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 --> 00:00:16,015 city of Chicago, fresh off an incredible 3 7 00:00:16,015 --> 00:00:19,155 days at the Hyatt Regency. Imagine yourself inspired 8 00:00:19,214 --> 00:00:19,954 and invigorated 9 00:00:20,255 --> 00:00:23,375 after attending captivating keynote sessions by none other 10 00:00:23,375 --> 00:00:26,690 than the legendary boxing world champion and CEO, 11 00:00:26,910 --> 00:00:28,769 Lila Elite, and the extraordinary 12 00:00:29,150 --> 00:00:32,750 professional basketball player, Caitlin Clark. See yourself engaged 13 00:00:32,750 --> 00:00:33,890 in lively discussions, 14 00:00:34,190 --> 00:00:36,909 exchanging ideas, and collecting a stack of business 15 00:00:36,909 --> 00:00:39,854 cards from fellow dental experts and potential partners. 16 00:00:40,414 --> 00:00:42,114 You've networked with over 350 17 00:00:42,655 --> 00:00:45,215 attendees and learned from more than 80 speakers 18 00:00:45,215 --> 00:00:47,475 who are at the forefront of dental innovation. 19 00:00:48,335 --> 00:00:51,534 You sat in on educational sessions exploring topics 20 00:00:51,534 --> 00:00:54,015 that elevate dental care as a critical element 21 00:00:54,015 --> 00:00:57,109 of whole person health. You've witnessed firsthand how 22 00:00:57,109 --> 00:00:58,969 digital technology is revolutionizing 23 00:00:59,510 --> 00:01:00,490 patient outcomes 24 00:01:00,870 --> 00:01:04,250 and how both large DSOs and independent practices 25 00:01:04,390 --> 00:01:07,270 are flourishing. Get ready to transform your career 26 00:01:07,270 --> 00:01:09,049 and don't miss out on this incredible 27 00:01:09,435 --> 00:01:12,495 opportunity. The Becker's fall future of dentistry roundtable 28 00:01:12,635 --> 00:01:15,935 is from October 30th to November 1, 2024. 29 00:01:16,474 --> 00:01:18,655 Get registered by going to beckersdental.com 30 00:01:20,075 --> 00:01:21,935 and clicking on the events page. 31 00:01:22,770 --> 00:01:25,350 Hello. This is Cameron Cortejano with the Beckers 32 00:01:25,650 --> 00:01:27,670 Dental and DSO review podcast. 33 00:01:28,049 --> 00:01:29,890 I'm thrilled to be joined today by doctor 34 00:01:29,890 --> 00:01:31,829 Mark Doherty of South Coast Endodontics, 35 00:01:32,450 --> 00:01:35,650 CEO of Commonwealth Mobile Oral Health Services, and 36 00:01:35,650 --> 00:01:37,909 CEO of d 4 Practice Solutions. 37 00:01:38,505 --> 00:01:40,185 Doctor Dougherty, thank you so much for being 38 00:01:40,185 --> 00:01:40,844 here today. 39 00:01:41,944 --> 00:01:43,625 Cameron, thank you so much for having me. 40 00:01:43,625 --> 00:01:45,305 This is great. I'm I'm happy that you 41 00:01:45,305 --> 00:01:46,685 reached out, so thank you. 42 00:01:47,064 --> 00:01:49,305 You're welcome. Just to start us off today, 43 00:01:49,305 --> 00:01:51,545 can you introduce yourself and and tell us 44 00:01:51,545 --> 00:01:53,005 a little bit about your background? 45 00:01:53,939 --> 00:01:57,479 Sure. So, I have been in dental practice 46 00:01:57,539 --> 00:01:59,319 now for about 20 years, 47 00:01:59,859 --> 00:02:01,939 and a lot of my dental career has 48 00:02:01,939 --> 00:02:03,640 been in both the private practice 49 00:02:04,019 --> 00:02:05,239 in the public health, 50 00:02:05,619 --> 00:02:07,159 dental practice environment. 51 00:02:07,894 --> 00:02:10,534 And, within those, I wear a few different 52 00:02:10,534 --> 00:02:11,034 hats. 53 00:02:11,495 --> 00:02:13,414 So I am a full time endodontist, a 54 00:02:13,414 --> 00:02:15,974 root canal specialist and have 4 locations here 55 00:02:15,974 --> 00:02:16,715 in Massachusetts. 56 00:02:17,974 --> 00:02:19,275 Also have 2, 57 00:02:20,055 --> 00:02:23,490 dental business partners and 2 dental associates. And 58 00:02:23,490 --> 00:02:25,490 we all kind of rotate through our different 59 00:02:25,490 --> 00:02:27,110 locations each day providing 60 00:02:27,490 --> 00:02:29,510 endodontic services to our patients. 61 00:02:30,050 --> 00:02:32,210 Totally separate from that. I do have a 62 00:02:32,210 --> 00:02:33,830 large portable dental practice. 