Hi, everyone. This is Erica Spicer Mason with
Becker's HealthCare. Thank you so much for tuning
in to the Becker's HealthCare podcast series.
So today, we're going to talk about the
role of clinical engagement in dental strategy.
And joining me for this conversation are two
leaders from the Dental Care Alliance.
We have with us doctor Eric Tobler, chief
clinical officer, and Kristen Lisenby, the vice president
of hygiene.
Doctor Tobler and Kristen, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you so much for making time for
this today.
Thank you for having us.
Wow. So so glad to have you here.
And before we get into our conversation on
clinical engagement, I wanted to give you both
the opportunity to say a little bit more
about yourselves, your organization,
whatever you think might be helpful for our
listeners to know. So doctor Tobler, would you
mind getting us started?
I'd love to kick it off. Yeah. So
my name is doctor Eric Tobler. I'm a
dentist that started practicing in, Utah where I
practice with my dad and my brother. My
entire family is is involved in the practice,
from my daughter to my wife to brothers
and sisters. And it it really was a
a family affair as we grew our practice,
as I came right out of dental school.
And over time, we grew that single practice
to a group of practices,
adding friends from dental school and others,
over time. And that was a great opportunity
to really
focus on
growth was one thing, but also I was
so so, blessed to be mentored,
by my dad, like, side by side with
him and and lots of other great dentists.
You know, working in a in a large
group practice was such a gift for me
to be able to be exposed to lots
of different clinical philosophies
and also,
try to build collaboration
among
doctors with different backgrounds. That was really one
of the the most enjoying and challenging parts
of my career early on. And then,
the group that we built in Utah called
Stonehaven Dental,
we partnered with Mortenson Dental Partners,
about ten years ago, and and that was
a great partnership. Really think the world of
that group, and I was really blessed to
be able to be with them for a
number of years. And then about five years
ago, I was the I became the national
clinical director for that group as well. So,
supported a 140
practices,
across nine states with with that fantastic group
and had the chance to work with some
really fantastic leaders and doctors as well. And,
as I said, get to learn a lot
about,
building
clinical
collaboration
and and, how to support our individual clinicians.
And, and then a a little under a
year ago, I joined,
Dental Care Alliance as their chief clinical officer.
And that opportunity to to collaborate and and
get an even broader scope of experience
and,
exposure to what dentistry can be, it's it's
been a really incredible,
journey and,
happy to be here, Erica. Thank you.
No. Thanks, doctor Tobler. It is so great
to to learn more about your background and
kind of where you started in the dental
space. That sounds like such a family affair,
your beginnings in industry. So can't wait to
hear, you know, what that what your career
trajectory has taught you over that time. So
thank you again for being here. And, Kristen,
would love to learn more about you as
well.
Sure. I'm Kristen Lisenby, as you said, and
I've been in dentistry for over twenty five
years.
I spent the two decades of my career
with Northcutt Dental, where I started as a
dental assistant,
went on to become a hygienist and practice
hygiene for about a decade, and eventually moved
into a leadership role there.
As president and COO, I had the privilege
of growing and leading this small but mighty
DSO in Alabama. It was
quite the ride, and I learned so much
about, dentistry and really just fell in love
with all aspects of dentistry in that role
that I held there.
Most recently, I served as VP of field
operations for Lightwave Dental on the East Coast,
wonderful organization supporting multisite growth and team development
there.
And then, like doctor Eric said last year,
joining him,
as VP of hygiene,
I'm
I have the honor of supporting over a
thousand hygienist and counting right now, and it's,
again, been an incredible journey. And I'm passionate
about helping hygiene teams feel supported, empowered, and
setting them up for long term success.
Kristen, thank you so much. Great to learn
about your experience,
at that small but mighty DSO in Alabama
and how you've taken those learnings into your
your current role. So, again, excited to hear
more of your perspective
on this topic today.
