitting right now. You are native to the great state of Texas, went to undergrad at Texas Tech, and then got your DDS from the University of Texas School of Dentistry in Houston. Correct?  Dr. Kassi Klein: That's right.  Dr. Klein’s Early Days in Dentistry Carrie: Since graduating, you have an amazing practice where you are starting to really expand your services and clarify a vision for the treatment you want to provide and the practice that you have. And that's been a journey for you, so I want to talk about that journey a little bit and share that story, but then also talk specifically about your passion for airway treatment for your patient family. So we'll definitely want to get into that later, but to start, Dr. Kline, I'd love for you to share a little bit about what led you to dentistry and to where you are today. Dr. Kassi Klein: It's so funny. People always ask me that and I never feel like I have the perfect answer for that.  Maybe dentistry found me; maybe I found it. Somewhere along the line, I realized I loved looking at people's teeth; I love people's smiles. That's kind of my focal point when I talk to somebody, and literally one day I was sitting there and decided that I should be a dentist. And so I did. That's what I decided to set my focus on. Maybe it was fate because I absolutely love what I do. Carrie: Love that. We've known you for a while. You work with our dear teammate, Drew Halverson, and have worked with her over the years. But I know that you started as an associate, and then you started into building your own practice. So tell me a little bit about that. Think back to that time. When did that vision for your own practice start to take root? How did that transpire for you? Dr. Kassi Klein: So right out of school, I went into a clinic practice. I saw lots of patients every day, all age groups, all kinds of dental issues, and became very good at working on teeth through that experience. I wanted something a little more slower paced where I could connect with my patients a little bit better, so I sought out a private practice that I could work at. I started a couple days a week. Then I felt like I really liked that atmosphere better and then found a more permanent position in a private practice.  I think I was with two different private practices and then kind of the same thing–maybe it found me, maybe it was fate–but I decided I need to do this. I need to do this my way. I mean, not that anybody else's way was bad, but as a practice owner and building something for yourself, you get to practice how you want to do things, and you develop your own relationship with the patients. And I wanted to open up something close to my home, close to my community, and really have my patients as my family. So that's what we did. Carrie: Yes. When we work with doctors in strategic planning and creating vision, and if they're going into a next chapter in their career or whatever the case may be, a big message that we try to press and have them start to evaluate is, what's right look like for you? If we're continuously trying to create a practice based upon what other people do or other people want, your joy and fulfillment in that work is going to be significantly limited because it's not your vision. So it's important to get really clear on what your vision is, so that you can start to pursue, and make the decisions, and implement the things, and do the training to do the work and take care of the patients in the way that you want to. And it sounds like that's the path that you've taken.  Dr. Kassi Klein: Exactly. How a Family Health Crisis Launched Dr. Klein’s Interest in Airway Treatment Carrie: How long have you owned your practice at this point? Dr. Kassi Klein: We just had our sixth birthday. Carrie: Happy anniversary. So my understanding is that you have really taken a step in your practice into airway treatment. Tell me what led you to discover this and become so passionate about this particular treatment for your practice and your patients. Dr. Kassi Klein: Like you said, when you start out your vision focuses slowly on what's important to you and what you like. Right out of school, you like everything; everything's fun as long as you're doing dentistry. Well, I decided I wanted to do implants. So I signed up for this course, and through that I ended up getting a CBCT machine, a 3D x-ray machine. I started looking at those a little differently. And then, there's always talk with colleagues about new and upcoming things in dentistry. I had heard several people mention airway and I thought, that's kind of intriguing. I always have an open mind and love to learn new things.  And right around the time I started hearing the buzz about airway, my mom suffered a heart attack. She's okay, she's doing great, but there were so many things that seemed to parallel what I was learning about airway with what I saw happen to my mom. She didn't have any kind of blockages. She didn't have to have stents or any kind of surgery. They said that it was broken heart syndrome, which I didn't buy because there was really nothing for her to be brokenhearted about.  So I started reading and doing more research and I said, “Hey mom, have you ever had a sleep study?” And she's like, “No.” And I said, “Maybe that's something you should bring up to your cardiologist.” So she did and he's like, “Yeah, great idea. Let's do that.” So it turns out she was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. And looking back over my childhood and knowing what we know now about the signs, the signs were there. If somebody had looked at her the way I look at my patients now, maybe somebody could have saved her from having a heart attack.  And so that's on my heart every day as I’m working with my patients. Maybe I can save them from having a health crisis later in life. Carrie: Wow! That gives me chills. Wow. What a purpose-rooted service to study. I can't imagine.  Early Training in Airway Treatment So, where did you start? How did you start that? Did you connect to some particular types of training that were the most beneficial for you? How did you start to integrate that? Dr. Kassi Klein: My gateway into it was a book by Dr. Felix Liao called Six-Foot Tiger, Three-Foot Cage. Four years ago, I read that book, and I promise you when I was reading through that book, I would turn the page and my jaw was on the floor. I thought, “Oh my gosh. That's my mom, that's my sister, that's my dad.” I kept seeing the parallels to my family, and then I’d go to the clinic and see my patients and I had a reason and I could tell them why. So I read, and took his courses, and just kept growing from there.  Carrie: This “aha” discovery that we’ve had seems like such a key piece of the whole–the oral systemic link, and airway, and the connections from the mouth to the body. With the proper training and awareness, we in dentistry are really on the front lines in more ways than we even realize. What does this look like now? How long have you been providing this treatment in your practice at this point? Dr. Kassi Klein: So once I started learning about it, I hit the ground running. I started talking to all of my patients about it. So I've probably been doing it for about three and a half years. What Patients are Candidates for Airway Treatment Carrie: And who are the patients that are benefiting from this? What is that looking like for you? Dr. Kassi Klein: It's really everybody, from people that have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and know that there's a dental connection and get referred to me, all the way to kids that are just mouth breathing. They maybe don't have any outward signs, but there's something going on in their mouth, and now that I know what to look for, we're able to screen for this, and educate parents, and get these kids help. My team laughs at me, but I always say kids are where the magic happens. We can prevent so many things down the road if we can get a kid's oral health, mouth, and development on track. Carrie: So when you start to integrate a very specific type of evaluation and treatment, what role does your team play in supporting you and supporting this for the patients? Dr. Kassi Klein: So it turns out that my team is just as passionate about it as I am. Each team member that comes on board goes through the same evolution that I experienced. They start to see that their husband or their kid has those signs, and maybe they need to get their family members in here. So they learn about it, and they become passionate about it, and so they start educating the patients as well. They share their experiences. I've had team members have their kids or family members go through treatment with me. And so they get to share their experiences as well. Carrie: ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V_PjUGI3EA Jameson Files Episode 148– Carrie Webber and Josh Briebahn discuss Dental Practice Transitions Below, we’ve compiled the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 148. To enjoy the full episode you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm Carrie Weber. Thank you so much for joining us for another episode. Welcome from ADA's Smile Con 2022 in Houston, Texas. We are a part of their podcast influencer area here at the meeting, and so we're so thrilled to be a part of ADA's meeting and of Smile Con 2022. I'm so excited to have a good friend as a guest with me in this episode, Josh Griebahn, who is the transition sales consultant for Henry Schein Dental Practice Transitions. Josh, we've known each other for several years in various roles that you've played through the Henry Schein organization. It's so good to have you. Thank you for being willing to join us today.  Josh Griebahn: Thank you for inviting me. It’s a pleasure. The Role Henry Schein Plays in Dental Practice Transitions Carrie: Of course. This is so great. And it's especially great because of the topic we're going to talk about. It's such a hot topic. A lot of our Jameson clients are starting to enter into the realm of considering whether it is time to transition out of practicing. We also work with a great deal of younger dentists and associates that are looking for the next chapter in their careers. So we're going to talk about practice transitions. What does this look like in today's dental environment? To begin, Josh, can you share a little bit about your role as a transition consultant for Henry Schein? What is your primary role? What do you feel like your role and your goals are in the work you do with your clients? Josh Griebahn: Great question. A little quick fact about Henry Schein that most people don't know is that we're actually the largest dental practice transition broker in the country. We perform over a thousand practice valuations every year and we help anywhere between 300 to 500 doctors transition or exit their current practice situation throughout the country. So there's actually 60 to 65 of me in all parts of the country.  We have an amazing team– people that have been established for 20 to 30 years– so that really helps me and our team give guidance from exit strategy planning, to valuating a practice, to giving guidance on how to improve, to letting practices know the options available to them whether that’s now or four to five years out. What does that look like for me? Do I need to add an associate? Do I need to cut my days back? Do I need to add more days? Do I need to improve my office? You know, what do those things look like? Do I need to find a new CPA? Things like that. They've been through it. They know how to acquire; they know how to manage a team. Typically, HR is all set up. They have managers or chairside owners that are extremely entrepreneur minded, and they just want you to stay for a little bit, and then they'll fill in behind you. Carrie: Right. Some Transition Opportunities May Take Years Josh Griebahn: A lot of that is culture based, so they're a little bit more flexible. Then you've got number three- the big guys– your TSOs, dental service organizations, your DPOs (dental partnership organizations), your private equity groups– whatever those look like. Those are great options; however, to some they might not be great options. Every single category may or may not be a great option to somebody else. The corporate groups pay a lot of money; they offer partnership opportunities; they're more reliable. They're more looking for EBITDA, and location, and number of operatories. Will you stay along and work for three to five years? Will you stay and work for eight years?  Carrie: So do you think that the larger the group, the more likely there would be in the negotiations an expectation that you will stay for not just weeks or months, but for years? Josh Griebahn: Correct. Because there's the time and money thing. If you want more money, there's going to be more time. They call it a workback or a contractual obligation in order to either receive the other amount of money or to participate in the equity event down the road. Solo Dentists and Practice Transitions Carrie: Have you been experiencing in this role at this point that of those three groups the amount of solo dentists is shrinking? Josh Griebahn: Not necessarily. There's actually quite a bit of solo buyers out there. The only difference between them and a corporate pool that I see right now is whether or not it makes sense for them to leave their current employment. Carrie: Right. Do they have the financial capacity to take on full ownership?  Josh Griebahn: Correct. And here's my analogy. Million dollar practices are being sold or being bought. I'm the associate that's working for someone right now, and I want to buy your practice. I'm making $250,000 right now a year. In order for me to go out and borrow a million dollars with the interest rates where they are right now, it's going to cost me roughly one hundred to $120,000 a year to cover that loan. And you are netting $350,000. So, automatically, before taxes, I'm going to make around 200 to 225, and I'm going to have to have all this responsibility. Is that worth it to me? Then there are those buyers out there that are sick and tired of being W2 people or dependent contractors. Those are great. Those types of buyers are out there.  Then you're also looking at a supply and demand issue. I cover Iowa as well, and the market is completely different there than in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, which is my demographic. And it's very different everywhere. So in Austin, you can put a practice on the market that's a million dollars with five operatories, and it's gone in a day.  Carrie: Wow!  Josh Griebahn: In a small town, it's going to take a lot longer and your value isn't going to be as much. When to Have a Practice Valuation Carrie: That was a question that I had in my head. What is your advice for a doctor who is listening right now, that is on the side of their career where they're just starting to think about what retirement looks like, or maybe they want to do something new? I love what you were saying about vision planning and preparing proactively that you talked about earlier on. Do you have some time frames that you recommend based on whether you are in a more metropolitan or in a more rural area? Maybe you don't, but based upon how different those two geographical areas may be to find a buyer, when you think proactively, how long do they need? When do they need to start setting things in play to seek out the person to take over the practice? Josh Griebahn: Great question. I had a presentation the other night and one of my slides asked the question, “Who should have a practice valuation?”  A proper valuation, not a broker opinion, but a proper valuation of assets and goodwill– the intangible assets versus the tangible assets. What does that look like on paper? And it used to say 45 to 75 and I changed it to 35 to 75. In the last 12 months, I've had more deaths doing valuations and selling those unexpected passings than ever. Carrie: So you do those valuations?  Josh Griebahn: I do.  Carrie: That's a great thing to know because we get asked that question as well, “Where do we go to get a practice valuation?”  Josh Griebahn: So Henry Schein is start to finish– from exit strategy planning, from valuation to partnership associate agreements, all the way to listing your practice, to finding you a buyer, all the way to closing. Carrie: So what you're saying is, from that valuation standpoint, it's never too soon. Josh Griebahn: It's never too soon, but it can be too late. Carrie: Let's say I am nowhere near ready to transition, but I have one done now just to be safe, when would I need to have you revisit? How regularly should a practice do that? Josh Griebahn: Some will say every 12 months, but we usually will recommend updating it every two to three years. You never know if things change– maybe your hours  cut back. But to have that fresh valuation and have a letter of instruction, which we provide complimentary to people that reach out to us, that says who the important people are like the attorney and CPA. I unfortunately had a passing and nobody could find the information. I found the CPA, and they were actually best friends and the CPA didn't even know. So those are the crazy stories. But my plea is to reach out to anybody because we're not the only broker in the country. There are some great companies out there that do a great job representing. Minimizing Your Tax Liability During a Transition Josh Griebahn: But whoever you choose, sit down, have a valuation, and look at your tax structure because when you sell, minimizing your tax liability is a really important thing. Just because you sell for a million dollars, doesn't mean you're going to keep a million dollars. And if being an LLC, or a sole proprietorship, or even an S corp, doesn't match your goals in the end, there are so many tax structures that you can do. One thing I speak on, and I'm not an expert on it, but I have partnerships that are, is how to structure appropriately to minimize your liability. You can have a conversation tomorrow with somebody about those things and get that all set up. It has nothing to do with transitioning in terms of the process, but in terms of being prepared, protecting your family, and protecting yourself. I don't know a whole lot of people that like to overpay in taxes, especially at the time of closing. Those are really important things that you can do now.  ...

