Dental Business RX (Dental Business RX)

We’ve discussed the job duties of several positions, such as the Receptionist, Treatment Coordinator, Office Manager, etc—but what about the Owner? Owning a dental practice IS a job, too! So this week, Sabri Blumberg joins us to discuss the six core job functions the Owner needs to perform and that should never be delegated to anyone else. 

Learn more about MGE - https://mgeonline.com

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

This week, we discuss an important part of being an effective practice owner or manager and how it will help you make the right decisions for your business.

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

Learn more about MGE - https://mgeonline.com

In the dental industry at large, the term “Office Manager” can have a lot of meanings, ranging from a vague “front office person” to a true executive or Chief Operating Officer. So in this episode, Jeff Blumberg discusses the proper role of an Office Manager in a well-organized office and why every practice, no matter how large or small, needs a competent OM.  

:55 – Why you absolutely need an Office Manager

4:23 – 10 qualities you should look for in an Office Manager candidate

7:07 – Where do you find an Office Manager?

10:54 – The Doctor - Office Manager dynamic: What are the Doctor’s responsibilities and what are the OM’s responsibilities?

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

Learn more about MGE – https://www.mgeonline.com

A bonus plan is a great way to motivate your team and reward them for their hard work, but if you structure it the wrong way, it can create problems. So in this episode, Jeff discusses some “do’s and don’ts” and example bonus plan systems to make sure both the owner and the staff win with your bonus plan.

:47 – The “do’s and don’ts” of creating bonus plans

9:02 – Example of a workable bonus plan

14:23 – Ensuring the practice owner and the staff both win

20:08 – Adding special one-off bonus game like group trips or extra year-end bonuses

Overhead Sheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-materials

Sample Bonus Plan Ideas - https://www.mgeonline.com/bonus-plan-ideas

Should your staff be aware of your practice’s numbers in terms of collections, production, etc? Or should you keep them in the dark? In this episode, Jeff Blumberg discusses which numbers you should share with your team and which you shouldn’t, as well as how to keep your team motivated and focused on what really matters: patient care.

:36 – What are the benefits of sharing the “numbers” with your whole team?

8:14 – Keeping the focus on patient care and not being money-motivated

15:20 – What numbers shouldn’t you share with your staff?

Bonus Plan Ideas – https://www.mgeonline.com/bonus-plan-ideas/

Learn more about MGE – https://www.mgeonline.com

A “Treatment Coordinator” is a common position in dental practices nowadays, but what is the job description? What should they be doing every day? And how can they help the practice increase collections and improve patient care?

Topics:

How/when did Treatment Coordinators become a “thing” – 1:10

The job description – 4:52

The word “sales” in dentistry – 7:04

The “hand off” from the doctor to Treatment Coordinator – 10:10

Should the Treatment Coordinator be in the room when the doctor is presenting treatment? - 16:20

The day-to-day job duties – 19:30

Getting incomplete treatment accepted and done – 21:38

Measuring your Treatment Coordinator’s performance – 31:29

Training and becoming great at the job – 33:18

Links:

The Dental Treatment Coordinator Training Course - https://ddssuccess.com/p/treatment-coordinator-training-course

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

Scheduling is important in any business, but in dentistry it is absolutely crucial. The office schedule is the heartbeat of the practice. It is no fun running hectically from room to room all day and working through lunch just to find out you only produced half of your daily production goal. So, in this episode, Jeff begins a series on how to structure and manage your schedule efficiently so you are consistently productive without being stressed or overworked.

:11 – Using a scheduling system that works for your practice

7:41 – Setting production goals

12:29 – Structuring and fine-tuning your schedule

Scheduling for Production Seminar - https://www.mgeonline.com/the-scheduling-for-production-seminar/

Team training video courses - https://ddssuccess.com

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

If you could ask anyone for tips on presenting big cases, Dr. Artin Barzgar would have to be high up on your list of candidates. An MGE Power Program graduate and Senior Seminar Instructor, Dr. Barzgar has been performing implant placements, full-mouth rehabilitations, and full-arch prosthetic cases for over twenty years in his incredibly productive Maryland-based practice. This is a must-listen for all doctors wanting to see more comprehensive cases in their offices!

Payment Options Sheet – https://mgeonline.com/sample-payment-options-form

The MGE New Patient Workshop – https://www.newpatients.net

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars – https://mgeonline.com/mge-communication-and-sales-seminars

Inflation is the highest it’s been in a long time, and this is starting to have very real effects on the cost of doing business for dental practices. So in this episode, we look at the numbers and discuss what you can do to ensure you stay profitable and secure the future of your practice financially.

1:01 – The current inflation numbers

3:20 – How this impacts your practice’s overhead

8:58 – Ways to raise your revenue without raising your costs

10:57 – What about insurance fee schedules?

BLS Inflation Statistics - https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf

NFIB Study - https://www.nfib.com/surveys/small-business-economic-trends/

Overhead Guidelines - https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-materials/

Wasserman Fee Guide - https://wasserman-medical.com/product-category/dental/

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com/

One of the most difficult parts of owning a dental practice is finding the time to manage it. And if you don’t put focus on management consistently, things just pile up or don’t get done. So, in this episode, Jeff discusses ways to organize your time and practice intelligently so you don’t have to try to squeeze things in between patients or stay late every night to catch up. 