Doctor Toebler, I'd like to start with you
just for the question, just to do a
little bit of level setting with where we're
at in the DSO space right now. I
know many DSOs are really focused on sustainable
growth this year, and that could mean expanding
footprints, improving efficiency, enhancing patient outcomes.
So can you just touch on how clinical
engagement can support those goals and why it's
becoming such a critical part of DSO strategy?
Yeah. I think, you know, obviously,
everybody's trying to,
enhance what they what they have currently versus,
growing through acquisition right now, you know, in
the space. But I I don't think that
really changes the foundation that needs to be
there for any successful DSO, which is really
sustainable growth has to come through clinician
buy in and engagement.
The the difference between a doctor who's engaged
and one who isn't is dramatic in pretty
much every way across across the board. So
when we look at the the
quality of care they're able to provide,
the the amount and the scope of care
they're able to provide, our most engaged doctors
are the ones who are, you know, really
driving the organization.
And also engagement,
equals retention. And so the more we can,
as a DSO, engage with our clinicians, keep
them actively
a part of the organization, provide good structure
that helps them, you know, really feel engaged
with the organization as a whole. I think,
you know, there's there's a
cascade
of benefits that come from that, but it
really all has to come from that foundation
of engagement,
at the core of the organization in order
to succeed.
Mhmm.
Yeah. I really appreciate appreciate you touching on
that, doctor Tobler. And I know you mentioned
in your opening remarks how much experience you
have and, you know, really ensuring collaboration among
dentists and physicians. So it sounds like that
this is something that has really kind of
guided your mindset or your approach here.
Yeah. And it it's so nuanced because, you
know, within dentistry, there's a lot of different
ways to do things. There's so many, you
know, great
techniques and and technologies out there. And as
an organization,
I think it's, one of the bigger challenges
in the DSO world to find that balance
between
finding collaborative partnerships that we can lean into
as an organization,
get great pricing and great technologies into the
hands of our clinicians.
But it also has to be the technologies
and the techniques that they're asking for. Because
if if it's not what the dentists are
looking for, then that's gonna fall flat. And
so it's a it's a really a fine
dance almost that we have to do between,
you know, constantly asking our clinicians, what do
you want? What do you what would make
you a better dentist? What would make you
a better hygienist? And then when we hear
those things, finding ways to help deliver that
to them in a cost effective way is
really, I think, the challenge and the opportunity,
as a DSO.
Yeah. Yeah. So well said. Thanks, doctor Tobler.
And I wanna go a little bit deeper
here and learn more about how Dental Care
Alliance approaches this.
And, Kristen, where you sit as a leader
in the hygiene space, we're hoping to get
your take here. You know, how has Dental
Care Alliance evolved its approach to engage and
empower clinicians,
especially across diverse and multisite practices?
Would love to know a little bit more
from you there and and how clinical input
has shaped those efforts too.
Yes. Absolutely.
We've definitely engaged and empowered our hygiene teams
by increasing and empowering our overall clinical support
and communication structure this year.
The early results are already fantastic with retention
really,
seeing a lot more retention through the efforts
we've we've been focused on.
And that started really with the, vision of
hygiene coaches per region.
I wanted to build,
a support system that aligned with operational structures
in dentistry because I I know that it
takes both. It takes operations and clinical support
to really drive growth and retention.
And we've been able to hire a coach
for every every region, and they're focusing on
hiring and onboarding,
communication
for the for the hygienist from the practice
level all the way up to me. There
is a really clear way to get to,
anyone in the hygiene department and and to
make sure that our hygienist feel like it's
not such a big company.
Confidence with treatment presentation. There are so many
times where our hygienist just don't know how
to get patients to say yes to that
treatment they so desperately need, and that's really
helped having the coaches support there. Of course,
clinical skills and hiring hygienists that are just
coming into the profession, having that confidence in
the
in in the having the support of the
coach that's going to be there for their
onboarding,
but then also onto, you know, high fiving
them as they continue to grow and and
increase that care.
