Dental A Team W/ Kiera Dent And Dr Mark Costes

Ladies and gentlemen, we’re talking OSHA and HIPAA compliance. The Dental A-Team welcomes Danielle McKinley, director of partner relations with PCIHIPAA, to talk about this crucial topic. It may not be the sexiest information, but it’s so integral to your practice (think potential fines of hundreds of thousands to over a millions dollars! Danielle shares some horror stories). Danielle breaks down the difference between OSHA and HIPAA, the actual costs of becoming compliant, and steps you can take to tackle the overwhelming topics: She suggests first performing a risk assessment, which you can find at www.pcihipaa.com/danielle. To learn more about the Dental A-Team, and have one of our consultants come to YOU, visit www.TheDentalATeam.com today!

Kiera is joined by fellow DAT consultant, Tiffanie Trader, and Dr. Sean O’Grady in this episode. Dr. O’Grady started a practice in 2019, and shares his journey through that practice ownership. He talks with Kiera and Tiffanie about trials faced as an urban dental practice, victories had (including up 90% in collections over two months), and how the Dental A-Team played a role. From a consultant’s point of view, Tiffanie shares the positives Dr. O’Grady has had, including: Prepared and growth-oriented Doesn’t jump and leap without knowing what result should be Waited to have the DAT come aboard until he had hired a team that was committed Join this trio as they talk the highs and lows of starting a new practice during Covid-19! Interested in having your own success story? Visit www.TheDentalATeam.com to start with us! About Dr. O’Grady: From a young age, Dr. O’Grady knew that he wanted a career in health care because he wanted to be able to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Dr. O’Grady is a pe

It’s a Q&A episode from one of our Instagram followers! This episode’s topic: How to get referrals from your patients. Kiera gives two specific tips: Make sure your practice provides a good patient experience. Practice and role play with your staff how to ask for referrals. Taking these steps will personalize your patients’ visit to your practice, and show them how much you care — about their teeth and their opinion. Now, we get to ask you! Will you rate and review US? You can do so by visiting our podcast page on whatever app you use to listen.

Sameer Bhasin, vice president of alliances at CareCredit, shares the low-down on third-party financing and how to better-utilize companies like CareCredit. Kiera has her own experience with CareCredit, and used it religiously when she was a treatment coordinator, closing on $60,000 to $80,000 cases. Not everyone who wants to work with CareCredit is prepared and ready to make those moves, so Sameer has tips on where to start, and he explains them in more detail: Inventory your office. Are you utilizing CareCredit or another patient financing as a product or as part of a process? Pull up diagnosing and treatment plans. Understand why some treatments are still sitting on the to-do list. Kiera and Sameer also discuss how to talk to your patients about such finances, how credit scores come into play, and, of course, what the magic number is to know if your practice is healthy in terms of CareCredit/etc. applications. Want to reach your CareCredit practice rep? Visit www.carecredit.com/partnerportal/contact

It’s time for a rundown of Dental A-Team events happening this year: all workshop-style, all CE, all virtual (until the world opens up again), and all available to sign up for at www.TheDentalATeam.com/events. Here’s what’s on the docket: March 26: Billing Mastery. How to set up billing, perform spot audits, run insurance verification, and more. May 14-15: Dental A-Team Summit. For the first time ever, we’re hosting a full team-training event. We’re talking team building, effective meetings, building financial freedom, setting goals, and a ton more. July 16: Getting the Yes! Maximized Case Acceptance. Treatment planning, tracking case acceptance, and understanding the psychology about why patients say no.  September 17: Operations Manual Creation. A full day of teaching principles behind creation on operations manual and having you and your full team take action. This event will give you a massive jumpstart on having the perfect ops manual! Stoked for these events? We are too! Email us with questio

Today’s episode is all about how your practice can thrive. Kiera lays out the steps to do just that: Track KPIs (examples of what you can track included!) Set quarterly and annual goals Brainstorm dump and enact the three quick and easy things It’s easy and it goes a looooong way, and all we at the Dental A-Team ask is that you try the ideas out for a month to see what progress is made. Need a little nudge? We can do that too: Email us at hello@thedentalateam.com. 