https://youtu.be/0XhXv0p-wm4 Nathan Porter Speaks About the Importance of Website Accessibility Our transcript of the discussion between Nathan Porter and Jameson Files host Carrie Webber has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Jameson Files Episode 144 Carrie: Welcome to the Jamon Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and we're thrilled to have you joining us for another episode. Today, we are going to focus on the realm of marketing. It's always fun to learn about marketing. What's the new trend? What are things that can help us be found more successfully or to bring in more new patients or to refresh our brand? All of those are always fun, but what we don't think about as business owners is what we are doing to make sure that we are being compliant and that we are protected in how our website is present online and is performing.  The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Acts) and Website Accessibility You may or may not know that there are pieces to your website that must be compliant according to the Americans with Disabilities Acts. And so I am so thrilled to have our Chief Marketing Officer, Nate Porter, with me today for this episode to talk about not only what you need to be doing to make sure you are protected and being represented correctly according to those ADA standards on your website, and how to evaluate to see if perhaps you need to do some updates, but also we're going to talk a little bit about your website in general. We often set it and forget it. Some of you may be a little more active and intentional in your marketing efforts, and you may be doing a lot of things well. Some of you may have some changes or some updates that you need to be considering. We're going to talk about those today.  Nate, thank you so much for being with me. Nate: Thanks for having me. Carrie: So, to start things off, let's really just give everybody a scare, shall we? Let's talk about websites from the side of being compliant according to the Americans with Disabilities Act. What does that even mean?  Why are we even talking about this? Can you give a little bit of an update, maybe a news report, on what we're talking about today? Nate: So about 15% of the population has some sort of disability that would impair them from interacting with your website in the way that you and I would. It can be anything from someone who's colorblind to someone who is fully blind or deaf. And so, the web platforms have been a little bit of a gray area for some time. The ADA has not been very forthcoming with their regulations and definitions for that. There's certainly been some talk about it since 2015 or 2016, but the legislation hasn't been there. So what's driven this though for business owners and people who operate websites, whether it's e-commerce or whatever, is legal actions. Domino’s Loses Lawsuit Concerning Website Accessibility In 2016, there was a landmark case against Domino's where someone was trying to order a pizza allegedly, and they were not able to complete the process because they were blind and they couldn't navigate to make that work. And so, people use assistive technologies like screen readers and things like that to help them in that process. Domino's lost that lawsuit. They appealed it all the way up to the Supreme Court, and in 2019, the Supreme Court declined to overrule that decision. In a way that established the standard for what was acceptable when it comes to accessibility. Now here we are a few years later, and we're seeing that the volume of lawsuits against people has really increased in this area. Carrie: So what you're saying is since these lawsuits have started to take place, doctors' practices may be thinking, well, Domino's Pizza is a little bit bigger than us. But what you're saying is, at this point in time, because of how the rulings have gone through in that kind of initial lawsuit, that puts every business owner that has a website online at risk for groups that are going out to see if you are indeed compliant based upon the ADA. We're not talking about the American Dental Association here, people, we're talking about the Americans with Disabilities Act. So what can practices do? What did they need to do to make sure they're being compliant and not putting themselves at risk for a fine? The Importance of Website Accessibility is Not Limited to Big Businesses Nate: So the thing to understand about this is that it's not the same as other compliance in your practice. Other compliance in your practice would be like HIPPA, OSHA compliance, those kinds of things, which are obviously very important. And you may receive scrutiny for that or someone may report something in those cases. This is a little different because your website is considered a public space, and so it comes under different levels of regulation. Also what we're seeing is that the people who are taking legal actions against website owners are not your patients, your local community, your customers. It's legal firms who are using bots to scan the internet and find websites that are not compliant. Then they filter that by industry to see which industries have the highest likelihood to be able to pay a lawsuit or legal action. Then they pursue legal action against those businesses. In the last three years, half of the top 500 websites have been named in a lawsuit regarding accessibility. It's very prevalent for small businesses and big businesses alike. And they're winning these lawsuits. Essentially what they're doing is when they find a website that is not compliant with accessibility, they work with a plaintiff on their side to bring the suit. Then they take legal action, so it can be very costly. Steps to Take to Ensure Your Website is Accessible Carrie: So what are some of the initial steps that practices can do to make sure that they indeed have their i’s dotted and t’s crossed in this respect? Nate: So the usability factor is fairly easy to understand. Implementation is a little bit more difficult.  What you have to look at, for people who are colorblind, for instance, you can't have things where you're using only color to indicate something. So if a field on a form is required and that's indicated by red text, somebody who's colorblind can't tell that. So it's something as simple as that.  For someone who's blind, there are assistive tags or texts that go along with images and that go along with the fields on a form that tell it what it is. It's in the code. It's not visible on the front end, but as someone's using a screen reader, it tells them what that is. The same for video. For video, you are required to have closed captioning so that it can read what's happening throughout the video. And also text that tells what the video is about. Then there's also contrast. For people who are vision impaired but not blind, if you have text over an image, that may not be very visible to them. Or if you have two colors that are too similar in tone, those might be visible to you and I, but it would be hard for someone who's vision impaired to read. There are a lot of different things like that.  We go through a process of auditing websites to identify how many things are wrong with them. It can also be something as simple as tab order. For example, if you're tabbing through a page, maybe it's jumping around instead of going in the order you would expect. So it really does require somebody to do an audit of your site to see what's wrong with it. Our team is certified in accessibility. Each person has gone through 10 or 20 hours of training to identify all of this. Our developers are used to that, but it's quite a bit of work to change that kind of mindset. Website and Marketing Needs are Constantly Evolving Carrie: So, if this just seems overwhelming and you don't even know where to start, because obviously this is something that we now know that five years ago wasn't even a thing. This is just another example of the evolution of websites and marketing and why it's important to stay up to date with your website. And so for those of you who need help with determining what your needs are for your current website, you can reach out to us at Jameson. We would be happy to have a conversation with you and work with you to audit your site to determine if you are all good, or if there are areas that need to be improved or changed to make sure that you're representing yourself correctly according to these standards. This just makes me think about when I talk to people in lectures about marketing. I'm always telling them that if your website is three years old and you haven't done anything to change it, it's completely out of date. So if they haven't done anything to their website since 2020, there's probably an overhaul that needs to be done.  Nate: Right. So it’s easy to remember back to 2020; that was the pandemic. Carrie: Unfortunately, no one can forget. Nate: If you haven't done it since the pandemic, it's definitely time to take a look. Carrie: While we're on the topic of websites, can we go a little deeper for a little bit? Something that I find interesting is that even though I feel like websites and the need for that has really been given its due justice at this point– we're not necessarily fighting as much to help practices understand the need for that online presence. Most practices have a website. It doesn't mean that it's any good or even remotely current, but they have something online with their name on it. But that just doesn't do the trick, especially if you're paying a company to keep that going for you. What's the point of investing in that when it is really not doing anything for you and your online presence and ability to be found? Would you like to join me on my soapbox about this? ...

https://youtu.be/JmntpDcp6vo Tangible Steps You can Take to Build a Powerful Practice Culture The following podcast has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie Webber: Welcome back to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and it's such a pleasure to have all of you back with us. However you are watching or listening, please know that we're so grateful that you continue to be a part of the Jameson Files community. Today, I am very excited because we have with us a special guest. She is not only an incredible leader, speaker, and educator in the dental profession, but she's also a very dear friend. Judy Kay Mausolf is with us today, Judy Kay thank you so much for joining us. Judy Kay’s Journey to Becoming a Dental Culture Specialist Judy Kay Mausolf: Oh, I'm so excited to be here. And how fun! This is like church chat. Carrie Webber: That's exactly right. I have to imagine that most of you listening today are familiar with Judy Kay, but for those of you that may be new to Judy Kay. Judy Kay is a speaker and an author and a dental culture specialist who focuses on helping dentists and teams build their practice cultures, build their communication skills, their leadership skills, and really help to create what we at Jameson believe is the ultimate pursuit of creating a healthy work environment where we can all grow, thrive, and live out our purpose in a fulfilling way. And so today the goal is to talk about how we build a powerful practice culture. But first, Judy Kay, for those of you that might be new, I'd love for you to share just a little bit about your dental story. What was the road that has led you to be the nationally renowned speaker and educator that you are today? Judy Kay Mausolf: Well, first of all, thanks for all the kudos. I feel really good now. It’s wonderful. I started in dentistry in the early eighties and started with a very adventurous general dentist who believed in continued education and invested a lot in his team. I've always been blessed to work with dentists while I was in a practice administration role for 26 years–dentists who invested in me and the rest of the team. So I've been very fortunate in who I was able to pair up with as far as working together to create that.  When I decided to start my business, I thought there was only one way to go. You had to be a full-blown consultant, and that was what you did, and you did everything. And I worked hard, and I had everything established and was rocking and rolling, and I didn't like it. I was like, “This isn't what I thought it was.” And so I told my husband, Steve,”You know what, honey?  I'm gonna change this. I'm going to do what I refer to as culture camps, and I'm going to focus on the culture side. That's where my passion is. I just want people to have a better life, and I want them to live happier.” And he goes, “Do you think you could make money at that?” I go, “I think so.” Carrie Webber: Your hunch was true Judy Kay Mausolf: Yes. So I focus on that area because I found that I can't be an expert in everything. Right? And you have the beauty, Carrie, in Jameson in that you have multiple people with many different strengths to be able to deliver that. As an individual consultant or coach, it's very hard to be the best in all of those things, and so I found that my joy and my passion really was the relationship side of dentistry. So that's where I spend my time– in the playground of drama and tension and conflict and stress. And people go, “How can you do that? That's the stuff that drives me crazy.” But for me it's about creating avenues to get rid of all that, so that they can live in peace and create a safe haven where they work. Carrie Webber: We all know that to have a really successful and thriving practice, you need to have great systems. You have to have great skills. You have to have a high performing team backing up the doctor and helping to accomplish their goals. But we both know that that cannot happen if there’s a toxic work culture or if there hasn't been intention put into place into creating a healthy work culture and to really building up that type of environment, both from the leader themselves and the development of leadership within the team. So I can only imagine that that is that perfect spot that you fit into and the things that you work on with practices day after day.  With all of the practices that you've worked with, and provided culture camps for, and all the lectures you've done across the country, I would love to have your perspective. If someone's watching today or listening and wondering how their culture could be better, what do they need to be looking at? What are the obstacles getting in their way? Or what are the things that they need to start focusing on to help their practice get healthier in that respect? Toxic Practice Cultures Stand in the Way of a Productive Team Judy Kay Mausolf: Well, everything starts with leadership, right? The buck stops with them. It's what they do. It's how they lead, in essence, or it's what they allow or accept, right? Because if you're an owner doctor, you have the ability to change your culture by who you allow to stay or who you don't, right? And so, oftentimes, leaders will keep someone at the practice because their performance is good when it comes to patient care, and they turn it on for the doctor, but they're toxic to their coworkers. And I think one of the key things is that we don't make exceptions. I have a cardinal rule or expectation that we treat each other as well as we treat our patients. And there's no exclusions, no exceptions. And when we start to do that, all the toxicity goes away. Because if we wouldn't allow it with a patient, why would we allow it with the person who has our back every day, right? So it's starting with that. If you have team members where they feel like they're walking on eggshells– they're coming into the office feeling like that, or you as the doctor are coming in feeling like that.  I was just in Tennessee speaking this last week, and there were a couple doctors in my audience that were actually, in essence, feeling like they were being held hostage by an associate or by a key team player. And so it really is important to be very clear about what they want in their environment, and then not let fear drive their decisions to be something that's dysfunctional. Carrie Webber: You know, I've said before that I think I need to write an article on What if the Problem is me? So, when you think about that in particular, that there could be a leader or a person that's holding the practice hostage with toxicity, do you think there's an awareness disconnect that they could likely be the cause of some of the dysfunction that's preventing them from achieving their practice vision? Judy Kay Mausolf: I think in some cases there is. I've seen where people weren't connecting the outcome or the results to their actions. And I think that that's because it has more to do with focusing on what other people are doing versus any reflection for themselves. One of the things that I do when I'm working with my doctors is gently holding up a mirror to let them see their role in their practice. And I help them see what it is that they're contributing. And part of the conversation before we ever make an agreement to work together is that they need to be open to being the one that may need to change. And if they're not, I'm not there to fix their team, right? We're all in this together, and when we step across a threshold in our practice, we have to know what the expectations are. And that's driven by the owner doctors. That's their baby, right? So the owner doctors need to support that as well, or the results are going to be way less. Practical Steps to Take to Motivate Your Team Carrie Webber: On the other side of that coin, we hear a lot about team motivation and engagement. How do I get my team motivated? How do I get them engaged? I feel like I'm just talking to blank faces. No one seems to want to help us grow and thrive. What are some key pieces of advice that you would give practices that might be on today and would like help motivating their team? It's such an issue. It always has been, but I feel like even more so today with all of the issues in hiring and finding team and keeping team. Motivation and engagement seems to be challenging across the board for practices. 1. Hire an Adequate Amount of Team Members Judy Kay Mausolf: Well, I think there's multiple things that are involved in this. To address the current stage that we're at, it really has everything to do with not having an adequate amount of team members to take care of the patients that we're seeing. Many of them are struggling with having a full scheduled team, let alone then, when they do have them all hired, they don't all show up. And the world has changed. Before Covid, if you had a little bit of a sniffle or something like that, you still came in. Now you don't.  Carrie Webber: You don’t. That's right. Judy Kay Mausolf: And so you almost need spare parts. You almost need spare people because you're always running at a deficit, right? So, for simplicity, let's say you have 10 team members, but you're almost always running with eight, but you're scheduling to accommodate 10. So we have to be realistic. I always say, don't take my word for it. Look back on your schedule. How many days did you have a full staff? How many days were you actually able to operate on that? And if it's at 80% most of the time, then we may need to tweak. And I understand we want productivity, but we also don't want to burn out our loyal long-term team members as well. So we have to be a little flexible on the schedule. 2....

