1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,980 Hey there, dental professionals and industry enthusiasts. 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,000 Picture this. It's October, and you're in the 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,779 middle of one of the most transformative 4 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,880 experiences of your career. You're at the Becker's 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,359 fall future of dentistry roundtable in the vibrant 6 00:00:13,359 --> 00:00:16,094 city of Chicago, fresh off an incredible 3 7 00:00:16,094 --> 00:00:19,154 days at the Hyatt Regency. Imagine yourself inspired 8 00:00:19,295 --> 00:00:22,974 and invigorated after attending captivating keynote sessions by 9 00:00:22,974 --> 00:00:25,714 none other than the legendary boxing world champion 10 00:00:25,774 --> 00:00:29,554 and CEO, Lila Elite, and the extraordinary professional 11 00:00:30,179 --> 00:00:33,399 player, Caitlin Clark. See yourself engaged in lively 12 00:00:33,460 --> 00:00:36,500 discussions, exchanging ideas, and collecting a stack of 13 00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:39,560 business cards from fellow dental experts and potential 14 00:00:39,619 --> 00:00:42,200 partners. You've networked with over 350 15 00:00:42,579 --> 00:00:45,140 attendees and learned from more than 80 speakers 16 00:00:45,140 --> 00:00:47,554 who are at the forefront of dental innovation. 17 00:00:48,414 --> 00:00:49,795 You sat in on educational 18 00:00:50,094 --> 00:00:52,975 sessions exploring topics that elevate dental care as 19 00:00:52,975 --> 00:00:55,774 a critical element of whole person health. You've 20 00:00:55,774 --> 00:00:58,994 witnessed firsthand how digital technology is revolutionizing 21 00:00:59,454 --> 00:01:00,530 patient outcomes 22 00:01:00,909 --> 00:01:04,209 and how both large DSOs and independent practices 23 00:01:04,349 --> 00:01:05,170 are flourishing. 24 00:01:05,469 --> 00:01:07,709 Get ready to transform your career and don't 25 00:01:07,709 --> 00:01:10,609 miss out on this incredible opportunity. The Becker's 26 00:01:10,670 --> 00:01:13,569 fall future of dentistry roundtable is from October 27 00:01:13,665 --> 00:01:16,004 30th to November 1, 2024. 28 00:01:16,465 --> 00:01:18,645 Get registered by going to beckersdental.com 29 00:01:20,145 --> 00:01:21,924 and clicking on the events page. 30 00:01:22,784 --> 00:01:25,105 Hello. This is Arianna Portelatin with the Becker's 31 00:01:25,105 --> 00:01:26,805 Dental and DSO Review podcast. 32 00:01:27,290 --> 00:01:28,890 I'm thrilled to be joined today by David 33 00:01:28,890 --> 00:01:31,609 Ortiz, the director of operations at Secure Dental 34 00:01:31,609 --> 00:01:32,989 and the cofounder of DEVIA. 35 00:01:33,290 --> 00:01:34,810 David, thank you so much for being here 36 00:01:34,810 --> 00:01:35,310 today. 37 00:01:35,769 --> 00:01:38,109 Thank you for having me. Appreciate it. Yeah. 38 00:01:38,489 --> 00:01:40,409 To start us off, can you introduce yourself 39 00:01:40,409 --> 00:01:41,849 and tell the audience a little bit about 40 00:01:41,849 --> 00:01:42,509 your background? 41 00:01:43,895 --> 00:01:45,655 Absolutely. Yeah. So, I mean, like you said, 42 00:01:45,655 --> 00:01:47,275 my name's, David Ortiz. 43 00:01:48,055 --> 00:01:49,814 You know, and and I've been somewhat of 44 00:01:49,814 --> 00:01:51,655 of a natural leader throughout my life just 45 00:01:51,655 --> 00:01:53,115 just my being myself. 46 00:01:53,655 --> 00:01:55,814 I I was held a management position, you 47 00:01:55,814 --> 00:01:57,920 know, in high school. That's really where it 48 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:01,299 started. I loved managing people, directing others, 49 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:02,820 went to college, 50 00:02:03,439 --> 00:02:04,659 graduated in 2016 51 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,980 with a bachelor of science in the, management 52 00:02:09,264 --> 00:02:10,004 and leadership. 53 00:02:10,544 --> 00:02:12,224 And I started in dental right after that 54 00:02:12,224 --> 00:02:12,884 in 2019. 