Training with new technology and equipment, you know,
our company is very big on staying up
to speed with the latest and greatest in
dentistry,
such as Overjet and guided biofilm therapy,
introducing Curadont. So, again, all of those things
were really, really important for our hygienist to
feel supported
and, you know, no no hygienist left behind.
Every hygienist,
knows where to go to get support. And
then a few more things, we've also created
or improved our onboarding tools. We've added,
monthly c c e opportunities, and not just
free CE opportunities, paid quality CE opportunities,
quarterly virtual town halls where I lead those
and we bring all of our hygienists from
all of the 400 locations, have an opportunity
to join and be involved, and it's a
fun and it's an engaging time. They get
to hear from me what's going on in
the company, but also we, you know, have
shout outs and we have pictures from the
field just to bring us all back to
what our purpose is. I'm really excited about
the performance based bonus we're rolling out, by
region currently.
It's irrelevant it's really in this, I guess,
in this
space where we're at. We're really having to
find a way for, you know, the highly
competitive space to reward our teams for their
commitment to great care. And so I think
that the bonus that we're rolling out really
has helped them to understand how great care
can lead to even more,
financial reward, and that's been excellent.
And then just to wrap up your,
part of your question about how has clinical
input shaped those efforts,
I would say the feedback loop is front
of mind for me when we're talking about
from targeted surveys to our hygiene teams,
exit interviews for every hygienist that does leave
to see why or what we can do
better or different in the future.
We also don't roll out anything without doing
a pilot
to get clinicians input input, make sure they
understand, and they're they're coming along with us
in that process.
And that kind of collaboration really has built
trust and support as we're focusing on optima
optimizing our communication. So I'd say it's not
about one size fits all for us at
Dental Care Alliance. It's about consistency with flexibility.
So I think that is really setting us
apart right now.
Yeah.
Yeah. That really comes through, Kristen. Thank you
so much. And what struck me in your
answer too was how you're
hitting clinician engagement
really from every angle here. You know, you're
you've implemented hygiene coaches. I I know that
you are focused on training,
rolling out new technology.
Also, the performance based bonus, that's another
aspect in terms of,
some nice incentives for your team. So thank
you so much for outlining all that. I
think it's really helpful for our listeners to
hear kind of the variety
of approaches that can be adapted there. Yeah.
I commonly say it has to be a
win win win. It has to be a
win for the patient because they're the ones
that ultimately pay everyone's paycheck. Right? Then it
needs to be a win for the clinicians
that are providing that great care, and then
the company wins. So if we're all winning,
then we are moving together as one, and
I find that to be the most effective
for growth.
Yeah. Fantastic. Thanks, Kristen.
And doctor Tobler, I wanted to kick the
the next question over to you. While we're
talking about,
effective strategies here, I'd love to know what
you've seen as effective ways to align clinical
teams around shared standards of care, culture, innovation.
Are there any examples or best practices that
really stand out to you?
Yeah. You know,
different stages of an individual's career, they need
something different from the organization. So I think
Kristen pointed out really wisely that early on
when somebody's just joining the profession,
what they really need is a is a
lot of, mentorship.
And, you know, we need to invest in
our clinicians early on in in training
and, you know,
matching them up with great clinicians. So, we
recently rolled out our our new doctor training
program called Ascend
in collaboration with Spear. I'm really, really excited
about that. High quality hands on clinical education
is, I think, a foundation for success for
anybody.
But then on top of that, the program
that we have is a year long, and
it includes
virtual touch points
and, chances to collaborate with other great clinicians
among our organization.
You know, within DCA, it's it's such a
gift to have such a diverse group of
doctors
in the way that they deliver care and
the way they their clinical philosophy. And so
early on, we really try to expose our
clinicians to as much of that as possible
because
the the more broad our experience can be,
I think
the the better our treatment plans can be
as we as we take into, consideration that
broad learning.