https://youtu.be/9K9JsW0mc-8 Below, we’ve compiled the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 145. To enjoy the full episode you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Jameson Files Episode 145: The Emergence of AI in Dentistry with Mike Buckner from Pearl Carrie Webber : Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber. Thank you for joining us once again for another episode. I hope that you are a plugged in part of our Jameson Files community. Our goal at the Jameson Files is to not only bring you the stories and the successes of your dental peers, but to also bring resources and tools and keep us all on the forefront of what is cutting edge in our profession. And so we are recording live right now from ADA's SmileCon 2022 meeting in Houston, Texas, and I'm thrilled to have a good friend joining us for this episode: Mike Buckner of Pearl.  Mike is the Executive Vice President of revenue for Pearl. And if you're wondering what Pearl is, that is going to be the topic of conversation today, because what we are talking about today is artificial intelligence or AI. What role does artificial intelligence (AI) play in the dental profession? Carrie Webber : So when you follow the breadcrumbs of Mike Buckner, he’s usually following along the cutting edge wave of what's happening in dentistry. And today that’s the early stages of artificial intelligence making an impact in our profession. What is this gonna do? How does this serve our community? What are the differences this could make for dental practices?  But to start, can you share a little bit of the story of AI in industry and how this has originated and what are the solutions artificial intelligence is starting to bring to the table? Mike Buckner: Sure. So it's really exciting to bring this kind of technology into the dental space. Like you said, I've kind of been a dental tech junkie. In the early days I was over at Solutionreach and helped grow them. And then I had the opportunity to go over to Dental Intelligence, was with them for a period of time, and then with Weave for the last four years, right up until they had an IPO. At that point I kind of thought, “You know what, I'm gonna kind of take a step back and do some consulting. Cause I really wanted to be thoughtful of where that next move was, though I knew it would be in the dental space.  1. Newly Emerging: AI Technology for Dentists And I happened upon this AI technology! It's not something that was in the dental space; and that’s kind of shocking to me because it’s been utilized in medicine for quite some time with mammograms, X-rays, and such. Artificial intelligence is not new in the medical space, but it’s very new in dentistry. And this year, Pearl was the first company to be able to have comprehensive FDA clearance to bring this into the dental arena. And in doing so, this new technology really grew and impacted practices.  And really the one thing that kind of pushed me over the edge to be a part of this cutting edge technology was that for the first time ever with Pearl, a practice can actually get a very comprehensive report of all of the undiagnosed treatment in a practice. Not unaccepted treatment, but undiagnosed treatment in a practice. And we can do that by analyzing these x-rays with artificial intelligence. AI basically will go in and highlight all of the pathologies. The software generates a very comprehensive report of all of the undiagnosed—not unaccepted treatment, but undiagnosed treatment—in a practice. Carrie Webber : It’s a little mind blowing, you know, I think it's one of those things where seeing is believing. Because through the technology, you're able to pull up your patient's radiographs, and the AI software is pinpointing areas of potential concern or areas that it's identifying as concern. 2. Pearl’s Dental AI Software Product — Second Opinion Mike Buckner: Right. So we have two platforms at Pearl, and one of them is called Second Opinion. It really is kind of your second set of eyes. And when you think about it, with all the radiographs and x-rays that are taken and that our practices are viewing every day, this is super helpful. These are the black and white x-rays. And what's interesting is that the human eye can only pick up between 30 to 50 different shades of gray. That's it. And with AI, we give it these digital x-rays, and it can break those down, pixel by pixel. It can differentiate between 550 to 750 different shades of gray. So we are able to see things that are oftentimes too easily missed by the human eye.  Carrie Webber : Wow, that's incredible. And you had said something earlier about FDA clearance. Tell me about that. What's so key about that and where does Pearl stand in that realm? 3. Importance of FDA Cleared AI Software for Dentists Mike Buckner: So this  was kind of new for me because all the other software companies I had been a part of in the past, we didn't have to worry about FDA clearance. But with this software being utilized as a medical device, as a disease detection device, it needs FDA clearance. And especially as this is designed to be patient facing. So if you think about it, you go into the dental practice, and he pops up the x-rays, and he proceeds to point out, “Yep, we have this and this and this.” And I'll be honest, there were times when I didn't know what he was looking at. It didn't make sense to me. I could have been looking at a bunch of ink dots.  But now for a doctor to be able to say, here's what's going on in your mouth, here's what the AI is pointing out. See 62% of the caries is in the dentin, 5% in the enamel, et cetera. It shows the full breakdown of where that's penetrated and how much, and it helps the patient truly understand what's going on.  And when the doctor can say, “Mike, all of our x-rays are analyzed by an FDA cleared software,” we're not saying we have diagnosed this, we are just highlighting what the AI has detected. So, yes, when we talk about FDA clearances, right now Pearl is the only company that has a comprehensive list of FDA clearances, meaning not just one or two things that are FDA cleared, but clearance for caries, for periapical radiolucency, for calculus, a number of different pathologies, as well as having FDA clearance for the age of 12 years and up, as well as we are the only company now that is FDA cleared for bitewings and periapicals. So it is, again, if you're showing AI detections to a patient, and these AI detections are not FDA cleared for what you are showing them for, it is illegal. Pearl is the only company that has a comprehensive list of FDA clearances. And if you're showing AI detections to a patient, and these AI detections are not FDA cleared for what you are showing them for, it is illegal. Carrie Webber : As I've thought about this and I've processed this, you know, learning more about Pearl and other companies coming into the AI space right now, my initial response is, “Wow, this is amazing for DSOs and emerging groups. This is a very interesting resource for your clinical directors to mentor and train young up and coming dentists in treatment diagnosis, treatment planning, and quality control.” But at the same time, I've seen you present this, and the thing that finally rang a bell for me for solo practices was exactly to your point of the Second Opinion piece. What we know in patient education and treatment presentation is how important visual aids are for learning and understanding. We as human beings are visual learners, and that's why we've always been huge proponents of photography, internal cameras, scanners and so on. And I feel like this fits in that space for patient education. So it not only helps the provider in diagnosis, but also in education. And we always talk about building trust, need, urgency, and value in the relationship with the patient. And this can really help build that trust in what you're diagnosing. Is that what you're seeing or experiencing? Mike Buckner: So when it comes to case acceptance, there's a few things that really play into that. Especially when the doctor comes in the room, you have a very limited window of time to build trust and to get that patient trusting you on a level where they accept treatment. They have to trust the practice, they have to trust the dentist, and they have to understand what's going on. And so especially for an educational component here, that's everything. We're in a day and age where you go to the doctor, the doctor tells you what's going on, and first thing they need to check with “Doctor Google.” You can tell the patient straight up what it is, but the patient's in the background going, “Hold on, let me look at this.” So to have that technology that is backing up and supporting what the dentist is seeing. But then also what's really cool is AI can come in and analyze the anatomy of the tooth. So now the conversations with the patient aren’t seen just as jargon, like “that cavity is really encroaching on the pulp.” AI can come in and color code the anatomy of the tooth, showing all the different colors and layers and help them understand what's going on and why they need to get treated today versus putting it off. 4. Advantages and Disadvantages of Being an Early Adopter of the AI Software Carrie Webber : Yeah. This is a lot. I mean, if this is the first time you've really been introduced to what AI services are, it's a lot, and it's taken me a minute to really wrap my head around it. So I'm curious about the early adopters  of this software that have been like, “Let's do this.” What was it about this resource that those early adopters were on board with? Are there some commonalities? Mike Buckner: Absolutely. I mean, we see that the practices that are early adopters are cutting edge. Honestly, you think about it,...

https://youtu.be/JX4v9A5ooRc What role does patient financing play in helping patients receive the type of treatment they're looking for? Below, we’ve compiled the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 144. To enjoy the full episode you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Jameson Files Episode 144 —How Patient Financing Meets the Needs of Your Patients Carrie Webber: Sameer is the Vice President of Alliances for Care Credit, what we believe to be the premier patient financing program in the dental profession and in other professions outside of dentistry. You've been in the arena for many years, Sameer, so today I want to talk about the need for patient financing from the perspective of your patients. We often think about how this serves me as the doctor, but I would like for all of us in the dental realm to think about what role does patient financing play in helping patients receive the type of treatment they're looking for?  So Sameer, to begin, could you share with us a brief life history of CareCredit? Sameer Baseen: Absolutely. First of all, thank you for having me. This is a topic that I feel very passionate about, and I think you started out by stating it from a patient's perspective, right? Keeping the patient as the center point has always been CareCredit’s goal, and now we have been serving the profession for 35 years. Everything that we do literally always first asks what is best for the patient. And of course, what's best for our doctors and their teams too. Talking about money is not everybody's comfort zone, and we understand that. So having the tools and resources always evolving according to the needs of the day serves our patients by helping them get the dentistry they want rather than having to put their health as secondary. Demand for Patient Financing is Growing Carrie Webber: Right. So thinking of it from the patient perspective, I know that CareCredit and Synchrony do a great deal of continuous study. You really try to keep your finger on the pulse of consumer behavior—what patients are looking for, what are their obstacles to care, what seems to be the need. So for you, what is the demand for patient financing from the consumer standpoint that you all are seeing today in dentistry? Sameer Baseen: The demand has not been any different except that it has actually grown. More patients are more aware of their oral health and how it impacts their overall health. So they're more educated and asking for those options. Of course, when the economy is not doing well, patients don't want to use their cash. They still want and believe in the treatment that's being offered. But I think the biggest obstacle is our assumption that money, time and fear are always the reasons patients don't accept treatment.  I would actually put the value of dentistry in there. Are we educating the patients enough that they understand why this is important for them before we ever talk about money and time and fear?  So if you see that demand has increased, what is the real obstacle? If we are only focusing on if the patient gets approved for it, that means we have missed the mark somewhere. If the patient feels like they need to go have a conversation at home and discuss with somebody else, or they want to think about it, what did they want to think about? In our profession, the value of dentistry has always been around an idea that if it's not broken, bleeding or hurting, it's not urgent. And I feel that when we look at where the profession is, where the markets are, where the consumers are, demand has been constantly increasing. But remember, one of the things I always say is people don't buy cars; they buy car payments. They don't buy houses; they buy mortgage payments. And in some cases the dental investment needed could be just as big as a car. It's just that when it comes to that kind of dollar amount, people are used to having an option presented to them immediately. Patients Expect a Financing Option Carrie Webber: Yes. That's a great point. Would you agree that there's a likelihood that patients are coming in expecting that there will be a monthly payment option presented to them because we have come to expect that in any major investment that we make?  Sameer Baseen: Correct. Carrie Webber: So while we as dental practices may be avoiding it or saving it in the back pocket for a last resort, that puts an emphasis on bringing that to the forefront with every other option that you have available because it could be a patient of all levels of financial capabilities that may be interested in taking care of their dentistry in that way. When I interviewed Dr. Mark Hyman on the podcast, we talked about how when we assume for our patients, we're doing such a disservice for them. I agree with you also on the value piece. ADA surveys often show that with all the different reasons, in addition to cost, time, and fear, that need shows up. I always think that means perceived need. If they're not coming to the dentist because of a lack of need, then that is a blaring sign that there is no value in the care. There is no value in the treatment. At Jameson we always teach the four pillars of a patient practice partnership, and they are trust, need, urgency and value. The value has to be in place before the financial conversations take place.  Sameer Baseen: Absolutely. Lack of Communicating About Financing Delays Treatment Carrie Webber: So you are saying that you see the need; patients are seeking it out. Whether the practices are talking about it as an option to them could be left to be determined. Are the patients looking for it themselves? Are they finding Care Credit without the dental practice's help? Sameer Baseen: There's a little bit of both. When a patient comes into your practice, you go over the treatment that they need, and then we tell them that their benefits don't really cover anything. We tell them that it is urgent. We tell them that we are expecting them to pay 3, 4, 5, 7,000 up front. I, as a patient, am thinking that it's not hurting, it's not bleeding, and it's not broken. With holidays coming, do I really want to spend that?  If it's not the holidays, it's probably spring break. If it's not the spring break, it's the summer break. If it's not summer break, it's back to school. And then we are back to holidays. There will always be a reason. When we see Care Credit, credit card, or any kind of patient financing offered, it is offered as a product versus part of their process. It's always an afterthought. It's always when the patient says, “Well let me think about it. I'll call you back.” Carrie Webber: We say, “Hey, there's one more thing. Here, take this brochure. Just take this brochure while you go home to think about it and not call me back.” Sameer Baseen: That's exactly it. To a patient it's obviously not that important because otherwise you would have presented it up front. Carrie Webber: Yes. Sameer Baseen: Every treatment that you talked about, even some of the things that you mentioned that we can wait for 3, 4, 5 months, you discussed it up front. Money was obviously not as important, otherwise you would have gone over every option that I have. I think that one of the myths is that we want everybody to apply for patient financing.  Carrie Webber: Yes. Sameer Baseen: What we want is for the patients to finally say yes, whether it's by check, or credit card, or cash, or patient financing. The challenge that I have seen over the years is that we will not talk about it until the patient actually brings it up. Let's think about it. How many times will a patient actually come out and say, “Do you have any patient financing?” It becomes uncomfortable. If it's uncomfortable for you as a team member to have a conversation about money, it’s uncomfortable for the patient to also ask for that. Carrie Webber: Yes. Sameer Baseen: So if you are keeping it as a dirty secret, then that's where it stays. If you look at your diagnosed and unscheduled report, it will give you a blaring report of where and how we can address that. Myths Concerning Patient Financing Carrie Webber: Let's go there. Let's debunk the myths– Myth Busters: Patient Financing Edition. Number one is a good patient financing company does not want you to use patient financing on every single patient. They want you to use it as the tool to help the patients that are looking for patient financing as their solution.  Sameer Baseen:  Exactly.  Carrie Webber: What are some of the other myths that you hear? Sameer Baseen: One of them is that all our patients pay cash, or that patient financing is only for large cases, or people who have money, or people who don't have money.  It's like the extreme ends. Patient financing is an option, just like anything else. Think about your personal life. Have you ever financed? It has nothing to do with whether you can afford it or not as far as the product or service that you're about to buy. It is about giving the option. It’s not that it's only for certain demographics. I had one doctor tell me the reason rich people stay rich is because they use somebody's else's money. That’s one way to look at it. It has nothing to do with if the product is only for a certain demographic. It's for everyone. That's why I said product, process. Have that conversation. If I was to ask you if implants are for only certain demographics, you're going to say, “No”. Carrie Webber: Right. Sameer Baseen: It's the standard of care. It's a great option, and I would offer it to you. It doesn't matter what your credit score is. It's the same thing. It's the same service, so think of it from that aspect. So it's another myth that everybody pays cash. Another one that we hear is that you don't approve

