Dental A Team W/ Kiera Dent And Dr Mark Costes

Office autopsies are back! In these episodes, Kiera explains the exact prescription applied by the Dental A-Team to an individual practice to get them to hero status! The practice shared (anonymously) in this episode was purchased by a first-time practice owner/former associate dentist and the annual revenue with four operatories was $350,000 per year. The DAT prescription got this practice up to $1.5 million per year by doing the following steps:  Trained the front office Started working on an operations manual Increased the new patient count Tracked numbers daily (and monthly!) Kiera walks through the details of each, so listen in with a notebook and pen! Interested in getting your own DAT prescription? Email us at hello@thedentalateam.com or visit our website, www.TheDentalATeam.com!   

If you want your practice’s leadership team to thrive, you’ve got to give them room to flex. Today, Kiera talks about setting your executive leadership folks up for success. Her tips: Build out a calendar (we have a sample!) Define the structure and parameters for each leadership role Block out one hour a week for these positions to focus on admin time If you aren’t giving guidance and time for your team to succeed, things fall through the cracks. Trust us on this. Let Kiera talk you into it by pressing play!

In this very special Dental A-Team podcast episode, Kiera is joined by Taylor James, host of The Waffle Shop podcast, to discuss mental health. Suicide and mental challenges is especially prevlant among dentists. Kiera and Taylor share their own journeys with mental health, what they’ve done, and why no size fits all when it comes to addressing your own mental health. This topic is incredibly important, and remember that so are you. If you’re in need of a helping hand or a nudge in a certain direction, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us: hello@thedentalateam.com.  Remember that your experiences don’t define you, but they do shape you — hopefully for the better rather than the worse. Reach out for help today. You can find Taylor on Instagram! www.instagram.com/waffleshoppodcast

Efficiency — we love it, we want it, and this episode is all about it! Kiera shares tips on finding those pockets of time that you can streamline to make patient visits go way more smoothly. The secret? Note templates! Listen up as Kiera spells out how this works. Want to get your hands on the Dental A-Team’s checklist for framing your patient visit, hygienists? We have the form! If you want to smooth the edges of your visits and get your patients out the door AND have all your notes completed at the same time, this is the episode for you.

WOW, we are 300 episodes into this journey! Thank you to all our Dental A-Team family members — old and new. As Kiera reflects on what it’s taken to be consistent with a three-times-a-week podcast, she invites listeners to think about their own life staples. What is it in your life, personally or professionally, that’s requiring you to show up? What could you do to enhance your life? Kiera shares her own tips for accountability. We love our DAT listeners. Missed one of our 300 episodes? They’re allll at www.TheDentalATeam.com for your binging pleasure :)

If you had 100 extra hours of time each year, what would you do? Well, we have an idea of how to get you more freedom: hiring an assistant! Don’t believe us? Start by time journaling out your life and then figuring out where you could use a helping hand. Personal assistant: Takes care of the personal things — grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, housekeeping, etc. Administrative assistant: Helps with smaller task business items like responding to emails, creating forms for the practice, running errands Executive assistant: Moves the practice forward. This person is a high-level thinker who can work autonomously while looking at the direction and focus of the business. (Could be your operations manager, but does not have to be.) Kiera explains the pay range for each; where to find the good ones; and how the Dental A-Team can help! Psst, we can send you the most recent assistant ads we’ve placed — email us at hello@thedentalateam.com!  At the end of the day, it’s not going to hurt to hire an assistant.

Try as it might, COVID-19 canNOT ruin holiday cheer! This episode will inspire you to host the best holiday party this year, even if it’s virtual. If you recall, the Dental A-Team is a virtual company, meaning we’ve got virtual parties in the bag. Tune in to hear about how to celebrate, what games to use, and how to give the perfect gift to your team members. Need more help or ideas? We’ve got you: email hello@thedentalateam.com! 

Why are you the way you are? No, really: What is your WHY? What is the need in your life? In this episode, Kiera encourages Dental A-Team family members to understand why they are the way they are so you can all make smarter, wiser decisions about why you function the way you do! Start by taking Tony Robbins’ Driving Force quiz, and use the results to launch yourself forward into continued success! Like what you’re hearing as far as the purpose framework? Visit www.WomenDentistsConnect.com to hear the full talk, then www.TheDentalATeam.com for more podcast episodes about excelling as a person!

Sarah O’Brien is back to talk fee schedules! Here, she shares with Kiera what it means to negotiate a fee schedule, how often it should happen, and the secrets of getting an increase across the board … and then an additional increase. And umbrella companies’ roles when it comes to reimbursements? Sarah has advice for that, too. If you fall in love with Sarah and her awesome knowledge, make sure you listen to all her episodes! She’s kind of a regular :) Head over to www.TheDentalATeam.com for the goods. Sarah O'Brien started remote dental billing in 2017 when she was asked to help a newly graduated dentist who had purchased an existing office with higher-than-anticipated outstanding claims, some seriously crazy accounts, and a sweet front office person with very little experience.  Since that time, dozens of dental offices and dentists have used her remote billing services to send or post claims, get help with high AR, create statement protocols, and train staff to be better dental billers.  Three years later

We’re here with your a-ha! moment for the day: Making sure your life is balanced. It starts with an activity that requires a piece of paper, pen, and six highlighters. Let Kiera walk you through how to check and see if the time you’re spending each week is actually fulfilling. Ask yourself these questions: Are you in balance of fulfilling activities? Can someone else do your job better and faster? We’re curious about your results! Feel free to share them with us: hello@thedentalateam.com! 