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

For a while, postcards were all the rage in the world of dental marketing. Then we had Google ads, then Facebook ads, then “implant funnels”…all going in a digital direction. So, should you focus purely on digital marketing nowadays, or is it still worth including direct mail in your marketing strategy? That’s what Jeff discusses in this week’s episode, along with some key tips to get good return-on-investment in your marketing.

Phone Scripts - https://www.mgeonline.com/the-mge-new-patient-phone-scripts-ebook

New Patient Call Log - https://www.mgeonline.com/np-call-log

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Team training video courses - https://ddssuccess.com

Does your production go up and down unpredictably from week to week and month to month? It may not actually be as “unpredictable” as you think. There is a specific reason for it! And that’s what Jeff covers this week: why you have big swings in production and how to make it more consistent so you can see steady growth.

DDS Success (coupon code RX269) - https://ddssuccess.com

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net/

Cycle of Booms & Depressions quote - https://mgeonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cycle-of-Booms-Depressions.pdf

In dentistry, we don’t have the luxury of a big HR or recruiting department, but hiring the right people is still an incredibly important part of running a dental practice and there are a lot of nitty-gritty details. So this week, we bring in our own hiring expert, Ashley Fuegel, to simplify things and ensure you find hire the best talent.

Sample Application & Offer Letter - https://mgeonline.com/sample-application-and-offer-letter

Background checks - https://s2verify.com

Learn more about MGE - https://mgeonline.com

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

Reviewing your fee schedule each year has always been a good idea, but this year it’s mandatory. With the rising costs of doing business and soaring inflation, you need to raise your fees in order to stay profitable. So, in this episode, Jeff covers the various factors to consider and how to go about raising your fees.

1:59 – When you would typically raise your fees, and why things have changed now

4:08 – How should you go about raising your fees

11:25 – How do you account for PPOs, where you can’t raise your fees?

Free Fees & Plans Analysis – https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans

Wasserman Guide – https://wasserman-medical.com/product-category/dental

Learn more about MGE – https://www.mgeonline.com

There are a ton of options out there for advertising your practice (direct mail, SEO, Google ads, social media, implant funnels, etc), but what do YOU need to do from a business owner perspective to make sure your marketing is highly effective and doesn’t waste money? That’s what Jeff covers in this week’s episode!

6:42 – Having the right expectations

9:23 – Setting your budget

10:47 – Tracking results

14:30 – Understanding the “production line” as it relates to new patients

18:59 – The two most important metrics you need to use

26:00 – Getting new patients on the schedule

29:05 – Making time to manage your marketing campaigns

New Patient Call Log - https://www.mgeonline.com/np-call-log

New Patient Intake Form - https://www.mgeonline.com/np-intake-form

Mystery Call - https://www.mgeonline.com/your-mystery-call

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Is treatment acceptance in your office as good as you think it is? No matter how great you are, there’s always room for improvement—for more ideal treatment plans, more completions, more patients with fully restored form, function and aesthetic, and less dependency on insurance coverage. So in this episode, we’ll give you some immediately usable tools for case acceptance, including both the case presentation and the organizational side of case acceptance. Specifically, we’ll cover the biggest determining factor in whether or not a patient accepts a treatment plan (3:03), when to schedule consultations and how much time to dedicate to them (6:29), how you’re making your patients feel dumb and it’s killing your case acceptance (9:55), and why insurance and finances should never influence your treatment planning process (18:19).

In this episode, Dan Brown joins Jeff to discuss the exciting dental marketing trends to watch for in 2025. As technology continues to evolve and patient expectations shift, staying ahead of the curve is essential for the success of your practice. Jeff and Dan will explore how these trends can help you attract and retain patients more effectively. Tune in as we discuss emerging strategies, the role of social media and video, the power of data analytics, and what your practice can do to stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Dan Brown – dan@blumbergdigital.com

Blumberg Digital November 2024 Content Scripts – https://www.mgeonline.com/seo-video-scripts/

Blumberg Digital Reactivation - Text Marketing - Blumberg Digital

DDS Success (coupon code MGE269) - https://ddssuccess.com/

ABCs Seminars- https://www.mgeonline.com/mge-communication-and-sales-seminars/

Want more of your patients to refer their friends and family to your office? Well, there are two approaches to doing this: uncontrolled referrals and controlled referrals. In this episode, Jeff describes what that means and gives actionable steps to get more of both.  

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

Care-to-Share Program – https://www.mgeonline.com/care-enough-to-share-program/

New Patient Intake Form - https://www.mgeonline.com/np-intake-form/

DDS Success - https://ddssuccess.com

So a patient of yours hasn’t been in for a few years and isn’t answering your front desk’s calls—what should you do? Should you “deactivate” or “purge” their chart? And for that matter, what should you do about the thousands of inactive charts you may have sitting in your practice? Most dentists approach this wrong and it costs them a ton of potential production. So in this episode, Jeff discusses the right way to do it!

1:17 – How do you define an “active” patient?

6:55 – The four reasons why you would deactivate a chart

15:04 – How to reactivate all your “inactive” patients that should come back in

Download the MGE Reactivation Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/mge-reactivation-program

Train your team to reactivate patients - https://ddssuccess.com

The New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

With inflation and rising costs recently, being sharp with your finances is more crucial than ever. So in this week’s episode, Jeff discusses common financial mistakes dentists make that can be very costly in the long run—as well as some tips on how to tighten up your practice’s overhead.