https://youtu.be/RrlpTKu6k8I Our transcript of the discussion between Dr. Mark Hyman and  Jameson Files host Carrie Webber has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify Dr. Hyman Recounts His Lifelong Commitment to Continuing Education Carrie Webber: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm the Jameson Files host, Carrie Webber, from the Jameson Group., and we are thrilled to be recording this episode of the Jameson Files live at the American Dental Association's SmileCon 2022 meeting in Houston, Texas. I'm also thrilled to be sharing the main stage with our dear friend, colleague, Jameson client, and truly Jameson friend, Dr. Mark Hyman. So Dr. Hyman, thank you so much for being with me again. Dr. Hyman is speaking once again at the ADA meeting this year, two times a day. He’s been a speaker and an educator for over 20 years at this point. And that’s above and beyond the extraordinary practice he built. Dr. Hyman is an adjunct professor at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry. As a key influencer, speaker, and educator across the country, he has been recognized as a leader in continuing education for dentists for years and years. Truly, truly a remarkable contributor and gift to the dental community, helping to motivate and educate doctors and teams to realize their ideal vision for their practice and how to elevate patient care. The Power of Education for Dental Teams Carrie Webber: So, I wanna take an angle in our session today. You've been a guest on the Jameson Files podcast before, and today I want to take a different approach and talk about the power of education and continuing education for dentists and their teams, and also the power of education with our patients.  So let's start with you and your story. You know, we know your story as a dentist and the amazing practice that you built for yourself, but I'd love to learn a little bit more about your story as an educator. What has led you to where you are today as the prominent speaker and educator that you are? Worst First Semester Story Dr. Mark Hyman: Sure, Carrie. I appreciate that. Why am I here? You know, I would probably be considered the worst first semester dental student in the history of the UNC Adams School of Dentistry. I was our class president, cruising along, and midterms came, and I got crushed and barely made it out of first semester dental school. The first week back of spring semester, on Thursday night, I quit. I knew I couldn't be a dentist. I'd never make it, and I hated every part about it. But a young professor, Dr. Ron Straus, saved my life. I went to the dean's office, told him I was gonna quit, walked out, and ran into Professor Strauss. He just said, “Mark, it's okay. Being a dental student is nothing like being a dentist. Give it another hour. Give it a day. See how you do.” I resented how we were taught. And I did. I muddled my way through the spring semester, started in clinic, and graduated in three and a half years. So, I kind of went from worst to first. But I resented how we were taught. There was so much intimidation and humiliation, and it just didn't have to be that way. That's not the way to motivate excellence to me.  First Speaking Gig Fiasco (Almost) So when I was a resident at UNC, I got to do the orientation for the first year dental students. And I thought that's kind of cool. And then three years out of practice, Professor Ron Strauss asked me to come back and tell my story to the first year dental students. Being the excited young speaker (not), the thought of going back to the dental school…? I've got diarrhea and I'm nauseated, and after I worked in the morning, I jumped in my car … and I'm outta gas. I fly to the gas station, fill up, jump back in. And I hear a rip. I've ripped my pants from my belly button to my tush. And I'm like, ah, I'll be behind a podium and no one will see my pants are ripped. Then I thought, Idiot, get outta here! I flew home, got a pair of pants, drove to Chapel Hill, 90 miles an hour, run into the room, the audience, the students, were already waiting for me. I'm 10 minutes late, I'm sweating, I'm nauseated. …  I ran up and said something, and a couple of 'em laughed... I ran up and said something, and a couple of 'em laughed, and I said something else, and a few more laughed, and I said the third thing, and they started howling, and I finished and I got a standing ovation. And Professor Strauss came up to me and said, “You just had a magic moment there. You don't get many of those.” And I was like, “I don't know what that was, but I wanna do that again.” So I've done the intro to private practice class at UNC for 32 years. Since 1989 I've taught every first year dental student. At the Pankey Institute So, I muddled my way through some small study clubs and basically my results were, “Eh, he's a nice guy. He's trying hard.” But it wasn't impactful. So that was 1989. In 1990 I started at The Pankey Institute where I went every January through six years. Then I got to teach there. And one of the Pankey precepts is quid pro quo—to whom much is given, much is expected—you're expected to give back to the profession.  So I had the calling to try to spread the word for our type of dentistry. I did my first study club in 1993. The payment for that meeting was, they paid for my dinner. You gotta like that. At least I had that going for me.  A Winning Gig in Front of the ADA Scouts And then, Dr. Dennis Shinbori from the CDA was dear friends with a friend of mine at UNC. I saw the ADA was gonna be in Hawaii, and I thought I'd like to be paid to go to Hawaii. So I called my friend and said, “I wanna speak at the ADA.” And she kind of looked at me like, you're on drugs, son. I'm like, yes I am! She said, “You don't do it that way. You have to be scouted. So I'm gonna try to get you on the CDA at Anaheim.” So in April, 1999, thanks to Dennis Shinbori, I had my first gig in front of the scouts.  And with the CDA, you pay your way there, you pay your food, you pay your hotel, but you get an hour, right? And one hour before I was supposed to start, I'm in the Ho Anaheim Hilton with my wife and our three kids. And I absolutely decompensated. I'm like, I don't have an opening story. And I'm stomping around the hotel room, and my brown eyed girl, Danielle Rose, tugged at my sleeve. My eight-year-old Danielle. And she looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes and said, “Dad, what if nobody comes to hear you?” And my wife, my jersey girl, said, “Honey, these Californians can be tough. So don't try to be witty. Don't try to be clever. Don't try to be cute. Just be yourself.” And from that one meeting, I got the ADA, AGD, Yankee Chicago, greater New York, Hinman, TDA, Florida… And that was my opening story at the CDA. And from that one meeting, I got the ADA, AGD, Yankee Chicago, greater New York, Hinman, TDA, Florida…. I ran the table and the rest is history. So that was pretty cool.  Dental Educators That Motivated Dr. Hyman So again, I bought basically a bankrupt private practice on July 1st, 1986. My third month of private practice, I heard Linda Miles speak, which was life changing. Then I heard this woman from Oklahoma, Dr. Cathy Jameson, who just blew me out of the water. So in April of ‘99, I spoke at the CDA in Anaheim in May. Dr. Billy Dorfman from Beverly Hills had the Discus dental meeting. He and I had a conversation, and he put me on the discus meeting, took all the speakers to Cirque du Soleil “O” at the Bellagio and sat my wife and I next to Doctors Cathy and John Jameson.  And that changed my life. Dr. Cathy Jameson just blew me out of the water. So then I took my team to hear Cathy speak, and they were blown away. So we started working with Jameson Management and Consulting. And that was impactful at a partnership that wasn't working out. Dr. Cathy Jameson spent a full day with my partner, trying to raise her game. Then we lovingly decided to part ways, 2005. I got fired, moved to my new building, Cathy came back in, and we went all in with coaching and consulting.  Rocketing Profitability Came With Jameson Coaching Every four months, we had two days of in-office consulting. I had a monthly management call, leadership call, and a weekly marketing call. So I say to my students, “Coaching's expensive, isn't it?” And the answer that the UNC students will give is, “Compared to what?”  And my practice grew over $500,00— working fewer days per month! So I probably paid, I'm guessing at that time it was like $40,000 for coaching in a 24-month period? And my practice, my million dollar practice, grew over $500,00— working fewer days per month! Now that sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? To grow $500,000 while working less days per month. What is that over 24 months? It's one extra tooth a day. It's one extra crown in your eight hour day.  Having elegant coaching and consulting that looks at your 25 systems and just tweaks each of the systems, the white average Jameson client goes up 25% to 30%. I only went up 52% in 24 months—and kept growing after that. So that was the gift of constant coaching and leadership training and marketing training.  And I’ve built that into my seminars: You don't have to humiliate a student to learn and grow. You don't have to humiliate a teammate to inspire them and turn them on. You just have to give 'em predictable systems and train 'em and get out of their way. So that's been the gift to me that your family and your organization gave to me. Cuz I was a wild man, bouncing from room to room, putting up big numbers, but in misery. And just by refining the systems—it gave me such joy, better patient care, better team retention, better profitability, and a lot more fun. Continuing Education: A Foundational Principle of Dental Practice Su

https://youtu.be/U-__owqqXPg Our transcript of the podcast with  Jameson Files host Carrie Webber has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and I'm so happy to be back with you for another episode. Today I want to talk about a subject that continues to be a pain point in your practices, and that is broken appointments and no-shows, and what we always call that is the hole in the bucket. You do all of this work to fill your bucket, to fill that schedule, and all it takes is a couple of holes in that scheduled bucket before the money starts pouring out of the bottom. And it’s exhausting and frustrating to keep trying to fill those voids that are coming into your schedule.  11 Keys To Eliminating Broken Appointments So you may be looking for that magic bullet that's going to help you reduce those broken appointments and no-shows completely forever. The bad news is, I can't stand here and tell you that you can eternally remove broken appointments and no-shows. But what you can do is start being more proactive about scheduling processes, patient experience, and communication skills. That always helps to reduce those broken appointments and no-shows. And if you have systems in place to fill the voids (should they unfortunately come your way), you can fill the holes left by canceled appointments.  So to start things off, I want you to start thinking about your systems that support effective scheduling and the reduction of broken appointments. Then I want you to think about your skill sets: your verbal skills, your confirmation processes, your follow up processes. All of these pieces of the puzzle, when brought together, help to build a strong foundation for effective scheduling.  One of my favorite books is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I quote it all the time, so I'm sorry if I'm gonna be repetitive here. But what Mr. Clear says is, you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. And so if you feel like the hamster on the hamster wheel day in and day out, constantly having to battle, keeping your schedule filled, then there is a likelihood that we need to take a step back and look at the scheduling systems in your practice. What systems do you have in place in order to be effective and consistent in your scheduling experiences so that those patients you are scheduling see the value of that appointment?  Step 1. Proactive vs Reactive Scheduling and Planning So let's start thinking of our approach to scheduling, reducing broken appointments and no-shows, proactively instead of reactively. When something is an ongoing pain point in your practice, there’s a very high chance you are living in what we call “reactive mode.” You are entering every day prepared to be responsive to broken appointments. You know you're going to have to fill voids, turn on a dime, and manage the chaos that is going to ensue in your day.  Our goal is to start thinking proactively about taking the offense so that we are in control of our schedule and working as a team to support the schedule and the patients’ sense of value for being a part of that schedule. And you may say, ”Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say, Carrie, you're not sitting here trying to fill voids in the schedule!” This is where we need to look at how you're scheduling. Are you doing it effectively and in a way that leads to consistency in your daily rhythms? At Jameson we teach what we call the “essentials of scheduling.” I'm going to briefly overview what we consider some of those essentials right here. But if you want a deeper dive into the essentials of scheduling, I encourage you to go to the Grow online learning platform that we have at Jameson. There's an entire learning pathway there where one of our advisors walks you through the essentials of scheduling and how to start incorporating this into your scheduling systems. (And if you're a Jameson client listening to this, this will not be foreign to you. But you may be wanting a refresh. If so, reach out to your advisor and request this at one of your upcoming sessions. 1. Production-Goal Scheduling But for all of us here as a part of the Jameson Files podcast community, let's review briefly what we call the essentials of scheduling. First, you need to schedule based on your production goal. Why? Because you first have to know what you need to schedule day in and day out to be able to keep the doors open, reward your team, and reward yourself. Understanding this keeps your business flowing. So schedule based on a production goal, and let the entire team know what it is.  In your daily huddles, you should be reviewing what production is scheduled to be that day. What was scheduled for yesterday? Did you meet or exceed your goal? What is scheduled for tomorrow? Tracking in this way keeps you working as a team toward helping the pursuit of the goals you've set for your practice. 