63 00:02:34,290 --> 00:02:35,969 And what we do is we have dental 64 00:02:35,969 --> 00:02:37,590 teams that go to about 350 65 00:02:38,129 --> 00:02:38,629 schools 66 00:02:39,165 --> 00:02:40,544 throughout the state of Massachusetts, 67 00:02:41,405 --> 00:02:45,425 providing comprehensive dental care to underserved populations, 68 00:02:45,724 --> 00:02:47,504 mostly to children who have Medicaid. 69 00:02:48,044 --> 00:02:50,224 And lastly, I do have a dental consulting 70 00:02:50,284 --> 00:02:52,604 firm where we have about 10 or 11 71 00:02:52,604 --> 00:02:56,599 dental consultants now that do consulting for a 72 00:02:56,599 --> 00:02:59,580 wide array of of dental environments anywhere from 73 00:02:59,799 --> 00:03:02,759 dental practices of federally qualified health centers and 74 00:03:02,759 --> 00:03:03,900 community health centers 75 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,539 to DSOs and private practices, 76 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,099 even dental schools and and foundations. 77 00:03:10,974 --> 00:03:12,275 Great. Thanks for that. 78 00:03:12,974 --> 00:03:15,294 Kind of our first question today is what 79 00:03:15,294 --> 00:03:17,694 are some of the biggest issues that you're 80 00:03:17,694 --> 00:03:19,875 following in the dental industry this year? 81 00:03:21,134 --> 00:03:22,275 Sure. So, 82 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,200 you know, in trying to keep up with 83 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,460 the data and the reports and the surveys 84 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:30,020 and, and, you know, really looking at that 85 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,640 through the lenses of both a private practice 86 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:33,939 and public health dentist, 87 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,159 I would say the 2 biggest issues for 88 00:03:36,159 --> 00:03:38,145 me that I tend to follow are the 89 00:03:38,145 --> 00:03:39,604 continued workforce shortages 90 00:03:40,064 --> 00:03:41,764 and the access to care issues. 91 00:03:42,145 --> 00:03:45,344 And, with the continued workforce shortages since the 92 00:03:45,344 --> 00:03:45,844 pandemic, 93 00:03:46,465 --> 00:03:48,084 again, when you look at the literature, 94 00:03:48,465 --> 00:03:50,145 it really shows us that about a third 95 00:03:50,145 --> 00:03:52,145 of the dental practices are still trying to 96 00:03:52,145 --> 00:03:52,645 hire 97 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,340 those quality dental assistants and hygienists. 98 00:03:55,959 --> 00:03:57,799 And, you know, if we look at that 99 00:03:57,799 --> 00:03:59,959 though, that's only one piece of the puzzle 100 00:03:59,959 --> 00:04:01,719 because the other piece of the puzzle or 101 00:04:01,719 --> 00:04:03,579 the other problem is actually retaining 102 00:04:04,039 --> 00:04:04,859 those quality 103 00:04:05,319 --> 00:04:06,219 staff members. 104 00:04:06,564 --> 00:04:09,685 And, I think it's really forced dental practice 105 00:04:09,685 --> 00:04:10,905 owners to rethink 106 00:04:11,284 --> 00:04:12,905 how their practices operate 107 00:04:13,525 --> 00:04:15,625 and how they can really combat this issue. 108 00:04:15,764 --> 00:04:18,404 So we're seeing more practices, more dentists, more 109 00:04:18,404 --> 00:04:18,904 administrators 110 00:04:19,759 --> 00:04:21,759 being, you know, aware of things like the 111 00:04:21,759 --> 00:04:24,240 importance of addressing burnout, which is still out 112 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:24,740 there, 113 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,300 you know, promoting that work life balance, 114 00:04:28,319 --> 00:04:30,420 creating that upbeat optimistic, 115 00:04:31,199 --> 00:04:33,139 culture within the dental practice. 