4:07 – A Profit & Loss Statement is NOT a good representation of your overhead or budget

9:12 – Things you should never outsource

11:21 – Underutilizing the things you’re already paying for

16:02 – Failing to consider long-term impact before making financial decisions

The Keys to Practice Profitability Seminar - https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-livestream/

Overhead Sheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-materials

Do your staff look forward to coming into work every day? Do you? Obviously, work can never compete with fishing or golfing or Disneyworld, but your office should be a place where you can all have fun and perhaps even enjoy your work! Office drama and “toxicity,” though, make it no fun for anyone and negatively impact practice production. So this week, Jeff covers some sensible tools for eliminating toxicity and creating an environment where everyone is free to be highly productive while also working together as a team and enjoying their jobs.

List of statistics to track - https://www.mgeonline.com/dental-office-statistics

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

Do you have any team members that you know just aren’t cutting it? Anyone you’re thinking you may need to replace at some point? Well, inaction isn’t helping anything, so in this episode, Jeff discusses what you should do about it, including steps to take to resolve the issue and when it’s time to go ahead and replace them.

1:12 – Current labor market trends that are aggravating these issues

7:48 – Can the issue be resolved?

12:10 – The steps to take when an employee isn’t performing

21:34 – When it’s time to let them go

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

We’ve all seen articles insisting it’s a bad idea to work with family, but the reality is that in many small businesses (including dentistry) it’s very common. And it CAN be done successfully. In fact, many of our most successful clients are spouse or sibling teams and are very happy both at the office and at home. So, what’s the secret to making it work? That’s what Jeff discusses in this week’s episode! 

Recently, many dentists have been reevaluating their insurance plan participation—and it’s easy to see why with rising costs for you but stagnant fee schedules from insurance companies. Dropping plans can be intimidating, though, especially with the prospect of losing patients during a time of economic uncertainty. So this week, Jeff discusses how to make the right decision for your practice and lays out a step-by-step plan for going out-of-network if that’s what you choose to do.

:11 – Evaluating the true cost of participating & whether or not you can get out of plans

16:46 – Step-by-step plan for transitioning out of plans

Free Fees & Plans Analysis – https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Reactivation Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/mge-reactivation-program

Marketing trends are always changing, so we’re going to help you stay up-to-date. Hear from special guest and dental marketing expert, Dan Brown, on the latest trends and what you should be focusing on in the new year to bring practice growth.

2:37 – Focusing on what works

3:45 – Prices are going WAY up for Google and Facebook ads

6:43 – Ways to get the most out of your online ads

13:23 – Internal marketing

16:50 – Improving your online presence and using video marketing

25:52 – Where to start

The MGE New Patient Workshop – www.newpatients.net

Finances tend to create the biggest headaches in a dental practice. If you don’t have clearly spelled out financial policy in your office, you’ll end up with upset patients, outstanding payments, and a messy accounts receivable. So this week, Jeff discusses how to create sensible financial policy that enables you to get paid on-time and without any confusion or headaches.

1:25 – Why having clearly spelled out policy for all your office operations is essential

11:49 – Creating internal financial policy for practice

15:42 – Payment options that work for the practice and the patients

28:59 – Rolling out new financial policies without creating problems

Recommended Financial Policies - https://www.mgeonline.com/financial-policies-2

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com 

Being solidly booked out weeks (or even months) into the future can give you a feeling of security…but it can also severely limit your schedule flexibility and growth potential. So, what’s the right balance? When are you booked out too far—or not far enough? That’s the topic that Jeff tackles in this week’s episode!

Live scheduling seminar -  https://mgeonline.com/scheduling-livestream

Online scheduling course - https://ddssuccess.com/p/art-of-scheduling-productively

Case acceptance seminars - https://mgeonline.com/mge-communication-and-sales-seminars

Bringing on an associate doctor can be a wonderful thing—but only if your practice is truly ready for it. If you’re not properly set up, then it can be a disaster that will continue to haunt you even years after the associate relationship ends. So this week, Jeff discusses how to determine if the timing is right and how to choose which type of set up is right for your practice.

Ep 49: Designing the Ideal Schedule - https://www.dentalbusinessrx.com/episodes/7ypbx4t2xylbmfk-mnw4e-ta4lb-2ea4t-azt8h-raycs-h4m7k-ermr6-t7akk-55x6f-ht57t-rzgsc-b9j8t-d7n7d-dde5x

Free Webinars - https://www.mgeonline.com/upcoming-events

DDS Success (team training) - https://ddssuccess.com

Scheduling for Production Seminar - https://www.mgeonline.com/the-scheduling-for-production-seminar

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

The hygiene department is one of the biggest weaknesses for most dental practices. Even if you think you’re hygiene department is doing pretty well, you may be losing patients and underperforming more than you think. So in this week’s episode, Jeff lays out how to determine your actual performance and where you should be if you were truly maximizing hygiene production.

:11 – Evaluating your true hygiene performance

 12:18 – What should your expected revenue be?

