Oral Health Office March 2014 by Annex Business Media

oralhealth

OFFICE w w w. o r a l h e a l t h g r o u p. c o m

MARCH 2014

Setting You Up for Success

PREVENTING INJURY IN DENTISTRY

BEYOND Posture & Time Management Are Niche Dental Practices THE FUTURE?

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE ISSUE

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Dr. Ryan Lacoursière Certified Specialist in Orthodontics B.Sc., D.M.D., M.Sc. (Ortho), FRCD(C)

LET’S TALK

BUSINESS. We’re helping make successful practices more successful. Find out how at HealthyPracticeNow.ca

Dr. Ryan Lacoursière has not been compensated to appear in this ad.

We mean business.

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oralhealth

OFFICE w w w. o r a l h e a l t h g r o u p. c o m

Features 10 Beyond Posture and Time Management — The

Importance of Ergonomic Design to an Efficient Practice and Long, Healthy Dental Career Eddie Ash

16 Office Design — Crescent Oral Surgery 20 Opportunities in Retirement Planning Mark McNulty

24 Are Niche Dental Practices the Future?

Michael Carabash, BS, LLB, JD, MBA, CDPM

28 Upgrade Your Office & Equipment and Save Taxes, Too!

David Chong Yen, CPA, CA, CFP; Louise Wong, CPA, CA, TEP

30 How Canada’s New Anti-Spam Law will Impact Your Practice Jeff Coward

35 Setting You Up For Success:

Preventing Injury in Dentistry

Frank Lucchetta & Alessandro Gabriele

40 Online Reputations: The Internet’s Dirty Little Secrets and How It Can Kill Your Practice Neil Gajjar

Departments

Editorial: E aster Bunnies, Leprechauns and Tooth Fairies

News Briefs: B loor West Dental Group JDIQ Courses Vertical Motion

Dental Marketplace

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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Your banking should be as personalized as your patient care.

Specialized banking advice for your practice. Your expert advice helps your patients stay healthy. TD Business Banking Specialists work with you to help keep your business just as healthy with banking solutions and specialized banking advice. And because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re open earlier, open later and even on Sundays,* you can get the advice you need, on your time. Because a healthy practice deserves specialized care.

Visit tdcanadatrust.com/dentists or call 1-888-679-4808 *Individual branch hours vary. 400 branches are open Sundays. ÂŽ The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

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Editorial

Easter Bunnies, Leprechauns and Tooth Fairies

C atherine Wilson, E ditor

One of these things is not like the others

know these things exist: Buyers’ remorse; winners’ curse; pop culture; urban legends; leprechauns… ugh, inner voice, inner voice! We can debate that last one but one thing that is for sure is the existence of the tooth fairy, or to be specific, ‘America’s/Canada’s ToothFairy’…one word, uppercase F, followed by the tagline, National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF). The tooth fairy is a ‘fantasy figure’ of early childhood. Folklore stated that when a child lost a baby tooth, if he or she placed it under their pillow, the tooth fairy would visit in the night, take the tooth and leave an amount of money. A 2013 survey by Visa Inc., found that American children receive $3.70 per tooth on average. A 1984 survey revealed that 74 percent of respondents said the tooth fairy was female. According to one passage in Wikipedia, one review of published children’s books and popular artwork found the tooth fairy to also be depicted as a child with wings, a pixie, a dragon, a blue mother-figure, a flying ballerina, two little old men, a dental hygienist, a potbellied flying man smoking a cigar, a bat, a bear and others. Unlike the well-established images of Santa Claus and even the Easter Bunny, differences in renderings of the tooth fairy are not as upsetting to children. Since its launch in 2006, America’s ToothFairy, NCOHF, definitely NOT a ‘fantasy figure’, has literally touched the lives of millions of children through quality treatment and preventive and educational services delivered by Affiliate partners. NCOHF has distributed more than $10 million in financial and product contributions. As educator, preventer and protector of America’s most vulnerable children,

America’s ToothFairy provides a comprehensive approach to preventing the number one chronic childhood illness. In Canada alone: more than 2.26 million days of school and 4.5 million work days are lost annually due to dental complications; untreated tooth decay and gum disease are directly correlated with heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease and pre-term, low birth-weight babies. Participating NCOHF dentists receive a practice-building program including press releases; content for social media and patient newsletters; video for in-office loop; recognition on America’s ToothFairy website; and a Community Education Kit for use at events, schools and activities promoting positive oral health behaviours. Hundreds of thousands of children were provided with critical oral health services in fiscal year 2013 through the network of non-profit Affiliate partners including university dental and dental hygiene programs; community healthcare facilities; school and hospital-based dental clinics and mobile dental facilities. As Canada’s ToothFairy, National Children’s Oral Health Foundation of Canada is collaborating with business, government, professional and civic leaders in a mission to deliver the best dental care available to those at most need. Generous corporate underwriting of operational and program expenses ensures that 100 percent of all other contributions go directly to programs benefitting children in need. Make Canada’s ToothFairy a roaring success, because every child deserves a healthy smile. www.CanadasToothFairy.org or 800-5599838

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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6 News A BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP PUBLICATION

Bloor West Dental Group wins healthcare category at the 2014 Interiors Awards

Editorial Director: Catherine Wilson 416-510-6785 cwilson@oralhealthgroup.com Editorial Assistant: Jillian Cecchini 416-442-5600, ext. 3207 jcecchini@oralhealthgroup.com Art Direction: Andrea M. Smith Production Manager: Phyllis Wright

Contract Magazine’s 35th Annual Interiors Awards ceremony took place on January 24th, 2014 at the Cipriani in New York. With over 600 people in attendance, 13 projects were chosen from over 400 entries. Dr. Carolyn Poon-Woo, Gerry Lee Wing and the team at Bloor West Dental Group in Toronto, Ontario, took home the award for Healthcare (Small). Toronto-based Southside Design, founded by interior designer Stephanie Kamburis and architect Bruce Stratton, brought Poon Woo’s objective to design a tranquil, sustainable, technologically-advanced dental facility to life. The jury described the brand new office as “lively and modern, it helps relieve dental visit anxiety.” Congratulations to Bloor West Dental Group on the award!

JDIQ courses are quickly selling out

Journées dentaires internationales du Québec will take place this spring from May 23rd to 27th, 2014 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. The annual meeting of the Ordre des dentistes du Québec expects to draw over 12,000 delegates from around the world. Featuring a scientific program with over 125 lectures and workshops in English and French, JDIQ maintains its status as Canada’s most highly attended bilingual convention. More than 225 exhibitors will span 500 booths in the exhibit hall which will be open on Monday and Tuesday, May 26th and 27th and will feature a continental breakfast on both days for the early risers as well as a wine and cheese reception to close out both days. Featured speakers for this 44th edition include Drs. Michael DiTolla, Gerard Kugel, Karl Koerner, George Freedman, Jason Smithson, Brian Novy and Ken Hargreaves, just to name a few. Several of the workshop courses have already sold out. Do not wait any longer and register today. For more information, please call 1-800-361-4887, visit www.odq.qc.ca or email congres@odq.qc.ca.

First two-way loyalty program for companies launched by Vertical Motion Vertical Motion, one of the leading development shops for enterprise applications in Canada, announces the release of eTrove, a solution for companies looking to get more out of their customer loyalty programs. eTrove enables clients to gain extra points towards ‘that prize they are eyeing’ by engaging with a company’s social media profiles, which simultaneously helps the company grow their online presence. A powerful and simple to use back end administration dashboard displays the details of the company’s social media performance, with stats and feedback on participation levels that helps hone social media initiatives. This dashboard is web based, and accessible on any device from a tablet, to a smartphone, to a desktop computer. In addition to tracking client interaction, eTrove’s back end system allows administrators to set and monitor their auto-adjusted on hand inventory, amout of points awarded for specific actions, and points redemption values. With the eTrove system, administrators and front-desk staff have more control and less hassle than with traditional programs, as well as no hidden fulfillment fees. www.etrove.ca.

Circulation: Cindi Holder Advertising Services: Karen Samuels 416-510-5190 karens@bizinfogroup.ca Classified Advertising: Karen Shaw 416-510-6770 kshaw@oralhealthgroup.com Dental Group Assistant: Kahaliah Richards 416-510-6777 krichards@oralhealthgroup.com Account Manager: Tony Burgaretta 416-510-6852 tburgaretta@oralhealthgroup.com Associate Publisher: Hasina Ahmed 416-510-6765 hahmed@oralhealthgroup.com Senior Publisher: Melissa Summerfield 416-510-6781 msummerfield@oralhealthgroup.com Vice President/ Canadian Publishing: Alex Papanou President/ Business Information Group: Bruce Creighton OFFICES Head Office: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9. Telephone 416-442-5600, Fax 416-510-5140. Oral Health Office is printed twice in 2014 and is designed to provide the entire dental team with business management information to make practices more successful. Articles dealing with investment planning, personal finances, scheduling and collection procedures, in addition to lifestyle issues, are geared to all practicing Canadian dentists, hygienists, dental assistants and office managers. Please address all submissions to: The Editor, Oral Health Office, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9. Subscription rates: Canada $20.00 for 1 year; $37.00 for 2 years; USA $23.00 for 1 year; Foreign $43.00 for 1 year; Single copy $12.00. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the written consent of the copyright owner. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374; Fax: 416-4422191; E-mail: privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup. ca; Mail to: Privacy Officer, Business Information Group, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9. Canada Post product agreement No. 40069240. Oral Health Office is published twice in 2014 by Glacier BIG Publication Holdings Ltd., a leading Canadian information campany with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services. ISSN 2291-1448 (PRINT) ISSN 2291-1456 (ONLINE)

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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WHAT MAKES

MY CLIENTS

HAPPY ?

From digital integration to CAd/CAM, to innovative new products - We do That! Being a Henry Sales Consultant affords me the luxury of providing the best solutions for my clients.

TYLEr McCLENdoN Field Sales Consultant Henry Schein Canada / Zahn Canada Vancouver Branch

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Increase your productivity

Provide customized technology solutions

Contact your Henry Schein Sales Consultant 1-800-668-5558 | www.henryschein.ca

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ADVERTORIAL

Chris Gibbs CEO Chris Gibbs Florida Probe CEO Corporation Florida Probe Corporation

Voice-Controlled Perio Voice-Controlled Perio Charting That Works! Charting That Works!

Have you ever tried the Periodontal Pull-Chart Test? It’s easy – just pick 10 ever random patient charts from your office Have you triedadult the Periodontal Pull-Chart Test? It’s easy files–and to random see if a perio chart ischarts documented foroffice each just look pick 10 adult patient from your particular patient, come back to this article. files and look tothen see if a perio chart is documented for each particular patient, then come back to this article. If you are like many of today’s busy offices, you might have seen in those charts foroffices, the periodontal If “WNL” you are written like many of today’s busy you might exam, have which might as written well stand for “We Never However, seen “WNL” in those charts for Looked.” the periodontal exam, which as implement well stand for “Weperiodontal Never Looked.” However, it’s not toomight late to a new probing & it’s not too late implement new periodontal charting system orto improve youracurrent system. probing & charting system or improve your current system. Our first focus will be on what we gain by performing a first focus will be on what weagain performing a full Our periodontal exam at least once yearby and having the full periodontal exampatient at least in once year and having the resulting chart for each ourapractice: resulting chart for each patient in our practice:

Vo Voic Karl Schmidt Director of Practice Karl Schmidt Management Technologies Director of Practice Patterson Dental Canada Management Technologies Patterson Dental Canada

What would that look like? would that look like? 1.What A system that provides a co-diagnosis effect on the

1.patient. A system that provides a co-diagnosis effect on the 2. Apatient. system that allows the clinician to deliver good news catching the disease early and beinggood able to offer 2.about A system that allows the clinician to deliver news treatment options, than just the bad able newstoabout about catching therather disease early and being offer the presence the disease. treatmentofoptions, rather than just the bad news about the of the disease. patient treatment acceptance and 3. Apresence system that increases revenue. 3.generates A system that increases patient treatment acceptance and generates revenue. Okay, now let’s put it all together – this is Why we need and Okay,we now let’sinput it all together – this is&Why we need and What want a Periodontal Probing Charting System: What we want in a Periodontal Probing & Charting System: • Do better dentistry. Do better • • Protect ourdentistry. practice. • Protect our practice. • Catch periodontal disease in its earliest stages, when we 1. We are doing better dentistry, as more and more research • can Catch periodontal inwithout its earliest stages, when we offer treatmentdisease options surgery. 1. We arethe doing better dentistry, more and more research supports connection betweenasoral health and whole can offer treatment options without surgery. supports the connection between oral health and whole • Full-mouth periodontal charts that can be easily body health. • interpreted Full-mouth by periodontal charts be easily health. the clinician andthat thecan patient. 2. We body are protecting our practice legally by showing that we interpreted by the clinician and the patient. 2. We are protecting our practice legally by showing that we probing and charting. have been keeping track of our patients’ periodontal health. • • One-person One-person probing and charting. have been keeping track of our patients’ periodontal health. 3. We can catch periodontal disease in its earliest stage, often • Ease of charting by the clinician, without having to break 3. We can catch periodontal disease in its earliest stage, often • Ease of charting by the clinician, without having to break asepsis. preventing early bone loss, surgery or serious asepsis. preventing early bone loss, surgery or serious complications from systemic disease (including death from • patient and andleads leadsto toincreased increased complications from systemic disease (including death from • Educates Educatesand and motivates motivates the the patient case cardiovascular disease or or diabetes). caseacceptance. acceptance. cardiovascular disease diabetes). • • Allows the healer/educator healer/educatorand andto tooffer offer Allowsthe theclinician clinician to to be be the Now thatthat we we have established Why it is important toto the thisdisease diseaseand andwe we Now have established Why it is important thegood goodnews news that that “We “We understand understand this implement a periodontal probing & charting system, know implement a periodontal probing & charting system,let’s let’s knowhow howto to manage manage it.” it.” focus on What wewe should include in in that system totomake • • Increases and generates generatespractice practice focus on What should include that system makeitit Increasestreatment treatment acceptance acceptance and as efficient andand proficient as as possible: revenue. as efficient proficient possible: revenue.