2. Schedule doctor vs. assistant time. And when you schedule for a production goal, schedule doctor time and assistant time. Why? Because an effective schedule has got a doctor dovetailing with the other team members. He or she should never be in a position where they are supposed to be in two places at the same time. Does this make sense?  So if you know what portion of your procedures and appointments are actual doctor time and what increments are actually assistant time, then you can more effectively stagger the schedule so that your doctor doesn't have to be superman or superwoman and fly around the practice all day, ultimately leading you to run behind schedule. You know where that leads. And so what you can do to be more intentional and proactive in scheduling is make room for the attention and the presence that is demanded of your doctors, your assistants, your hygienists, and your entire team with your patients. If you’re wanting to build value for appointments, those patients need to feel that value, and the way you schedule your doctors and team can help that. 3. Maximize your scheduling software. You need to be maximizing your scheduling software. You may say, “Oh yes, I am absolutely maximizing Dentrix!” Well, I think Dentrix trainers would beg to differ with you. There's a likelihood that you are grossly under-utilizing the tools that you have available to you to effectively schedule, stay in communication, fill voids in the schedule, and so on.  So it may be time for a reality check about how well you're utilizing the tools, technology, and software you have available to you. If you are like 90% of dental practices, you likely have patient communication software that you are under utilizing in terms of confirming appointments, checking on patients that might be running a little behind, refilling voids in the schedule, and more. So do the work, train on the tools, and maximize the tools you have. They're going to help you in your time management and in your execution of your systems.  4. Schedule a variety of procedures.  We find a lot of times that documentation is subpar in practices. So make sure you're detailing each appointment so that everyone on the team that's involved in that appointment knows what they're preparing for. That helps in time management and in execution of appointments. Schedule a variety of procedures.   Does anybody ever have that day where it's a lot of really quick fill it, fill it in, fix it up, kind of appointments, and that by the end of the day you are toast, you're exhausted, and you have no production, um, to back up the day. Um, it sure felt busy and productive, but it really wasn't because we're not scheduling for a variety of procedures. So let's be more intentional in how we're filling the schedule every day.  5. Pre-block.  We go into detail on this in the Essentials of Scheduling pathway on Grow because this is a really important piece. We need to have primary, secondary, and tertiary appointments so that we can be scheduling a variety of procedures in the day. That way, instead of having these peaks and valleys in your schedule, you have more consistency. That is healthy scheduling.  We wanna make sure we're making room for the doctor hygiene evaluations. Remember, when your doctors are scheduled to be in two, three, or four places at once, they're typically not in at least two or three of the places they're supposed to be! And you know what? Those evaluations are very important moments in the patient's interactions with you, and that will build value for future appointments.  Block time for emergencies, and make sure you discuss that in your daily huddles, especially if you find that you're seeing too many emergencies. Know ahead of time how many you can see today. So that is a brief review of some of the essentials that you need to be proactive about in your scheduling processes. It’s the foundation you want to build for a patient's experience so that you can be more successful in retaining appointments and not having patients fall through through the cracks. Step 2. Proactive Patient Partnership Building When it comes to broken appointments and no-shows and reducing them, verbal communication is an area you should continue to refine. And that starts from the time you schedule an appointment. When you confirm an appointment, when the patient goes through an appointment, when they're checking out of an appointment, and when you schedule them for the next appointment, your communication skills are critical.  The verbal skills used in these patient interactions are either going to build value for the appointment or diminish the sense of value. Remember, the ADA Health Policy Institute tells us that in their consumer-facing surveys they’ve found that the top 3 reasons patients delay treatment,...

Below, we’ve compiled the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 141. To enjoy the full conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify https://youtu.be/K2CJmQ0uV9Y What we want to talk about today are what are the trends that were consuming your minds and your time this summer in your dental practices? And I'm going to focus on one very specific trend that was consuming most of the practices that we have been speaking with all summer long. And that's team hiring.  Hiring New Team Members and Maximizing the Dental Staff You Have Many of you continue the search for team members to fill the different roles in your practices, and are struggling to find those superstars to step into those positions. And that has not only been a frustrating part of your summer. The struggle that goes hand-in-hand with that is the maximization of a minimal team, and how to continue to move forward and keep running smoothly. So let’s talk about that trend and discuss some ways to plan for success in it. How can you gain more attention for open positions while at the same time continuing to build a healthy work environment?  As our founder, Kathy Jameson, would say, “How do we keep our team engaged, motivated, and doing the good hard work?” The risk of being understaffed is that your team starts to burn out because they have trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And, as leaders, you have to continue to encourage them.  The state of the dental industry is that we have lost a lot of hygienists out of the workforce. Studies show that 8-9% of the hygienists have left the workforce altogether, so it’s no wonder there’s a struggle to find hygienists for our practices. But what we’ve heard here at Jameson is that you're also struggling to find great business team members, great assistants, and even struggling to find associates to bring into the practice. So what can you do differently to get better results?  A. Successful Strategies for Recruiting Talent Well, first a word of encouragement. Don't give up. Be persistent about finding the right person. If you start to compromise on what excellence looks like in your team members and just hire anyone, you're ultimately sacrificing your vision for the sake of filling that seat on the bus. And what I want you to continue to do is seek out the right people while also taking a look at what you could do differently in the job search to perhaps get a better result. Remember, this issue exists nationwide. There are five to seven other practices in your community looking for every available employee. So it's definitely the employee's market at this point, in terms of where they choose to land and call their new work home. When you get frustrated and say, “Oh, we had all these applications and then none of them were showing up for their interviews,” well, the fact of the matter is that they probably took another job already.  1. Refine your ads. So you need to be very intentional in terms of the messaging of your job posts. Be very intentional about your interview process. And be very intentional about your online presence online, especially the content of your ads. If you're having trouble getting great candidates to submit applications for your position, take a look at your ad. If I looked at your ad right now, wherever you're posting it, does it look exactly like an ad for that position in 27 other practices? If the answer is yes, why would I ever differentiate you as the place I want to work for compared to anybody else?  Remember your vision. That's the DNA of your practice. So take a look at the content you're posting and refine, refine, refine. Create content that is specifically focused on your practice. Rewrite your ad from the perspective of your dream employee. What is it about your practice that they can expect? What are they stepping into? What is it that makes you special? What is it that you ultimately want in terms of the characteristics of that person? As you put your practice values into the message, someone who embraces those values is going to be attracted to your job post. 2. Review your online presence. Just like your potential patients are looking at your online presence to decide if they want to be patients in your practice, so are your potential employee candidates. They're looking at your website, they're looking at your reviews, they're looking at your social media presence. And if it's lackluster, why again, would I want to come and work for a practice that seems less than what my values are in my professional career?  So make your external presence represent the ideal vision of your practice, both for your patients and for your team. And if you're not using your own social media, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn pages to post your job opportunities, what are you waiting for? What are you afraid of? Be intentional and proactive. And if your team is willing, have them share and spread the word. We want some people that are gonna be just as emotionally invested in your practice as you all are joining your team. So get the word out in those places if you haven't done so already. We often depend upon things like Indeed to bring us our magical candidate. But when that doesn't work, you really have to start doing a few things on your own to help increase the probability of finding that rockstar employee.  3. Conduct a professional interview. Let’s talk about the interview process. And remember, if I’m a potential candidate interviewing with your practice, chances are I'm interviewing for three others, right? So how are you representing your practice in the interview process? If you have an expectation of a team member's performance or what you want their experience to be like in your workforce, then that needs to be reflected in the interview process. How professionally are you representing your practice, from the first telephone call with a candidate to how you're scheduling time to interview them, to how you're taking them through an application process, to how you are leading through the interview experience? You are building a perception of value from the very beginning.  And make sure you're not only asking them the right questions. The process of hiring starts by asking yourself the right questions long before this person ever walks through the door. What are the things that you want to make sure you learn about them? What do you hope to hear from them when they're with you face to face? What traits are you looking for? Carefully consider these things if you want to make your interview and hiring process efficient and effective. Ask the right questions and represent your practice in the right way because you are setting expectations of professionalism and behavior from that very first interaction with you. So start things off on the right foot, and if you’re looking for superstars, they are determining with every experience they have with you, whether or not this is a place for them to grow.  B. Streamlining Operations To Ease the Burden on Existing Team Members But no matter how well you’ve refined your hiring process, finding a new team member isn’t something that happens tomorrow or overnight. So what do you do in the meantime? Let's talk about working to create a desirable work environment. With the employee deficit, you’re going to have to do cross-training, and it’s more important than ever to have consistent communication. You’ll find yourself repeatedly refining the skills and processes that your team does every day, because more than likely everyone is carrying an extra load. 1. Cross-training Let me tell you, cross-training your team is never a bad idea. It's always a good idea because we want everyone on the team to understand the different systems, roles, and responsibilities. That way each team member not only understands where their role fits into those processes, but should a day come when someone is sick, or if someone leaves and you're short staffed, everyone can help pick up that slack and do it well. This requires team meetings to train through your processes and continuously develop your systems and workflows. Also, in those meetings, you need to report on the state of hiring and let the team know where things are and that you as leaders are continuing the search for that new person to join the team. And be sure to boost your team’s morale with the fact that while this is a season, this is not a forever season, even if it may be taking longer than expected.  2. Communicating Consistently The presence and the communication of leadership can help a team continue to rally and fill in the voids that a missing person has left so you can continue on together with as little stress as possible. So make sure you're having those team meetings. Don't do away with those because you’re too busy or overwhelmed. You need them now more than ever to communicate with each other, to troubleshoot and identify the needs you have, and to determine how to do things better in this interim time. 3. Refining Processes You may have the opportunity at a time like this to look at ways your reorganizing with a minimal team could actually benefit your practice moving forward. Maybe this is an opportunity to do things differently, to do things better.  Remember at Jameson, the model of success is this: See fewer patients in a day. Do more treatment per patient when and where it's appropriate. Remember, time is a big motivator or demotivator for patients to come to see the dentist, so finding ways to see them for fewer appointments when and where possible benefits them and you.  When I encourage you to maximize a minimal team, I'm not saying go fire people. What I am saying is that there may be an opportunity here to refine and further clarify roles in your practice....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeoQO0RVGA8 Below, we’ve compiled the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 138. To enjoy the full conversation with our very own Carrie Webber and Brett Wilson you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie Webber: Welcome to another episode of the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber. And I'm so glad that you're with us. The question before us is: how can we improve patient education and ultimately improve case and treatment acceptance? To discuss that with us, we have Brett Wilson, the president of Digital Doc LLC. The team behind Digital doc had been friends of the Jameson Family for many, many years. And so, Brett, thank you so much for joining me today! Brett Wilson: I’m looking forward to this. How Photography Educates Patients and Increases Treatment Acceptance Carrie Webber: So for those of you that maybe aren't familiar with Digital Doc, it’s one of the premier companies in the camera space—intraoral cameras and so much incredible technology that you're using in your practices today. Digital Doc stands at the forefront of innovation and quality tools for the best treatment, education, diagnosis, and presentation for both you and your patients. So today I want to talk with you, Brett, about the power of photography in dental practices. Yes, it's been around for a while now. It's no new thing. If I were to ask five doctors or five hygienists sitting at this table with me today, “How many of you have access to a camera?” they'd all probably raise their hand. But then if I’d ask, “How many of you are using them in all of your appointments?” or “How many of you are using the photographs you take in follow up appointments?” the hands start to drop.  So what do you find when you're having conversations with practices, Brett? If they were to take a look at their utilization of photography and of their tools, where are they falling short? Where could they look to improve in the coming year? How does your patient take in information? Brett Wilson: One area is looking at who is coming into my practice. I really like to refer to them as the consumer. Are we looking at our patient as a consumer? And if so, how do our consumers buy? How do our consumers live?  