116 00:04:33,645 --> 00:04:35,004 And I also say, you know, given the 117 00:04:35,004 --> 00:04:37,665 opportunity for the dental staff members to have, 118 00:04:38,365 --> 00:04:39,824 the opportunity for advancement, 119 00:04:40,365 --> 00:04:41,504 within their positions. 120 00:04:42,845 --> 00:04:44,444 The other issue that I really tend to 121 00:04:44,444 --> 00:04:46,365 follow is again, is access to care. And 122 00:04:46,365 --> 00:04:47,884 when I say access to care, I mean 123 00:04:47,884 --> 00:04:50,129 the ability to get a dental appointment. 124 00:04:50,589 --> 00:04:51,329 And certainly, 125 00:04:51,709 --> 00:04:54,269 when we talk about dental practices of federally 126 00:04:54,269 --> 00:04:57,149 qualified health centers and community health centers, there's 127 00:04:57,149 --> 00:04:59,389 a large challenge there and there always has 128 00:04:59,389 --> 00:04:59,889 been. 129 00:05:00,670 --> 00:05:02,829 And with that patient population, we tend to 130 00:05:02,829 --> 00:05:04,274 see a higher no show rate. 131 00:05:04,754 --> 00:05:06,774 Most patients tend to have more issues 132 00:05:07,314 --> 00:05:07,975 with transportation, 133 00:05:08,834 --> 00:05:10,754 but we also look at it from the 134 00:05:10,754 --> 00:05:11,254 perspective 135 00:05:11,794 --> 00:05:13,975 of that dental practice at that FQHC 136 00:05:14,595 --> 00:05:17,149 and how much demand there is. And, we 137 00:05:17,149 --> 00:05:19,550 look at the capacity of those dental practices, 138 00:05:19,550 --> 00:05:21,230 right? And it's like how many locations do 139 00:05:21,230 --> 00:05:23,389 we have? How many operatories do we have? 140 00:05:23,389 --> 00:05:24,209 And how many, 141 00:05:24,509 --> 00:05:27,149 seasoned dental providers and staff members do we 142 00:05:27,149 --> 00:05:29,264 have, which can all affect access to care? 143 00:05:29,824 --> 00:05:32,225 When we talk about access to care for 144 00:05:32,225 --> 00:05:33,285 the private practice, 145 00:05:33,905 --> 00:05:35,345 really when you look at it, the number 146 00:05:35,345 --> 00:05:37,285 one barrier is cost of care. 147 00:05:37,665 --> 00:05:40,064 And certainly, the price of dental care keeps 148 00:05:40,064 --> 00:05:40,564 rising 149 00:05:40,865 --> 00:05:42,564 as dental inflation rises. 150 00:05:42,959 --> 00:05:45,360 And, you know, we as dental practice owners 151 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,519 are paying more for equipment, we're paying more 152 00:05:47,519 --> 00:05:48,180 for supplies, 153 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,199 we're paying more for for good staff, and 154 00:05:51,199 --> 00:05:52,879 this puts a lot of pressure on the 155 00:05:52,879 --> 00:05:55,279 dental practices and ultimately it puts more pressure 156 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:56,019 on the patients 157 00:05:56,414 --> 00:05:59,294 And certainly dental insurance reimbursement, you know, it 158 00:05:59,294 --> 00:06:00,754 hasn't kept up with inflation 159 00:06:01,214 --> 00:06:03,454 and, you know, depending on what resource you 160 00:06:03,454 --> 00:06:05,375 deferred to and and what numbers you look 161 00:06:05,375 --> 00:06:05,875 at, 162 00:06:06,495 --> 00:06:08,834 certain data will show us that about 60% 163 00:06:09,615 --> 00:06:12,529 of adult patients have dental insurance. 164 00:06:12,830 --> 00:06:14,509 So, you know, again, what about the other 165 00:06:14,509 --> 00:06:16,589 40% that don't have it? You know, those 166 00:06:16,589 --> 00:06:18,350 patients are looking at to pay out of 167 00:06:18,350 --> 00:06:20,350 pocket. And again, we know that cost is 168 00:06:20,350 --> 00:06:22,589 high. And even with the patients that do 169 00:06:22,589 --> 00:06:24,615 have that dental coverage, you know, a lot 170 00:06:24,615 --> 00:06:27,095 of them will use up their reimbursement levels 171 00:06:27,095 --> 00:06:29,415 within the 1st few months of treatment, and 172 00:06:29,415 --> 00:06:31,415 then they're left with nothing. And, also, they 173 00:06:31,415 --> 00:06:32,795 still have to pay out of pocket. 