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MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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10 Ergonomics

Beyond Posture Time Management

n recent years, dental professionals, along with individuals across numerous industries and disciplines, have been consistently encouraged to ‘do more with less’ and to minimize overhead costs in order to maximize profits. As a result of these pressures and the overall economic climate and current conditions in the insurance industry, new dentists are seeing a new and often overlooked aspect of the dental profession, ergonomics, rise in significance. While not typically considered to be a physically demanding occupation, the practice of dentistry does demand a certain level of support and well-designed equipment in order to avoid improper tool use, awkward posture, and repetitive motions that can lead to debilitating musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) with the potential to shorten a dentist’s career and reduce his or her earning potential by limiting the number of patients he or she is able to see on a regular basis. There are, however, some key steps every dental professional can take to reduce their risk of sustaining these injuries and causing irreparable damage to their bodies and careers. For example, when setting up a new operatory or renovating an existing space, ergonomic principles and fourhanded dentistry must be considered in the design, to optimize efficiency, minimize redundant movements, and increase the overall patient experience. New dentists should seek an

expert within the equipment distribution industry to help them purchase equipment and cabinetry that reduce redundant movements and prevent injuries sustained during dental procedures. Ergonomics has long been an integral aspect of dental practice. When dental insurance became more accessible in the 1960s resulting in a greater influx of patients, dentists had to devise ways to increase their efficiency. True fourhanded dentistry, a system where the dentist’s hands work in harmony with an assistant’s hands, was more commonly taught to dental students as one way to maximize dental service and manage greater patient churn. Equipment at that time was designed specifically for four hands to operate in the work zone. Later, as funding for these programs began to dry up and dental students had to learn to operate without an assistant, they learned to perform fourhanded procedures using only two hands. Dental equipment manufacturers followed suit and began designing equipment for two-handed dentistry. Today, the practice of ergonomics is gaining increasing popularity and significance as a way to more efficiently see patients and run dental practices while protecting the dental professionals themselves from potentially damaging, life-long MSDs. MSDs most commonly suffered by dental professionals occur in the neck and shoulders, upper and lower back, elbow and wrist joints, and knees. New dentists may already be experiencing symptoms of

©prapassong/Getty Images/Thinkstock

The importance of ergonomic design to an efficient practice and long, healthy dental career

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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©prapassong/Getty Images/Thinkstock

Ergonomics

MSDs such as general pain, numbness, burning, cramping, stiffness, and tingling. MSDs differ for men and women depending on the type and length of procedures performed and the number of procedures completed per day. Men have been found to have more problems with their necks, and women tend to have four to five times more problems in their wrists and hands. There a few simple changes dental professionals of both sexes can make to reduce stress on the body right away. One is to begin paying attention to their posture and avoid leaning and slumping. Sitting upright with good back support, using a foot rest, keeping elbows close to the body, and alternating between sitting and standing will make a noticeable difference. Unnecessary reaching can be avoided by positioning dynamic, ancillary, and static instrumentation within the transfer zone of both the dentist and the assistant. Balancing longer and shorter procedures throughout the day, trading off functions with an assistant, and including rest periods is also a successful strategy for working smarter and limiting strain on the body. Posture and time management are good first steps, but choosing the right equipment and practicing true fourhanded dentistry are essential to leading a long and lucrative career. When purchasing dental equipment, dentists should ask the dealer for hand pieces and instruments that are made from lighter materials with larger diameters. Some tools have angulation that is easier to grip and hold, which is ideal for maximizing control while limiting MSDs. Dentists should also choose motorized tools when possible to avoid excessive manual labor for common procedures, such as scraping teeth. However, all motorized tools are not created equal. For instance, air-driven tools tend to be less advisable due to the loud and often unnerving atmosphere they commonly create for the operator and the patient. By contrast, tools with an electric motor operate at lower speed but with higher torque. Forty thousand RPMs accomplishes the same task as air-driven tools operating at 350,000 RPMs, while requiring less strength to manipulate, and making for a calmer overall patient experience.

New technology is also playing a large role in making some cutting-edge procedures easier on both the dental operator and the patient. Lasers can be used to cut or vaporize tissue, which greatly reduces the need for drills and even anesthesia in some procedures, allowing the patient to enjoy a more relaxed experience. Dental professionals can also more easily see inside a patient’s oral cavity without twisting and turning and while remaining in an upright position. Cameras can be used to display areas of interest on a monitor where both the dentist and the patient can see the image, and loupes can be used to magnify a dentist’s field of view and allow him to stay upright. Microscopes provide magnified views of all four quadrants in the dental cavity, allowing a dentist to complete precise procedures while maintaining proper posture. With the right tools and techniques, dental professionals can greatly reduce their risk of sustaining MSDs. But perhaps the most important consideration when designing a new dental operatory is the placement of dynamic, ancillary, and static instrumentation. An operatory designed from the oral cavity out provides the safest, most comfortable, and most efficient use of space. The goal should be to keep all movements at Class 3 or below for both the dentist and assistant. Instruments should be placed in the transfer zone, the two to four o’clock position on a patient’s oral cavity for right-handed operators and eight to ten o’clock for left-handed operators. This allows the assistant to hand the dentist tools as needed and reduces the dentist’s eyestrain by allowing him to keep his eyes trained in the oral cavity. The benefits of ergonomic design go far beyond just the health of the operators and are a smart investment for new dentists. Combined with the efficiencies established through fourhanded dentistry, dentists can see more patients per day and extend their careers by avoiding MSDs. By planning ahead and seeking expert advice before purchasing equipment and cabinetry, new dentists will ensure their offices are designed to economize their motion and protect them against MSDs, while securing their long-term health and career success.

Eddie Ash is the equipment and design specialist at DC Dental, a fast growing dental supply and service provider. Ash has over 33 years of experience setting up new dental practices. Learn more at www.dcdental.com.

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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The proven choice for brighter results.

When it comes to lasting results and efficacy, Philips Zoom WhiteSpeed LED outshines the competition. In a clinical study, WhiteSpeed provided over 50% better whitening than Opalescence Boost, both immediately following the procedure and after seven and thirty days.1 It’s clinically proven to whiten teeth up to eight shades in just 45 minutes,2 and 99% of consumers experienced little to no sensitivity with WhiteSpeed.1 Lasting results with minimal sensitivity — that’s the bright side of Zoom WhiteSpeed. Ask about Philips Zoom WhiteSpeed today. Call (800) 278-8282 or visit philipsoralhealthcare.com * In the United States. 1 Data on file, 2013. 2 Excluding prep time. © 2014 Philips Oral Healthcare, Inc. All rights reserved. PHILIPS and the Philips shield are trademarks of Koninklijke Philips N.V. Sonicare, the Sonicare logo, DiamondClean, FlexCare Platinum, FlexCare, FlexCare+, ProResults, Sonicare For Kids and AirFloss are trademarks of Philips Oral Healthcare. All other trademarks are property of Discus Dental, LLC.

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ADVERTORIAL

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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16 Office Design

NORTHER

Warmth and CRESCENT ORA

When you enter the boutique style foyer of Crescent Oral Surgery in Aurora, North of Toronto, you know this is not your average Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery clinic. An elevator to the second floor, 5,200 sq. foot space, opens directly into the clinic with stainless steel chandeliers, warm grey woods mixed amongst touches of glass and stone. Four consultation rooms and four surgical suites offer state of the art modern technology for Partners and Drs. Eddie Reinish, Marco Caminiti, Brian Rittenberg and Peter Gioulos, along with Associates Amir Mousavifar, Kris Lee, Nick Katsikeris, Riva Black (Oral Pathologist) and Ernest Lam (Oral Radiologist) to perform procedures ranging from dental implants, wisdom tooth removal, facial surgery, corrective jaw surgery, biopsies and the diagnoses and treatment of facial pain, facial injuries and TMJ disorders. They entrusted the design and build of the clinic to the practice’s Executive Director, Nadine Arpin. Nadine worked with designer Rita Valente of Valente Designs and Tripar Improvements to build a clin-

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Office Design

HERN

hENTand Beauty ORAL SURGERY

ic that would both welcome patients in a serene environment while serving as a high functioning surgical practice. Equipment selection and installation was facilitated with the help of equipment specialists Ken Croney and Melissa DeLorenzi of Henry Schein. The reception area offers a custom frosted automatic glass door, leather seating and sofas providing waiting patients and family members a relaxing environment full of natural daylight. The clinic was designed to allow for seamless flow between consultation rooms and surgical suites. Wide hallways with vinyl wood plank flooring maintain a feeling of openness while providing warmth to the space. Clean modern lines mixed with transitional accents are an integral part of the design. Crescent Oral Surgery also has a location in Toronto, Ontario offering a CS9300 CbCT scanner, and a clinic in Richmond Hill, Ontario both with modern surroundings and cutting edge technology. — Nadine Arpin, Executive Director www.crescentoralsurgery.com

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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ADVERTORIAL

Changing the Game to Achieve a High Income Practice Special report by Cheryl Kanhai

Every dentist knows that digital equipment is very expensive and enables the practice to achieve better oral health outcomes. But does that make it a High Income Practice? Many clinics find out the hard way that having all the latest dental equipment does not guarantee profitability. Fortunately, many have also learned that by simply changing their game they can turn the practice around completely. What’s more, achieving higher income is not limited to struggling practices… the majority of practices that are already doing well can also do much better. Opportunities – Three Key Income Streams Most dental practices are not capitalizing on all the sources of income available to them, specifically, these three key, game changing, income streams: • Treatment plans • Insurance approvals • Patient retention For example, a dentist with $300,000 in actual restoration production might have $500,000 buried in treatment plans that goes unconverted into production. Plus, while patient retention is traditionally thought to be the responsibility of hygienists, in fact, dentists and administrators should also be playing a critical role in the practice’s patient retention through treatment plan and insurance related recalls. Challenges – Buried Treasure Of course, there are challenges for a dental practice to realize these income streams. Treatments are hidden in patient charts... who needs a crown, an implant, or other procedure? How are they found? Likewise, insurance approvals are hidden in the charts too… who is preapproved for treatment? Who has insurance that is

about to expire? Who has insurance that has just renewed? How are they identified? And what about patient retention? Who needs a hygiene checkup? Who has a treatment plan on file? Who has preapproved insurance? How to recall these patients? Clearly, there are hidden treasures in a practice. How can they be unearthed? If a practice has paper charts, the only way to get this information is through chart audits. Since this is impractical, a game change is needed. Solutions – Found Income To realize these income streams, practices must adapt their work-flow and processes. And they must be able to capture and retrieve treatment plan and insurance information instantly. Fortunately, with Maxident practice management software, the majority of this can be automated. This stateof-the-art software, with its built-in systems, is key to bringing it all together. With the ability to recall patients—without scheduled appointments on file—for treatment plans, preapproved insurance, or hygiene checkups… practices are finding income they did not even know they had. Consistency is vital for success. Operations run much more efficiently. Everyone is happier and working together as a team. Stress is gone. The office becomes a model paperless practice. Production increases. Income grows. The entire process is game changing for practices. Maxident – Game Changer The majority of dental practices have potential income that is not being realized. Call it what you will—ignored, unrecognized, underperforming income streams or hidden treasure—in reality, most practices have a gold mine in potential treatments that are not being systematically converted into production. Maxident is changing the game. With Maxident, practices can ‘mine the gold’ in their practice and become a High Income Practice.

To learn more or request a free live demo, call Maxident at 1.800.663.7199

maxidentsoftware.com

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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I N T E L L I G E N T LY D I F F E R E N T

14-03-12 8:59 AM

20 Retirement Planning

OPPORTUNITIES in Retirement Planning

Mark McNulty

• How much do you need to retire? • The average family I work with retires with $3.2 million in savings and can afford to spend $130,000/yr after-tax, indexed for inflation. • There are many robust retirement-planning calculators in Canada, but none are perfect. My suggestion is to run a retirement projection using two different programs and average the two. And remember, the success of any long-range projection depends on how often you update the plan. In my experience, you should rerun the projections every year. What is your practice worth? For many dentists, their practice is the most valuable investment they will ever own and is the cornerstone of their retirement savings. If you are within three years of retirement, I would recommend a formal valuation through a practice broker. If you have a longer period, you can always just seek a letter of opinion from a practice broker. Also, you should obtain an estimate from your advisor on how much you will actually end up with after selling your practice. If your practice is worth $1,000,000, how much of that should you include in your retirement projection after taxes, brokerage, legal and accounting fees?

©c-George/Getty Images/Thinkstock

he Baby Boomer dentist is selling his or her practice and retiring. I know this because my firm works with many of them. We manage $200,000,000 in retirement savings for 85 professional families. What I can tell you is that there are large number of dentists who will be retiring over the next ten years. If you are in this cohort, I encourage you to get organized. Dentists have unique needs when it comes to planning for their retirement. You have no pension plan. In addition to your regular job of doing dentistry, you have a practice to manage. You also have a practice to sell. All of this creates more complicated cash flow and tax planning needs. Complicated is the key word. It is not that every little piece is overly sophisticated. For example, I’m sure if you spent an afternoon on the internet you could learn all there is to know about Individual Pension Plans. The problem is that combining all the pieces creates complication. When it comes to planning for your retirement, I also encourage you to get specific. This is not a time for “bar napkin planning” or rules of thumb. Everyone is different and a minor difference in a 30 year retirement plan can mean the difference between having a great retirement or winding up living in your kid’s basement. Here are some questions to consider as a starting point: MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Retirement Planning

©c-George/Getty Images/Thinkstock

How will you get money out of your Corporation and RRSPs? This is the area where the greatest opportunity exists to add more money to your retirement, yet surprisingly is also a generally poorly managed area. Very few dentists I know have a formal plan to get money out of their corporations and RRSPs in a tax-optimized way. You must create a long-term exit strategy from your various taxable accounts i.e. the money in corporations, RRSPs, etc. Done properly, this will ensure you avoid a large tax bill in the future, as well as Old Age Security clawbacks. Below is an example of a planning tool we use for dentists. It identifies the key points this particular doc needs to consider from a tax planning perspective. This will be a topic for a future article.

How will you fund your monthly retirement cash flow — specifically? To create a retirement income from your savings, you have many alternatives. Many dentists I meet make the mistake of thinking that once they are retired they have a short-term time horizon because they are drawing on the money to fund their lifestyle. This is not correct, as you will be funding your retirement lifestyle for decades to come. Warning: Investing for retirement can make people nervous. The financial industry knows this. In fact, they create products to alleviate these concerns in the form of mutual funds or insurance products, etc. In my experience, the sense of comfort these products provide generally comes at too great a cost over the long-term. You have to use your practice and personal resources to create a pension for yourself. If you look at how the “smart money” manages pensions like CPP or Teachers Pension, they manage the risk that volatility creates on their own. A good advisor who specializes in managing retirement money should be able to do the same thing. Your investment strategy should follow a liability driven investing model, the same as an institutionally managed pension fund. Your monthly lifestyle costs are the liability and should dictate the investments you make, whether those investments are GICs, annuities or emerging market stocks. It is your life-

style needs that dictate your investments. Remember, investing in retirement is not about the biggest return, it is about the most consistent return. Ensure risk management protocols are in place to avoid having your life impacted by a stock market correction. For example, maintain three years of lifestyle costs in short-term investments. Another tip — pay your advisor fees. This keeps them accountable. The majority of the financial industry continues to operate through hidden fees. When fees are transparent, your advisor must provide value for those fees. If they don’t, fire them. Will it be hard to live on a budget in retirement? We have one family we work with where the husband was a specialist. They spend $15,000 per month after-tax. It sounds like a lot of money, but both the husband and wife have had a difficult time adapting to this budget. In the past, if they had a big expense they could always go back to the well. Now if they overspend, they are compromising their future. Over the past two decades, we have seen many professional couples experience a shock when they enter retirement. My recommendation is to first confirm spending through what we call a trial retirement. In other words, start living today off the same paycheque you will receive in retirement. This is helpful because tracking your budget is challenging since your current income fluctuates. If you are supposed to spend $12,000 per month in retirement, start depositing this amount into your lifestyle account today. Doing this before you stop working with give you confidence that the $12,000 per month is reasonable.

IN SUMMARY

Many dentists I know envy those with pensions. However, the average teacher in Ontario receives a taxable pension of $48,000 per year, while the average dentist I know receives an after-tax cash flow of $130,000 per year. But note: these dentists planned ahead. You have a great deal of complexity when it comes to planning for your retirement. Managing it properly however, will allow you to take advantage of some great opportunities.

Mark McNulty is President of McNulty Group. McNulty Group helps professional families transition from a life of successful practice to a stress-free retirement by using a holistic approach of practice and personal retirement planning. Mark is the author of The Transition Coach 2.0–A Canadian Dentist’s Guide to a Perfect Retirement. Mark can be reached at 1-866-261-4768 or mark@mcnultygroup.ca Refer to accompanying chart at the end of this digital edition.