21:21 – How HMOs and PPOs affect this

Hygiene Formula spreadsheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/hygieneformula

Compare fees - https://feelookup.com

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Everyone’s least favorite part of the case acceptance process is when you have to bring up the fee and ask for the money—but it’s important you do it right because it will ultimately determine whether the patient gets the treatment they need. So this week, Jeff brings on special guest Sabri Blumberg to give some great tips on how to approach the financial discussion.

4:36 – When to begin the financial discussion

17:10 – When to do the “hand off” to the Financial or Treatment Coordinator

24:13 – Using third party financing intelligently

37:11 – Prepayment

41:21 – If the patient changes their mind after talking to the doctor

Treatment Coordinator Course - https://ddssuccess.com/p/treatment-coordinator-training-course

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

Most dentists are pretty comfortable explaining the diagnosis and treatment plan to the patient. The issues tend to arise at “the close”—i.e., overcoming those last objections and getting the patient truly committed so the treatment actually gets done and the money collected. So this week, Jeff dives into closing techniques and how to ensure it really is a done deal before the patient leaves the office.

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

Learn more about MGE - https://mgeonline.com

DDS Success - https://ddssuccess.com

Production Analyzer - https://www.mgeonline.com/production-calculator

This week, Sabri Blumberg joins us to discuss what it really looks like to transition out of low-reimbursing insurance plans. She has guided countless dentists through this process successfully—while increasing their production and profit—and now she shares each step in detail.

Roadmap to a Fee-for-Service Practice - https://www.mgeonline.com/roadmap

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

We don’t need to tell you that the job market is strange right now. In fact, it’s unprecedented. And unless you’re very lucky, you’ve probably experienced it in your dental office whether it’s in terms of staff leaving, never coming back after the pandemic lockdowns, inflation and rising wages, or having difficulty hiring. So in this episode, we wrap our minds around these odd market dynamics with some eye opening statistics and what this means for your dental practice (0:59), look at what you can do right now to find and keep great staff while maintaining high production and profitability, including administrative staff (8:48), dental assistants (14:19), and hygienists (16:23).

New ideas are great and we always want to keep evolving and improving—but making misguided changes in your practice can also have disastrous consequences. So this week, Jeff discusses how to approach implementing new changes sensibly and what to do if things suddenly go sideways.

Learn more about MGE - https://mgeonline.com

Free consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

About the Hubbard Management System - https://mgeonline.com/l-ron-hubbard

Want to expand your practice and increase revenue, but aren’t sure where to start? In this episode, Jeff covers a few key metrics for evaluating where you are at currently, what your potential is, and what your next step should be to jumpstart growth.

Download the MGE Reactivation Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/mge-reactivation-program

The New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Fees & Plans Analysis – https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans

With the rising costs of doing business, it’s going to be more important than ever to keep a sharp eye on profitability in the coming years. So in this week’s episode, Sabri Blumberg joins Jeff to discuss recent trends in the economic landscape of dentistry and ways to improve profitability going forward.

2:00 – Shifting the focus from total collections to the profit margin

12:35 – Assessing your practice’s overhead

22:58 – Taking a fresh look at your fee schedule and insurance participation

29:25 – Getting the most out of the things you’re already paying for

34:22 – Being smarter about how you spend money

Download the Overhead Worksheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-materials 

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

We all know that focusing on retaining patients is crucial for long-term practice success, and we’ve already done episodes on reactivating patients and building up your hygiene dept—but there’s another important aspect that most dentists overlook. This week, Jeff reveals what it is and how to manage it successfully so you start seeing better retention and increased production.

Download the MGE Reactivation Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/mge-reactivation-program

Sample HIPAA release form - https://www.mgeonline.com/sample-hipaa-marketing-release-download

Adding a second (or third or fourth or fifth) practice can be a fantastic opportunity to expand…or it can be a complete nightmare. So, don’t end up doubling your stress and overhead with no profit to show for it. Follow these tips from Jeff on how to do it the right way.

1:57 – Are you really ready to add another practice?

6:10 – Time and distance matters with your new location

12:27 – Associate or partner?

15:07 – Scratch practice or existing office?

20:33 – Why now is a great time to expand into multiple practices

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

This week, Jeff describes some basic underlying reasons for struggles in the learning process.   

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program  

When you exit an insurance plan, the first thing patients notice is the change in their prophy fees. To retain as many patients as possible, you’ll want to make it a smooth transition. So this week, Sabri joins us to discuss doing this intelligently with an eye on overall practice profitability and maximizing patient retention.

Roadmap to a Fee-for-Service Practice Consultation - https://mgeonline.com/roadmap

Wasserman Guide - https://wasserman-medical.com/shop/product/national-dental-advisory-service-2024-software-developers-version

The MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

Free consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

When does it make sense to hire a Treatment Coordinator? And if you already have one, how should you best utilize them? And should you considering adding another? This week, Jeff answers those questions and discusses what you can do to increase patient volume to the point where adding a Treatment Coordinator is worth the investment.

Treatment Coordinator Training Course - https://ddssuccess.com/p/treatment-coordinator-training-course

Overview of the Treatment Coordinator job - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYot0vTsSyc

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

Having trouble getting new employees to be productive and do things the way you want them to? Struggling with high turnover? In this episode, Jeff discusses an extremely simple and effective solution. Creating these checklists for your practice and training new hires on them can make all the difference in onboarding and retaining good staff.