174 00:06:33,254 --> 00:06:34,935 So, you know, again, the the big things 175 00:06:34,935 --> 00:06:37,335 that I follow are the workforce shortages and 176 00:06:37,335 --> 00:06:38,875 and the access to care issues. 177 00:06:40,230 --> 00:06:42,089 Yeah. Definitely. I think those are 2, 178 00:06:42,790 --> 00:06:44,949 important topics in in the space right now. 179 00:06:44,949 --> 00:06:46,089 Do you think that 180 00:06:46,470 --> 00:06:47,850 the workforce shortage 181 00:06:48,230 --> 00:06:48,730 is, 182 00:06:49,350 --> 00:06:50,329 I guess, improving 183 00:06:50,629 --> 00:06:52,149 at all, or do you think it's still 184 00:06:52,149 --> 00:06:52,649 kinda, 185 00:06:53,269 --> 00:06:54,949 where it was, like, right when we were 186 00:06:54,949 --> 00:06:56,655 getting out of the pandemic? 187 00:06:57,595 --> 00:06:59,355 Yeah. So, you know, it's funny because when 188 00:06:59,355 --> 00:07:01,035 you look at the data prior to the 189 00:07:01,035 --> 00:07:01,535 pandemic, 190 00:07:02,155 --> 00:07:05,514 we saw that dental assistant numbers were going 191 00:07:05,514 --> 00:07:08,014 down and hygiene levels were okay. 192 00:07:09,270 --> 00:07:09,770 Since 193 00:07:10,230 --> 00:07:10,730 then, 194 00:07:11,110 --> 00:07:13,350 we saw a decrease in hygiene, but now 195 00:07:13,350 --> 00:07:15,430 we're starting to see a little bit of 196 00:07:15,430 --> 00:07:18,470 a bump in hygiene levels at least for 197 00:07:18,470 --> 00:07:18,970 those 198 00:07:19,830 --> 00:07:22,149 people going to school and getting into the 199 00:07:22,149 --> 00:07:25,014 trade. For dental assistance, you know, it still 200 00:07:25,014 --> 00:07:26,555 does not look great for that. 201 00:07:27,415 --> 00:07:29,975 That's definitely interesting. I feel like there's been 202 00:07:29,975 --> 00:07:32,535 a lot more, colleges and and schools and 203 00:07:32,535 --> 00:07:35,574 universities that have kinda added those dental hygiene 204 00:07:35,574 --> 00:07:38,100 programs at least within the past couple of 205 00:07:38,100 --> 00:07:39,399 years that, hopefully, 206 00:07:39,939 --> 00:07:41,479 will kinda help bring 207 00:07:42,339 --> 00:07:45,060 more hygienists back into the workforce after, you 208 00:07:45,060 --> 00:07:47,060 know, so many left the field because of 209 00:07:47,060 --> 00:07:47,560 COVID. 210 00:07:48,339 --> 00:07:50,705 Yeah. Absolutely. And and that's a great point, 211 00:07:50,705 --> 00:07:52,625 Cameron. And, you know, I think it's a 212 00:07:52,625 --> 00:07:53,365 great time 213 00:07:53,985 --> 00:07:56,464 for, people to get into hygiene because it's, 214 00:07:56,464 --> 00:07:57,125 you know, 215 00:07:57,585 --> 00:07:58,085 financially, 216 00:07:58,865 --> 00:08:00,865 you know, they can make a pretty good 217 00:08:00,865 --> 00:08:01,605 darn living. 218 00:08:02,064 --> 00:08:04,360 And, you know, not only as working as 219 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:06,839 a hygienist, you know, in a private practice 220 00:08:06,839 --> 00:08:09,000 or even at a public health setting, but, 221 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:10,540 you know, we tend to see hygienists, 222 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:12,220 at least in Massachusetts 223 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,160 running their own portable dental programs, which is 224 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:16,884 great for them. And, you know, it's it's 225 00:08:16,884 --> 00:08:19,204 helping solve that that issue to access to 226 00:08:19,204 --> 00:08:19,704 care. 227 00:08:21,444 --> 00:08:22,264 Yeah. Absolutely. 228 00:08:23,204 --> 00:08:25,444 But something I'm curious to get your thoughts 229 00:08:25,444 --> 00:08:26,324 on are, 230 00:08:26,644 --> 00:08:28,644 what are some things that are making you 231 00:08:28,644 --> 00:08:29,144 excited 232 00:08:29,610 --> 00:08:30,430 about dentistry 233 00:08:30,810 --> 00:08:32,490 right now, and and what are some things 234 00:08:32,490 --> 00:08:34,570 that are making you a little bit nervous 235 00:08:34,570 --> 00:08:35,789 or a little bit concerned? 