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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ADVERTORIAL

Midmark Corporation The transition to digital imaging is an exceptional opportunity for improved practice efficiency and enhanced patient experience. The advantages are many. Savings in staff time and money no longer spent on film and chemicals. Images are available within seconds, through a significantly reduced x-ray exposure, have a higher level of detail and can be magnified or enhanced without compromising the visibility of important diagnostic details. Patients are not waiting for x-rays to be processed, can see what the clinical team is seeing which allows for improved communication on oral health issues resulting in higher treatment acceptance rates. With the advantages digital imaging delivers to a practice, it continues to be one of the fastest growing and most desired dental technologies. Midmark Corporation’s Progeny line of digital imaging products has been developed to assist the dental professional in making better, faster diagnoses and to simplify practice workflow. Midmark digital imaging products include the Progeny Vantage Digital Panoramic System, ClearVision Digital Sensors and the Preva DC Intraoral X-ray. The Progeny Vantage Digital Panoramic System boasts an exceptional array of features. Five pre-programmed exam settings, including bitewing, minimize exam setup time and allow routine diagnostic exams to be performed extraorally for improved clinical efficiency and patient experience. Our exclusive VantageTrust remote connect and patient positioning training in conjunction with onboard demonstration videos viewable on the VantageTouch operator panel provide support to the clinical team. And, the Progeny Vantage

is upgradeable to cephalometric capabilities. From exam set-up to image review, the Progeny Vantage® Panoramic System delivers the features necessary to support efficient imaging workflow in your practice and better patient care. ClearVision is a direct, high speed USB 2.0 digital sensor system that simplifies practice integration and delivers high quality images in a durable, patient-friendly design. The thin profile, rounded corners and contoured surfaces of the sensor fit comfortably in the oral cavity. ClearVision is available in two sizes, universal and pedo, to best accommodate patient needs and exam requirements. The sensor housing and cable provide a highly reliable, water tight connection, allowing for repeated submersion in disinfectants, improving asepsis. Kevlar strands reinforce the cabling while internal strain relief ensures the integrity of the cable attachment to the sensor housing, both enhancing the sensor’s durability. Progeny Imaging image software is included at no additional charge with the ClearVision sensor system and ClearVision has direct image integration with many practice management systems. Designed specifically for the digital office environment, the Preva DC has been the market leading intraoral x-ray in the USA since 2006. The 0.4 mm focal spot delivers high resolution images on every type of receptor. The ability to adjust kV, mA and exposure time allows the flexibility to adjust technique factors to your preference. Or, the preset exam techniques can be utilized to speed exam set-up and simplify use. Preva’s exceptional arm mechanics deliver smooth, effortless movement while the proprietary braking system ensures stable, drift-free positioning.

All Midmark imaging products are designed and manufactured in the USA. Provided by Bill Zulauf, Senior Product Manager, Midmark Corporation. Dental industry professional with over 30 years of experience in sales, sales management and marketing. 15 years with Midmark Corporation.

About Midmark A leader in the dental industry, Midmark has created an integrated portfolio of dental operatory equipment and services that enable its customers to grow profitably, increase efficiency and enhance patient care. Midmark provides innovative patient care solutions with the most advanced technology on the market today to help create a safe, inviting, relaxing and comfortable environment. More than 1,500 teammates worldwide are dedicated to redefining the future of the clinical space and making a positive difference in the practice of healthcare. Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, Midmark maintains production and administrative offices in Versailles, Ohio, as well as four subsidiaries in the United States and international subsidiaries in France, Italy and India. To learn more about Midmark and its dental solutions, visit midmark. com, and follow Midmark on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

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MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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OHO Mar14 p22-23 Midmark ADVERT.indd 23

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24 Practice Management

Are NICHE DENTAL PRACTICES the

FUTURE?

hen my brother told me he recently paid $72 plus tax for a haircut, I thought he was nuts. But as he started to explain, I became intrigued. It’s called the John Allan’s club. They describe themselves as: “the nation’s premiere men’s grooming club.” Since 1988, they have established upscale clubs in New York, Beverley Hills, and San Francisco. And in 2011, a John Allan’s club opened up in the men’s section at the Hudson’s Bay in downtown, Toronto. For $72 plus tax, you can get the “full service.” That includes a haircut, scalp massaging shampoo, conditioning treatment, a hot towel, a shoeshine, a manicure and beverages from a full bar (e.g. espresso, beer, scotch, etc.). You can pay extra for a sports pedicure, a facial massage, a cleansing facial, a beard trim, hair colouring, and even a full-body massage. According to my brother, the women attending to your every need are very attractive; he jokes that John Allan’s stopped offering shaves because the shaver was too distracted by the beautiful attendants and were nicking members! For $850 a year plus tax, you can become a club member and have unlimited access to their “full service.” They also host special events for their members like beer, wine, and scotch tasting. And to top it all off, they have a global distribution of

hair and skin care, shaving and accessory lines. These premium services and prices are very different from what I’m accustomed to — namely, a $15 haircut from Sam, my long-standing and traditional Italian barber, at his ‘no-frills’ barbershop. But listening to my brother talk about John Allan’s not only got me very interested in checking it out but also got me thinking: could this be a future trend in dentistry?

A MAN’S DENTAL PRACTICE

Imagine a dental practice that caters to men who want to be indulged when they go to the dentist. I know what you’re thinking, but just bear with me for a moment. Here’s how the quintessential masculine experience might play out. If you were a “member” of this practice, you would show up early for your appointment — on purpose. Upon entering the practice, your nose picks up a soft, sweet and tasty scent with a backdrop of fruitwood and leather (the smells instantly trigger old and wonderful memories). Next, a very attractive female attendant greets you by name with a subtle yet inviting smile and guides you to the “lounge” area. On the way there, you pass dark brick walls adorned with autographed sports memorabilia. The slate floors are covered with bear rugs. You are offered a non-alcoholic beverage akin to some-

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Practice Management

Michael Carabash, B.A., LL.B., J.D., M.B.A., C.D.P.M.

NICHE STRATEGY

Michael Porter, a leading authority on competitive strategy, described the niche strategy as follows: The final generic strategy is focusing on a particular buyer group, segment of the product line, or geographic market...The strategy rests on the premise that the firm is thus able to serve its narrow strategic target more effectively or efficiently than competitors who are competing more broadly...The firm achieving focus may also potentially earn above-average returns for its industry.1 But many dentists have resisted ‘niche-ing it.’ These dentists might say they’ve never had to restrict their practice in the past to succeed, so why change anything now? These same dentists likely perceive themselves as providers of oral health care to patients, not as businesses catering to clients. For them, the best way to build a practice is to provide good service and have a good rapport with patients.

The reality is that these same dentists might find themselves asking “Who moved my cheese?”2 As per the latest gloom and doom Economic Report to the Dental Profession: “After years of prosperity, [the profession] now stands on the threshold of a very uncertain future” as various forces “conspire to put the future of net incomes in doubt.” 3 Indeed, starting or buying a new practice in today’s fiercely competitive dental marketplace does not guarantee the same success as it used to. There is an oversupply of dentists (particularly in urban areas) all vying for the same patients: according to the latest Economic Report to the Dental Profession, the number of dentists in Ontario has increased 37 percent (from 5,176 to 7,084) from 2001 to 2013, while the population-dentist ratio has decreased by 16 percent from 2001 to 2013 (from roughly 2,300 patients per dentist to just over 1,900 patients per dentist).4 It is generally very difficult for a patient to determine if one dentist’s work is better than another’s (absent corrections, multiple opinions from dentists or a court ruling!); indeed, if you browse online, it quickly becomes clear that it is the experience of going to the dentist that patients either complain about or praise. New generations of patients are not as loyal as they once were — particularly where there are lots of dental practices to choose from. These are all challenges that future dentists and practices are and will continue to face. But as Albert Einstein once said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” Enter the niche practice as a solution…

NICHE PRACTICES AND WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING

Let’s face it: traditional advertising (e.g. TV, radio, magazine ads, billboards, etc.) is expensive and may not generate a decent return on investment. Indeed, the latest Economic Report to the Dental Profession found that, notwithstanding a whopping increase in advertising and promotion expenditures from 2003 to 2012, there was no correlation to practices’ gross.5 Advertising online or offline is generally comprised of un-engaging communication that is neither targeted nor memorable. Sure, you can use it alongside an overall strategy to raise awareness of your practice and its offerings. But we all know that the best way to grow your practice is by getting referrals from your existing patients. Remember John Allan’s? I have never seen or heard one of their advertisements. I’m not even sure they do advertise. But the truth is: they don’t need to. My brother and I just did it for them in the best possible way: by spreading their message to people like you. And a niche strategy enhances the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing. According to the seminal book “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Berger,6 there is a science Continued on page 43

©Liang Zhang/Getty Images/Thinkstock

thing you’d buy at Starbucks. You ease back into a plush luxury massage chair and set the program to “Swedish — full body.” The various large screen TVs in the room are only playing different sports channels. The magazines available for your reading pleasure include TopGear, Golf Canada, Men’sHealth, GQ, and Maxim. After a few minutes of indulging, you’re called in for your appointment… Now, to my knowledge, such a practice does not exist. But I can tell you this: if it did, I would definitely go (even if it was out of my way). And so too would my brother and many of our male friends. I would probably go more frequently than every six months for active care treatment. And, to top it off, I would gladly pay a premium to be a member of this practice, irrespective of whether my insurance covered the treatment. Given the need for dental practices to stand out in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, I predict that niche practices will start popping up. They may cater to men, women, children, new mothers, couples about to get married, or professionals looking to start or switch careers. These practices will challenge the general public perception that going to the dentist is a dreaded experience akin to a chore and lacking in value.

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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ADVERTORIAL

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How will ectaffyour practice? Howdata will loss dataaff loss ect your practice? LosingLosing your data critical systems can can mean: your or data or critical systems mean: • Revenue loss from the inability to conduct business • Revenue loss from the inability to conduct business • Lost• customer trust trust or confi dence Lost customer or confi dence • Legal or financial implications for lost records • Legal or financial implications for lost records • Excessive recovery and repair costs for systems andand data • Excessive recovery and repair costslost for lost systems data My company has decades of experience in appraising thethe assets of of My company has decades of experience in appraising assets dentaldental practices and Iand believe that that dentists do not fullyfully understand practices I believe dentists do not understand the benefi ts of integrated software within a dental practice. In past the benefi ts of integrated software within a dental practice. In past columns I haveI have advocated for afor high quality integrated software columns advocated a high quality integrated software platform as Eaglesoft retains or even exceeds its original platform such such as Eaglesoft that that retains or even exceeds its original purchase the point of sale of the dental practice. Generpurchase valuevalue at theatpoint of sale of the dental practice. Genera practice appraisal will value system at current or higher ally, a ally, practice appraisal will value this this system at current or higher than market the information of the dental practice resides than market pricesprices if theifinformation of the dental practice resides the database of software this software provided software withinwithin the database of this andand provided thatthat thethe software upgrades maintained. For the most dental equipupgrades have have beenbeen maintained. For the most part,part, dental equipdepreciates and devalues while a current informament ment depreciates and devalues overover timetime while a current information system as Eaglesoft tion system such such as Eaglesoft doesdoes not. not.

math ononthe crashesand and math thescenarios scenariosthat thatresult resultwhen when your your server server crashes you’re down for a few hours or days. And keep in mind that the you’re down for a few hours or days. And keep in mind that the production that is lost … is not coming back. production that is lost … is not coming back. ButBut anan even to your yourclinic clinicifif evenscarier scarierthought thoughtisiswhat what would would happen happen to your server crashed or was impacted by a fl ood, fi re or theft andyou you your server crashed or was impacted by a flood, fire or theft and had no current backup? had no current backup? What’s the on your yourclinic clinic What’s thevalue valueofofthe theelectronic electronicrecords records stored on server? server? In In mymy opinion there are arevery veryfew few opinionthese theserecords recordsare areinvaluable invaluable and there things thatwould wouldbe bemore morecrippling crippling to to your your business business than things that thanthe thecomcomplete lossofofyour yourelectronic electronicrecords, records, and and obviously obviously it’s plete loss it’s in inyour yourbest best interest safeguardyour yourrecords recordsimmediately. immediately. interest totosafeguard

Thankfully……there thereisisaastate-of-the-art state-of-the-art system system that Thankfully that allows allowsyou youtoto safeguardyour yourirreplaceable irreplaceablerecords, records, available available through safeguard throughPatterson Patterson Dental. Thisnew newproduct productisisabout aboutto to be be launched launched into Dental. This into the theCanaCanadian marketplace. It is called DDS Rescue and it is a one-of-a-kind dian marketplace. It is called DDS Rescue and it is a one-of-a-kind service thatprotects protectsyour yourpractice practiceagainst against server server failure, service that failure,whether whetheritit This main theme this column is True The True Value of Your Dental comes fromnasty nastyviruses, viruses,server serverequipment equipment problems problems such This main theme of thisofcolumn is The Value of Your Dental comes from suchasashard hard Records. The motivation for column this column prompted of my drive drive powersupply supplyfailures, failures,or orin inthe the worst worst case Records. The motivation for this waswas prompted by by oneone of my ororpower case scenario, scenario,aaresult result associates in Calgary reported on the devastating effects that of of fire, floodorortheft theft associates in Calgary who who reported on the devastating effects that fire, flood the recent summer fl oods had on some practices in the area. Unforthe recent summer floods had on some practices in the area. Unfortunately few dentists hadclose to close practices altogether The wayit itworks worksisisthe theDDS DDSRescue Rescuefailover failover server server gets tunately a fewadentists had to theirtheir practices altogether andand The way getsplugged plugged some of them could not access their electronic records for many right into your office network switch. The entire contents of the some of them could not access their electronic records for many right into your office network switch. The entire contents of the days and were unable to reach out to their patients. server’s hard drives are copied and mirrored to this failover server days and were unable to reach out to their patients. server’s hard drives are copied and mirrored to this failover server and are continuously backed up in real time using the most adand are continuously backed up in real time using the most adThese incidents forced me to once again consider two questions: vanced encryption standards. Additionally, all of the information is These incidents forced me to once again consider two questions: vanced encryption standards. Additionally, all of the information is mirrored to a Canadian PIPEDA compliant data center. mirrored to a Canadian PIPEDA compliant data center. What is the true value of patient records to a dental practice owner? What is the true value of patient records to a dental practice owner? The result is truly amazing. No more backup tapes or drive rotation result trulydesk amazing. tapes or drive rotation How important are these records today and throughout the life of The that yourisfront office No staffmore has tobackup worry about. Your records are How important are these records today and throughout the life of that your front desk offi ce staff has to worry about. Your records are the practice? encrypted at all access points and are safe. More importantly, if your the practice? encrypted at all access points and are safe. More importantly, if your fileserver crashes, your failover server kicks in and will run your office your failover andcan willberun your office To put it all into perspective, consider that in a partial or fully paper- fileserver network.crashes, In the event of a fire, server theft orkicks floodinyou assured To putless it all perspective, consider that in a partial or fully papernetwork. In patients’ the event of a fiare re, theft flood you can be assured offiinto ce absolutely every piece of patient information is contained that your records safelyorsecured at the datacenter. The less offi piece ofdesk patient contained that yoursystem patients’ records are safely secured at the The oncea absolutely server underevery a reception or in information a dusty officeissomewhere. entire is monitored 24x7 by real people and datacenter. if anything goes on a server under reception desk or in a dusty office somewhere. system monitoredimmediately. 24x7 by real people and if anything goes Therefore, all aappointment schedules, recall activity, billing, X-rays, entire wrong you’reiscontacted Therefore, all appointment schedules, recall activity, billing, X-rays,sys- wrong you’re contacted immediately. charting and case presentation information is riding on these charting and caseThis presentation information is riding on these systems today. fact leads to more questions: It’s truly a one-of-a-kind technology. Reach out to your Patterson tems today. This fact leads to more questions: It’srepresentative truly a one-of-a-kind technology. ReachData out to yourCheck Patterson and schedule a free Backup Health and representative and schedule Data Healthand Check What happens if or when the server crashes? have your system reviewed. aIt free takesBackup about 20 minutes you’lland get What happens if or when the server crashes? have your system reviewed. takesserver aboutand 20backup. minutesAnd andkeep you’llinget a full report on the health ofItyour report the health youryour server and And keepand in What happens if whatever type of backup they were using – such as a full mind that on besides yourselfofand team, thebackup. most important drives or tape backups – does not contain restorable data? valuable asset youyourself own during the life of the most important and What thumb happens if whatever type of backup they were using – such as mind that besides and your team, your clinic and when comes the to selling thumb drives or tape backups – does not contain restorable data? valuable asset you ownitduring life of What can be accomplished in a dental practice today if dentists your practice … will itbecomes your patients’ records. your clinic and when to selling have access to their records?today if dentists What don’t can be accomplished in aelectronic dental practice your practice … will be your patients’ records. Make sure they are protected. don’t have access to their electronic records? The answer: NOTHING. The COST will vary depending on the length Make sure they are protected. of downtime. Our The firm COST believes your average dental For more on this topic please see my The answer: NOTHING. willthat vary depending on thepractice length has an hourly $500,average or $5,000 per day. Do the http://vimeo.com/78667436. Timothy A. Brown of downtime. Our fiproduction rm believesrate thatofyour dental practice Forvideo moreaton this topic please see my has an hourly production rate of $500, or $5,000 per day. Do the video at http://vimeo.com/78667436. Timothy A. Brown MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

