Orthotown April 2024 - 46

OFFICE VISIT
is very expensive and can be very
stressful, especially during the first
year. Practice owners certainly need
to be aware of several more numbers
and I was not naive to that reality, but
I believed it was too early for me to
focus on dozens of metrics, so initially
I judged the practice's success on just
cash flow and new patients.
My real focus was on developing
excellent office systems and team
protocols early on, being involved with
our local community, collaborating
with my dental colleagues, and providing
a welcoming and educational
experience for all our new-patient
consultations.
I evaluated the initial growth of my
startup from a completely different
lens: qualitative advances, not quantitative
measures. Doing that allowed
our team to focus on the important
things patients consider and value
when selecting a clinic. I believe that
cultivating this value as seen from the
patient's perspective has contributed
greatly to our early success and has
grown our practice in those tangible
numbers as well.
Some might suggest that
starting from scratch isn't
a viable option in today's ortho
landscape. What's your take?
It's certainly not an easy task, but
nothing worth having ever comes
without its challenges. Yes, it is much
harder today given the changes in
the orthodontic landscape-growing
OSOs, student debt, upfront costs,
etc.-but it's not impossible. I graduated
with six figures of debt (which I'm
still paying down), had little private
practice experience and had no experience
operating a business.
However, starting a practice from
scratch is still a very viable option for
those who want to do it and are willing
to put in the work.
The critical piece of that sentence
is willing to put in the work. Opening
a practice requires a tremendous
amount of constant effort: Your motivation
may come in waves, but your
discipline will always be more reliable
to get you through difficult times.
Believe in yourself and what you're
capable of. If you want this, then go
for it! Find good mentors, develop your
vision, make a strategic plan, be flexible
in how you execute it, and enjoy
the ride.
What are some practical
attributes of a solid action plan
and timeline when it comes to
a startup practice?
At an early point in the planning
stages of my startup, I realized that
my to-do list kept growing despite
completing multiple tasks and feeling
very productive. I would complete
three tasks, but by the time they were
complete, I had six new ones. That's
when I realized you must figure out
the details of the details.
For example, writing " create a website "
on your checklist isn't enough-
what features do you need to consider
and address regarding your website?
You need to write down and figure out
each aspect of your site and ensure
you have a plan to address them.
Will the site integrate with your practice
management software and integrate
online scheduling? What written
content do you want to appear on all
the pages throughout your website?
What options should you consider for
who will build your site? These are all
APRIL 2024 | 46 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
aspects that need to be thought of,
explored and decided upon, and all
will take time.
The only way you can create a
realistic action plan and reasonable
timeline is if you properly account for
all of the things you'll need to spend
actual time on.
You've said that " nice is the
default " when it comes to creating
the patient experience in your
office. What are some differences
between a " nice " experience and
an exceptional one?
You'll know you've created an exceptional
experience for a patient because
you'll see it in their eyes. Creating
" Wow! " moments for your patients
and seeing a spark resonate in them
requires the doctor and the team to
continuously reflect and ask each other,
" What could make this even better? "
The doctor should always lead by
example here. For example, during
new-patient exams for children,
I always try to remember their pet's
name if they have one. More often
than not, the patient will be placed
on an observation appointment for
a follow-up anywhere from six to
12 months later. You can imagine
their surprise when they come back a
year later after only meeting me once
and I say, " So, how's Peanut doing
these days? "
It's creating little moments like that
that are not only fun for the patient
but also fun for me as well.
How did you teach yourself the
business side of the profession?
Unfortunately, during orthodontic
residency, there isn't much formal education
on the business side of things.
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