236 00:08:36,250 --> 00:08:38,490 So, I would say one of the things 237 00:08:38,490 --> 00:08:40,809 that's really exciting me right now is the 238 00:08:40,809 --> 00:08:41,309 potential 239 00:08:42,154 --> 00:08:43,455 for better interoperability 240 00:08:44,075 --> 00:08:44,894 and integration 241 00:08:45,754 --> 00:08:46,575 of systems 242 00:08:47,195 --> 00:08:49,455 so that since systems can communicate 243 00:08:49,835 --> 00:08:51,215 and exchange information, 244 00:08:51,754 --> 00:08:53,754 I'd say, at a higher and more efficient 245 00:08:53,754 --> 00:08:54,254 level. 246 00:08:54,590 --> 00:08:57,070 And, you know, we say that dental is 247 00:08:57,070 --> 00:08:59,309 siloed for medical and it has been and 248 00:08:59,309 --> 00:09:01,389 it continues to be. But if we think 249 00:09:01,389 --> 00:09:03,809 about it and really the lack of integration 250 00:09:04,190 --> 00:09:06,750 with our current systems, our current platforms, our 251 00:09:06,750 --> 00:09:07,250 current 252 00:09:07,629 --> 00:09:08,129 softwares, 253 00:09:08,845 --> 00:09:11,965 dentistry or dental practices are really siloed among 254 00:09:11,965 --> 00:09:14,684 each other. And, you know, there's really some 255 00:09:14,684 --> 00:09:15,825 some poor standardization 256 00:09:16,445 --> 00:09:19,424 right now with that. But with better interoperability, 257 00:09:19,804 --> 00:09:22,330 which the future is looking to and better 258 00:09:22,330 --> 00:09:22,830 integration, 259 00:09:23,210 --> 00:09:25,210 you know, I think we have better, you 260 00:09:25,210 --> 00:09:27,870 know, ability for these these systems to communicate. 261 00:09:28,649 --> 00:09:30,009 I think we'll be able to get a 262 00:09:30,009 --> 00:09:30,830 better ability, 263 00:09:31,370 --> 00:09:33,549 for real time information on our patients, 264 00:09:34,184 --> 00:09:36,684 a better ability to get real time referrals 265 00:09:37,065 --> 00:09:39,404 and updates on our patients in that regard. 266 00:09:39,625 --> 00:09:41,465 And, you know, honestly, when you think about 267 00:09:41,465 --> 00:09:43,625 it from the patient's perspective, and and I 268 00:09:43,625 --> 00:09:45,325 see this all the time as an endodontist, 269 00:09:46,009 --> 00:09:47,870 but a patient might go see their dental, 270 00:09:48,409 --> 00:09:50,589 their general dentist because they have a toothache. 271 00:09:50,970 --> 00:09:52,889 And, you know, maybe that patient hasn't been 272 00:09:52,889 --> 00:09:54,490 there in a couple years or a while, 273 00:09:54,490 --> 00:09:56,169 or maybe it's a a new patient to 274 00:09:56,169 --> 00:09:56,909 that practice. 275 00:09:57,289 --> 00:09:58,809 That patient has to go in there and 276 00:09:58,809 --> 00:10:00,490 fill out their medical history and fill out 277 00:10:00,490 --> 00:10:03,004 their dental history and that general dentist might 278 00:10:03,004 --> 00:10:03,964 say, you know what? I want you to 279 00:10:03,964 --> 00:10:05,725 go see the endodontist because I think this 280 00:10:05,725 --> 00:10:07,725 is a root canal problem. And then maybe 281 00:10:07,725 --> 00:10:09,485 I see that patient. And, you know, I 282 00:10:09,485 --> 00:10:11,184 do the same thing. I do my evaluation. 283 00:10:11,404 --> 00:10:12,845 They have to fill out their medical and 284 00:10:12,845 --> 00:10:15,179 dental history forms again. And maybe I deemed 285 00:10:15,179 --> 00:10:17,019 the tooth is not restorable and I sent 286 00:10:17,019 --> 00:10:18,620 it to an oral surgeon. So now the 287 00:10:18,620 --> 00:10:20,379 patient is going to a 3rd office. And 288 00:10:20,379 --> 00:10:22,540 again, having to fill out all the medical 289 00:10:22,540 --> 00:10:24,879 and dental histories, having to give their spiel 290 00:10:25,179 --> 00:10:27,100 about, you know, what's happening with their tooth 291 00:10:27,100 --> 00:10:29,120 and and the history of their present illness. 