OHO Mar14 p26-27 Patterson2 ADVERT.indd 26

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28 Finance

Upgrade your office & equipment

and

n today’s competitive dental environment, it is important to stay current not just technically, but technologically. Many dentists buying practices are buying decades-old technology, and confront major capital investment decisions. As equipment designs, and patient expectations, continue to develop, these investment decisions are an ongoing issue. Capital purchase decisions have many components. The most important is the dentist’s clinical needs — this should drive the final decision, not financing or tax considerations. But once the decision is made to invest, the first tax-related decision is how to time the outlay. For example, if the dentist’s fiscal year ends December 31, then if equipment is purchased and used even for one day before December 31, depreciation can be claimed for that year. If the purchase is delayed until the beginning of January of the following year, the dentist must wait a full year in order to enjoy the tax savings from the first year’s depreciation deduction.

Timing the purchase properly is an important consideration, regardless of whether the purchase is treated as capital equipment or an expense for tax purposes. However, other tax consequences flow from the capital/expense distinction. For example, a dentist may undertake repairs to equipment, and since the repairs are only to restore the equipment to its previous good condition, they qualify for tax purposes as an expense, 100% deductible that year. However, if the dentist has upgraded the equipment such that the quality and capability of the equipment itself has been improved, then the outlay is capital, and must be depreciated over a period of years. Distinguishing between repairs and capital sometimes involves a judgment call, and may require professional advice. Under the Canadian tax rules, capital assets are depreciated over a period of years, depending on the “class” into which the asset falls, with only half of the depreciation otherwise allowed available in the year of purchase. For example, dental equipment is written off at 20% per year on a “declining balance” basis: a $1,000 investment qualifies for a $100 depreciation deduction in Year 1 ($1,000 x 20% x 1/2), and $180 in Year 2 [($1,000-$100) x 20%]. Therefore, it is critical to deter-

©borzaya/Getty Images/Thinkstock

SAVE TAXES, TOO!

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Finance

David Chong Yen, CPA, CA, CFP; Louise Wong, CPA, CA, TEP

©borzaya/Getty Images/Thinkstock

mine the class to which a particular asset belongs, in order to depreciate it as fast as possible. However, computer hardware is in a 55% class, and software is in a 100% class (i.e. in the first year, a $1,000 piece of software qualifies for a $500 depreciation deduction). Therefore, a $10,000 investment in dental equipment should be reviewed carefully: if in fact that equipment consists of $9,000 of equipment and $1,000 of software, the software component will qualify for a 50% (100% x 1/2) write-off in the first year ($500), whereas the equipment component will qualify for only a 10% (20% x 1/2) write-off ($900), for a total of $1,400. Had the investment been treated as entirely 20% equipment, the total write-off would have been only $1,000 ($10,000 x 20% x 1/2). Sometimes, the investment may also include an outlay for training, in which case the value of the training component of the purchase price can be written off 100% in the year as training expense, rather than a capital outlay. While negotiating the purchase, it is important that the dentist agree with the supplier not just on a price, but on the components of the price. Request your supplier to identify the various components (computer hardware, computer software, equipment, material and training) in the invoice. Given the tax significance of how capital assets are classified, this can be important when negotiating an asset purchase. The general tax rule is that the total purchase price must be allocated among the various purchased assets on a reasonable basis, but this still allows considerable latitude when deciding how much of the total price will be allocated to each class. The more that can be allocated to classes with fast write-offs, the sooner the dentist will enjoy the related tax savings. Any tool costing under $500 can be expensed as a dental supply, so be careful not to include small tools as general dental equipment. This may end up as a negotiating point, since the vendor’s tax position may be affected by how the asset purchase price is allocated. If the dentist undertakes improvements to premises held under a lease (as opposed to

general repairs and maintenance), it should first be determined how many years remain under the lease before a major investment is made. Leasehold improvements are generally physical assets (e.g. cupboards or light fixtures), which are permanently fastened to a surface and will not be removed by the tenant when the lease is up. The general rule for write-offs of leasehold improvements is that the number of years over which improvements are written off is equal to the number of years in the lease term, plus the first renewal option (but subject to a minimum term of 5 years). When negotiating the premises lease, careful consideration should be given to the length of the term and renewal options, since this will affect the rate at which leaseholds can be written off for tax purposes. Some practitioners may qualify as HST registrants, for example if their practice includes a significant component of orthodontic work. If that is the case, then the dentist will qualify to get a refund of the HST paid on some of the expenses and equipment (including a CEREC 3D/E4D machine) purchased in the practice. Even dentists who have already bought a CEREC 3D/E4D should consult with their accountant, since it may not be too late to register and claim the HST. However, there are drawbacks to HST registration: once registered, the dentist must collect HST on sales of toothbrushes and other goods, and on cosmetic services such as teeth-whitening. The cost of some equipment, such as a rotary endo, can turn out to be very low when compared with the efficiencies and time-savings (and thus financial savings) it can generate. Other equipment once purchased proves to be so integral and essential that one wonders how the practice functioned before without it. Digital radiography may fall into this category — an effective communication tool, time-saving, and environmentally friendly. Applying the above tax concepts, the after-tax cost of digital radiography may end up significantly lower than the initial price, since the allocation of the purchase price as software, hardware, equipment and training could generate tax deductions. Continued on page 39 oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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30 Legal Matters

How Canada’s new

ANTI-SPAM LAW

will IMPACT

YOUR PRACTICE Bill C28, Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL), is back in the headlines with the news that July 1, 2014 is the date that the law will come into force. Lawyers, marketing gurus, technicians and other experts are publishing articles to give their readers information about CASL and offer advice. Should the dental profession be paying attention? Absolutely. Dental practices are included in the broad range of individuals, small businesses and large corporations that are governed by CASL. In fact, anyone that uses electronic communications to support a commercial activity must comply with this law — regardless of the type or number of messages they send. This article discusses why it is important for dental practice owners and team members to be aware of the law and its implications for their practices. It also provides tips on how you can reach and maintain compliance. Many practices now use email and SMS (text messaging) for appointment reminders, confirmation or other types of communication with their patients. Patients appreciate this type of communication and, despite the new law, its use will continue to increase. Some practices also use electronic forms of communication to market beyond their current active patients. Many practices are already in compliance, or working toward compliance, with CASL. Practices that aren’t would be wise to begin as soon as possible. Here’s why.

Despite the name of the law, CASL reaches beyond what many of us consider spam. Although the Government of Canada’s website states¹ that, “The intent of the new law is to deter the most damaging and deceptive forms of spam from occurring in Canada”, visitors to the site will discover that CASL is complex legislation that enforces new regulations on all commercial electronic marketing. At a basic level, the law prohibits sending any electronic message — email, text or instant message — that encourages participation in a commercial activity unless the recipient has consented to receiving the message. The cost of non-compliance with CASL could be devastating for a dental practice. The three Federal regulators, the Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission, the Competition Bureau and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, will impose fines of up to $1 million for an individual and up to $10 million for an organization. Fines will be imposed per violation and certain cases may be classified as separate violations for each day that they continue. There is also the risk of class action lawsuits. 2 Dental practices can protect themselves by becoming compliant with the law by July 1st and remaining compliant thereafter. How can you safely continue to use electronic communications? Simply put, set up a process that meets the requirements set by CASL and follow that process strictly. These steps provide a general guideline for ongoing compliance:

©Chesky_W/Getty Images/Thinkstock

Jeff Coward

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Legal Matters

• I dentify a compliance team within your practice • Determine which CASL requirements apply to your practice • Develop a CASL compliance plan • I mplement your compliance plan • Monitor and update your compliance plan on an ongoing basis to ensure that it continues to meet CASL requirements.

©Chesky_W/Getty Images/Thinkstock

With a team and a plan in place, your practice can get a head start on compliance by obtaining consent, where required, from your patients before the July 1, 2014 enforcement date. For the purposes of CASL, there are two categories of consent – express consent (also referred to as explicit or direct consent) and implied consent. Clause 10 of Bill C-28 defines consent as it relates to this law, “... Express consent is what is known as “opt in” consent — commercial communication may not take place unless the person or corporation in question first consents to be contacted. Implied consent is what is known as “opt out” consent — commercial communication may take place with persons or corporations under circumstances where it can be deemed that they might be interested, but the recipients of the communication must be able to “opt out” of such communication. In the case of Bill C-28, implied consent can be assumed in cases where there is an “existing business relationship” or an “existing non-business relationship” between the sender and recipient — clauses 10(10) and 10(13) provide a detailed definition of what constitutes each type of relationship. In the absence of either of these relationships, express consent must be sought for sending any unsolicited commercial electronic messages.”3 The good news is that with your active patients, you have implied consent. CASL provides for an implied consent for persons that have conducted business with you during the past two years. For most general practices, this will include most active patients and your existing paper and/or electronic records are sufficient proof of consent. Implied consent also applies to a reply to anyone that has inquired about your services within the past two months and provided you with their electronic contact information. Express consent can provide you a great-

er measure of protection. As your practice acquires new patients, presenting a communication consent form or adding a consent check box to your new patient form is a good way to ensure consent from the beginning of your practice/patient relationship. As you collect or update email addresses and phone numbers from your active patients you can present a communication consent form to ensure that consent is recorded. • To maintain accurate records that show proof of compliance, you may want to check with patients at each appointment and update their records, recording your exchange or having them sign off with a date. Asking the right questions will help keep your patient contact information current. For example: • Do we have your current email address? • Is this the email address you want us to use to send you appointment reminders? • Do you wish to receive appointment reminders by SMS? If so, at which phone number? Whether claiming express or implied consent, the burden of proof for consent lies with the person or establishment that is conducting business so it is important for your practice to maintain records that prove you met the criteria for consent in advance of communicating with a patient electronically. Practices that use electronic communications to contact prospective patients or patients that have been inactive for more than two years will require express consent (written or verbal) to comply with the law. The time between now and that date can be used to plan and execute campaigns designed to obtain express consent. When seeking explicit consent you should indicate, at least in general terms, how your practice intends to use the contact information provided. The person providing the information should be able to opt in or opt out of having their electronic contact information used for the stated purpose. Recording how and when the information was obtained will help you to prove compliance should the need arise. Practices that use email contact lists obtained from a third-party organization to market to prospective patients will require express consent for each contact in order to continue using the list. Third-party marketoralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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14-03-12 9:13 AM

ADVERTORIAL

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“This is our biggest new product launch ever, as the Ti-Max® Z900L is the first air-driven handpiece in the history of the dental industry that delivers 26 watts of power,” said Rob Gochoel, Sales and Marketing Director for NSK Dental. “This unprecedented torque reduces treatment time and provides remarkably smooth handling due to the high power output and a unique new turbine design.” Mr. Gochoel added, “Equally impressive, the unprecedented 23 watts of power delivered by our new Ti-Max® Z800L miniature head series exceeds the power delivered by nearly all standard head handpieces on the market today.” Both the Ti-Max® Z900L and Z800L series feature a new cartridge design to dramatically improve durability, smaller head sizes to enhance operational visibility, and cartridges that can be easily replaced chairside to save time and maintain practice productivity. Both series also feature ergonomic, solid titanium bodies and NSK’s new DURAGRIP® coating, which makes the handpieces easy to hold even when wet. To further enhance ergonomics, the handpiece body features a notch for resting the thumb and index finger for maximum leverage. A Quattro (4 port) water

spray and 2½ year warranty—NSK’s longest ever— complete the offering. Multiple back-end types are available to fit most competitive couplers, including Kavo and W&H. As with NSK’s other air-driven and electric handpieces, 100 percent of the Ti-Max® Z900L and Z800L series’ components are engineered, manufactured and assembled in house in order to ensure unsurpassed quality and reliability. Additional information about the Ti-Max® Z900L and Z800L series, as well as other NSK Dental products, can be found at www.nskdental.com. About NSK Dental Founded in 1984 and based in suburban Chicago, NSK Dental LLC is a leading manufacturer of turbines, contra-angles, micromotors, tooth polishing systems, and surgical and endodontic handpieces in the North American dental marketplace. The company’s products are available for sale through leading dental distributors. NSK Dental’s parent company, Japan-based NSK Inc., has manufactured a wide variety of dental products utilizing core ultra high-speed rotational technologies since 1930. In recent years, NSK Inc. has expanded its business by applying its core technologies to the industrial and medical surgical markets. The mission of the company, which does business in over 130 countries: to make contributions to the health and peace of the global community through manufacturing high quality products and foster friendships with people worldwide.

Hoffman Estates, IL, January 21, 2014 —Leading dental equipment manufacturer NSK Dental LLC today announced the launch of the dental industry’s most powerful air-driven handpiece, the 26-watt, standard head Ti-Max® Z900L series. The company is also launching the 23-watt, miniature head Ti-Max® Z800L series.

MEDIA CONTACT:

John Pohl, 14th Floor Solutions, LLC 847.812.2879 • jpohl@14thfloorsolutions.com

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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NSK_Z900L_Ad_OH_Canada_8.125x10.75.indd 1 OHO Mar14 p32-33 NSK ADVERT.indd 33

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34 Legal Matters

The views expressed in this editorial do not necessarily reflect the needs of every dental practice and do not constitute legal advice or reflect a decision, policy or interpretation of CASL and/or its accompanying regulations, by the Commission, Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the Competition Bureau or, Industry Canada.