We are all consumers. So how do we live? You know, what cell phone do we have? What size of television are we watching at home? Do those things matter? I believe they do. We live in an HD world today. No matter where you go, you're going to see a 55” screen. You can order from Starbucks, or you can go to a fast food restaurant. Wherever you are, it’s there. Or take sports. We're all passionate about that. Some pro, some college. We're not going to watch a sporting event in standard definition today. So when we go into dental practices and we see the computer screen on the counter or no imaging at all in front of the patient, what does that say? How many put a 55” or even a 65” screen on the wall in front of the patient and really connect with that consumer? We're not seeing that as much. And so I like to start there, just who are we really communicating with? I would argue we're dealing with the most sophisticated consumer today that we've ever had. Carrie Webber: That's such a great point! that I am 100% that. When we're talking with practices about their patient experience and their treatment presentations, we're trying to encourage them to shift their mindset from what they think patients need to look at it from the perspective of the patient. What do your patients want? How do they process information? The easier we make it for them to receive and process  information, the better it is for everyone. So, what are you finding that is really driving patient perceptions, Brett? Brett Wilson: So when we look at consumerism in general, we look at the studies done in marketing of how we connect with consumers and how we buy. We have to be connected multiple times, right? Five to seven, they say, on average. But we're emotional. We buy based on emotion, not necessarily logic.  But when we present treatment plans to patients, it's oftentimes very logical-based, and it should be to an extent, because you have to deliver the information. But we need to be showing them the images while we talk. We are visual people. Our patient, who's carrying around that $1,300 cell phone in their pocket, upgraded the phone because the images are spectacular, right? How does your presentation compare to what they experience on their phone? What equipment are you using to meet that patient demand? So when it comes down to the technology and the practice, you have to equip your hygienist and all providers. That's the minimum. Our most successful doctors have a camera in every single chair. But at least have the minimum—a camera per provider—and make sure they're using it. Make sure you have a system in place. It's very effective when doctors are checking that, when the hygiene patient comes in, images are on the screen. That's very effective and works well. But be sure your providers are confident in their imaging as they’re using the product. Their images are something they should be getting excited about. They should be able to say, “Hey, wow! Can you believe this image?”  I was in an office two weeks ago, and I was looking at the images they had up on a 60” screen on the wall. I was like, “That is unbelievable!” The image was just taken and it showed up on that screen. Wow. That’s something you can really get excited about. Carrie Webber: Yes, and the utilization is key. We have to be maximizing these tools. Hygienists, doctors, assistants need to take those images, pull them up on a screen, and have them ready when the dentist sits with that patient.  So what do you see as the turning points for team members to really see that value and get excited about it, Brett? How can you encourage people to do the work and get more comfortable with the tools and become passionate about it? What’s going to turn the tide for practices on this? Brett Wilson: It's all about equipping them with a camera per provider. And I'm not trying to sell you more cameras, but I know the impact that will have on your practice. And then just make the time. I mean, we can carve out the two minutes in an appointment that it takes to capture images.  How important is a full smile photograph? I like to talk a lot about the full smile image. I feel like we're missing opportunities if we’re not taking a full smile photograph in hygiene. Many offices are into ortho, clear aligner therapy, cosmetic dentistry. They want to do more of that, but they're not taking a full smile photo in hygiene.  A lot of times I hear that. “Well, I took a full smile with our digital SLR on the new patient exam.” And that's great. I'm sure you did. But how often are you reviewing those images with your patients? And we're all in a different place in life six months to a year later. So we just use the smile as a routine image taken in hygiene. It’s powerful what comes out of that. And they don't really even have to say anything.  The hygienist simply captures the smile photograph, then just leaves it on the screen and goes to get the doctor for the hygiene check. When the doctor comes back, most of the time, the patient has some questions about what they’re seeing on the screen. Either answer the questions now or bring him back to have more of a consultation regarding those larger treatments.  That's been very effective in increasing the education for patients and the revenue of the practice. Carrie Webber: You know, I love that because photography should be used in education and in motivating people to move forward with the treatment they want or need. It not only helps you in presenting a diagnosis, but it can also be such a powerful tool to help patients see the value of the decisions they've made. Seeing the value will offset buyer's remorse and help them see, “Oh, wow, I'm making a really good decision.” And who doesn’t like to watch the progress of the clear liners that they've invested in or that ortho treatment you were talking about. That can really help build value and loyalty in your patients and also give them tools to talk about you to friends or family that may be looking for a dental home. So, Brett, I'm sure doctors are asking you, “What can I expect out of doing all these things?” So you and your team at Digital Doc, what kind of results do you see from these practices that are all-in on the utilization of photography? How much revenue increase can you expect by embracing this kind of photography? Brett Wilson: We talk a lot about a 10% increase in revenue, and we believe that's conservative. Definitely a 10% to 30% increase in revenue. I remember speaking to your team, and, Dr. Kathy spoke up and said, “Brett, it's 30% with the right number of cameras. We've tracked this for 30 years.” So it is powerful, the increase that can and will happen with the adoption of the camera minimum per provider, and then taking a series of photos.  And the volume of images does matter. Patients need to see more. We talk a lot about “See More, Do More” in our organization. If the patient gets to see more on the screen, the office will see the impact in increased case acceptance with general treatment, but definitely with those elective dentistry items. Those electives are the things, often, that the patient wants to talk about that doctors didn't have on their list. Doctors, be sure to make a big deal of the photographs! And doctors need to be empowering the individuals that are taking the images. That's a big deal. Doctors can talk about how amazing the image is and how great a job their hygienist is doing capturing photos. And, wow, can you believe this before and after?...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uk4UTqlHXs Ask the Right Questions, Make the Big Decisions, and Achieve Your Practice Vision Below, we’ve compiled the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 137. To enjoy the full episode with our very own Carrie Webber you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie Webber: Hello and welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber, and I'm flying solo for this episode about getting through the financial slump, the employee crisis, COVID and all its far-reaching impact. We all, as leaders, can get through this. We can embrace our practice vision; we can ask ourselves how to renew, revise, revisit, and reorient in ways that can make our dreams happen. So thank you so much for joining me. I want to take some time to address the moment in time we are in right now and what's happening in the dental profession as we’ve been hearing it from practices all across the country. Practices are facing a continued struggle to hire, to find the right team, to get back to continuing growth, and to get back to their ideal vision for their practice. We continue to find ourselves faced with unheard of issues regarding the season of COVID, and it’s important that those of you in leadership positions in your practices feel empowered to continue the good fight and make progress. And that leads us to today's topic—pushing through questions you need to ask, the decisions you need to make, and the actions you need to take for your practices’ progress as well as your personal sanity. ADA Stats on Impact of COVID on Dental Practices So where are we now? ADA's Health Policy Institute in its most recent update monitoring the COVID pandemic impact stated that half of those that completed their survey were definitely planning or currently searching to add team members to their practices. So that tells us there's a great many out there looking to hire now or in the very near future.  In addition, our friends at Cedar Solution, in a recent online presentation by Paul Edwards of Cedar, stated that it's taking three to four months to hire a new team member. So the ongoing search is still in full force across the country.  We talk to clients all the time about what to do in this moment. How do we push through this and overcome the strain of working with a limited team? How do we continue to work on the things that are the priority while dealing with the ongoing urgency that we're faced with day in and day out? Make communication with your team a priority. First, I’ll say it’s especially important to prioritize time to connect with teammates, co-leaders, and partners. Because if you're not connecting and communicating, there are a lot of things that are probably continuing to stay stuck. In order to keep working towards your practice vision, you need to stay united and aligned, whether you're understaffed or whether you are growing and struggling to fulfill all of the demand that you have from the patients in your practice. Those team meetings are going to be important in order to address where you are now, where you want to be, and how you can work together as a team to continue to move forward toward your ideal goal. So focus on your vision and communicate with your team. If you're looking for positions in your practice and coming up dry, it might be time to review what your job posts look like; rally together as a team and brainstorm this together so that you can refine it, go back to the drawing board, and keep the search going. And you can elevate your efforts by determining a creative approach to how you're going to run the practice in the interim.  Team unity, team creativity, and team training are vitally important! So what kind of meetings are you having? Are you having your daily huddles? Are you having weekly team meetings, monthly team meetings? Are you having team meetings at all? In my opinion, when you're in times that are perhaps outside of your norm or times of heightened stress, it's important to maintain or even increase the number of team meetings until things feel like they're smoothing out. The time you spend in meetings can be some of the most valuable time you have as a team growing your business.  Create an engaged team. If you've let team meetings fall by the wayside, it might be time to ask yourself some questions. Are your meetings consistent? Are they productive? Are they the types of meetings that we need to have? Is the timing of the meetings optimal? What is the purpose of your meetings? If your meetings are missing the mark, how can you adjust? How can you be more intentional? Are you creating agendas? Are you making time for training, for brainstorming, for action planning to review your goals? Is the team engaged?  I often hear, “Oh, we have team meetings, but no one's really plugged in and engaged.” It's important then to take a step back and ask how we can reset the purpose and the process of our meetings to help engage more people in these unusual times. If you feel like you are stuck in a rut, the people that are going to be able to help you the most are the people that are in the trenches with you. If we can create an engaged team where there's room for people to communicate, give feedback, share ideas, and discuss and take an interest in everyone's well being, that is the environment we're looking for. So your work environment is going to make a difference for you and how you carry through in the unusual times. Those practices that have continued to make communication and connection a priority throughout the history of their practices are the ones that are getting through this critical time most successfully because the team is engaged. Work on action plans, work on strategy, brainstorm together, make sure there's alignment. This is the time to make sure we're all on the same page of where we are now and where we're going and accountability. If you've worked with Jameson, you know we're huge proponents of goal setting and action planning. And when you do that correctly, there is a place for evaluation and assignment of responsibilities, so that accountability takes place. And when someone is a part of the solution, they have a deeper sense of ownership for that solution. Train and cross-train your team. If you're hiring but you can't find anyone, it may be time to go back to intentional training and cross-training because in this climate, we're going to need to be adaptable, and we're going to need to be able to float sometimes depending on what the day brings. If someone's sick and you're also understaffed, that creates a great deal of stress.  It's important for our clinical team to know how we schedule, and it's important for everyone to be on the same page about how we, ideally, lead our patients through their appointments and so on. If everyone isn’t on the same page, it makes it even more difficult and stressful when you may be short a team member for a day, week, a month, or four months. So we need to make sure we're cross-training so we can be as effective as a team as possible, regardless of who is present.  Consider outsourcing. If you're understaffed or feel stretched, busy, or overwhelmed, it may be time to start asking, “Should we hire? Do we outsource? What do we need to do to bring more balance to our days?” So it's important to take a look at this, realistically. Do you feel like you are managing your time appropriately? Do you feel like you have great systems in place? Do you feel like everything is being run well but you are still maxed out? It may be time to start looking for some solutions or another person if you are already maximizing a minimal team. And by a “minimal” team, I'm not saying to fire everybody and go down to bare bones. I am saying that the important thing is to make sure you’re maximizing the people you have before adding another person to the mix. Sometimes it seems like the easiest solution is to just hire somebody to take on the things that are stressing us out, but there's not real clarity as to what you need and how that need will best be filled. Make sure to consider your current overhead overall. Are you monitoring your profits and losses to make sure that the practice can ultimately afford to hire a new person? Perhaps you could outsource some of the responsibilities that are starting to create strain. Maybe it’s time to reset the roles of your team and outsource some of those tasks? Would that be a more affordable solution?  Of course, if you start outsourcing a lot more than what a salary would be, it may be time to hire. But you could find some great solutions outside of a team so that your team members can work on what only they can do. And you can outsource some of those tasks, giving them room to focus on the most productive and the highest use of their time. Making sure that the practice can support what you want to add to the mix is important before any decision is made.  Manage time and maximize the team you have.  Are you on the cusp of burnout? Now, something else that I'm hearing a lot lately is people on the cusp of burnout. Adam Grant, who is an author, and a thought leader wrote a great article earlier this year, and he used the term “we're languishing” as a society. We're languishing. Meaning we're not quite burnt out, but we're just going through the motions. So how do we overcome that sense of burnout or languishing that we as leaders may be feeling? Because here's the important thing to remember as leaders: We feel this need to continue to motivate and keep our team motivated, but it's very difficult to do that when we ourselves can't keep ourselves motivated, right?  And so we need to refocus on our purpose, we need to work on the vision. Keeping an eye on the prize can often keep you motivated to work through the glitches, issues,...