55 00:02:13,344 --> 00:02:16,144 Started as a practice manager, just for one 56 00:02:16,144 --> 00:02:18,064 location. We were in a brand new state, 57 00:02:18,064 --> 00:02:20,324 kind of, you know, unheard of 58 00:02:20,625 --> 00:02:23,205 territory. And so it it took some, 59 00:02:23,939 --> 00:02:25,780 you know, some initiative on my end to 60 00:02:25,780 --> 00:02:27,379 to really build it up, and I grew 61 00:02:27,379 --> 00:02:27,960 it to, 62 00:02:28,340 --> 00:02:30,599 4 I was managing 4 locations 63 00:02:31,860 --> 00:02:33,960 in the period of maybe just 2 years. 64 00:02:34,419 --> 00:02:36,979 So really enjoyed it. Really, really thrived. Became 65 00:02:36,979 --> 00:02:38,120 the director of operations 66 00:02:38,605 --> 00:02:41,425 where I ultimately oversaw over 10 locations 67 00:02:41,965 --> 00:02:43,585 across 4 state lines, 68 00:02:44,205 --> 00:02:47,325 and it was it was really groundbreaking into 69 00:02:47,325 --> 00:02:50,125 into new states. I've done everything from, you 70 00:02:50,125 --> 00:02:52,305 know, helping with mergers and acquisitions 71 00:02:52,925 --> 00:02:53,745 of the practices. 72 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:55,099 I've helped start 73 00:02:55,719 --> 00:02:57,719 up de novo or straight from the ground 74 00:02:57,719 --> 00:02:58,219 practices. 75 00:02:59,879 --> 00:03:00,379 Ultimately, 76 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,560 we found a challenge within the labor market. 77 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:05,900 We started our own virtual assistant company, 78 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:07,019 which helps 79 00:03:07,324 --> 00:03:10,064 clinic and many other clinics alike with virtual 80 00:03:10,205 --> 00:03:11,344 administrative services, 81 00:03:12,125 --> 00:03:13,664 specifically for dentists, 82 00:03:14,125 --> 00:03:15,264 and then myself 83 00:03:15,884 --> 00:03:18,784 helping consult and and work with other providers, 84 00:03:19,324 --> 00:03:20,224 in the industry, 85 00:03:20,790 --> 00:03:23,110 whether it's opening a new practice or purchasing 86 00:03:23,110 --> 00:03:25,270 their their own practice right at right after 87 00:03:25,270 --> 00:03:26,889 they graduate from dental school. 88 00:03:27,189 --> 00:03:30,090 Really just helping them navigate their their own 89 00:03:30,150 --> 00:03:31,050 their own practice. 90 00:03:32,389 --> 00:03:34,634 Well, thank you so much for that. And, 91 00:03:34,794 --> 00:03:36,314 first question here, what are some of the 92 00:03:36,314 --> 00:03:38,235 biggest issues that you're following right now in 93 00:03:38,235 --> 00:03:39,215 the dental industry? 94 00:03:40,715 --> 00:03:43,215 Yeah. Great great question. And and many practices, 95 00:03:43,675 --> 00:03:45,834 I I believe feel, the same kind of 96 00:03:45,834 --> 00:03:46,814 pain right now. 97 00:03:47,479 --> 00:03:49,340 One big one is workforce 98 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:50,300 shortages. 99 00:03:51,159 --> 00:03:52,439 You know, it's it's very hard in the 100 00:03:52,439 --> 00:03:55,000 labor market to find the talent, you know, 101 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,340 that is that is needed within the dental 102 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:57,900 space, 103 00:03:59,090 --> 00:03:59,590 particularly, 104 00:04:00,465 --> 00:04:03,504 short difficulty in recruiting. And even if maybe 105 00:04:03,504 --> 00:04:05,504 even if you have good talent, just retaining 106 00:04:05,504 --> 00:04:07,344 the talent that you that you do have. 107 00:04:07,344 --> 00:04:09,905 So it's tough to overcome. Some markets are 108 00:04:09,905 --> 00:04:11,585 are worse than others when it comes to 109 00:04:11,585 --> 00:04:12,485 labor shortages, 110 00:04:13,610 --> 00:04:15,870 and it really takes clinics to focus on, 111 00:04:16,649 --> 00:04:20,110 retention strategies and work environment and and benefits 112 00:04:20,169 --> 00:04:20,649 that they, 113 00:04:21,209 --> 00:04:23,850 that they could implement to retain their team. 114 00:04:23,850 --> 00:04:26,490 So and and it kinda goes into, you 115 00:04:26,490 --> 00:04:27,229 know, another 116 00:04:27,644 --> 00:04:30,444 another struggle that clinics have, and it's tied 117 00:04:30,444 --> 00:04:31,504 to patient experience 118 00:04:31,964 --> 00:04:33,504 because our our team, 119 00:04:34,204 --> 00:04:37,185 is charged with the experience of the patient 120 00:04:37,404 --> 00:04:38,704 and their visit. So, 121 00:04:39,084 --> 00:04:41,745 enhancing the patient experience at the same time, 122 00:04:42,339 --> 00:04:44,339 to grow your practice or grow your clinic 123 00:04:44,339 --> 00:04:46,819 can be challenging when it's difficult to find 124 00:04:46,819 --> 00:04:47,560 good talent. 