Sample Employee Checklists - https://www.mgeonline.com/sample-employee-checklists/

DDS Success - https://ddssuccess.com

Reception is one of the most important positions in a dental practice. They are the first voice patients hear and the first face they see. And the skill of your receptionist has a major impact on the productivity and patient flow of your practice. So in this episode, Jeff describes the perfect receptionist and how you can hire and train them for your office.

:11 - Why the receptionist position is even more important than you realize

7:44 - Organizing the front desk intelligently

13:35 - Finding the right person and training them effectively

22:36 - Using a New Patient Intake Form

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Team training video courses - https://ddssuccess.com

New Patient Intake Form - https://www.mgeonline.com/np-intake-form

Phone Scripts - https://www.mgeonline.com/the-mge-new-patient-phone-scripts-ebook

There’s nothing more frustrating than working hard and producing a whole lot—only to realize there’s almost no profit left at the end of the month. So this week, Jeff tackles profitability: where dentists often go wrong in calculating their overhead/profit and what to focus on to bring that profit margin up.

Overhead Calculator Spreadsheet & Guidelines - https://mgeonline.com/overhead-materials/

MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://mgeonline.com/mge-communication-and-sales-seminars/

Fees & Plans Analysis - https://mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans-analysis/

Free consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis/

How is your practice really doing from a performance perspective? How “healthy” is your business? Just looking at revenues or going by gut feeling aren’t a good way to measure the true health and performance of your practice! There are five key areas to analyze to get a proper picture of your office, which Jeff covers in this week’s episode.

:11 – Growth rate

9:10 – Hygiene and patient retention

19:35 – Case acceptance and collections

23:36 – Staff efficiency

33:35 – Overhead and profitability

Full Practice Evaluation - https://mgeonline.com/practice-health-analysis

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

Hygiene Formula Spreadsheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/hygieneformula

Overhead Guidelines & Calculator - https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-materials

Fees & Plans Analysis - https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans

It’s not getting any easier to find and hire good team members. In fact, it may have gotten even harder for small businesses over the last few months! So in this week’s episode, Jeff outlines six changes you should make in your hiring process to succeed in this new reality.

1:11 – How the dental hiring landscape has been impacted recently

11:59 – Six changes you need to make in your hiring process

PPO Exit Strategy Session – https://www.mgeonline.com/ppo-exit-strategy

Sample Hiring Ads – https://www.mgeonline.com/sample-hiring-ads-2

DDS Success – https://ddssuccess.com

With everything that has happened in the past 3 years and inflation growing at an unusual rate, what direction are you going to take your practice in the next 5, 10, or 15 years and beyond? In this week’s episode, Jeff dives into 4 points that we go over with our clients to ensure that their practices are successful and stay successful in the years to come.

3:02 – Adjusting your Fees

9:30 – How PPO’s affect your new patient acquisition cost

15:05 – The importance of building your hygiene department

20:45 – Bread and butter dentistry vs. specialized cases

24:30 – Stabilizing your staffing situation

Dentistry is a competitive business and marketing is a must, but where do you start? What types of marketing are actually getting results nowadays? In this episode, MGE’s Marketing Director Adam Mortimer joins Jeff to discuss the top five ways to market your dental practice.

1:31 – Why you don’t want to rely on just one source of new patients

5:56 – How a good word-of-mouth referral campaign drastically reduces your cost-per-new-patient

8:07 – Why online reviews and testimonials are even more important than you thought they are

15:15 – All about Google and your business

27:36 – How to use social media strategically to get results

34:28 – Does direct mail still work?

Download the Call Log - https://www.mgeonline.com/np-call-log

The New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com 

Over the last few months, we’ve received a lot of questions about hiring and staffing issues, so we figured it was time for another listener Q&A episode! This week, Jeff answers your questions about finding and hiring qualified employees.

1:00 – Finding qualified (and skilled) employees

9:45 – Finding hygienists & associates

17:49 – Taking rising salaries into consideration

26:34 – Conducting interviews

Sample Hiring Ads – https://www.mgeonline.com/sample-hiring-ads-2

PPO Exit Strategy – https://www.mgeonline.com/ppo-exit-strategy

Group Interviews – https://www.mgeonline.com/group-interviews-download

This week we wrap up our series on “recession-proofing” your practice, so you can not only survive a recession, but actually thrive and continue to see great profitability and growth.

1:05 – Strengthening your hygiene department

10:01 – Getting out of reduced-fee insurance plans

21:40 – Organizational systems and staff training

30:28 – Adjusting your case acceptance process

34:35 – Managing your overhead

Checklist for “Recession-Proofing” Your Practice - https://www.mgeonline.com/recession-proof/

Insurance Plan Analysis - https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans-analysis/

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

It sure sounds nice to have a completely fee-for-service practice: you could receive your full fee for every procedure, make more profit, have a less hectic schedule… But is it really possible to drop insurance plans? Won’t you lose your patients and your production? Well, you may be surprised by how the numbers shake out.

1:38 – Why more and more dentists are starting to ask, “Do I really need this plan?” recently.

3:58 – The true cost of participating in PPOs and HMOs

6:44 – How many patients will you lose if you drop an insurance plan?

8:21 – Crunching the numbers: How increased profitability can compensate for loss of patients

13:01 – How did dentists get into this mess with insurance plans in the first place?