And then, you know, as as folks go
on beyond just that initial mentorship,
a strong onboarding,
program,
for our dentists and hygienists. Once you get
beyond that, then it's a matter of
continuing to find education that engages our clinicians.
You know, throughout our careers, there are so
many things
that we can do to, add to our
tool belts to make us more effective, to
make the treatment that we provide for our
patients more predictable,
and then ultimately also provide more services for
our our patients.
And so as our clinicians become more advanced
in their career, then we look for those
those more advanced CE opportunities. And, also,
we turn the the, engagement back towards them.
So engaging with them in things like clinical
committees, or we have a dental advisory board
that has direct access to our CEO and
myself where we just, you know, share what's
going on in the company from our perspective,
and we get some really raw, unfiltered feedback.
So I you know, those those are different
ways that we can engage folks throughout their
career. We have to make sure that, as
as Kristen said, we're engaging our best folks
in things like pilot programs
to ensure that, you know, if if, if
we're gonna roll something out, it's going to
have a high level of success.
The only way we can really do that
is by collaborating with the clinicians that we
have, within the organization.
Yeah. Doctor Topler, similar to Kristen's response earlier,
you know, I'm seeing a a variety
of strategies that have worked for you here.
So just to summarize that for our listeners,
sounds like, CE opportunities,
strong onboarding,
exposing clinicians to a diverse group of doctors
delivering care, virtual touch points and collaboration, mentorship,
a lot that you're seeing working well. So
so thank you for all of that.
And before we wrap, doctor Tobler, I'll I'll
start with you since we have you with
us already. But are is there anything we
didn't touch on or any final thoughts that
you'd like to leave our listeners with? And
then, Kristen, would love for you to weigh
in on that too.
You know, as we think about the industry
and our our profession that we care about
so much, I think that
one of the the indicators that we look
to to see what the future of of
dentistry is, we look at medicine and pharmacy.
And most of the time when I think
about that, I think about what it means
for consolidation in the industry. You know, private
equity consolidation is leading
kind of a a strong trend in dentistry
right now. And, there's a lot we can
learn from that, But there's also a lot
that we can learn and I think some
cautionary tales when we look at the way
that providers have become disengaged in medicine, specifically,
you know, nurses and the evolution of traveling
nurses.
We see that
temporary employment becoming more and more prevalent in
hygiene specifically,
and it's a huge concern for me,
in the quality of care and the experience
that we have,
for our patients in the end.
Dentistry has always been built on a foundation
of relationships with patients. We are a relationship
industry, and all dental is local.
And so for me, you know, the shift
away from that is a really concerning trend,
and I think the best DSOs
are going to be the ones who find
a way to bring the relationship,
emphasize the relationship
in that that patient clinician react really,
interaction.
And,
that's really what Kristen and I are working
to do within DCA is to emphasize those
relationships and make sure that we're engaging with
our clinicians to then engage with their patients.
And as we can do that, I think
that's that's where the the most clear path
to success lies.
Yeah. Thanks, doctor Tobler. And Kristen,
any final thoughts that you'd add?
I would say,
you know, as a DSO,
really the best way for long term success
is to put clinicians' voice at the table
early and often. That's how you retain talent,
innovate responsibly, and meet patients' needs consistently across
multilocations.
So I think, we have definitely
taken this very seriously, and we are already
seeing early results of that engagement,
really
coming to life within our company. And I
just feel like the networking and the opportunity
that we have
to keep our clinicians with us so that
we're growing together so that we can take
care of our patients consistently
every time
is definitely our road map to success.
Fantastic.
Doctor Tobler, Kristen, it's been a pleasure spending
some time with you today and learning learning
about the approach at Dental Care Alliance and
how you're supporting your clinicians. So thank you
again for making the time for this Becker's
podcast episode.
Yeah. Thank you again for having us. It
was fun. Thanks, Erica. Appreciate it. Thank you.
And listeners, please be sure to tune in
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