125 00:04:48,019 --> 00:04:49,639 So it could be from appointments, 126 00:04:50,899 --> 00:04:53,000 scheduling to, you know, post op treatment, 127 00:04:53,379 --> 00:04:56,519 gaming, becoming a major area of of competition, 128 00:04:57,134 --> 00:04:59,375 you know, both on the talent and and 129 00:04:59,375 --> 00:05:01,314 and the patient experience. And so, 130 00:05:01,855 --> 00:05:04,415 you know, those those two struggles, I I 131 00:05:04,415 --> 00:05:06,435 feel many dental clinics are 132 00:05:06,814 --> 00:05:08,194 are struggling to overcome. 133 00:05:09,529 --> 00:05:10,509 Okay. Yeah. Definitely. 134 00:05:10,970 --> 00:05:13,050 And when you talk about strategies, what are 135 00:05:13,050 --> 00:05:14,889 some of the things, that you've seen other 136 00:05:14,889 --> 00:05:17,050 dental practices do or even at Secure Dental 137 00:05:17,050 --> 00:05:19,770 put in place to help recruit and retain 138 00:05:19,770 --> 00:05:20,590 staff members? 139 00:05:22,024 --> 00:05:24,204 Yeah. Great question. And it really takes commitment 140 00:05:24,425 --> 00:05:26,824 and dedication. Right? So it's not something you 141 00:05:26,824 --> 00:05:29,865 can just ask or assign the responsibility of 142 00:05:29,865 --> 00:05:32,185 somebody maybe already working in the clinic. It's 143 00:05:32,185 --> 00:05:33,865 really something you need to dedicate a full 144 00:05:33,865 --> 00:05:36,319 time person to. You know? So, you know, 145 00:05:36,319 --> 00:05:38,720 especially in the human resource space, recruiting is 146 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:39,539 one of those, 147 00:05:40,399 --> 00:05:43,120 you know, line items of challenges that they 148 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:44,319 need to complete. But, 149 00:05:44,959 --> 00:05:45,939 you know, it's it's 150 00:05:46,639 --> 00:05:49,039 it's it's all inclusive from from headhunting if 151 00:05:49,039 --> 00:05:50,579 you're looking for somebody specific, 152 00:05:50,975 --> 00:05:53,295 you know, re recruiting the talent that you're 153 00:05:53,295 --> 00:05:56,095 looking for. Maybe it's it's associate doctors or 154 00:05:56,095 --> 00:05:56,595 dentists, 155 00:05:57,774 --> 00:05:59,855 all the way to just retaining. So once 156 00:05:59,855 --> 00:06:00,754 you found them, 157 00:06:01,294 --> 00:06:03,920 you would be remiss not to put the 158 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:05,839 work in to retain the team the great 159 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:07,620 team and talent that you have. So, 160 00:06:08,879 --> 00:06:11,520 yeah, it really takes somebody dedicated and committed 161 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,420 to, you know, champion championing some 162 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,220 protocols and putting them in place 163 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,459 to keep yourself ahead of the game. 164 00:06:20,475 --> 00:06:22,634 Okay. And I'm also curious, what are you 165 00:06:22,634 --> 00:06:24,655 most excited about when it comes to dentistry 166 00:06:24,715 --> 00:06:26,335 right now, and what makes you nervous? 167 00:06:27,754 --> 00:06:30,875 Sure. Great question. So I'm most excited about 168 00:06:30,875 --> 00:06:31,694 how technology 169 00:06:32,314 --> 00:06:35,019 is kinda taking over the dental industry. So 170 00:06:35,019 --> 00:06:36,480 it's been such a needed 171 00:06:36,860 --> 00:06:37,360 advancement. 