Happy 2 Year Birthday to Dental A Team Podcast! This VERY podcast you’re listening to is two years old TODAY! To celebrate, we’re reflecting on the journey we’ve been on to get this far, and invite you to do the same! Reflect on your past two years. Who did you want to be and where did you want to go two years ago today? Are you on or off track? As Kiera’s therapist once said: Goals are stars to guide by, not sticks to beat ourselves with. Thank you for staying on this journey with us. Relive our best podcast moments at www.TheDentalATeam.com! And please subscribe and review as a birthday present to us :)  

Office autopsies are always a fan favorite, so we’re back with another! The low-down on this practice: 3 doctors, 5-6 hygienists, 4 front office staff, and a bunch of dental assistants; it’s a solo office that’s contemplating a second location; maxed out on operatories; and awesome associate doctors. So what were the concerns? This office reached out to the Dental A-Team to fix its front desk and develop its leadership team. How did that happen? Well, well, well, you’re just going to have to listen up to understand why! It wasn’t all sunshine and daisies in the journey to a better place, but the DAT worked with this team through it all, and now things are humming along better than it ever has been. Let us say that again: This practice is THE BEST it’s ever been in its history of ownership. Want your own practice to get there? We want to help! Email hello@thedentalateam.com to get started.

The event you’ve been searching for IS ALMOST HERE! That’s right, The Dental A-Team Summit is happening on May 14 and 15! This **virtual** event will absolutely revolutionize your practice’s teamwork and effectiveness; we’re talking team CE and swag boxes and lessons you can implement LIVE in your practice right then and there. Plus, hear from such stellar speakers as Mikel Michalowicz (on financial freedom), Dr. Erin Elliott (on sleep apnea), Paul Goodman (on onboarding an associate), and so many more! The DAT Summit is Kiera’s dream come true, so please attend with your entire team and experience a bond for life. And we’re not done yet! Before March 31, be sure to sign up and get the early bird discount. ALSO enter coupon code ‘podcast’ to get another surprise :) Visit summit.thedentalateam.com/ to sign up.

Dr. Josh Austin is back on the podcast, chatting with Kiera about a continuation of the topic of their last episode: mental health. Dr. Austin shares that since he started therapy, his practice has seen a 16% increase in profitability on average each month. Because he goes to therapy regularly, he feels he’s become a better communicator, more empathetic, more productive, and a better leader. To put it in dental terms: therapy is like hygiene; you’re never done with it. Thus, therapy is hygiene for your mind. Joshua Austin, DDS, FAGD, FACD, is a native San Antonian. After attending San Antonio's Health Careers High School and the University of Texas, San Antonio as an undergrad student, Dr. Austin graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Dental School.  Dr. Austin is a member of the prestigious Seattle Study Club, which is a network of professional dental study groups dedicated to ideal comprehensive dental care. Dr. Austin's other professional memberships include the Academy o

It’s time to tackle the stuff you’ve been avoiding. Yup. In this episode, Kiera shares her experience with home buying and how it’s related to upkeep in dental practices. To sum it up: What is the deferred maintenance on your practice? Have you taken temperature checks on cancellations, AR, statements, how protocols have changed with COVID-19?  If you’re leaving these tiny items unfixed and unaddressed for too long, they stack up! Let the Dental A-Team help you. Take our quiz here to see how systematized you are. You can also email us at hello@thedentalateam.com to get a copy! Our challenge to you: Fix the deferred maintenance THIS QUARTER! We believe in you, and we’re also here to help. You can always reach us at www.TheDentalATeam.com. 

Dr. Rhonda Kalasho, one of Hollywood’s leading dental experts in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, is on the Dental A-Team podcast! With Kiera, Dr. Kalasho talks about COVID-19’s impacts on the cosmetic dentistry industry, learning not to operate on a margin, and how to put the patient first. And (!!!) she shares how her practice utilizes an actual robot with patients. Exciting times, people!  If you’re interested in gaining a clear vision for your practice and sticking to it, as well as how to create a blueprint for success, you’ll want to listen up to Dr. Kalasho’s insights. Dr. Rhonda Kalasho is a dentist and patients see her for a host of reasons, including teeth bonding, bruxism, sleep apnea, sensitive teeth, and plaque. She is fluent in English as well as Arabic, which makes her culturally attuned to patients from various backgrounds. Dr. Kalasho earned her dental degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She presently runs her own practice located in Los Angeles. As a dental professional

Did you know that the stories you tell yourself are true? Oh, that patient is too poor to afford treatment or my doctor is a bad leader or I’m egotistical … If you think these things enough, they establish themselves in your mind and then it’s all you see! Kiera is here to fix that, encouraging listeners to change up their thought process. Stop making stumbling blocks where there should be stepping stones. Tell yourself stories that create a positive reality. Let us help you become the best dental team member you can be at www.TheDentalATeam.com! 