Download the free Plan Analyzer Tool – www.raisemyfees.com

The MGE New Patient Workshop – www.newpatients.net

Learn more about MGE – www.mgeonline.com

If you’re a regular listener, then you already know how important it is to have a highly competent Office Manager for your practice. This week, we bring on special guest Sabri Blumberg to discuss how to find the right person, what attributes to look for, and getting them started on the job successfully. 

Running the Day Checklist - https://www.mgeonline.com/running-the-day-checklist

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

DDS Success (coupon code RX269) - https://ddssuccess.com

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

There are tons of tip and tricks and “pearls” out there about case acceptance, which can make the whole topic pretty complex and confusing. So this week, Jeff simplifies it down to the most important factors and the things you should focus on first to immediately improve case acceptance in your practice.

Morning Production Meeting - https://mgeonline.com/morning-production-meeting-download

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

Nobody wants to have a high turnover office, but sometimes trying too hard to hold on to employees only makes the problem worse. So in this episode, Jeff discusses how to know if it’s a bad fit early and what to do about it—so you can build the right team around you and not wind up with continual problems and even worse turnover.

Learn more about MGE - https://mgeonline.com

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

No matter where you practice, you probably have some form of patient financing in your office. But there are a few keys to utilizing it properly and some ways to do it that aren’t so effective. In this weeks episode Jeff goes over not only when you should use it, but how doing it wrong could be costing you a lot more than you think!

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com 

If you want to significantly reduce overhead and increase your profit margin, there are only so many expenses you can cut out before you start doing more harm than good. However, there is one thing that makes a huge difference, and this week Jeff reveals what it is and how to reclaim your lost profitability.

Production Calculation - https://www.mgeonline.com/production-calculator

Fees & Plans Analysis - https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

About the Hubbard Management System - https://mgeonline.com/l-ron-hubbard

The majority of your revenue should be coming from your existing patient base. But most dentists have thousands of dollars in outstanding treatment that wasn’t accepted by patients in their practice. So how do you bring these “unclosed” patients back in and get them to accept this needed treatment? Well that’s what Jeff covers in this week’s podcast.

Morning Production Meeting Handout – https://mgeonline.com/morning-production-meeting-download

MGE Communication & Sales Seminars – https://mgeonline.com/mge-communication-and-sales-seminars/

DDS Success - https://ddssuccess.com/

This week we wrap up our series on “profitability killers” and the top changes you can make in your practice to have the greatest impact on reducing expenses and improving profitability. This episode focuses on staffing, payroll, labs/supplies, and a few other key tips for management overhead.

1:05 – Are your fees too low?

6:47 – Profitability Killer #4

16:14 – Profitability Killer #5

22:56 – Profitability Killer #6

Downloads for this episode - https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-materials/

Coaching Session- https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-and-profitability-coaching-session/

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

Learn more about DDS Success - https://ddssuccess.com/

This week, dental marketing expert Dan Brown joins Jeff to discuss the most important aspect of your marketing: social proof. He describes what it means and how focusing on it has been helping many of our clients double, triple, or even quadruple their new patients without adding a big marketing expense.

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Sample HIPAA release form - https://www.mgeonline.com/sample-hipaa-marketing-release-download

Microphone - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN1TZG89 

Tripod - https://www.amazon.com/Newest-Upgraded-Solidest-Compatible-Samsung/dp/B09XHZ8F7F

Has your practice hit a plateau? Struggling to increase production/collections over a certain number? There are only three reasons a practice stops growing and this week Sabri Blumberg joins us to discuss what those are along with how to kickstart growth again.

1:30 – The only three reasons a practice hits a “plateau.”

17:35 – Scheduling and organizing for production

Download the Hygiene Formula Spreadsheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/hygieneformula

The Scheduling Coordinator Training Course - https://ddssuccess.com/p/scheduling-coordinator-training

Scheduling downloads - https://www.mgeonline.com/scheduling-downloads

Free consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

Contact Sabri – SabriB@mgeonline.com

Have you gone ever through periods where your practice is growing nice and steadily…and then just stops? Have you ever hit a production ceiling that just won’t budge no matter what you do? In this episode, Jeff dives into why this happens and what you should do to catalyze new growth again.

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

We’ve discussed the idea of getting out of insurance plans and creating a fee-for-service practice—but what are the actual steps you need to follow to do it? That’s what we cover today with special guest Sabri Blumberg.

:51 – What is your specific situation and level of insurance participation?

3:44 – Ensuring you have an adequate volume of patients

15:34 – Important steps to do BEFORE dropping a plan

30:16 – Starting to phase out of plans

38:58 – Informing your patients (and retaining a high percentage of them)

46:51 – Changes to make in your practice now that you’re fee-for-service

Free PPO Exit Strategy Session - https://www.mgeonline.com/ppo-exit-strategy

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

Contact Sabri – sabrib@mgeonline.com

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

What’s going on with the inflation, interest rates, and labor market can have big implications for private practice dentists—but trying to keep up with it all can be a headache. So this week, Jeff breaks it down simply and gives some key tips for dentists that want to keep growing and maximize profitability.