Yeah, it’s Thanksgiving and we’re feeling grateful. We’ve reached a massive milestone of 300,000-plus downloads on this very podcast you’re listening to! And we’re not even two years old! Also, we have a killer fam at The Dental A-Team. What’s not to be thankful for, even in 2020?! Our challenge for you today is to take the time to genuinely thank your team, and thank them specifically. Find subtle but direct ways to show your appreciation. Inspire a culture of gratitude!  Remember that every person on your team brings a special piece to your workplace.  Thank you, DAT gang. And Happy Thanksgiving!

The Dental A-Team is full of love, space, and grace for you today. Whether you’re on fire with success or burnt out from stress, Kiera is offering a helping hand. Listen to this episode now, then save it for a dose of positivity for future bad days. The DAT is always ready to offer support. Be part of the gang: www.TheDentalATeam.com. 

We’re fresh off Women Dentists Connect, and Kiera’s here to share the pearls of what was talked about! Think overhead control, a profit-first mentality, and knowing your available funds.  What your office is spending money on is important to know. As you get your hands dirty with knowledge, encourage your team to participate! What can team members do to reduce overhead? The fine points are in this episode, but the full rundown is over at WomenDentistsConnect.com. Go check it out!

More end-of-year talk! This time, with Sarah O’Brien of Evolution Dental Billing who provides a laundry list of items to clear out for the new year. Some topics: Close out problem claims and problem accounts Look at all the numbers for 2020 Other ideas Sarah discusses with Kiera is how often your practice should change office fees, what to keep track of for next year, and how to reward your ever-so-helpful patients. Missed our previous end-of-year-tips episodes? Head to www.TheDentalATeam.com to find ‘em all! Sarah O'Brien started remote dental billing in 2017 when she was asked to help a newly graduated dentist who had purchased an existing office with higher-than-anticipated outstanding claims, some seriously crazy accounts, and a sweet front office person with very little experience.  Since that time, dozens of dental offices and dentists have used her remote billing services to send or post claims, get help with high AR, create statement protocols, and train staff to be better dental billers.  Thre

This episode is all about the six reports your practice should be running on a regular basis. Keeping yourself honest with this information will yield smoother production and happier staff + patients! Know your production collection Claims not sent Procedures not attached Aging report Unscheduled treatments New patient report + have every referral report filled in (don’t waste marketing dollars!) These are the six reports that Dental A-Team coaches are looking for when they travel around the world to practices. Get these rolling consistently and you’ll bump up to an A+ team member!

Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Paton is HERE!  You’ve probably heard Kiera talk about ‘traction’ more than once on this podcast, and now, we get to talk with one of the masterminds behind the idea. In this episode, Mike and Kiera discuss Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and how it brings structure and discipline to entrepreneurial companies; ways to keep motivation alive in 2020; and what pivoting and innovating should look like. This year has been challenging, but the world still needs excellent dental care. Don’t forget that YOUR practice, YOUR team, and YOUR equipment can provide that. As Mike says in this episode, the best entrepreneurs will succeed profitably no matter the constraints. You won’t want to miss this latest chat with a Dental A-Team legend! Mike Paton has been learning from entrepreneurs for most of his life. Today he works hard to give back – as an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, Certified EOS Implementer, and as the visionary for EOS Worldwide. Mike discovered the Entrepreneu

Ugh, collections. No fun for anyone. BUT the Dental A-Team is here to lighten your load by sharing our favorite collections protocol. Kiera shares the policies your practice should have in place for collections even enters your mind, then walks through the process of contacting a patient for payment. Hint: Red paper can work wonders. Establishing a clear-cut protocol gets your dental team in the zone for what can be a sticky subject, so you’re going to want to listen to this episode. Looking for more advice on developing your collections protocol? Email hello@thedentalateam.com!

Did you know that dental practices that are Dental A-Team members were able to minimize 2020’s shockwaves? Yup. We’re here for YOU, and today’s tip has to do with a recent Happy Mail/party in a bag we sent out to the DAT fam. Included was a list of billing breakdown tips, and that’s what today’s episode is about: resources for billing protocol. We’ve scheduled out what your billing should be broken down into for a daily, weekly, and monthly task list. By abiding by a schedule, you’ll be kept honest to infinity and beyond.

More end-of-the-year tips for your practice! Today’s topic is how to bump collections immediately in your practice. Kiera talks listeners through the following: Making sure your over-the-counter collections are strong Checking end-of-day reports Reviewing AR reports Think outside the box We did some quick math for you, as an example, and Kiera found some easy ways your practice can rake in $56,000 over ten months. Yeah, you don’t want to miss out on this information. And if this tickles your fancy, feel free to ask us more! Email hello@thedentalateam.com.

Yikes, are you still feeling knocked off your axis from everything that’s happened in 2020? This episode, which includes road warrior Tiffanie Trader, is all about getting back little pockets of time and getting back into rhythm. What’re we talking about? You've heard it before, and you’ll hear it again (because it’s important!): time journaling. By incorporating this act into your practice, you can tighten up the screws on workflow in the practice and know what to delegate. Kiera and Tiffanie have the good for you, so press play.