https://youtu.be/Mjd1IpSPuI8 Below, we’ve compiled some of the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 133. To enjoy the full conversation with our very own Carrie Webber and Becky Speers, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify Carrie Webber: Thanks for being with us today! We have a fantastic guest, and I'm thrilled that she's joining me. She is one of my teammates, Becky Speer, one of Jameson's incredible business and clinical advisors who has been with us for well over a decade now. And prior to joining the Jameson team and helping doctors and teams across the country with their business and hygiene systems, she was practicing hygiene in Oklahoma. Not only that, but she was practicing hygiene in a dental practice that worked with Jameson. Let’s talk about case acceptance techniques. Becky, what I want to talk about with you today is the hygienist’s role in case acceptance by helping to educate patients and support the diagnosis and treatment the doctors are recommending. When it comes to the hygienist’s role in case acceptance, what are some areas that you find on a regular basis that practices can benefit from refining, especially our hygienists in terms of building up skills to help educate and motivate more patients to say yes to treatment they want or need? Hygienists must be given time to educate for best case acceptance. Becky Speer: One of the first things to look at is the amount of time a practice is giving their hygienists with every patient. We know that it takes time to build that relationship. So when it comes to recommending treatment, we need to gain trust from patients, and we have to know that we have the time for that in the schedule. As I know from being in so many practices, the shorter those appointments are the more patient education has to be dropped. I mean, you have to take radiographs, you have to do intraoral photos, you have to do the prophylactic part of the appointment. So those won’t be dropped. If there’s not enough time, it’s the communication that gets dropped. So I think first and foremost, we have to make sure that we are giving our hygienists the amount of time they need to do. Carrie Webber: I’ve heard that. But what do you do when the practice is saying, “How are we ever going to give them more time? And what would be the value in that?” What would you say to practices that are struggling with that decision? Becky Speer: Well, many times I’ll ask them, “What are the procedures that are performed by your hygienist with every patient every time?” Because we don't have a list a mile long of what hygienists do during a hygiene appointment. And I discover that many of the things being left out are the intense patient education, the intraoral photos, which are key. because a patient really needs to see what it looks like in their mouth. We also need to make sure that we have time to use the visual and kinesthetic tools. You know, I want to show them what a partial looks like or what a bridge looks like.  So we have to be given the time to educate the patients. And if doctors are not having hygienists take the intraoral photos and spend the time to educate the patient on what they see could be needed treatment, then when the doctor comes into the treatment room, he or she is having to spend more time in that treatment room with that patient. Patient education helps with case acceptance and saves time. Carrie Webber: I think that's a really great point. If we're not taking the time to do those necessary photographs and have those conversations, educating patients and helping them process that information and understand the diagnosis, we may be taking more time in the long run and keeping the doctors away from their restorative schedules. What else do you see, Becky? What are some other areas in terms of educating, supporting diagnosis and treatment, that hygienists may not be, taking to that level? Becky Speer: Well, I think that you have to be sure that your hygienists are comfortable with talking about possible treatment. A younger hygienist just out of school a year or so is a little more nervous with talking about needed treatment because they haven't done it before. They're not sure what the doctor is going to recommend. And so we start teaching them to take the intraoral photos, talk about the fracture that they see in the tooth, and tell the patient, “The doctor doctor may be talking to you about a new filling or possibly a crown.” They don’t need to say what the doctor will recommend, but they should prepare the patient for possible scenarios. And then the doctors have to be taught how to respond to that when they come into the room, because if a young hygienist has made a couple of suggestions, they have to make sure they don't come in and squash everything the hygienist just said. So if the hygienist has suggested the doctor could recommend a crown, but the doctor doesn’t feel that’s the right treatment, they should say, “You know, I can see why you talked about a crown here…” and then you go into why it's okay to do this other treatment. So the doctor is not only educating the patient, but also educating their hygienist. And I think that is key when it comes to making sure that we're getting the doctor and the hygienist to partner together in a way that is not reducing the patient’s trust in that hygienist’s professionalism and knowledge. Carrie Webber: I like that because it's really important for hygienists to understand their doctor's philosophy and to understand how they provide treatment. What are some ways that you see in terms of best practices to help doctors and hygienists get on the same page as quickly as possible, so that they're more effective in their approach with the patients and with case acceptance? The doctor needs to train the hygienist on how he diagnoses cases. Becky Speer: Well, there are a couple of things they can do to kind of speed up that learning process. One is they can start talking about cases. The doctors hopefully have photos of all their cases. So they could simply sit down with a hygienist and start talking about the photo on the screen and not necessarily having to have the patient in the chair at that time. He can sit down and start going through cases with the hygienist and just talking about situations where he or she would be diagnosing a crown versus a resin or a new filling.   Also, we know we learn very well by listening to the doctor when he’s in our room, when he's diagnosing, when he’s recommending treatment, when he’s talking about the way he's going to do it and how much time it's going to take. Obviously, the best hygienists are soaking that up so they can use those same verbal skills with an explanation.  Carrie Webber: Right, we need to be intentionally doing that. Do you find, across the country, that the time is there, but these things aren't being done or not being done well? What are the areas that might need attention in terms of awareness of what is the best flow and how to be more intentional on that? Photos are important in case acceptance. Becky Speer: One big thing with the intraoral photos is the flow. When do I take it? Am I going to wait till the end of the appointment? And the answer is no, because we want our doctors to come in their natural break. We have our teams doing all of their diagnostics at the beginning of the appointment, because we want that prior to the doctor coming in.  I have worked with some hygienists that are comfortable with the camera, but they just don't use it. They assume the patient didn't need it. And we strongly suggest that you need to be using it on every patient, every time. And so we tell the doctors who walk into a room and there are no photos up to say, “I'll be back as soon as you get the studies taken.” It has to be a set protocol as important as the radiographs. It is literally going to speed up the case acceptance rate of the patients, especially new patients. If they can see what's going on in their mouth, they can better appreciate the explanation. It's just such an amazing tool, perhaps the most impressive tool to a patient in the dental practice. Verbal Skills That Impact Case Acceptance Carrie Webber: You were saying earlier that one of the most impactful aspects of your development as a young hygienist was the development of your verbal skills. From your standpoint, what are those critical conversations and communication skills that we want team members to be practicing and becoming more comfortable with? Are there some particular conversations or verbal skills that you feel make a big difference in building that trust and acceptance with patients from the hygienist’s standpoint? Ask for Objections Becky Speer: Absolutely. One of the most impactful verbal skills I learned is how to be comfortable asking the patient, “Can we get that scheduled for you? Do you see any reason why we can't go ahead and schedule this appointment for you?” And we know that's asking for commitment, but it opens up so much dialogue. You never know, without asking a question, if the patient has an objection. And some people are uncomfortable with that because if the patient objects, they're not sure how to respond.  But we teach that objections are a gift. If the patient gives me an objection, that means they want to have the treatments you recommended, but they're not quite sure how they're going to do it, because of their work schedule or money or whatever. So we want to make sure we understand what the objections are before we take the patient to the business team, because if we send them up there and they have clinical questions, it will just slow down the whole process. So that's probably one of the most impactful things, but also knowing how to talk through those objections, asking the right questions,...

https://youtu.be/HdCj5o-592g Below, we’ve compiled some of the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 135. To enjoy the full conversation with our very own Carrie Webber and Dr. Robinson, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie Webber: Hello, welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm Carrie Webber. It's an absolute pleasure to have an amazing dentist as a guest with us, from Lubbock, Texas, Dr. Kelly Robinson. I have been a Kelly Robinson fan for, I think it's 20 years now. You are a tremendously accomplished dentist and clinician who has led a fabulous team and practice over the years, and I am just grateful that you will share some of your wisdom and experience with us.  Training New Teammates in Your Dental Practice Today our topic is about how to successfully bring an associate into your practice for your patient family and for your team. But first, Dr. Robinson, I would love it if you would share a little bit about your dental story and how you find yourself where you are today as a practice and as a professional. Dr. Robinson: My dad is a dentist, and he recently retired at 82. So I was born into a dental family, and it has just been an amazing ride. We lived in a small town in west Texas, and my parents hooked up with a management company that had them do comprehensive exams and full mouth, new patient exams and consultations, and full mouth reconstructions—all in a small town of 4,000.  I was raised with that, so when I came into the practice, I knew that's the kind of model and principles that were before me, and I was able to carry that on. And when I took over the practice and dad and I basically switched roles in 1999, he became my associate and I bought the practice. Implementing Systems Carrie Webber: And I know you’ve been successful in the implementation of systems and skills over the years. So as you've brought on associates, what have been some of the most important steps in continuing to honor the values and the culture of your practice as well as the systems you've worked so hard to incorporate? Dr. Robinson: Well, I've had multiple associates over the years, and each and every one has been absolutely awesome. We had great relationships and formed good friendships. And each time I learned something. But I’ll tell you the number one thing that we have put into practice is the Jameson management rules. I have everybody that comes on new train through Jameson. I have them review what we are doing and how we do it and why we do it. And the wonderful thing about the training is that you always take care of the patient first. Everything else will come if your heart and integrity are in the right place.  So that is my guiding principle.  Then I want to refine everything else based on the integrity of our practice. And so we have a philosophy: dentistry with a smile. We want to enjoy and love those patients and make them feel like they are part of the family. But everything else has to be absolutely working beautifully for us to concentrate on loving the patients. And so all these systems that I have, that Jameson has taught us, help us stay focused on our goals every day. Take care of those patients and love them and provide the highest quality service that we can provide.  Having Conversations Each one of my team members, when I hire them, I talk about that when we're interviewing. And particularly when I'm interviewing for an associate, we go through personality testing and we have time to just visit with each other. Then they know full well when they come into this practice what type of family heritage I'm passing on, what type of systems I have in place, the philosophy of the practice. If the associates have really learned about the foundational principles of how to make a practice stand out and, even though things may not go smoothly, you'll survive and thrive. Carrie Webber: You know, what I love about that, Dr. Robinson, is that before you ever move forward, you have a very clear conversation about the values of your practice. You give clarity on how you function and how you need to be in agreement and on board as an associate in my practice, because these are the non-negotiables. I love that. And I feel like sometimes that's a missing piece. I feel like I hear these horror stories or very sad stories of this isn't working, because we moved too quickly without having the right conversations first. Do you agree with that? Number One Guiding Principle Dr. Robinson: Totally agree with that. And I also feel like with the associate, it's kind of like a marriage in that at the very first it's all the honeymoon stage. And then as time goes on, you find these little things that bother you. But one of the things that I always tell my associates is that our integrity and systems have to be the guiding principle. So many are young, and they're concerned about money, and they've got big debt. And I understand that. But one of the reasons that Jameson has been so wonderfully successful in my practice is the systems. You know, dentistry is a hard way to make money if you don't manage it well. Systems and integrity. If you're doing dentistry because you have a passion and you love it and you want to take care of that patient and you want to make this world a better place to live through dentistry, then the money will come. If money is the driving principle, it truly affects how you practice dentistry. Associate Example My associate, right now, Dr. Milan, is a young dentist who has two young children. And so starting out, when he came and shadowed in my practice, he said, “I have no idea how you've made all this work like this.” And so the first time we had our review with Jameson, he was like, “Ah, now I know how this works and how you attract a certain kind of person when you have these foundational principles.” Dr. Malone came from a place where it was more of a non-relational type of work. They did the dentistry, but they weren't building long-term relationships with their patients. They were doing the dentistry at a high volume. And so he has been giddy about taking the time to be with the patient, taking time to have a sit-down consultation before we ever start treatment, unless it's emergency treatment. He's like, “This is absolutely the way I want to practice dentistry.” Carrie Webber: Yes. That's what gets you through the hard days. That's what gets you through COVID, because you're driven by the thing that is truly most important to you. And when you are working with people that align, in terms of working for the same big-picture, that has meaning. And I love how you say that when you build it in that way, the money comes, because you're going to not only attract teams and associates and partners that want to work in that way, you develop a good reputation. Continue to Learn Dr. Robinson: And it is such a joy to continue to learn and to progress in the practice. Again, mom and dad had great, great foundational, comprehensive principles, and I've been able to, through education, add to that. And so I continue to learn. I tell Dr. Malone, we never, ever, ever stop learning. I'm constantly trying to empower our team and myself in order to provide complete dentistry. So we’ve done some bacterial tests in our office. We’ve studied sleep. We've studied good health and fitness. All of that so we can provide the very best services to keep people healthy. And we talk as much with patients about how our treatment or our diagnosis can help them live a healthier, longer life as we do about a tooth that's broken and needs to have a crown. Carrie Webber: Yes. So, you know, that continuous learning piece, I do want to dig into that with you just for a little bit, because in this moment right now, there's a great deal of hiring, finding new team members, that new associate. And, as they are brought into the practice, you are really good about prioritizing time for training.  Can you share some of the things that you do as a team on a regular basis, whether it's for a new employee or for the team in general? How do you prioritize time for that kind of training to make sure everyone understands how the systems run, everyone understands their role in bringing their best to the systems? Dr. Robinson: Well, one of the things I want to say is it's been a tricky, tricky time during this pandemic. And I give the credit to the systems of Jameson and to the leadership that we've had. But this last year has had more turnover than I've had in a long time. And so training new and getting the right person on the bus, and the right person in the right seat on the bus is critical. So it’s been difficult, but the Jameson Grow online platform has been wonderful—all those videos and the education that each team member has the opportunity to go through. We have our team meetings and trainings, but the Jameson consultant only comes twice a year. So this helps. They get an idea of the systems so that when the consultant does come and they have that opportunity to visit with the consultant, they have an idea of what we're talking about. So I love that. And I'm thankful that you guys have the platform. It has been a big help. Watch Out for Tunnel Vision Another thing I've learned through working with Jameson is that you get so good at the system that you forget how you got there. Then it is so easy to get tunnel vision when there is a crisis, or even to get too focused on the day-to-day routine. And you have got to have methods to step back and pull yourself out and remind yourself what the systems are, how they work, why you are doing what you're doing.  So I love it that we can take a specific topic and say, okay, we're having issues with this. Then I run to that video and watch it and remember that's why we're not doing these things....