One of the many things COVID-19 did was put dental practices back on equal footing — everyone faced the same hurdles to overcome. In this episode, Kiera shares her recent experiences that caused her to switch loyalties from her beloved Southwest Airlines over to Delta (if you know Kiera, you know this is A HUGE DEAL). She talks about why Delta stood out to her, and then relates it to your practice. How is your practice standing out compared to all your competitors in terms of safety and service? The Dental A-Team encourages its family members to not scrimp and leave their patients’ concerns by the wayside. Today is the day to care, and see your practice rise to the top. Visit www.TheDentalATeam.com to discover other ways your practice can stand out!

Kiera is chatting with Amy Ells, regional manager for Finger Lakes Dental Care in New York! The two women just finished two days of meetings with the four Finger Lakes dental offices, and share their debrief in this episode. Topics discussed include… Successful team participation Running meetings on a cadence Inspiring a growth model Cruises vs. cookie cakes :) The underlying point to the huge success of Amy and her practice: traction! Like what you heard? Listen to Amy’s previous DAT episode, #95, Successful Leadership Teams of Multi-practices. Amy joined Finger Lakes Dental Care after completing her degree in communications with a concentration in public relations and a minor in marketing from SUNY Fredonia. She has been a part of the Finger Lakes Dental Care team since 2008. Amy is a member of the American Association of Dental Office Managers and has been taking multiple classes over the past few years covering topics from inter-office communications to online marketing. In her spare time, Amy

Do you often think of your practice’s or company’s core value? We sure hope you do! They’re an important part of setting the culture at your place of work, and guideposts on the roadmap to success. The Dental A-Team is currently reworking its core values to attract better hires. Listen to this episode for a core value exercise to see where you stand with your current values, and then learn if they might need to be re-shifted. Also included are the eight attributes of teams and companies that succeeded over the past year! Check ‘em out: Candor Collaboration Teaming out Accountability Development Energy Relationship Outcomes This rework should be a team effort, so make sure you’re including the gang! If you want to hear more about core values, listen to episode 244, Workshop Wednesday: The Hardest Part.

We’re going to be honest with you: Hiring has been hard as of late. Just like many of the practices we visit, the Dental A-Team has experienced staff turnover. We might be desperate to fill these important positions in our practice, but THIS episode is about how we didn’t let that desperation take the driver’s seat to bring someone new aboard. Today’s new spin on hiring is all about how you write the job description. Hint: Be brutally honest when you fill it out; list exactly what you want out of your dream hire. Not so sure about that approach? Press play to hear how we did it. And! The DAT also has a hiring course to help you on this journey. Visit www.TheDentalATeam.com to sign up, and use code ‘hire7’ to get a sweet discount.  

You know those topics you just love to hear about? This throwback episode re-tackles the 2-2-2 follow-up, which will in turn help increase your case acceptance AND provide better patient care. The first rule: Every patient who leaves your practice should always leave with an appointment. If they don’t, it’s time to implement the 2-2-2 follow-up, meaning you’re reaching out two days after the appointment, two weeks, and two months. Check out the Dental A-Team’s treatment tracker to help you establish this in your practice!

It’s time to take a good look at your practice in the mirror: Are you assuming too much of your patients? Kiera shares an example of this at a Macy’s in Arizona where she was shipped from department to department without any helping hand. Don’t be like this Macy’s! Stop assuming your patients know what a crown is, or a root canal, or insurance verification. Stop sending your patients around in circles because you’re not on the same page as your fellow team members! This episode will encourage you to focus in on perfecting the patient experience in your practice. The good news, 95% of the changes you can make are free! By ensuring your patients are taken care of from start to finish, you’re showing the love and care they want to feel. But wait! There’s more! Are you looking for other ways to make your patients feel like VIPs? Visit www.TheDentalATeam.com to discover the path to perfection.

If you’re a Dental A-Team podcast listener, you KNOW Kiera is all about creating a word for each year. In this episode, she shares her 2021 word, invites listeners to do the same … and then encourages your PRACTICE to come up with a word for the year, too! For example: The DAT’s 2021 word? Maximization!  This topic is a great one for weekly meetings. Gather your team together to brainstorm word ideas that represent what your practice wants to accomplish this year. Then share them with us: hello@thedentalateam.com. We can’t wait to hear your words!