Hello. This is Ariana Portolaaten with the Becker's
Dental and DSO Review podcast.
I'm thrilled to be joined today by doctor
Keith Callas from the Small Makers Dental Center.
Doctor Callas, thank you so much for being
here today. To start us off, can you
introduce yourself and tell us a little bit
about your background?
Sure.
I am,
doctor Gis Kallis, general dentist. Graduated from Howard
University
in 1993.
Been a private private practice
since then.
In
2018,
founded and led Smilemakers Dental Center, a dental
organization
based on general dentist and specialist.
In
2022,
expanded
to 6 locations across Northern Virginia.
Our team members of 70
plus
professionals include general dentists
and specialists
committed to delivering exceptional care and fostering private
work environment.
As a CEO, alongside
my leadership team, I oversee operations,
systems, and processes.
In time, I play a dental
director
role where I mentor
the organization
dentist
to make sure all the and compassion dental
services.
And,
I am honored to to join Becker's Dental
podcast today
to share my insights and experiences.
Thank you. We're so happy to have you
join us. First question here, what are some
of the biggest issues that you're following in
the dental industry this year?
Sure.
This is a great question.
So I am a leader of a small
emerging
DSO.
The issue that we face is all about
scaling and operations of those multi locations.
As, this is
when you move to
6 locations,
you have,
multiple components you need to satisfy,
and it's all around having the systems,
the processes
going.
But in the same time, I share the
same issues
of Delta leaders.
From single practice
owners
to large DSO leaders.
As we all
in in today's,
circumstances,
we go through
staff shortages.
We are,
all having an issue in attracting
and retaining those qualified professionals.
And the second issue here is the technology,
advancement,
which is it's really changed our lives
the way we see dentistry, we practice dentistry,
but in the same time, to have this,
systems of automation
from diagnosis
to
management tools like AI, 3 d printing,
digital impressions, you need to implement it and
train all the staff members how to get
the best out of it.
3rd issue is the economic pressures.
In today's market,
the rising cost is hurting all dental practices.
Same time is the high, interest,
rates
and also delayed the insurance and,
reimbursement.
And finally, the the issue is all about
having,
the patient acquisition and retention.
So those are
this is the issues today and all dental
practices facing.
Alright. Thank you for sharing those.
Next question here. What are you most excited
about when it comes to dentistry right now,
and what makes you nervous?
So
when,
it comes to the excitement,
dentistry is is a great profession.
I
enjoy every day from
when I was a
start
starting dentist
today where I have
multiple locations
and oversee all those locations.
So I'm really today, I'm really excited about
the the strategic
growth,
which is expanding our services to include specialized
treatments.
In doing this, we've been partnering
with nationwide
specialty
dentals company
in the field of oral surgery and orthodontics.
Same time, we are entering new markets through
strategic
acquisition and partnership.
The other,
excitement
today is really the technology
that changed the way we see dentistry, the
way we practice dentistry.
There we are implementing the AI,
our diagnostic tools like
X rays AI systems,
digital dental scans, and,
this change the accuracy
in our treatment
planning.
So in in doing this, we are moving
dentistry
from an art based on science to science
based on technology.
At historically,
dentistry combined artistic skills with scientific
knowledge.
But with this
technology
integration,
example,
CAT cam,
AI, 3 d printing,
we
improved
our
accuracy and efficiency
dramatically.
Yeah. I'm also,
excited about the patient experience.
So through also using a lot of technology
and management skills, we've been introducing
personalized
patient engagement platform,
and we tailor the the dental care toward
those patients. At the same time, we're optimizing
our model, system, processes
in achieving exceptional patient retention.
And sometime, I'm excited for
my team members.
So as we are concentrating on the patient
experience,
we concentrate
on the team member
development and experience.
So we are investing in continuous education
and training for our staff,
and
always trying to create positive
company culture.
Same time,
we develop
a individual
career path for
team members.
And finally, I'm very excited about innovation,
which is
pioneering
remote monitoring and auditive solutions
for dental diagnosis,
dental treatment, and dental care.
And all this happening because of the
x rays,
AI analysis,
and the,
the digital scans.
Also, we're establishing the key, but we're establishing,
the key performance
indicators
in all our,
protocols. And this way, we measure and
optimize
systems and positives.
Alright.
And last question here. What will the most
effective health care leaders need to be successful
within the next 2 to 3 years?
In my opinion, two strides
as a dental leader
and as our health care leader,
this is really require
a distinct blend of skills.
So,
the dental leaders, they need
to build their organization
on patient experience
and team member experience.
So the health
care leaders must adopt strategic
thinking
and actions
driven by
management concepts
like total quality control, best practices,
and benchmarking.
And, also, they need to craft a core
value driven mission statement
guiding
the company's overall direction,
Assuring exceptional experiences
and outcomes for the patients and team members.
So it's always unique to
to to work with patients
and team members.
And then, also, the the
the health care leaders, they need to,
have systemic
approach
to develop care system
to define and measure clinical excellence,
leadership
effectiveness,
and financial prosperity
for their organization
and team members.
And they,
need to, look for data driven decision making.
So they identify
discrepancies,
analyze data,
and
then be able to reach solutions
based on best practices and benchmarking.
And also the leaders, I think, they need
to
practice
emotional intelligence.
So they foster genuine connections with patients and
team members.
And also I think,
they need to have the decision
making,
in doing this, be navigating complex
health care system, balancing patient needs, organizational
goals, and secure allocation.
With all
this,
they can
go and excel in driving this exceptional
care innovation and growth.
Great. Well, thank you so much for joining
us today, doctor Kellis. It's been a pleasure
speaking with you, and I forward to connecting
with you again in the future.
Thank you very much.