292 00:10:29,625 --> 00:10:31,865 It'd be so great if we as dental 293 00:10:31,865 --> 00:10:34,524 providers and in separate entities and offices 294 00:10:35,144 --> 00:10:37,404 would have the ability to have a centralized 295 00:10:37,465 --> 00:10:39,144 location where we can just get all that 296 00:10:39,144 --> 00:10:40,045 patient information. 297 00:10:40,504 --> 00:10:42,425 We can see what was done, you know, 298 00:10:42,425 --> 00:10:45,470 what what maybe diagnosis the other dentists had. 299 00:10:45,470 --> 00:10:46,909 And, of course, for the patient, they don't 300 00:10:46,909 --> 00:10:48,830 have to go through all this time to 301 00:10:48,830 --> 00:10:50,129 fill out all this information. 302 00:10:50,509 --> 00:10:52,509 So, you know, I am really looking towards 303 00:10:52,509 --> 00:10:54,210 better integration and interoperability. 304 00:10:54,590 --> 00:10:57,149 I would also say I'm really looking forward 305 00:10:57,149 --> 00:11:00,334 to artificial intelligence and AI and certainly, 306 00:11:00,714 --> 00:11:02,554 we're starting to see it already. We're seeing 307 00:11:02,554 --> 00:11:04,875 it as a diagnostic tool for dental providers 308 00:11:04,875 --> 00:11:07,995 to help us better diagnose dental disease associated 309 00:11:07,995 --> 00:11:10,075 with the teeth. We're seeing it with front 310 00:11:10,075 --> 00:11:13,375 desk management for billing, scheduling, revenue cycle management, 311 00:11:13,990 --> 00:11:15,370 answering patient questions. 312 00:11:15,750 --> 00:11:18,090 And again, going back to workforce shortages, 313 00:11:18,550 --> 00:11:19,910 you know, I think this is a great 314 00:11:19,910 --> 00:11:21,370 time to be introducing 315 00:11:21,830 --> 00:11:24,470 AI because it can alleviate some of the 316 00:11:24,470 --> 00:11:26,870 burden that we have as dental practice owners, 317 00:11:26,870 --> 00:11:28,629 as dentists, so we don't have to rely 318 00:11:28,629 --> 00:11:30,764 as much, I'm sorry to say it, but 319 00:11:30,764 --> 00:11:33,004 on on people. And, you know, if this 320 00:11:33,004 --> 00:11:35,085 AI can help out a bit and, you 321 00:11:35,085 --> 00:11:37,024 know, alleviate some of those burdens, 322 00:11:37,804 --> 00:11:38,865 that would be fantastic. 323 00:11:39,565 --> 00:11:41,164 I would also say in kind of the 324 00:11:41,164 --> 00:11:43,644 same sentence that what scares me the most 325 00:11:43,644 --> 00:11:45,410 and and I wouldn't have said this a 326 00:11:45,410 --> 00:11:47,169 couple weeks ago, but after going to a 327 00:11:47,169 --> 00:11:48,710 recent technology summit, 328 00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:51,009 I would say AI is scaring me a 329 00:11:51,009 --> 00:11:53,110 bit as well because of with, 330 00:11:53,649 --> 00:11:54,950 things like all the ransomware 331 00:11:55,570 --> 00:11:57,214 attacks that seeing, cybersecurity 332 00:11:57,754 --> 00:11:58,254 issues, 333 00:11:58,794 --> 00:12:01,375 and, you know, it's so interesting to learn 334 00:12:01,754 --> 00:12:02,735 that there's actually 335 00:12:03,195 --> 00:12:05,615 AI out there trying to hack into 336 00:12:06,075 --> 00:12:08,654 our systems, our practices, like 247. 337 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:10,879 So, you know, the thing that makes me 338 00:12:10,879 --> 00:12:13,379 most nervous is is AI as well. 339 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:17,220 Yeah. I think that's definitely a valid concern. 340 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:19,919 It we talk a a lot of times 341 00:12:19,919 --> 00:12:23,565 about how great, dental AI programs and and 342 00:12:23,565 --> 00:12:25,504 those types of things are for dentistry, 343 00:12:25,965 --> 00:12:28,524 which, they definitely are, especially if you talk 344 00:12:28,524 --> 00:12:30,365 about, like, the diagnostic things and the front 345 00:12:30,365 --> 00:12:31,264 office things. 