Jeff Coward is Vice President of Dental Products and Services at ABELDent Inc. and may be contacted at JeffC@ABELDent.com

ing lists are not considered compliant under CASL, even if they comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”). In fact, Bill C28 overrides PIPEDA in all areas of conflict between the two and there is a proposed Bill C-29 that will deal specifically with these areas.4 You should also be aware that if you use a marketing service/agency to send electronic communications on your behalf, you will be wise to ensure that what they are doing is compliant — you are responsible, or at least share responsibility, for actions taken on your behalf. Now that we’ve covered CASL requirements related to proof of consent, let’s consider the requirements related to the actual electronic messages being sent. Here, CASL requirements fall into three main areas. First, all aspects of the electronic messages must be non-deceptive. You must avoid using false or misleading header information, subject lines and URLs. The content of your message must be related to the subject line. It is also necessary to identify the message as an ad where appropriate. Second, the sender (in this case the dental practice) must be identifiable and easily contactable. This includes providing a valid physical postal address, phone number and preferably an email where you can be reached. Also, the contact information provided in your electronic communication must be valid for 60 days after you send the message. Third, every commercial communication must provide a clear method (e.g. a link) for the recipient to opt out of receiving further communication. Any “unsubscribe” mechanism that you provide as a part of your message must remain operative for 60 days from the date of the message and an unsubscribe request must be acted on within 10 days of it being made by a recipient. In order to be able to prove compliance with CASL you should maintain a complete and accurate record of the emails that you send and any “unsubscribe” messages that you receive. Some dental management or patient communication software that sends email and SMS will

help you to manage this information. An integrated solution can also help you to manage your patient’s communication preferences and consent. Whether you use a dental-specific system or other tools for sending electronic messages, you should evaluate how well it complies with CASL and plan to make any necessary adjustments in your tools and/or processes in the weeks leading up to July 1, 2014. In summary, CASL will be in force on July 1st of this year. Any person or organization using electronic communications to support commercial activity must comply with this law. If you use electronic communications, CASL may require you to make changes in the way you communicate and/or the records you keep. Appointing a compliance team to evaluate your needs will help you to ensure that your practice is prepared before the deadline. References 1. “FAQ#2: What is the Intent of the new law?” Government of Canada. Web. 5 February 2014. (https://www. ic.gc.ca /eic /site /ecic- ceac.nsf /eng / gv00521.html#q2) 2. “Anti-Spam Legislation Receives Royal Assent.” Government of Canada. Web. 6 February 2014. (http://www. ic.gc.ca /eic /site/ecic- ceac.nsf /eng / gv00572.html) 3. “Legislative Summary of Bill C-29: An Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.” Parliament of Canada. Web. 20 February 2014. (http://www. parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/LegislativeSummaries/bills_ls.asp?Language= E&ls=c28&Parl=40&Ses=3&source= library_prb#a6) 4. “Legislative Summary of Bill C-29: An Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.” Parliament of Canada. Web. 21 February 2014. (http://www. parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/LegislativeSummaries/bills_ls.asp?Language= E&ls=c29&Parl=40&Ses=3&source= library_prb) For more information on Canada’s AntiSpam legislation, visit www.fightspam.gc.ca

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Ergonomics

SETTING YOU UP FOR SUCCESS

Frank Lucchetta & Alessandro Gabriele

f a dentist’s first thought in the morning is their practice, their second thought most likely is some form of ache or pain. It is well documented that those involved in dentistry suffer some of the highest rates of musculoskeletal injuries compared to other professions. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board receives 250,000 claims each year, of which 50 percent are related to musculoskeletal disorders. Consequently, it comes as no surprise Puriene et al. (2007) identified that 87 percent of dental team members report at least one musculoskeletal complaint, 30 percent of dental team members report developing chronic pain in their career, and many others are forced to retire early due to musculoskeletal complaints. What can be done to reduce the risk of work related injuries among dental professionals? Here are a few easy and cost effective ergonomic strategies that can be implemented in the workplace to help guard against those strains and sprains:

©Eraxion/Getty Images/Thinkstock

1. OPEN THAT HIP ANGLE

Everybody remembers those days in school when we were taught to sit upright, put our feet on the floor and sit fully back in our chairs. What we were inadvertently being told was to sit at a 90-degree angle. Traditional schools of thought teach students to sit with the “Rule of 90”: having ones extremities either perfectly parallel or perpendicular to the floor. However, new research has shown that this can actually be counterproductive to achieving maximal ergonomic

Preventing INJURY in dentistry efficiency as it can slow the rate of repair to injured musculature in the lower back. It is recommended that individuals should try to obtain a hip angle of 105-125 degrees, both of which can be achieved with either a tilting seat pan or a saddle stool. Opening the hip angle can allow a closer proximity to the patient, decreases pressure on the lower back, and helps to increase blood flow.

2. TAKE A BREAK

We’ve all been there: throbbing neck pain, aching back, and blurred vision. These are all symptoms of prolonged working without taking a break. This scene is one that is common throughout hundreds of operatories around the country and yet many dental professionals are unaware of the underlying detrimental effects this can have on their body. It has been shown that not taking a break during the workday can cause “microtrauma” (small compounding injuries to muscles and musculature) which may lead to larger “macrotrauma” or musculoskeletal disorders. It is recommended that dental professionals take brief and frequent breaks rather than lengthy and infrequent breaks, as the latter has been shown to actually increase the risk of damage. Shorter breaks allow for a faster rate of recovery by reducing the amount of time that dental professionals are in one particular position throughout the day. Taking short and frequent breaks has also been shown to be beneficial for one’s motivation and mental health while at work. oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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36 Ergonomics

3. LET THE LIGHT COME TO YOU

Ergonomics allows one’s workspace to be adapted to them, not the other way around. Traditionally, dental professionals are taught that lighting should be placed over the patient’s chest or directly over the oral cavity when treating the maxillary and mandible respectively. For maximal efficiency lighting should be placed parallel to, or within 15 degrees of, the operator’s line of site. When being viewed from the “11 o’clock” position, the operator’s light should be behind and slightly to the side of the operator. This allows for reduced shadowing on the working surface, which helps the operator maintain a neutral posture. Ideally, it is recommended that dentists’ use a head mounted lighting system as it directly parallels their line of site, and helps to further reduce shadowing on the working surface. This system also eliminates the need for continued overhead reaching for both the assistant and operator which, overtime, may lead to injury.

4. WHAT A PAIN IN THE NECK

Frank Lucchetta and Alessandro Gabriele are Dental Ergonomic Consultants and owners of Health First Assessment; a leading dental ergonomic and workplace wellness company based out of Toronto, Ontario. Frank Lucchetta, M.Sc.OT, OT Reg. (Ont.), H.BSc KIN, is an Occupational Therapist with specialized training in ergonomics, injury impairment rating, return to work assessment and universal/barrier free design. Alessandro Gabriel, R. KIN, H.Ba. KIN, is a registered Kinesiologist with specialized training in ergonomics, musculoskeletal disorder identification, work site assessment and return to work rehabilitation training. www.healthfirstassessments.com

We’ve all heard the saying “what a pain in the neck”, but in dentistry this is more consequential than most other professions. When you hear someone in the dental profession complain of neck pain it should come as no surprise. Recommended ranges in dentistry are small; cervical flexion should be between 0-20 degrees. However, Marklin & Cherney (2005) report that most dental team members operate with a forward head posture of at least 30 degrees for 85% of their day. Thus, deviating from these ranges, and consequently guarding against injury, can be difficult at times. One solution is the use of loupes, which have been shown to be beneficial at allowing operators to maintain these recommended ranges. In more recent years, microscopes are gaining momentum in the operatory as they allow for a near neutral posture compared to traditional methods.

5. TIME TO STAND UP

If you’re currently sitting while read-

ing this article it may be time to stand up. We all do it, sitting is just a part of our daily lives; but few people are aware of the adverse effects that prolonged sitting can have on their body. From increased lumbar pressure to elevated cholesterol levels, sitting all day might literally be killing you. Dental professionals are taught to sit while performing most procedures, however alternating between sitting and standing is actually more ideal. By standing while performing procedures the operator is able to position himself or herself to be closer to the working surface, thus decreasing the need for awkward postures. It also allows the operator to recruit new muscles that were previously not being used with traditional sitting procedures. In addition, standing promotes increased circulation which aides in waste removal and nutrient delivery to musculature. Prolonged sitting may decrease the body’s metabolic rate, increase the rates of both heart disease and cardiovascular disease and take years off of one’s life. It is important to remember however, that if you are planning on standing while performing procedures, the patient’s chair, delivery system and all other instrumentation being used should also be raised up to the operator’s elbow height. This will help ensure a proper ergonomic operatory set-up while performing procedures while standing. If a dentist’s first thought in the morning is their practice, their second thought most likely will NOT be aches or pains, but rather their seat placement, taking breaks, positioning the light accordingly, the use of loupes and standing throughout the day. These are only few of many ergonomic recommendations that can be utilized in the operatory to prevent injury to dental professionals. Ultimately by implementing proper ergonomics, dental professionals will experience an increase in productivity and efficiency, a safer and healthier work environment and an improvement in their well-being and morale.

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Practice Management

ways to

POSITIVELY

IMPACT

practice revenue

very dental practice has key engines or factors that drive and determine practice health, stability and longevity. These engines include building and maintaining a strong and thriving patient base, generating consistent and predictable revenue, efficiently managing expenses, and fostering effective communication. Ultimately, the goal of every successful dental practice is to provide patients with an exceptional experience and enable them to get the dentistry they need, want and deserve. Here are five things you can do to help generate consistent practice revenue by focusing on your schedule and keeping it — and your chairs — filled.

©denphumi/Getty Images/Thinkstock

EXCEED PATIENT EXPECTATIONS

First, let’s talk about new patient growth and patient retention. This includes successfully marketing your practice, internally and externally, so that new patients call and come in when they need dental care and existing patients return when they need additional treatment. Regardless of how many dollars are spent in dental marketing per year, the most consistent and predictable way to obtain new patients is through internal referrals. That’s why it’s so important to make existing patients your advocates — happy and satisfied individuals who actively and happily refer your practice to friends and family. The benchmark for healthy new patient growth for a general practice in growth mode is a consistent 25 to 35 new adult patients a month. Patient retention is achieved

Lisa Philp, RDH, CMC

by exceeding expectations, clinically and experientially. It’s not only what you do — it’s also how you do it. It’s all the “little things” that add up to big returns. When a patient’s reasonable expectations are not exceeded by reality, disappointment often results. But when reality exceeds expectations, patients are delighted and much more likely to return for care and refer their family and friends. So how can you exceed expectations? Sit down as a team and develop benchmarks that define and illustrate “normal” patient expectations. Then challenge yourselves to exceed these benchmarks in every possible way.

START WITH “YES!”

Good case acceptance is when a patient says “yes” with a smile on their face. I have found case acceptance averages 60 to 65 percent in most practices. The ideal healthy benchmark goal for a well-run practice is 75 to 80 percent acceptance. Case acceptance is a step-by-step process and critical to practice health. From diagnosis, treatment recommendation and documentation to knee-to-knee presentation and the financial conversation, the dentist and team need to provide the patient every opportunity to engage and become excited about care. The goal is to achieve “buy-in” by giving patients a clear understanding of how recommended dentistry will benefit them and how it relates to the goals they have for their oral health and smile. Once you have patient buy-in, the next step is to make it as easy as possible for them to say “yes,” by working treatment into the patient’s busy schedule and monthly budget. oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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38 Practice Management

STAY ON SCHEDULE

The next driver, scheduling, is the heartbeat of the dental practice. Being able to have evenly engineered, balanced days with a variety of procedures reduces stress, and increases productivity and efficiency. Maintaining a balanced schedule is absolutely critical to the longevity of the health of the practice and the dental team and the procedures they provide. A healthy benchmark for a well-run schedule is half of every day consisting of major dentistry or what we call the ‘rocks’ of dentistry – your crowns, your bridges, your implants and your quadrant fillings. Set a daily production goal based on your financial goals and then look at how it is engineered to be evenly balanced between major dentistry, basic dentistry and what’s called your tertiary dentistry of no fee. You’ll often see a day where you’ve had the largest amount of patients and the shortest amount of appointment time is the day of the highest negative stress and the least potential in production collections.

MINIMIZE FAILED APPOINTMENTS

Lisa Philp is President of Transitions Consulting Group, a full service coaching company for dentistry. She can be reached at transitionsonline.com.

No-shows and cancellations are a challenge for practices on a daily basis. When we have asked dentists what keeps them up at night, 100 percent of the time noshows and cancellations are in the top three answers. Why is it important to not have holes in the schedule due to failed appointments? Simply, lost revenue and opportunity. We have a provider available with a chair, operatory and treatment room and we need to have a procedure to perform on a patient for the practice to be at it’s highest potential. A healthy measurement of your no-shows and cancellations in the restorative department with the doctor is when less than five percent of that time is left vacant. In hygiene, the goal is less than 10 percent downtime due to no-shows and cancellations based on their available hours. The number one reason people say they don’t show up is they believe “it’s just a cleaning.” So the dental practice must invest in team communication and be able to confidently and clearly communicate to the patient that their oral health is the gateway to overall body wellness.

FOCUS ON CARE

When you exceed expectations, have good case acceptance and schedule appropriately, the final step is to collect for the dentistry being delivered. Money is often an uncomfortable topic of conversation for teams and patients. Dentists want to do what’s right for the patient and, most often, patients would prefer to say “yes” to the care they need. But, dentists should also be appropriately compensated for their services in a timely manner. Miscommunication during the financial conversation can significantly and negatively impact all the other drivers we’ve talked about. So, providing absolute clarity when it comes to treatment cost and payment options is a must. It’s also important that payment be efficiently handled, which means that it is received prior to treatment. When patients have complete dentistry and owe the practice money, it can damage the relationship, leading to patient migration and fewer referrals. For patients who would prefer to pay over time, accepting a healthcare credit card (Third Party Financing) gets you out of the banking business. Dentists should not be bankers and carrying accounts over a long period of time impacts the value of the practice in the future. The benchmark for healthy collections for the dental practice is directly related to the management of the accounts receivable department. The goal for accounts receivable, in an assignment dental practice, is to not have the total dollars owed to the practice exceed more than four to six weeks of production, with less than 10 percent outstanding in over 90 percent of the cases. A non-assignment practice theoretically would have no accounts receivable, especially if they collect over the counter at time of service. The practice engine of revenue is possibly the most important driver towards success and has several key components including patients, scheduling and case acceptance. If your growth begins to stall, the first place to focus your attention is the aspects that help to generate revenue. Your first and primary goal should be to make sure patients (and revenue) are coming in the front door and then making it into the chairs. Once this engine is on track, you can optimize your practice by making sure that the other drivers are also running smoothly.

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Finance

Continued from page 29

Before finalizing the acquisition, the supplier will ask whether it is to be financed as a purchase or as a lease. There is no obvious answer; it all depends on the unique circumstances of each situation. Lease payments are fully deductible, and may be the only option if the dentist has used up all available credit room. However, leases may contain a prepayment penalty, which becomes expensive if the practice is to be sold before the lease is up, since the buyer will insist the lease be paid out. However, dentists who decide to purchase are able to deduct interest payments (not principal payments), and can also deduct depreciation. Leases also contain an implicit interest rate. This rate should be compared with the dentist’s bank borrowing rate, which in many cases is at prime. Obsolete does not always mean A D V E R T I S E R ’ S

useless. Functional obsolescence means that equipment can no longer perform efficiently or safely and requires replacement. Technological obsolescence means that newer equipment/technology is available, although the original equipment may still perform safely, effectively and efficiently. Although dentists are well-advised to keep up with change in the dental industry, this will not always entail heavy equipment investment. Instead of focusing on buying the latest technology, dentists should evaluate potential purchases in light of: • T he revenues to be generated from the equipment; • T he after-tax cost of the equipment, and whether there is scope to increase the related tax write-offs; and • The clinical aspects of the purchase. I N D E X

David Chong Yen, CPA, CA, CFP and Louise Wong, CPA, CA, TEP of DCY Professional Corporation Chartered Accountants are tax specialists and have been advising dentists for decades. Additional information can be obtained by phone (416) 510-8888, fax (416) 510-2699, or e-mail david@dcy.ca or louise@dcy.ca. Please visit our website at www.dcy.ca. This article is intended to present tax saving and planning ideas, and is not intended to replace professional advice.