Fees & Plans Analysis - https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans

Practice Analysis - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

Fee Lookup - https://feelookup.com

Wasserman Guide – https://wasserman-medical.com/product-category/dental

Employment Stats - https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

Job Opening Stats - https://www.bls.gov/charts/job-openings-and-labor-turnover/unemp-per-job-opening.htm

Small Business Stats - https://www.nfib.com/surveys/small-business-economic-trends

Inflation Stats - https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category-line-chart.htm

More and more dentists are starting to rethink the traditional payment model. Waiting until after services have been rendered increases the likelihood that patients won’t show up or pay, as well as creating extra work to chase up late payments. So, it’s easy to see why many dentists prefer prepaying nowadays. In this episode, Jeff discusses the pros and cons of prepayments, and gives tips for implementing it successfully.

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

This week we wrap up our hygiene department series with specific steps you should take to build up the hygiene department and get productive!

:11 – Laying the foundations for a sustainable hygiene dept

8:18 – 9 steps for building a productive and efficient hygiene dept

Hygiene Formula spreadsheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/hygieneformula

Reactivation Guidelines - https://www.mgeonline.com/mge-reactivation-program

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

It’s been difficult to find good staff lately, and the hygienist position is probably the toughest to fill. This has left a lot of dentists “hygienist-less” recently. Why is this? And what can you do about it? That’s what Jeff discusses in this week’s episode.

:49 – Why the owner doctor doing their own hygiene is a bad solution

2:46 – The stats: why it’s so difficult to find a hygienist currently

8:25 – How should you go about finding a hygienist right now?

17:39 – When could it make more sense to hire an associate doctor than a hygienist?

Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey - https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291292.htm

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

There are a few reasons why patients cancel appointments, but one of them far outstrips all the rest—and no amount of reminders or confirmations or cancellation fees will fix it. So this week, Jeff discusses the real problem behind the majority of cancellations and how to solve it so you can start reclaiming your lost productivity.

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://mgeonline.com/mge-communication-and-sales-seminars/

DDS Success - https://ddssuccess.com/

We all tend to focus on new patients, new patients, new patients, but how many existing patients are you losing out the back door? It’s probably more than you realize. So in this episode, we get into patient retention, recall, and how to calculate the potential of your hygiene department.

0:13 – The cost of new patient acquisition vs patient retention

7:27 – The Hygiene Formula: Assessing the health of your hygiene department

12:55 – How you can use this to add 6 figures to your practice revenues

Download the Hygiene Formula Spreadsheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/hygieneformula/

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net/

Why are dental office receptionists so undervalued and under-trained? And why don’t most dentists realize this oversight is costing them majorly in terms of potential patients and income? In this episode, we discuss the role of the receptionist, bringing on special guest Jeff Santone to share some staggering statistics and horror stories from placing mystery calls to dental offices (2:36), and then Sabri Blumberg joins us to provide simple guidelines for training your receptionist to be more effective at handling the phones and getting new patients in for appointments (22:01).

Request your Free Mystery call here.

Online video training for your team here.

Having a hard time finding staff who really care and will go above and beyond to help your practice grow? Well, there’s only one way you’re going to attract (and keep) that type of person, which is what Jeff covers in this week’s episode!

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

DDS Success (team training) - https://ddssuccess.com

DDS Clinical Training (advanced clinical CE) - https://www.ddsclinical.com

Free Consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis

Do you feel like your payroll is too high? Well, let’s get into the numbers and actually calculate it. It is typically the largest expense category in your overhead—especially in this era of high inflation and rising personnel costs—so keeping it under control is vital for profitability. In addition to the numbers, Jeff will also cover the reasons WHY your payroll has gotten too high and how to fix it.

0:45 – What SHOULD your payroll be, as a percentage of your total revenues?

6:25 – What to do if your payroll is too high

8:59 – 5 things that cause your payroll to be too high and what to do about them

Overhead Guidelines - https://www.mgeonline.com/overhead-materials/

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com/

If you survey dentists (which we do), staffing issues will always come up as one of the biggest sources of problems and stress—and it’s only gotten worse in recent years. So this week, special guest Jeff Santone comes on to discuss the biggest barriers to building a good team and what adjustments you should make to be successful in today’s environment. 

:11 I can’t find (or keep) any good staff

14:12 – I’m understaffed but can’t afford to hire more people

The MGE New Patient Workshop - https://www.newpatients.net

DDS Success (coupon code RX269) - https://ddssuccess.com

Fees & Plans Analysis - https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans

Wasserman Guide – https://wasserman-medical.com/product-category/dental

Dentistry is ultimately a service business, and having great customer service will do more to make your practice stand out than having the most impressive hi-tech equipment or expensive marketing gimmick. So, in this episode, Jeff discusses five ways for your team to improve the quality of service and make your practice a place where patients want to stay and refer their friends and family to.

:12 – Why customer service has become even more important over the last few years

6:47 – Understanding the patients’ needs and wants

10:37 – Having procedures in place

13:26 – Building a service-oriented team

16:24 – Managing with the right focus

Learn more about MGE –https://www.mgeonline.com

Forbes Article –

ttps://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2022/03/15/15-stats-about-post-covid-customer-service/?sh=a7f9e8d14fde

There is an endless number of ideas or “pearls” or “tips & tricks” out there about how to run your practice. Not only can this be overwhelming, but some of these ideas can actually be highly destructive to practice if you try to implement them! So this week, Jeff tackles five of the biggest myths you’ll hear around the industry that you should avoid adopting at all costs.