346 00:12:31,965 --> 00:12:33,585 But I think that a lot of times, 347 00:12:34,205 --> 00:12:36,365 we forget that it is still so new 348 00:12:36,365 --> 00:12:37,245 to the space that, 349 00:12:38,129 --> 00:12:40,470 it's not just all positives. There are still 350 00:12:40,769 --> 00:12:42,710 some some potential drawbacks of it. 351 00:12:43,250 --> 00:12:46,210 Yeah. I agree a 100%. And, you know, 352 00:12:46,210 --> 00:12:47,809 but with the AI, you know, it tends 353 00:12:47,809 --> 00:12:49,730 to learn just as humans do, which which 354 00:12:49,730 --> 00:12:51,504 I think is great. And and, you know, 355 00:12:51,504 --> 00:12:53,345 we're starting to hear more about that. And 356 00:12:53,345 --> 00:12:55,264 I think, you know, we as dentists need 357 00:12:55,264 --> 00:12:56,565 to be better educated, 358 00:12:57,824 --> 00:13:00,565 to that to to implement into our practices 359 00:13:00,625 --> 00:13:01,125 successfully. 360 00:13:02,304 --> 00:13:04,004 Yeah. I think that the implementation 361 00:13:04,990 --> 00:13:08,029 of AI is gonna be crucial for for 362 00:13:08,029 --> 00:13:09,410 dentists and dental practices, 363 00:13:10,269 --> 00:13:11,970 so they can they can use it effectively 364 00:13:12,029 --> 00:13:13,490 and get the most out of it. 365 00:13:14,269 --> 00:13:14,769 Sure. 366 00:13:16,029 --> 00:13:18,110 So our last question today is, 367 00:13:19,174 --> 00:13:21,495 what will the most effective health care leaders 368 00:13:21,495 --> 00:13:24,134 need in order to be successful in the 369 00:13:24,134 --> 00:13:25,995 next 2 to 3 years in your opinion? 370 00:13:26,934 --> 00:13:29,254 You know, it's funny. In in in dental 371 00:13:29,254 --> 00:13:31,914 school, you know, we're not taught leadership skills. 372 00:13:32,539 --> 00:13:35,659 And usually as dentists and younger dentists, we 373 00:13:35,659 --> 00:13:37,500 kinda have to learn it on the fly. 374 00:13:37,500 --> 00:13:39,679 It's kinda like baptism by fire. 375 00:13:40,220 --> 00:13:42,959 Although some people, of course, have had experience 376 00:13:43,100 --> 00:13:45,674 with with leadership roles and skills with, you 377 00:13:45,674 --> 00:13:48,315 know, other positions or, you know, maybe even 378 00:13:48,315 --> 00:13:50,495 with with sports or athletic teams. 379 00:13:51,355 --> 00:13:53,754 But, you know, I think really to be 380 00:13:53,754 --> 00:13:54,254 successful, 381 00:13:55,434 --> 00:13:57,434 in the next few years, you know, we 382 00:13:57,434 --> 00:13:58,654 really have to be 383 00:13:59,090 --> 00:14:01,029 open to change, we have to be progressive, 384 00:14:01,889 --> 00:14:03,330 we have to be up to date on 385 00:14:03,330 --> 00:14:05,809 the trends and shifts that are happening in 386 00:14:05,809 --> 00:14:08,049 this industry, which as we've seen over the 387 00:14:08,049 --> 00:14:10,070 past several years, there have been a lot. 388 00:14:10,769 --> 00:14:12,769 I would also say, we have to have 389 00:14:12,769 --> 00:14:13,269 good 390 00:14:13,605 --> 00:14:14,345 and reliable 391 00:14:14,725 --> 00:14:15,225 resources 392 00:14:15,605 --> 00:14:18,164 that we can defer to, to get good 393 00:14:18,164 --> 00:14:18,664 information. 394 00:14:19,284 --> 00:14:20,725 You know, I'd also say, and I always 395 00:14:20,725 --> 00:14:23,125 like to preach about, you know, as leaders 396 00:14:23,125 --> 00:14:24,485 to have a good team, we have to 397 00:14:24,485 --> 00:14:26,164 be good mentors. You know, we really have 398 00:14:26,164 --> 00:14:27,784 to empathize and not criticize. 399 00:14:28,773 --> 00:14:31,202 You know, we really need to engage our 400 00:14:31,202 --> 00:14:33,632 team members to have them or to give 401 00:14:33,632 --> 00:14:36,061 them a somewhat of a sense of ownership 402 00:14:36,061 --> 00:14:38,490 within the practice to allow them to make 403 00:14:38,490 --> 00:14:40,920 decisions again. And, you know, with that, we're 404 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:43,975 trying to build that that positive culture, that 405 00:14:43,975 --> 00:14:44,955 positive environment 406 00:14:45,335 --> 00:14:46,394 within our practices 407 00:14:47,735 --> 00:14:49,754 and great communicators as well