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40 Practice Management

ONLINE REPUTATIONS: The internet’s dirty little secrets and how it can kill your practice! Neil Gajjar s an avid marketer of my dental practice, I sometimes Google my name and specific keywords to see what comes up and where I rank. Over the last few weeks, I noticed two negative reviews on consumer rating sites. In the past, when a patient had left a negative review, my staff and I would quickly go through the schedule and charts to see if we could identify the patient. However, our last two were somewhat different, in that the reviewer was very specific about their experience and alleged that our positive reviews were “fake.” Immediately, I had our staff go through all of the charts over the last few months and try to recall the patient and the situation. I wanted to ensure that if we had done something wrong or did not handle the situation to the patient’s satisfaction, that we are at least able to take corrective action; if not for that specific patient then for our future patients. As many businesses do, we invest a lot of time and money into our marketing and provide the best service that we can. But the irony is that the more we expose our business to the market, the more susceptible we become to these types of reviews which can be counteractive and, personally, quite bothersome. The unfortunate part is that once it is up online, it is there permanently. It was not until a few days ago that things

appeared much clearer to me. I was on my way to a meeting in New Orleans and had a stop-over in Atlanta where I ran into an old friend who owns multiple brand name hotels all over the United States. We started talking about his business and how the hotel industry has become a very competitive and saturated market — just like dentistry. He shared with me that he recently hired a new Director of Communications, who came from another hotel chain, and since hiring him sales had gone up. His job was to stay on top of hotel review sites, thank people for posting their positive experiences and address any negative experiences from the management side. He informed me that by having more postings and responses, the major search engines will start to rank the hotel higher in consumer searches; making it easier for people to find his hotels over others. What he told me next blew me away. His new Director of Communications was also responsible for leaving negative comments for competitor hotels. I was stunned and could not believe that he would be involved in such an unethical and deceptive practice. His response was that he did not even know about it until his Director of Communications had told him and that it is a very common practice in his industry. Recently, a gentleman named Peter Hook, who describes himself on Twitter as “director of propaganda” for Accor hotels in Asia and the Pacific, was caught publishing a number of critical reviews about the company’s rivals. Now

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things started to make sense to me. I decided to do some more research on the topic, specifically in the dental industry. Reviews on most sites are unverified, meaning anyone can create an identity and post an experience. Amazon.com is such a massive ecommerce player where anyone can leave a review on any product. Some popular sites say that suspicious reviews are investigated; others claim they have software to detect automatic postings, and RateMD.com claims that they track IP addresses so that the same user is unable to continuously post positive or negative reviews. Regardless of any anti-fraud measures, there are many ways around it. People can stoop to using multiple usernames and can post from different locations to prevent using the same IP. Studies have shown that a one point increase on a five point scale can command up to nine percent increase in revenues for businesses (Harvard Business Review). However, in this new world of online marketing and the ‘power consumer reviews,’ it has resulted in a new kind of business around Reputation Management. Some of these companies offer to pay people $5 for every fake review they write, while others just have a team of writers overseas that are just churning out fake consumer reviews. The latest being caught and fined in this practice are a number of companies in New York. A total of 19 firms collectively agreed to pay more than $350,000 in fines and stop posting bogus

online reviews touting clients using a Bangladesh company to write fake reviews, being paid from $1-$10 per review (USA TODAY). On Freelancer.com, there are 200+ ads for people to produce fake reviews for sites. Georgios Zervas, coauthor of a recent study “Fake It Till You Make It: Reputation, Competition, and Yelp Review Fraud,” concluded that at least 16 percent of the reviews are fake. Most people are not aware that posting false reviews is against the law. It is also very difficult to track and has become a new type of crime where ‘reputation’ companies can make millions driven by corporations who want to increase their bottom line. According to Scheiderman Edward Telmany, US Coachways’s chief executive, “We get bashed online, we are losing money from this.” Telmany told his employees to write favorable reviews and posted a five-star review himself on Yelp that began: “US Coachways does a great job!” Another misleading practice that has come up in the dental industry is one where a company has set up an online review site for practitioners in which mainly negative reviews are posted. If you contact the company for verification of these reviews, you likely will not get a response back. However, you may be contacted by an Online Reputation management company offering to have the comments removed for a fee. It has come to light that most of these management companies are owned by the online review sites that have posted the negative reviews and will have oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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42 Practice Management

Most people are not aware that posting false reviews is against the law

those postings removed but for a price. Sounds a lot like extortion in the digital age, right? Kathleen Richards investigated this practice and has written an article called “Yelp and the Business of Extortion 2.0,” where owners say Yelp offers to hide negative customer reviews on its website for a price. In a 2012 Ipsos MediaCT study commissioned by Google, 69 percent of business travellers researched a trip online and 54% read reviews from other travellers; a similar trend that is also growing in the medical/dental field as more people check for reviews when choosing a practitioner for themselves and for their children. My wife did the same when we were expecting our first and second child by researching every OB and pediatrician.

SO WHAT CAN BE DONE TO AVOID BECOMING A VICTIM?

Dr. Neil J. Gajjar has written numerous articles and lectured on practice management, marketing, and advertising. In addition to being involved in industries outside of dentistry, he has served on the marketing committees of both the Ontario Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry. He has also acted and continues to act as a marketing consultant to numerous dental drug, suppliers, and device manufacturers.

Educating the public about these practices is the first step. I am sure you will never look at an online review the same way after reading this article and the same goes for our patients. If they understand that not all of what is written is true, they will use that information more carefully or maybe not at all. This is not to say that all sites are bad. Many are credible and give verifiable information to consumers by having reviewers log on and provide their information before posting. Another tactic to combat bad reviews is to encourage satisfied patients to leave good reviews. Many offices do this by having monthly draws for free gifts like electric toothbrushes for those that have liked them on Facebook or have posted an online review of the office. One approach that some dentists in the United States have tried is having their patients sign a non-publish agreement along with the patient intake forms. Some practitioners have even sued patients for posting to online sites about their experiences. Dr. Stacy Makhnevich was a New York City dentist who made use of a bizarre form provided by a company called “Medical Justice.” Her patients were expected to sign this form, through which they assigned copyright in all their reviews of the dental practice and

the doctor to the doctor herself, enabling her to use copyright notices to censor any criticism of her that appeared online. In a day where every dentist is trying to get on the front page or the first result in an online search, many have resorted to paying search engines to be in that top search. The problem is that other dentists are learning to instruct their staff to click the competitor’s link in the morning multiple times to use up their daily budgets and have them no longer appear at the top; another deceptive practice, about which I am always told, all is fair in Love, War and Dentistry. The good news is that as online sites strive to deliver accurate information to become a trusted and credible source for its users, they themselves are engaging in practices to ensure the reviews are from actual clients. In addition to setting up a client profile, some are working with companies like hotels, airlines and restaurants to send out email requesting reviews from existing customers. It’s a win-win for all parties involved as it prevents fraudulent emails from non-clients, and keeps the website credible while encouraging more reviews and higher rankings for the business. Eventually, as the number of posts increase via smartphones, you will only be able to post reviews of places you actually have visited. There is a whole science dedicated to identifying false reviews, like the overuse of superlatives or “I” and “we,” or the fact that most fake reviewers spend less than a minute to write their reviews. Real reviews, however, will often have photos uploaded by the user which shows that the reviewer was actually there. But just as more information is published on fake reviews, these reviewers change their patterns to blend in and once again it becomes a cat and mouse game. As we move into the future and digital age, a new level of fraud will continue to emerge. When arming your security system and locking your front door, be advised that this is no longer the only method to protect your assets. There is a whole world of cybercrime that can cost you more than a laptop or a tablet. Stay current and employ internet safety measures that keep you and your business safe.

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behind word-of-mouth transmission. And here it is: products, services and ideas are more likely to be spread if they involve 6 STEPPS — namely, Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories.7 With these things in mind, let’s reexamine John Allan’s, shall we? They offer a cool and upscale male grooming experience to members that didn’t previously exist (social currency). It becomes top of mind and tip of tongue every few weeks when it’s time for a haircut, shoeshine, massage, etc. (trigger). When you leave, you can’t help but feel as though your lifestyle has improved because you’re looking and feeling better than when you arrived (emotion).8 Attractive and skilled professionals deliver a slew of grooming services and amenities in a timely manner with cost-certainty (practical benefits). Their new location in the men’s section in the Hudson’s Bay is highly visible, grooming products bearing their logo can be found in their members’ bathrooms, their website gets lots of traffic, and they have been featured in mainstream media (public). And it all came to fruition because grooming guru John Allan Meing (who apprenticed under Jean Louis David) wanted to put men’s grooming needs first instead of as an afterthought (story). As John Allan explained in an interview with CNNMoney: “We have guys that, I think, before John Allan’s, they looked at this more as a chore. ‘I gotta go get my haircut.’ Oh My God. It’s like a… it’s like a root canal. I wanted to take the chore and put it into the man’s lifestyle. You have the gym. You have the relationships. You have the business. You have John Allan’s. I’m trying to create a new attitude towards this. Make it easier. Make it comfortable.”10 I found John Allan’s jab about dentistry interesting. Patients fear going to the dentist and also see it as a chore. My brother confided that that’s the reason he doesn’t go to the dentist as often as he should. So, like John Allan’s, shouldn’t dentists try to make their patients’ experience part of their “lifestyle,” “easier” and more “comfortable”? Time will tell if my prediction about niche practices comes true. In the meanwhile, my brother and I have booked an appointment at the John Allan’s club for next week and I’m looking forward to it.

©Pavel Vakhrushev/shutterstock

Continued from page 25

Shouldn’t dentists try to make their patients’ experience part of their “lifestyle,” “easier” and more “comfortable”? References 1. M ichael E. Porter, Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, (New York, U.S.A.: The Free Press, 1998), pp 38-39. 2. S ee Spence Johnson, M.D., “Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life,” (U.S.A.: G.P.Putnam’s Sons, 1st ed., 1998). 3. E conomic Report to the Dental Profession by R.K. House & Associates Ltd. (November 2013), p 2. 4. Economic Report to the Dental Profession by R.K. House & Associates Ltd. (November 2013), p 4. 5. Ibid., pp. 21-22. 6. Jonah Berger, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” (New York, U.S.A.: Social Dynamics Group, LLC, 2013). 7. Ibid., pp. 21-25. 8. For example, my brother told me that, whenever he leaves John Allan’s, he feels taller, speaks more eloquently, and walks and talks like a “man’s man.” 9. “ Where manicures get more manly,” CNNMoney (28 October 2013).

Michael Carabash is a dental lawyer and holds a Certificate in Dental Practice Management. He has his own dental law firm, DMC Law (www.dentistlawyers.ca), and can be reached at 647-680-9530 or michael @dentistlawyers.ca.

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PRACTICES & OFFICES ASSOCIATE BUY IN – CENTRAL BC

GREATER VANCOUVER, BC

Large and very well established general practice for sale in South Surrey, Panorama Ridge — a desirable and growing neighbourhood. Beautiful new hi tech facility in new building, completely digital and paperless, solid lease, 5 modern ops, loyal staff, >2300 ACTIVE patients. High Gross, high net — enough for two FT dentists. Reply to Oral Health Office Box 25 — e-mail: kshaw@oralhealthgroup.com

IMMEDIATE OPPORTUNITY Tisdale, Saskatchewan Excellent opportunity in 35+yr established dental practice to buy or associate to take over 1/3 of practice. Moving into brand new fully re-equipped dental facility along with medical, optometrists, chiropractors and health district practitioners. All new equipment in the new Healthplex facility with move in date in Jan/2014. A great opportunity for an immediate start and a lifetime of dentistry in an established dental community. For further information and details contact Dr E D Phenix at tedphe@sasktel.net or Tisdale Health Plex Group. Tel: 306-873-4255 or tdhc.connie@sasktel.net

Opportunity for EXPERIENCED associate to purchase a busy, established dental office by working it off over time. 5 ops., hygiene, good income. Professional evaluation done. Price negotiable. Owner retiring. Call 1-250-847-4934.

PRACTICE WANTED

Mature and experienced dentist looking for a small to an established dental practice within 1 hr of TO. Contact drdmd1@gmail.com Tel: 905-990-1613.

WEST MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE OR BURLINGTON, ON

Experienced dentist wants to partner up or buy a busy practice in either west Mississauga, Oakville or Burlington. Please write to: pantheo66@gmail.com

TORONTO, ON

New downtown 5 (3+2) ops; close to Subway, Universities, Hospitals; suitable for specialists or general dentist with own patient base. Please email: hans.nita@sympatico.ca

DOWNTOWN TORONTO

Endodontist looking for dental office space in existing dental practice in downtown Toronto, two to four mornings per month. Please reply to endoman11@gmail.com

CENTRAL TORONTO PRACTICE FOR SALE

Well established practice in Central Toronto with very large patient base and new patient flow. Contact Dr. Robert Carroll, Sales Representative, Dental Practice Sales Division, Sutton Sadie Moranis Realty Brokerage. 416-274-8063 rhcdds@rogers.com

SASKATCHEWAN

Dentist retiring. Very successful practice grossing close to $850k. Over 4500 active files. Modern and computerized. Low overhead. Dedicated staff. Work 4 days a week 8 to 5 / 46 weeks a year. Town offers relocation bonus. Professionally appraised and priced to sell. For more information email: saskdentaloffice@gmail.com

SUDBURY, ON

Busy, well established, three operatory dental practice for sale. Prime location, low overhead. Owner retiring. Enquiries to: ccna@vianet.ca

CAREERS VICTORIA, BC Locum wanted Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s from April 11th to May 2nd at established Royal Oak Clinic. 2 years plus experience preferable. Call Dr David Johnson for details at 250-813-0849 or email at Shane@RoyalOakDentalClinic.com

ASS O CI ATESH I P S

KITCHENER/WATERLOO, ON An energetic and driven associate is needed immediately for our progressive and dynamic office(s) with strong new patient flow. We are actively seeking the right individual who strives for success, provides quality dentistry and who isn’t afraid of having a full schedule. Please forward your resume to dentistsreply@yahoo.ca for this unbelievably unique opportunity!

GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB

A full time highly motivated associate Dentist required for a busy high grossing practice. The successful candidate will take over an existing patient load from an associate that is leaving. Our primary focus is the needs and well being of our patients. A team player with a good sense of humor is a requirement. Please apply to email: sharon@plazadentalclinic.ca

WHITEHORSE, YUKON FULL TIME DENTIST REQUIRED AND/OR LOCUM

Come enjoy the beauty of the great north in the beautiful city of Whitehorse, Yukon. Have the best of both worlds. Hiking, fishing, biking, sking are all waiting for you to enjoy!! Busy 8 operatory practice looking for a full time general dentist. Please fax resume to Pine Dental Clinic at 867-668-5121 or email us at pinedental@northwestel.net

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Dental Marketplace

CAREERS

NORTHERN ONTARIO 2 FULL TIME ASSOCIATES WANTED Bright, busy, modern, well established practice. Superior compensation package $20K-$25K per month range. Cheerful, professional & efficient staff. Vibrant and active community in pristine setting. Graduates and Experienced Dentists welcome. Please e-mail resumes to firstline_dental@hotmail.ca

… it’s also a great place to work.

