Ascent Dental Radio

Dr. Kevin Coughlin believes you can offer an incredibly high level of care and service in a very efficient and effective way if you're willing to invest in the technology, the training, and the team. This episode explores hiring - when, how, and most importantly why looking for the right team fit is key.

Dr Kevin Coughlin ruminates on the excellent customer service he received at the oddest of places - a Jiffy Lube - and connects the dots on how that kind of customer satisfaction can be applicable to the dentist industry.

After 35 years, I'd like to share with how I keep my employees motivated. It's a combination of things that will work based on your team members’ personalities. I think it's critical as “the leader” of your team that you lead by example. If you come in with an angry demeanor, if you come in upset and aggravated, you're not leading by example, you're leading by failure. Somehow, you have to get up every single day, put your best foot forward, and provide the best example you can to your team. I also think it's critical that you offer your team members the opportunity for advancement - make the training and the time available to discuss with them their personal wants and needs. You have to physically make time in your schedule to meet one-on-one with your team members. I suggest you do not delegate to the management team. I suggest you take the time to meet with your individuals one-on-one.

The entire Dental profession realizes approximately 5,000 dentists will be graduating in the next few weeks and entering into the market force. Most of these young men and women will have very little clinical experience, but some wonderful educational background. The vast majority of these individuals will be bypassing specialty programs, bypassing residency programs, and going directly into the dental market or job and career areas. The question is: When is enough is enough? Today the incredible debt of private education and the downward forces from insurance companies and DSO’s and MSO’s make it extremely difficult for these individuals to make it in the real market place. I would strongly recommend negotiating your best contract but be realistic in what you ask for. My personal opinion is in those first 12 to 24 months focus on education training, development of process and procedures, and make sure you have a mentor in the practice that can work you through the difficulties that all of us, as dentists,

Tonight's topic is how do we become more efficient and more effective without burning out? I am getting prepared for a meeting of approximately fifty team members in my organization this week, and what we've done is we've taken a cold, hard look at really what the bottom line is. It's something we all talk about, but very seldom ever do. There's a big debate and, like most debates, there's some truth in all parties, but do you accept all dental insurance plans? Do you only accept certain dental plans? How do you decide? And basically, I think every healthcare professional would love to see one thing: control of their fees.

The following episode is a combination of a variety of things as I'd like to think I'm an expert or have significant knowledge with managed service organizations, dental service organizations, because we've developed over fifteen practices over my thirty-six-year career. I've dealt with the DSOs, created my own DSOs and sold these DSOs to MSOs. For the new listeners, basically the difference is, one is venture capital and equity-backed group and the other is generally a dental-backed group. Both, along with private practices, have the same goals; that's to expand their business, make them more efficient and effective for a better bottom line.

Guest Erin Rosario joins Kevin to discuss the various considerations around marketing.

Dr. Kevin Coughlin shares his insights on the value of time in a medical practice.  

In this episode you'll learn about MSO's and DSO's (managed service organizations and dental service organizations) and whether they are "friend or foe." 

In this episode, you'll discover the importance of new patient orientation and how that helps to build and retain patients. 

Dr. Howard Farran from Dentaltown joins the program to discuss how to create a thriving dental practice, and the biggest mistakes that young (and not so young!) dentists make. 

Jamie Scherban, Senior Business Consultant at Paychex, discusses payroll solutions for dentists and the most common problems that dentists face regarding payroll. 

Joel Dearing joins the program to discuss the takeaways that he learned in his over 30 years of coaching women's and men's volleyball on how to build a successful team and the lessons for dentists. 

Kevin Henry joins the program to discuss how and why you should empower your dental assistants and the impact that can have on your practice.  An advocate of today’s dental assistant, Kevin Henry speaks to dental audiences across the nation on topics that empower dental assistants, helping them recognize the leadership role they hold in the practice.

Stacey Brown Randall from Growth By Referrals joins the program to discuss how dentists can use referrals to grow their practice and attract ideal dental patients to their business.  To learn more, visit www.growthbyreferrals.com 

Dr. Howard Farran joins the program to share his perspective on the most common reasons why dentists struggle with their practice and what they need to focus on in order to succeed.  To learn more about Dr. Farran, visit www.dentaltown.com To learn more about Dr. Coughlin and Ascent Dental Solutions, visit www.ascent-dental-solutions.com 

Eric Diffily from Cynosure, Inc. discusses the various types of laser services that dentists can offer to their patients and the benefits of doing so both for patients and for providers. To learn more, visit www.ascent-dental-solutions.com 

Internet marketing speaker and consultant Kellen Kautzman joins the program to discuss how dentists can use digital marketing to enhance and grow their practice. Discover tips and advice for using YouTube and Pinterest to get more visitors to your website.  To learn more, visit www.ascent-dental-solutions.com

Dr. Coughlin shares a simple but powerful practice that he uses in his 14 practices to help assess and improve quality assurance.  To learn more, visit www.ascent-dental-solutions.com 

Dr. Coughlin shares an innovative and effective method that he uses in his own practice to train and grow his dental staff.  For more information, visit www.ascent-dental-solutions.com