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

Download the MGE Reactivation Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/mge-reactivation-program

Roadmap to a Fee-for-Service Practice - https://www.mgeonline.com/roadmap

This week we wrap up our series on scheduling with the “how-tos” and important steps for implementing an efficient scheduling system.

2:15 – Double booking done right

15:17 – Maintaining flexibility for emergencies, exams, unexpected occurrences, etc.

22:55 – Building time in for case presentations and consults

30:33 – Implementation steps

Downloads for this episode - https://www.mgeonline.com/scheduling-downloads

Team training video courses - https://ddssuccess.com

The Scheduling for Production Seminar - https://www.mgeonline.com/the-scheduling-for-production-seminar

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

In this episode, Jeff covers several eye-opening dental industry statistics that open the door to tremendous opportunity for smart practice owners over the next 5-10 years. This is a fascinating listen for any dentist—but particularly if you’re a growth-minded owner or a considering buying an office in the future, this is a must-listen episode!

Dental Industry Statistics - https://mgeonline.com/2023-dental-industry-statistics

Practice Acquisition Checklist - https://mgeonline.com/practice-acquisition-checklist-3

Free consultation - https://www.mgeonline.com/free-practice-analysis/

We all know that we should be doing team training…but it can be tough to find the time, create good training materials, and get everyone on board with it. So this week, Jeff discusses the four biggest barriers to team training and how to make it happen efficiently and productively.

1:19 – Someone needs to be responsible for staff training

4:03 – Making time for team training

9:48 – Individualized training and team training

12:39 – What materials are you using to train your staff?

21:24 – The right attitude

DDS Success - https://ddssuccess.com

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com 

This week we bring in special guest Jeff Santone to discuss the three most common barriers to increasing practice revenues. Jeff speaks from his experience having run two highly successful offices and lecturing to, meeting with, and observing hundreds of doctors from all over the country on a monthly basis as MGE’s New Client Services Executive.

:11 – Reason #1: Your case acceptance rate isn’t what you think it is

22:22 – Reason #2: Your fee schedule

40:17 – Reason #3: Not being a real executive of your practice

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

Fees & Plans Analysis – https://www.mgeonline.com/fees-and-plans

Hiring is still a major problem for many dentists right now, which we’ve discussed in prior episodes. This week, we’re focusing on solutions. Jeff is joined by special guest Ashley Fuegel to discuss tips for finding, interviewing, and hiring candidates in today’s environment. As the VP of Administration, Ashley has hired hundreds of employees personally and also consulted countless clients, so she has seen it all when it comes to hiring.

:40 – Finding qualified candidates

7:43 – What to look for in the interview process

19:34 – How things have changed since 2019

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

Team training video courses - https://ddssuccess.com

The MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

When creating goals for your company, how do you measure them? Are there tangible steps your team can take to actually hit these goals? In this week’s episode Jeff goes over the exact steps you can take to immediately improve your productivity and reach your goals in your practice.

The MGE Power Program – https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

Morning Production Meeting - https://mgeonline.com/morning-production-meeting-download

Download the Hygiene Formula Spreadsheet - https://www.mgeonline.com/hygieneformula/

What do you do if some aspect of your practice is doing poorly and no matter what you do, it just doesn’t change? Let’s say your production is down, or there are holes in the schedule, or case acceptance is low—and you’ve already tried everything, but none of it works. In this episode, Jeff discusses why this happens and what you should do next.

The MGE Communication & Sales Seminars - https://www.mgeonline.com/abc

MGE Power Program - https://www.mgeonline.com/power-program

Special guest Jeff Santone comes on this week to discuss six important metrics for assessing the health of your dental practice and discovering areas where you can improve. In part one, we focus on case acceptance and how much potential production you may be leaving on the table.

0:11 – The 6 metrics you should focus on

2:55 – The best way to measure your case acceptance

6:10 – Value of treatment presented vs treatment produced

9:21 – Where the usual method of measuring case acceptance can be misleading

16:04 – How much potential production are you leaving on the table?

23:07 – What is the doctor’s responsibility and what it the staff’s responsibility when it comes to case acceptance?

Contact Jeff Santone at (800) 640-1140 or JeffS@mgeonline.com

Learn more about MGE - https://www.mgeonline.com

We’re in a “reimbursement crisis” right now in dentistry, and it’s only going to get worse with every passing month. So this week, Jeff takes a look at the current insurance model, what it really means to be “fee-for-service,” and how you would design a strategy to smoothly transition out-of-network—so you can start getting paid your full fee for every procedure.

Your Roadmap to a Fee-for-Service Practice - https://www.mgeonline.com/roadmap

Wasserman Guide - https://wasserman-medical.com/shop/product/national-dental-advisory-service-2024-fee-report-book

Insurance Plan Calculator - https://www.mgeonline.com/raise-your-fees

We all know we’re supposed to track metrics (or “key performance indicators”) for our businesses. However, oftentimes this just boils down to looking at a chart and thinking, “Oh, last month was bad,” or “last month was good”…but now it’s too late to do anything about it. When you don’t use it in real time, it becomes curious but ultimately useless information. So in this episode, Jeff discusses how to actively track key information and use it to actually improve efficiency and meet your goals.

DDS Success - https://ddssuccess.com

Download list of statistics to track - https://www.mgeonline.com/dental-office-statistics