KITCHENER, ON Associate wanted 2 to 3 days per week for busy Kitchener family practice. Great location in a busy plaza. Be busy from the start. Position is replacing an existing associate who is relocating. Please fax resumes to 519-744-7354 or email to mbensky@rogers.com

General Dentist Opportunities Labrador-Grenfell Health offers a unique opportunity to live and work in a region of Atlantic Canada. We combine the peace and quiet of a rural setting with modern equipped facilities and a strong sense of community spirit. This is a perfect location to gain valuable experience in an innovative work environment.

We are currently looking for the following professionals:

General Dentist

Permanent Full-Time, St. Anthony

Salary ranges from $136,434 to $163,723, depending on years of experience and service. Incentives include an annual retention bonus ranging from $6,750 to $20,500 (depending on location and years of service), six weeks paid leave and three weeks paid education/conference leave in a 12-month term. Applicants must have experience in general dentistry, be eligible for registration with the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board and be able to submit a satisfactory Certificate of Conduct. If a career path with a sense of adventure appeals to you, we need to talk. For information on joining our team and our incentive package, which includes assistance with relocation expenses, please submit your resumé, complete with references and stating competition number 2013000377S , to: Labrador-Grenfell Health Human Resources St. Anthony, NL A0K 4S0 Phone: 709-454-0347 Fax: 709-454-3301 hr@lghealth.ca

www.lghealth.ca

ASS O CI ATESH I P S

We are responsible for a full range of services, including community health, long-term care and acute care in Northern Newfoundland and Labrador.

BARRIE, ON Looking for an orthodontist in Barrie. Busy neighborhood. Start date March 2014. Please forward your résumé to dental_manager@ hotmail.com TORONTO, ON ASSOCIATE REQUIRED Associate for busy, modern practice, full time in Toronto. Complete range of services provided including orthodontics, periodontics, implants, laser dentistry, digital impressions, oral surgery and conscious sedation. An excellent opportunity for professional developments and higher than average remuneration. Call:416-748-3353 or 1-866-866-8437.

DOVE DENTAL CENTRES Full time associate needed for progressive, modern, multi-location group dental practice in London, Ontario and surrounding area. Interested candidates should forward resume and cover letter to: dovedental@ody.ca

GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB

Three full time associates needed for our well established family practices, with travel to our satellite clinic in High Prairie, AB. Present associates will be leaving end of July 2014. Very busy practice with above average remuneration. Please email drroy04@telus.net if interested.

PART TIME ASSOCIATE WANTED — ONTARIO

Busy Family practice located 45 min outside Toronto is looking for a part time associate. Minimum 2 years of Canadian experience is required. Must be a great team player with strong dental skills and good bedside manner. Some Sat and evenings required. E-mail only ddsfordentaloffice@yahoo.com oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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46 Dental Marketplace ASS O CI ATESH I P S

RED DEER, AB

The patients of a very busy practice in Red Deer requires a full time, energetic and caring dentist to start immediately. The right associate will be the primary caregiver to a large patient base and will have the potential for above average earnings. The entrepreneurial dentist will have the opportunity to buy in after 6 months. The practice enjoys modern equipment, good parking and a friendly environment. Please email carol@rddc.ca

BARRIE, ON Established family practice looking for a highly motivated dentist to work 1-2 days a week. Evening and Saturdays are a must. Please email your resume to smile@barrieheightsfamilydentistry.com

ORTHODONTIST ASSOCIATE WANTED â&#x20AC;&#x201C; BC, ON Associate orthodontist or dentist with orthodontic background wanted for busy specialty clinics in Vancouver, BC and Waterloo, ON. Please contact: Tel: 778-985-6507 e-mail: smiledoctors1@hotmail.com

AIRDRIE AND EDMONTON, AB

Excellent Airdrie and Edmonton location in Alberta; FT Associate positions available with buy in option. Owners are team of excellent experienced clinicians who are fun to work and you can expect ample vacation and balance between family and work with above average income. Please apply in confidence to doffice05@gmail.com

PARIS, ON Associate needed 2 days a week immediately in Paris, ON (10 min from Brantford, 15 min south of Cambridge). P/T leading to F/T. Please email resume to smiledentist2014@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE OPPORTUNITY NORTHERN ONTARIO Looking for an associate to help with Manitoulin Island and/or Sudbury general practices. Future buy in/buy out available. Email: weebit_17@yahoo.ca

OSHAWA, ON

Progressive growing practice in Oshawa is looking for an associate dentist. To start end of February/beginning of March for Fridays and every other Saturday. Please forward resume to dentaloshawa@yahoo.ca.

EDMONTON, AB Looking for an associate (part/full time) to join our group of multidisciplinary practices which are focused on the highest quality of patient care and using the latest technology available. We are looking for a self-motivated, high-energy, clinically strong candidate who is interested in learning and continuing education. This is a great opportunity for the right candidate to grow with our expanding group and to work in a great environment. Buy-in opportunities are also available for the long-term associates. If you are interested, please email your CV in confidence to edmontondentalcareer@gmail.com

DUNCAN, BC F/T DENTAL ASSOCIATE POSITION

Enjoy the West Coast lifestyle and practice as a F/T associate in our well established Duncan office. This position presents significant opportunity to practice F/T with access to all general dentistry treatment. The ideal candidate will have over three years experience and aspire to engage in C.E. and mentorship. Buy-in opportunity available in future. Interested applicants may contact Megan via email or phone. Email: megan@watermarkdentalgroup.com Phone: 1-778-839-0320 Applicants can also apply online at watermarkdental.ca

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LARGE GROUP PRACTICE IN NIAGARA FALLS, ON Invites you to consider this exciting career opportunity. We are interested in a full time associate, who is focused on a long term, exclusive involvement, with a transition to ownership, with our group. We have a long established history of exceptional remuneration. Email resume to nmdental@outlook.com THOMPSON, MB Westwood dental clinic in Thompson, MB team looking for enthusiastic dentist full time or part time. Decent income plus accommodation. E-mail: westwooddental@hotmail.com or tel 204-677-4526.

OAKVILLE, ON Orthodontist position available at our clinic. Nine patients currently awaiting treatment. Please contact us by phone: (905) 827-2066 or e-mail: brontecosmeticdentistry@cogeco.net

NW BRAMPTON, ON ASSOCIATE WANTED Family Practice, some evenings and weekends required. E-mail resume: dentalbox32@gmail.com

STONEY CREEK, ON

Part time opportunity to join our well established dental practice in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Our practice provides a high quality of care in all aspects of dentistry, including oral sedation, digital xrays,computerized charting, an extensive soft tissue management program, oral surgery and implants. Searching for a caring individual with strong clinical and communication skills to join our team Monday through Thursday evenings with the potential to lead to more hours during the days. Please forward curriculum vitae to dentallinc@gmail.com

VERNON, BC

Cornerstone Dental Group is seeking a full time associate to take over an existing associate position in Vernon BC. The successful applicant will be an enthusiastic, energetic individual, have more than 2 years experience in all areas of general dentistry and have an appetite for continuing education. Our newer, well equipped office is fully computerized (paperless/digital radiographs) and has a Cerec machine, microscope and 2 soft tissue lasers. We have a committed staff and a large, loyal patient base. For more information call 250-260-0281 or email dr.rex@shaw.ca

14-03-12 9:30 AM

Dental Marketplace

EDMONTON, AB

OSHAWA AREA

Part time associate required for a very successful, large group practice. E-mail: kathleen@healthcentredental.com

ETOBICOKE, ON P/T ORTHODONTIST NEEDED

Busy high end general practice in Etobicoke needs PT orthodontist. Please e-mail: sarabwmd@gmail.com

TORONTO, ON

Busy downtown family clinic is looking for a periodontist, implant specialist and an experienced general dentist. Please fax your resumes to 416-538-8422 or email to davidkourosh@hotmail.com

VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC We have 2 clinics one in Ladysmith and one in Courtenay both are located on Vancouver Island. We are seeking a full time associate for general dentistry. Busy clinics with opportunity for growth and investment opportunity in the future. E-mail: orca.dental@shaw.ca Fax: 250-338-7130. Tel: 250-338-5011 office manager Nola.

A full time associate dentist required to take over an existing full patient load from the current associate who is leaving. This truly is a very unique opportunity for a new associate to be immediately busy from day one. The office is bright, modern and very well equipped and is continually updating the core systems to better position the office for the future. If your primary focus is the needs and well being of the patients, and if you are willing and able to work with others in a larger group practice environment then this clinic is right for you. A positive attitude, a sense of humor and some flexibility in scheduling will lead to a very successful and rewarding position for the right individual. Email: qdental@shaw.ca Email: bay1chelsea@gmail.com 780-965-3787. ASSOCIATES WANTED – BC, AB, ON

Dental specialty office seeks associate orthodontist, oral surgeon and dentist in BC, Alberta and Ontario. Please send resume in confidence smiledoctors1@hotmail.com

CALGARY, AB PEDODONTIST REQUIRED We are expanding our rapidly growing dental practice and and are seeking a highly motivated Pedodontist to join our dental team. We would like to offer our patients and their families the opportunity to have all their dental services under one roof. We have a high demand for a Pedodontist in our area, this is an excellent opportunity for a pediatric dentist to join a high quality private practice in beautiful Calgary, AB. This patient focused practice is an inviting & attractive option for a new graduate as well as an experience practitioner. We have a state of the Art facility with private treatment rooms, digital x-rays and an amazing dental team as well as an overwhelming amount of children that require dental treatment. There is an opportunity for buy in for the right individual. Please email your resume in confidence to: Cherylplas@gmail.com

OHO Mar14 p44-49 Classifieds.indd 47

ASSOCIATES FOR HAMILTON & WATERLOO, ON

Associates required, for TWO VERY busy and modern practices with VERY strong new patient flow. E-mail: associatedentist@ymail.com Fax CV: 888-880-4024

ST. CATHARINES, ON

Immediate part time associate dentist wanted in St. Catharines for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2pm to 7pm leading to all day Thursday, Candidate must reside in the Niagara Area, be people oriented and have strong clinical skills. Interested candidates should forward resume and cover letter to: info@lakestreetdental.ca

NORTH MARKHAM/STOUFFVILLE, ON

Associate wanted for north Markham/ Stouffville family dental practice. Great opportunity for the right candidate. Please email resume as well as days available to ddsisbest3@gmail.com

BARRIE, ON

Part time associate required for a very busy office in Barrie. Please forward resume to dentaldreams@live.com

ABUNDANT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOUTH GENERAL PRACTITIONERS AND ALL DENTAL SPECIALTIES ABLE DENTAL GROUP Jump start your career with us... Associate or Buy-In Opportunities for the Right Candidate Exciting career opportunities are awaiting you in sunny southern Alberta. We are looking for motivated individuals to join our team of dental professionals who use “big city technology”, yet serving the needs of our community and surrounding areas. The Group has always been one step ahead of the rest to take advantage of new technology and “looking outside of the box” attitude and ideas. We share this enthusiasm with our Associates and Staff, and we pride our company’s success on teamwork and providing a team environment. Please contact our office to arrange an on-site meeting and viewing. Shari Mead, Office Manager 403-327-7227 shari@abledentalgroup.com

14-03-12 9:31 AM

48 Dental Marketplace CHATHAM-KENT, ON

OTTAWA, ON

Busy practice in central Ottawa looking for dentist to cover a maternity leave (Full time) starting in May 2014 with option to remain in practice part time at the end of locum. Please send CV to karen@prestondentalcentre.com

WATERLOO, ON

Associate needed for growing Waterloo Practice. EXCITING OPPORTUNITY only for the right candidate! Must have dynamic personality, leadership qualities and a genuine desire to grow with the practice. Serious candidates only. Email: drhusain@waterloosmiles.com

VICTORIA, BC

ST. JOHN’S, NL

PEDIATRIC DENTIST AND ORAL SURGEON WANTED ASAP Very busy office opened 6 months ago providing services in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics. We are now looking for another pediatric dentist to join our team and to offer Oral surgery services to our patients. Digital x-rays (pan-ceph-3-D), All computerized, Nitrous oxide, Large operatory rooms available. The office has an easy going atmosphere, a well trained staff and modern equipment. Very generous remuneration structure based on individual and/or clinic performance. Schedule is flexible. Part-time or fulltime would be considered. Serious inquiries only to be fowarded to Tonya Mugford (office manager) by fax (709) 576-4511 or emailed at loldentalsj@gmail.com

FORT MCMURRAY, AB

Fort McMurray dental office is looking for a part time to a full time associate. Must have at least 2 years experience. Please send resume to # 3 101 Signal Road, Fort McMurray T9H 4N6 or by email auroradentaltw@gmail.com

LABRADOR CITY, NL

GENERAL DENTIST WANTED ASAP

Very busy dental office recently opened. Digital radiographs, All computerized, Nitrous oxide and modern equipment. The office has an easy going atmosphere. Schedule is flexible. Part-time or full-time would be considered. Ideal Canidate would be comfortable with endo, prostho, perio, extractions and ready to work in a busy office. Very generous remuneration structure based on individual and/or clinic performance. Serious inquiries only to be fowarded to Tonya Mugford (office manager) by fax (709) 576-4511 or emailed at loldentalsj@gmail.com

OWEN SOUND, ON

Full time associateship available in beautiful Owen Sound. Great opportunity in this long established, busy family practice. Pleasant and well trained staff and large patient load guarantees above average earnings. All facets of dental care offered in new, modern office. With a husband and wife DDS team leaving practice two positions are available — be busy from day one. We are looking for DDS who is ethical, productive and pleasant. Must be willing to work some evening and weekend hours. Reply to drtimpringle@bell.net

www.oralhealthgroup.com

Looking for a talented associate to join our team, in the Chatham-Kent area of Southern Ontario. We are a patient focused practice with full dedication to the quality of patient care. Communication is key and that’s why we pride ourselves on the knowledge and skills of our longtime support staff. If you are interested please forward resumes to Karen at elitedental@live.ca

Associate wanted 2 days per week at established and growing Royal Oak Clinic and/or new high growth Westshore clinic with anticipated additional work available in near future due to high growth rates. 2 years plus experience preferable. Call Dr David Johnson at 250-813-0849 or email Shane Johnson at Shane@RoyalOakDentalClinic.com or Shane@ParkwayDentist.ca

PRINCE GEORGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA LAKEWOOD DENTAL GROUP

Full time Dental Associate required for a large Dental Group Practice. We are located in Northern British Columbia, home of the 2015 Canada Winter Games (visit website) www.canadagames2015.ca We are the most comprehensive & modern dental group in Northern British Columbia. Onsite, Oral Surgeon, Periodontist, Orthodontists. Complete support team. Relaxed atmosphere where you can develop your skills and financial security. We are looking for a candidate who would like to start a dental career with us. Future provides, associate position, practice ownership as well as future investment opportunities. Position available immediately. Contact: 250-960-3802 Email us: admin@lakewooddental.ca Visit us at www.lakewooddental.ca

BRAMPTON, ON PART TIME ASSOCIATESHIP Looking for a motivated and compassionate associate two days per week on Mondays and Wednesdays starting immediately. Candidate must be committed and willing to expand the general practice. Buy in opportunity available. Please contact Christine at 905-457-2222

LLOYDMINSTER, ALBERTA (population 32,000 – 2 hours drive from Edmonton or Saskatoon). Direct flights available from Lloydminster to Calgary.

Part time or full time position available for a quality – conscious, motivated associate wishing to practice in a modern, well-established family oriented practice with long established clientele. Monday to Friday daytime hours available (terms are flexible). Excellent team and patient-oriented, energetic staff. Adherence to recent ADA regulatory standards and dedication to patient care is our first priority. New grads welcome. If interested in joining our welcoming community, please contact: Dr. Marianne Stelmaschuk at Tooth Suite Family Dentistry ph. 780-875-4312 or email: toothsuite@shaw.ca

MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Dental Marketplace ORILLIA, ON

Exceptional associateship opportunity for a highly motivated dentist to join a modern multidisciplinary dental centre in Orillia. Schedule flexible. Please contact dr.guorgui@gmail.com or call 416-800-8800.