172 00:06:37,819 --> 00:06:39,819 There's innovations that we've been waiting for for 173 00:06:39,819 --> 00:06:42,300 quite a long time, and it can include 174 00:06:42,300 --> 00:06:43,199 patient care. 175 00:06:44,300 --> 00:06:46,300 It could you know, there's technology now that 176 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:47,600 can improve operations, 177 00:06:48,134 --> 00:06:49,495 which is a lot of what I deal 178 00:06:49,495 --> 00:06:49,995 with, 179 00:06:50,694 --> 00:06:52,794 or even new services to patients, 180 00:06:53,654 --> 00:06:55,914 especially as AI comes out 181 00:06:56,615 --> 00:06:57,115 scanning, 182 00:06:58,214 --> 00:07:00,875 intraoral scanning. It's it's all great technologies, 183 00:07:01,334 --> 00:07:02,750 and it makes me a little bit nervous 184 00:07:02,750 --> 00:07:04,110 at the same time. So you have all 185 00:07:04,110 --> 00:07:07,069 these new technologies to implement, and integrating these 186 00:07:07,069 --> 00:07:08,769 new technologies into practices 187 00:07:09,470 --> 00:07:11,870 can be difficult. Right? So there's obviously the 188 00:07:11,870 --> 00:07:13,250 cost of the technology. 189 00:07:14,189 --> 00:07:16,555 There's training that you need to put into 190 00:07:16,555 --> 00:07:18,394 place with your team to get them caught 191 00:07:18,394 --> 00:07:19,855 up and train on the technology. 192 00:07:20,314 --> 00:07:22,555 And then there's always a hiccup in between. 193 00:07:22,555 --> 00:07:24,475 Right? So there's that one thing you didn't 194 00:07:24,475 --> 00:07:25,214 think of, 195 00:07:25,675 --> 00:07:27,774 that or challenge that you need to overcome, 196 00:07:28,314 --> 00:07:30,954 that ultimately ultimately, I believe, ends up making 197 00:07:30,954 --> 00:07:31,855 it worth it. 198 00:07:32,850 --> 00:07:34,310 Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. 199 00:07:34,930 --> 00:07:37,170 Last question here. What will the most effective 200 00:07:37,170 --> 00:07:39,009 health care leaders need to be successful in 201 00:07:39,009 --> 00:07:40,310 the next 2 to 3 years? 202 00:07:41,330 --> 00:07:42,550 Yep. Great question. 203 00:07:43,009 --> 00:07:44,689 To be successful in the next 2 to 204 00:07:44,689 --> 00:07:46,915 3 years, I think health care leaders will 205 00:07:46,915 --> 00:07:48,754 will need a couple different things. One, we 206 00:07:48,754 --> 00:07:50,835 touched on already, which is just to embrace 207 00:07:50,835 --> 00:07:51,335 technology 208 00:07:51,795 --> 00:07:53,715 because it is coming out. And if you're 209 00:07:53,715 --> 00:07:55,555 not a clinic that has it, there's a 210 00:07:55,555 --> 00:07:57,875 clinic down the street or, you know, across 211 00:07:57,875 --> 00:07:59,555 the way that does, and so you wanna 212 00:07:59,555 --> 00:08:00,055 stay 213 00:08:00,435 --> 00:08:01,415 ahead of the curve. 214 00:08:01,849 --> 00:08:04,089 And so having leaders that are are tech 215 00:08:04,089 --> 00:08:05,149 savvy are definitely, 216 00:08:05,610 --> 00:08:07,449 you know, something that health care leaders would 217 00:08:07,449 --> 00:08:09,149 wanna be on the lookout for. 218 00:08:10,009 --> 00:08:11,789 Focusing on the workforce 219 00:08:12,409 --> 00:08:14,189 would be another one and their well-being. 220 00:08:15,074 --> 00:08:17,735 So with the workforce shortages and challenges, 221 00:08:18,435 --> 00:08:20,754 wanna make sure that you develop good leaders 222 00:08:20,754 --> 00:08:22,194 and you have good people in place for 223 00:08:22,194 --> 00:08:23,975 when you have that talent come in. 224 00:08:24,355 --> 00:08:26,035 And then I think another part is just 225 00:08:26,035 --> 00:08:29,154 communication, especially going from techno with all these 226 00:08:29,154 --> 00:08:29,714 struggles and, 227 00:08:30,409 --> 00:08:32,829 you know, advanced technology, adopting the technology, 228 00:08:33,529 --> 00:08:36,169 and a challenging workforce, making sure that you 229 00:08:36,169 --> 00:08:38,269 could have clear communication and policies, 230 00:08:38,730 --> 00:08:40,809 in place to retain, like we spoke about 231 00:08:40,809 --> 00:08:41,309 earlier, 232 00:08:42,009 --> 00:08:43,549 the talent that you do have. 233 00:08:44,574 --> 00:08:46,735 Okay. Well, great. Well, thank you so much 234 00:08:46,735 --> 00:08:48,574 for joining us today, David. It has been 235 00:08:48,574 --> 00:08:50,254 a pleasure speaking with you today, and I 236 00:08:50,254 --> 00:08:51,615 look forward to connecting with you again in 237 00:08:51,615 --> 00:08:52,274 the future. 238 00:08:53,054 --> 00:08:54,434 Thank you. Take care.