https://youtu.be/jK4tkLquomg Below, we’ve compiled some of the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 133. To enjoy the full conversation with our very own Carrie Webber and Dan Cristelli, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie Webber: Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm Carrie Webber and I'm your host. And I'm so thrilled to have my teammate Dan Cristelli with me today. Dan works with our marketing clients through the Jameson marketing services, helping clients achieve their goals for both external and internal marketing efforts. Dan is at the Jameson offices in Oklahoma city today, which is exciting because he's from Vermont. So he made a big, long trip to come be with us in person. Patient reviews is a hot topic now. One of the big topics that we constantly work on with clients is how to manage patient reviews effectively. Managing this aspect of your practice has become its own topic, and there are some best practices that you as dental practices can start to apply more intentionally in your marketing processes to help you get a consistent result. So, Dan, you work with clients daily, and I'm sure that this conversation comes up regularly. What do you find are the biggest questions or the biggest obstacles when it comes to patient reviews? Dan Cristelli: That's a great question. I think one question is why are these important? I think there’s still a perception that an online review doesn't carry much weight as a personal referral. But last year a study showed that 79% of consumers see an online review as carrying more weight than a personal referral. So they're really important. So that's usually the first question: why is this important? Why are reviews important?  That’s why I spend a lot of time working with our clients on the rationale behind a Google review. Here's why it's important. I focus on three different aspects: The first is how Google's algorithm looks at their practice and ranks their search rankings. Then I obviously talk about how a potential new patient is going to see these reviews. And we talk about how the practice can use reviews as an extra set of eyes on how your systems and team are performing. Carrie Webber: So you’re helping people understand why it's important to put a little bit more emphasis on managing their patient reviews, but then how can they do that? How do you learn to ask for patient reviews well? Dan Cristelli: That's probably the most difficult part. We understand that those conversations aren't always easy. I meet with teams on how to approach the entirety of the review process. I like to take a look at a four-step approach.  The first thing is education. You need to educate yourself on why Google reviews are important. And not only yourself, but also your whole team. The second thing I recommend is to start with what I always refer to as the low hanging fruit, the raving fans. You start with asking them for a review because it's easy to talk to them, and you know they're going to give you a good review. So it helps with building those skills.Once you've done that, you can look at cues. Any sort of praise that's offered is a good example. If someone's raving about a procedure they just had done, it's a good time to talk to them about a review. If you are asking the right questions during the check-out, you're going to have opportunities. And then finally, the last step is just getting to that point where you're consistently asking almost every patient to leave you a review. Carrie Webber: Often it seems like the biggest obstacle is just getting comfortable with that conversation. You know, if you want to see a really positive improvement in getting the patient reviews that you want, tell the patients what to expect. Tell Mrs. Jones, “You're going to be receiving a text from us when you leave here, asking for a review. So, if you can, kindly leave us a review. We would be so grateful. It's patients just like you that we love, and we want to help more people in our community. So thank you in advance for leaving that review for us.” What kind of patient reviews are best for practice growth? Dan Cristelli: Absolutely. I can tell which practices are having those conversations and which ones aren't just by their reviews. I will frequently see practices that received six new reviews in the last three weeks. And that's fantastic. They were all five star reviews. That’s also good. But no one left any testimonials.  That is typically a good indicator that your practice is depending on patient communication software to send out an automated review request. People are doing it, which is great; but because you're not having those conversations and forming that connection before you ask for the review, you aren’t getting the testimonials. It’s okay to use the automated software, but like you said, we need to ask. We need to tell Mrs. Jones how much we would love it if she could leave us a review.  At the same time, most people aren't going to whip out their phone right there. So we do need that software to follow it up a day or two later with an email and a link where they can do that. But just reference back the conversation that you had: “Mrs. Jones, it was great to see you. I'm glad we talked about leaving a review, and by the way, here's the link where you can do that.” You'll find that when you're having those conversations, not only are you going to get more reviews, but the quality of them will increase greatly. On Google, specifically, a patient can leave a review with just a star rating. Or they may also write some words about the business. If we just see a star rating, and it says the user has not left a comment, well, that's good. You got a good rating. But they didn't personalize it. They didn't add any sort of information that would help another potential patient with their decision-making. There's no real proof of purchase. So when we see the written testimony, it's a much more powerful review. What do you do about negative reviews? Carrie Webber: So encouraging. What else do you hear? Do you hear people asking what to do if they get a negative review? Dan Cristelli: Yes. Once we start talking about reviews, that’s one of the first questions we get. But you know, negative patient reviews are really to be expected. They happen. It would be wonderful if we could live in a world where every single patient that you saw had had that five star experience, but it's not going to happen.  There are easy ways to handle a negative review. One of the most important things to remember with a negative review is that the way that you respond to it can often dictate how other people view it. So if someone leaves a negative review saying, “I had to wait 15 minutes before someone greeted me, and then the dentist was rough with me” well, there's possibly some issues that you need to address as a team and with your patient, which goes back to the importance of feedback. But also it’s important to respond to that patient review online, and how you respond can help. If you say, “You know, we're really sorry that your experience didn't meet your expectations” and invite them to reach out to you, people reading those reviews will respect that.  You know, sometimes you'll receive those really bad reviews, and they should be ignored. Maybe they’re upset that you’re not open on Saturdays. All you need to say is, “Thank you for your feedback,” and leave it at that. Another important thing to remember is that 86% of consumers will only pay attention to reviews left in the last 30 days. So if you get a bad review, you know what to do. Go get a bunch of good ones, and then it'll get pushed down. After a few weeks, no, one's even going to pay attention to it. Carrie Webber: That brings up a few things. Timeliness is such a factor in terms of consistently asking so that you do have fresh, new, relevant, timely reviews. And that matters to the consumer, the potential patient that is looking online at those reviews. Also, just to wrap up with the negative review conversation, besides the online response, it’s important to have a proactive plan for how you follow up privately with those patients that need that kind of follow up, because you obviously shouldn't go into the details of the appointment in a public forum like that. So what else? Importance of Timely Responses Dan Cristelli: Well, when we take a look at getting a review, that's only half the battle. Then you need to respond, and we've talked about responding in terms of a bad review, but you should be responding to your good reviews as well. Last year, 77% of folks that read reviews either “always” or “regularly” read review responses. So it's very, very, very important. It shows a two-way communication between the practice and its patients.  Now, obviously there are considerations. You do want to make sure you're not getting into treatment details or anything like that. You want to be very cognizant of that, but you also want to acknowledge the review, because everyone is reading those and checking to see if there's an active conversation. You want to show that you have a real interest in the experience that your patients have had. Carrie Webber: So as you've stated, people are reading the reviews, and timeliness is a very real thing. The freshness, basically the expiration date, does exist in terms of the relevance of a review to me as a potential patient. I want to know whether that is indeed the real, current experience that I may have if I called your practice tomorrow. So Dan, are there other pieces of managing reviews that you would want to make sure people are aware of to help make it easier and more effective? Dan Cristelli: Sure. I work with our clients on setting up a schedule because we understand that everyone gets busy and things fall

https://youtu.be/Jl34_cZ7BhE Below, we’ve compiled some of the key points discussed in the Jameson Files Episode 133. To enjoy the full conversation with our very own Carrie Webber, you can watch on YouTube or listen to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Carrie Webber discusses the value of a practice reset. Hello and welcome back to the Jameson Files. I'm Carrie Webber and I'm your host. And today I'm also flying solo because I want to speak to something that I'm hearing again and again from clients and doctors that are reaching out to Jameson seeking resources or support in growing their practices. They feel like they're pushing against a brick wall, and they’re frustrated and burning out and wanting to find a better way Do you recognize these signs that point toward a practice reset? We have come through some difficult times, and the recovery and return to business-as-usual has been a roller coaster. Many of you have lots of patients returning now and are busy, but it’s a season of struggles. You find yourself working harder and making less, you're unable to see new patients, but you're also writing off half of what you're producing. These are the kinds of stories I keep hearing. 1. You're hitting walls with your team. It feels like you're in a hamster wheel, working hard every single day with nothing to show for it. You can't get them to change for the better, or you can't get consistent performance. Perhaps you're being held hostage by team members’ past experiences or their own limiting beliefs. Or maybe you're being held back by your own limiting beliefs, the busy-ness, or the way you're practicing. All of these things and more can wear a person down and add stress. 2. You can’t find team members. We're hearing this one all a lot. I actually read an article recently saying we may be entering a season called the great resignation, where across all industries and professions they are finding more and more employees resigning and moving on to other endeavors. We are certainly feeling that in dentistry. Many of you have said that you've had team turnover through this season and the struggle to find new team members has been quite overwhelming.  3. You're being held hostage by PPIs. Perhaps you're in a number of PPI plans and those plans keep changing the rules of their game. And now you find yourself stuck in a model of your practice that you never expected or anticipated. Or perhaps you purchased a practice and you inherited the plans, and you're struggling with how to move from this model to the model that is more ideal for you. 4. You are on the cusp of burnout. You're suffering from physical pain or exhaustion from the work you're doing, and it’s starting to wreak havoc on your personal life as well as your professional life. It's been a really tough one to two years.  Adam Grant, the thought leader and author, wrote an article saying that as a society we are in a season languishing—we're not quite burned out yet, but we certainly don't have the energy to pursue things in the way we once did. So maybe you are languishing, working all hours to get everything done for your business. Maybe you haven't delegated, and all of those pieces of the puzzle fall to you after you've been working in the chair for eight hours. You're starting to feel the weight of all of those responsibilities. Critical keys in introducing a practice reset. It may be time to take a step back and look at your practice from a different perspective as a business owner and determine whether or not you need a practice reset. There are things we can do to refocus, reset, and get closer to the path you always wanted to be on. Or perhaps it’s the path you were on at some point, but something knocked you off course. 1. One of Jameson's core values is balance. As business owners and practice leaders, we have to start looking at how to grow and still keep a handle on balance. Where are we out of balance in our practice? Where are we spending all of our effort, and it's throwing us off balance? What needs to be different? What's happening right now that your practice is not working for you? How do you reset? What does the practice need? 2. Every practice has basic needs. Take a moment and think about what needs are pinch points in your practice right now. Stay openStay healthyKeep the doors openKeep the team paid 3. Think about your practice vision. Next, go ahead and ask yourself: “What do I want, what do we want, for this practice?” “Where's the gap between where I am now and where I want to be?” It's okay to do this. When you're creating a vision for your business, it's important that we are working toward a vision, because those are the things that are going to bring you professional fulfillment. 4. Clarify what matters most. The next question is what matters most? What matters most in terms of the values for your business? What matters most to you in how you take care of your patients? What matters most to you in your professional life? What matters most to you in your personal life? What matters most to you for your team? It's important to get clear on these things. 5. Where are the opportunities? Let's look at things from a different angle for a moment. I want you to start thinking about where the opportunities are. We need to be seeking out the opportunities for growth. There's a Japanese word called Kaizen, and it means continuous improvement. And we want to be continuously learning and improving, in almost a cyclical fashion, checking in on how we are doing in all of these systems and skill sets.  The practices that really stay focused on who they are, the kind of dentistry they want to provide, and continuous refinement are the ones that have very loyal patients. They attract the type of patients they want in their practice, very intentionally. They are doing the work to get the result they seek. They're attracting team members that want that same type of life in their professional careers.  So we need to make sure we're really clear on what right looks like for us. And that we're communicating that to our team members, to our community, and to our patients consistently. Find your solutions for a practice reset. If you're looking for a reset, here's some things that you may need to consider as solutions. You may need a new success model. You may need a new team member. You may need to have some conversations about adjusting course. You may need some coaching. You may need to grow in delegation and restructuring of responsibilities. You may need some simplification. A lot of times we're getting in our own way because we don't have systems or we're not honoring the systems. For all of these reset needs, we have avenues of support for you and your team. I’d like to encourage you to check out Grow, the online learning platform by Jameson. And I invite you to visit that (grow.jmsn.com) and see if you find a good refresher to get back on track. You may also need to find experts in your areas of weakness, whether that be coaches, financial partners, HR firms, whatever is lacking or lagging in your practice. There are companies like Jameson that can help you get clear on where you're doing things well and where there are opportunities for growth. You may need a financial planner or an accountant that is familiar with dentistry that can help you make healthy financial decisions. You may not have an up-to-date personnel policy manual, and you know you need a great HR firm to help you get compliant. There are a lot of things coming down the line that you may need help with from OSHA and HIPAA.  Find the resources that you need. Get training on your technology. For instance, if you're not using your cameras, have someone come in and do some training with you. If you're not maximizing your patient communication software, do some training online and get better at it. Dr. Mark Hyman, who's a dear dear friend of ours, always says, “The minute I stopped telling patients what they wanted or needed and started asking them what they wanted, everything changed, because I started listening and engaging and partnering with those patients.” Jameson's Model of Success See fewer patients per day; do more dentistry per patient, when and where appropriate. See your patients for fewer appointments. Minimize the number of team members in the practice. Restructure and realign your team to maximize the team members you have.Share the resulting profit with your team and reduce your stress. When you set the model of success into play, you're not only helping you and your practice, many of your patients appreciate it too; because if I'm a patient in your practice, I would rather come see you for fewer appointments and get the work done. That way I don't have to take off work or find that childcare for my kids or whatever the case may be. Work with your administrative team and your office managers to build trust, build engagement, build time in your days. Develop and grow and train as a team so that you can delegate more and feel competent in those delegations. Then you too can leave at a decent hour at the end of the workday! Prioritize time within your day to meet and develop as teams both clinically and operationally, and then start delegating when and where appropriate. Build up leadership within your team so that they can do more, and you can do what only you can do. Make the decision. Do the work. Face the elephant in the room head on because often that is the thing that's holding you back from the practice reset you need. Start with that first step, first decision, first phone call, first change of conversation. And start today. And here's to the practice reset that gets you back on the ideal path for you so that you can pursue your vision for your practice.