ASSOCIATESHIP — DOWNTOWN TORONTO

Looking for an associate with minimum 15 years of experience in Canada for an established practice in the financial district. Flexible schedule. E-mail: dentalpositions4u@gmail.com

WHISTLER, BC

Come for the lifestyle. Come for the once in a lifetime opportunity! Modern, well-established dental practice located in beautiful Whistler, BC is currently seeking a highly motivated associate, with a proven commitment to excellence, continuing education and customer service. Our office offers a large variety of dental services to our patients including dental implants, endodontics, oral surgery, orthodontics, TMJ therapy, sleep and cosmetic dentistry. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to build a long-term career in the Whistler area and be part of a growing practice. Interested candidates please send cover letter and resume to janis@whistlerdental.com

CALGARY, AB

GENERAL DENTIST REQUIRED

Expanding dental practice seeking experienced General Dentist to join our team. We are looking for someone that is looking for a different opportunity. Someone committed to growth, to health and wants JOY in their life and to provide JOY to their patients. We are searching for relationship driven providers that are committed to helping patients achieve their long term goals. That are committed to excellence in their standard of care. If you are looking for something different please send resume and cover letter to lavonne.keal@sierracentre.com and let us know what it is your searching for and how you want to make a difference in the lives of the patients and team you serve.

GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB

Full time associate dentist required for busy family practice. Looking for highly motivated associate. Our practice includes the latest in technology (IOC camera, digital x-rays, paperless etc.). Large existing patient base. Current associate moving, team in place to help. Opening is for July 2014. Please send resume to pmdcgp@telus.net 780-538-2992.

CALGARY, AB

FULL TIME PERIODONTIST REQUIRED

We are searching for a full time periodontist to join our Neuromuscular Practice in Calgary, Alberta. This individual will be committed to work in collaboration with our restorative and hygiene teams to ensure patients are receiving optimal health and will assist in the process of helping these patients achieve their long term goals. We are looking for someone very dynamic and relationship driven that is excited to join a team committed to our organizational values of Joy, Growth and Health. Practice provides 100% referral acceptance and is located in affluent area of the city with no one else providing these services nearby. Candidate must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience. If you are interested please send resume and cover letter to lavonne.keal@sierracentre.com

PETERBOROUGH, ON DENTAL ASSOCIATE

Associates for new dental office in Peterborough (1.5 hour from Toronto). 2-3 days to start leading to full time. New Grad Welcome to apply. Digital x-ray. Pan/Ceph. Fully Computerized with digital charting. Minimum Pay Guarantee with Car Allowance. Please send CV to PTBODentist@outlook.com

MARKHAM, ON Associate position part-time is available in busy mall location. Will be busy from day one. Position best suited to Cantonese or Vietnamese speaking. Can begin immediately. Friendly and personable is preferable. Please email to Oral Health Office Box 26 e-mail: kshaw@oralhealthgroup.com

PICKERING, ON

General dental practice seeking patient oriented, motivated individual to take over an established patient base, and grow practice in Pickering, Ontario. Strong possibility of full ownership in the future for the right person. Send CV to wgdds2011@gmail.com.

SASKATOON, SK Associate required for modern, very busy practice with strong new patient flow. Great opportunity in a University setting. E-mail: associatedentist@ymail.com Fax CV: 888-880-4024.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

ENDODONTIST WANTED — TORONTO

CAREER OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME. WHY?

Cerec MC XL/ Bluecam (2009); less than 20 crowns milled, no marks or scratches, has been maintained through service contract with dealer, includes 10 extra burs and 45+ new Cerec Blocks, asking $50,000.00 obo. Please contact Di-Anna. info@gentlefamilydental.ca or call 780-468-6937.

1. Full time associate position 2. Immediate full patient load 3. One of BC’s highest grossing practices 4. Westshore Area of Victoria – BC’s fastest growing community 5. Healthy new patient load 6. Available immediately To replace previous associate leaving due to health. Experience required, and Cerec experience would be an asset. Must possess strong patient interaction and treatment presentation skills. Please call (250)474-5308 or email dawn@westshoredental.com

Cerec Crown System: – CEREC 3D by Sirona. Model No. 5811000 – Cerec MC XL by Sirona Model No. D3439 – Glaze Oven: Ivoclar Vivadent Programat CS ALL IN AMAZING CONDITION. ANY RESONABLE OFFER CONSIDERED. SHIPPING NOT INCLUDED. For more purchasing inquiries please contact: Jovi-Lynn Nojeda by either email: jovilynn.nojeda@adamdentalclinic.ca or by telephone: 867-873-2775.

Seeking Endodontist for an Endodontic specialty practice in Toronto. Part time. Experience preferred. Contact: gtaendo@gmail.com

FOR SALE:

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | MARCH 2014

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ADVERTORIAL

Ron Barsotti Ron Barsotti President President Ron Barsotti Recall System Pro Ron Barsotti Recall System Pro President

President Recall System Pro Recall System Pro

Dentistry’s Dentistry’s first first comprehensive comprehensive Dentistry’s first comprehensive patient recall software Dentistry’s comprehensive patient first recall software patient recall patientsolution: recall software software solution: solution: solution:

In addition to the beneficial impact patient recall has on In to the beneficial impact patient recall on theaddition dental health of patients, alsohas one In addition to the beneficialpatient impact recall patientis recall has on the dental health of patients, patient recall is also one In to the beneficial of the most important to the patient overall success ofon theaddition dental health ofsystems patients,impact patient recall recall is alsohas one of the most important to the overall success of the dental health ofsystems patients, patient recall is also one dental practices. of the most important systems to the overall success of dental practices. of the most important systems to the overall success of dental practices. Over 75%practices. of practice revenues typically stem from dental Over 75% of practice revenues typically stem from hygiene combined with dentist Over revenues 75% of practice revenues typicallyrevenues stem from hygiene revenues combined with dentist revenues Over 75% of practice revenues typically stem from generated recallcombined exams vs.with new patient exams. hygienefrom revenues dentist revenues generated from recallcombined exams vs.with new patient exams. hygiene revenues dentist revenues Both of these revenue streams are driven by how well generated from recall exams vs. new patient exams. Both of these revenue streams are driven by how well generated from recall exams vs. new patient exams. a practices’ recall system is working and point to the Both of these revenue streams are driven by how well a practices’ recall system is working and point to the Both of these revenue streams are driven by how well importance of ensuring adequate time and point attention is a practices’ recall system is working to the importance of ensuring adequate time attention a practices’ recall system is working and point to the importance given to recall. of ensuring adequate time and attentionisis importance of ensuring adequate time and attention is given to recall. given to recall. Unfortunately, as important of a role that recall plays, given to recall. Unfortunately, as as important a role that recall Unfortunately, important of a role that recallplays, plays, recall system problems are of costing dental practices Unfortunately, as important of a role that recall plays, recall system problems are costing dental practices recall system problems are costing dental hundreds of thousands in lost revenues and practices hundreds of recall system problems arelost costing dental practices hundreds of thousands in lost revenues and hundreds of thousands in revenues and hundredsofof losthundreds patients on an annual basis. of thousands in lost revenues and hundreds of losthundreds patients on an an annual basis. lost patients on annual basis. lost practices patients on an annual Dental struggle withbasis. three problem areas Dental practices struggle with three problem areas Dental practices struggle with three problem areas related to recall that play a major role in the loss of Dental practices struggle with three problem areas related to recall that play a major role in the loss ofof related to recall that play a major role in the loss revenues and patients: related to and recall that play a major role in the loss of revenues and patients: revenues patients: revenues and patients: 1. Significant numbers of patients get lost in practice 1. Significant numbers of patients lost practice 1. Significant numbers of patients getget lost in in management scheduling When itpractice comes to 1. Significant numbers of systems. patients get lost in practice management scheduling systems. When itcomes comestoto management scheduling systems. When it patient recall, it is very easy for significant numbers management scheduling systems. When itnumbers comes of to patient recall, is very easy for significant patient recall, isit very easy formanagement significant numbers ofof patients torecall, getitlost invery practice systems. patient it is easy for significant numbers of patients to get lost in practice management systems. patients to get lost inlists practice management In addition, running are time consumingsystems. and patients to get lost in practice management systems. In addition, running lists time consumingand and In addition, running lists areare time consuming cumbersome office staff making it even harder In addition,for running lists are time consuming and cumbersome for office staff making it even harder cumbersome forno office staff making it even harder cumbersome for office staff making it even harder to keep up with certainty that all patients are to keep up certainty that patientsare are to keep up for. withwith no no certainty that allall patients to keep up with no certainty that all patients are accounted accounted for. accounted for.for. accounted 2. Appointment reminder systems are not 2. Appointment reminder systems are not 2. Appointment reminder systems are not 2. Appointment reminder systems are notAlthough comprehensive enough to tackle recall. comprehensive enough to tackle recall. Although comprehensive enough to to tackle recall. Although comprehensive enough tackle recall. Although important time savers, less than 20% ofof unscheduled important time savers, less than 20% unscheduled important time savers, less than 20% of unscheduled important time savers, less than 20% of unscheduled patients respond to reminder systems toto re-appoint patients respond to reminder systems re-appoint patients respond to reminder systems to re-appoint patients respond to reminder systems to re-appoint leaving over 80% of unscheduled patients without leaving over 80% of unscheduled patients without leaving over 80% of unscheduled patients without leaving over 80% of unscheduled patients without anyany typetype of follow up up coverage. For practices that of follow coverage. For practices that any type of follow up coverage. For practices that any type of follow up coverage. For practices that want to boost revenues and retention ofof their want to boost revenues and retention theirpatients patients want toisboost revenues and retention ofof their want toneeded. revenues and retention theirpatients patients - more isboost needed. - more - more is needed. - more is needed.

Karl Schmidt

Karl Schmidt Director of Practice Director ofTechnologies Practice Karl Schmidt Management Karl Schmidt Management Technologies Director of Practice Patterson Dental Canada DirectorDental ofTechnologies Practice Patterson Canada Management Management Technologies Patterson Dental Canada Patterson Dental Canada

3. Office staff are swamped keeping up with everything that 3. Office staff swamped keeping up withServing everything that getare done on a day to dayup basis. patients, 3.needs Office to staff are swamped keeping with everything that needs to get done on a day to day basis. Serving patients, 3.filling Office staff swamped keeping up withServing everything that and dealing with interruptions arepatients, important needsopenings to getare done a day to day basis. filling openings andon dealing with interruptions are important needs toconsuming get done on a dayAdd to day basis. Serving patients, and time tasks. the demands of patient recall filling openings and dealing with interruptions are important and time consuming tasks.the Add the demands ofthe patient recall filling openings andhaving dealing with interruptions are important combined with not right tools to get job done and time consuming tasks. Add the demands of patient recall combined with not having the right tools to get the job done consuming tasks. Add thetools demands ofthe patient recall - and it is time no mystery that the end result is lost revenues, combined with not having the right to get job lost done -patients it is no mystery that theof end result is lost revenues, lost combined with not having the right tools to get the job done and high doses stress. - it is no mystery that the end result is lost revenues, lost patients high that doses of stress. - it is noand mystery theof end result is lost revenues, lost andare highthese doses stress. Howpatients prevalent problems? A quick chart count will patients and high doses of stress. How prevalent are these problems? A quick chart count will verify the average practice has thousands lost count and overdue How prevalent are these problems? A quickofchart will verify the average practice has thousands of lost and overdue How prevalent are these problems? A quick chart count will patients that eventually findhas their way out the back door. What verify the average practice thousands of lost and overdue patients that find their way out out the back door. What verify the average practice thousands of lost and overdue patients that eventually findhas their way back door. What this reveals iseventually that for most practices, lostthe patients are not being patients that eventually find their way out the back door. What this reveals is that for most practices, lost patients are not being this revealsmanaged is that foror most practices, lost patients are not being measured, noticed. this reveals is that for most practices, lost patients are not being measured, managed or noticed. measured, managed or noticed. Recall System Pro was measured, managed or developed noticed. by leading practice Recall Pro by leading leading practice RecallSystem System Pro was was developed developed practice management consultants to assist by dental offices to get beyond Recall System Pro was developed by leading practice management consultants to assist dental offices get beyond management consultants to assist dental offices totoget beyond these challenges. As dentistry’s first comprehensive patient management consultants to assist dental offices to get beyond these challenges. As dentistry’s first comprehensive patient these challenges. As dentistry’s first comprehensive patient recall software solution, Recall System Pro; these challenges. As dentistry’s first comprehensive patient recall solution, Recall System Pro; recallsoftware software solution, Recall System Pro; software solution, System Pro; • recall Manages every detail Recall of patient recall. •• • Manages every of patient patient recall. offices to lose Manages every detail detail Makes it virtually impossible for recall. dental Manages every detail of patient recall. • •• Makes it virtually impossible for dental officestotolose lose Makes it virtually impossible for dental offices of itpatients. • track Makes virtually impossible for dental offices to lose track of patients. track of patients. • Provides office staff with innovative tools to keep hygiene track of patients. Provides office staff staff with innovative tools • • Provides office innovative toolsto tokeep keephygiene hygiene filled staff months advance.tools • schedules Provides within to keep hygiene schedulesoffice filled months months ininnovative advance. schedules filled advance. • Cuts cancellations and no shows in half and fills openings schedules filled months in advance. Cutscancellations cancellations • • Cuts and no shows shows in in half halfand andfills fillsopenings openings as fast. • twice Cuts cancellations and no shows in half and fills openings twiceas asfast. fast. twice twiceinas fast. Proven the most demanding dental offices, offices,Recall RecallSystem SystemPro Pro Provenininthe the most most demanding demanding dental Proven dental offices, RecallSystem System Pro seamlessly integrates with your practice management software Proven in the most demanding dental offices, Recall Pro seamlesslyintegrates integrates with with your practice management software seamlessly your practice management software seamlessly integrates with your practice management software system and managers withaacomplete complete systemand andprovides provides dentists dentists and with system and provides dentists and managers managers withaacomplete complete system and provides dentists and managers with monitoring and reporting dashboard that; monitoringand and reporting dashboard dashboard that; monitoring that; monitoring and reporting reporting dashboard that; • • Analyzes recall system effectiveness andpinpoints pinpoints Analyzes recall system effectiveness and • • Analyzes recall system effectiveness andpinpoints pinpoints Analyzes recall system effectiveness opportunities to increase revenues. and opportunities to increase revenues. opportunities to increase revenues. opportunities to increase revenues. • • Tracks key and results results- -ensuring ensuring Tracksand and reports reports key indicators indicators and • • Tracks and reports key indicators andsystem resultsslippage. -ensuring ensuring Tracks and reports key indicators and results success and putting an end to recall success and putting recall system slippage. success to recall recall system systemslippage. slippage. successand and putting putting an end to Complete exactly what whatyou youwould wouldexpect expect Completeand and comprehensive comprehensive - exactly Complete and exactly whatyou youwould wouldexpect expect Complete and comprehensive comprehensive - exactly what from Dental product. fromaaPatterson Patterson Dental exclusive exclusive product. from product. fromaaPatterson Patterson Dental Dental exclusive exclusive product.

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MARCH 2014 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

OHO Mar14 p50-51 Patterson3 ADVERT.indd 50

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OHO Mar14 p50-51 Patterson3 ADVERT.indd 51

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