and 408 00:14:50,134 --> 00:14:51,975 communication is a two way street. It's not 409 00:14:51,975 --> 00:14:52,715 all about 410 00:14:53,174 --> 00:14:53,995 us communicating 411 00:14:54,535 --> 00:14:56,955 or as leaders, not us communicating or delegating 412 00:14:57,490 --> 00:14:59,809 our visions. It's about, you know, listening to 413 00:14:59,809 --> 00:15:01,570 what our staff has to say and, again, 414 00:15:01,570 --> 00:15:02,070 implementing 415 00:15:02,690 --> 00:15:04,389 some suggestions that they have. 416 00:15:05,009 --> 00:15:06,529 You know, what I also say we have 417 00:15:06,529 --> 00:15:08,309 to be mindful of, you know, 418 00:15:09,090 --> 00:15:11,649 some people call it patient centered care. I 419 00:15:11,649 --> 00:15:13,825 like to refer to it as person centered 420 00:15:13,825 --> 00:15:14,325 care, 421 00:15:14,785 --> 00:15:16,825 especially of the future. And, you know, when 422 00:15:16,825 --> 00:15:18,545 we talk about that, when we talk about 423 00:15:18,545 --> 00:15:20,705 person centered care, we're talking about, you know, 424 00:15:20,705 --> 00:15:23,105 the patient experience. What does that look like? 425 00:15:23,105 --> 00:15:25,320 What are the outcomes of our patients? Do 426 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:27,960 we actually measure how we're making our patients 427 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,279 healthier or we're just saying that we're making 428 00:15:30,279 --> 00:15:31,340 our patients healthier? 429 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:33,399 And certainly when we talk about that, it's 430 00:15:33,399 --> 00:15:35,660 really a focus on quality of care. 431 00:15:36,279 --> 00:15:38,940 Lastly, I would say for us to be 432 00:15:39,695 --> 00:15:42,174 good leadership, we're good leaders and and have 433 00:15:42,174 --> 00:15:43,315 success in the future, 434 00:15:43,855 --> 00:15:45,154 you know, always be mindful, 435 00:15:46,095 --> 00:15:48,674 that we as humans were very visual learners. 436 00:15:48,815 --> 00:15:50,995 And, you know, really leading by example, 437 00:15:51,774 --> 00:15:53,615 is important to do because, you know, the 438 00:15:53,615 --> 00:15:55,870 people that that work with us, they're always 439 00:15:55,870 --> 00:15:58,429 watching us. They're watching how we, how we 440 00:15:58,429 --> 00:16:01,230 carry ourselves, how we deal with adversity, how 441 00:16:01,230 --> 00:16:02,990 we speak to our patients, how we treat 442 00:16:02,990 --> 00:16:04,929 our patients. And they're gonna probably duplicate 443 00:16:05,309 --> 00:16:06,458 what they see. So again, if we wanna 444 00:16:06,458 --> 00:16:06,504 create that strong environment, that strong practice culture, 445 00:16:06,504 --> 00:16:07,250 you know, be 446 00:16:11,514 --> 00:16:13,834 cognizant, be mindful that, you know, our staff 447 00:16:13,834 --> 00:16:16,074 members, our team members, even our patients, they're 448 00:16:16,074 --> 00:16:18,634 gonna be watching us and probably duplicating our 449 00:16:18,634 --> 00:16:19,134 efforts. 450 00:16:20,394 --> 00:16:22,475 Yeah. Absolutely. I think those are are great 451 00:16:22,475 --> 00:16:25,214 points about practice culture and practice leadership. 452 00:16:25,959 --> 00:16:26,779 Thank you. 453 00:16:27,159 --> 00:16:28,299 Yeah. Absolutely. 454 00:16:28,839 --> 00:16:31,000 I wanna thank you for joining us today, 455 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,039 doctor Daugherty, and for sharing your valuable expertise 456 00:16:34,039 --> 00:16:36,459 and and insights into the dental space. 457 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:39,419 It's been a pleasure speaking with you today, 458 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:41,100 and I look forward to connecting 459 00:16:41,475 --> 00:16:43,014 with you again in the future, hopefully. 460 00:16:44,034 --> 00:16:46,274 Cameron, again, thanks so much. Thanks to Becker's, 461 00:16:46,274 --> 00:16:48,294 and, this was great. I appreciate it.