1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,319 Hello. This is Ariana Porto Latin with the 2 00:00:02,319 --> 00:00:04,879 Becker's Dental and Dia Sabrebee podcast. I'm thrilled 3 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:06,980 to be joined today by doctor Corey Anderson, 4 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,919 a dentist with Affordable Dentures and Implants. Doctor 5 00:00:09,919 --> 00:00:11,359 Anderson, thank you so much for being here 6 00:00:11,359 --> 00:00:12,480 today. It's great to have you on our 7 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:12,980 podcast. 8 00:00:13,519 --> 00:00:14,980 Yes. Thank you for the invitation. 9 00:00:15,755 --> 00:00:17,835 Yes. Of course. To start us off, can 10 00:00:17,835 --> 00:00:19,994 you introduce yourself for our listeners and tell 11 00:00:19,994 --> 00:00:21,355 us a little bit about your background as 12 00:00:21,355 --> 00:00:21,855 well? 13 00:00:22,554 --> 00:00:25,535 Of course. My name is Corey Anderson. I'm, 14 00:00:25,914 --> 00:00:27,614 as you said, a dentist in 15 00:00:28,250 --> 00:00:30,890 with Affordable Dentures and Implants in Bridgeport, West 16 00:00:30,890 --> 00:00:31,390 Virginia. 17 00:00:31,769 --> 00:00:33,950 I'm the practice owner of the office. 18 00:00:34,409 --> 00:00:36,829 I've been at this office for nine years. 19 00:00:37,369 --> 00:00:39,469 I bought I was hired as an associate 20 00:00:39,530 --> 00:00:41,289 nine years ago, and then I purchased a 21 00:00:41,289 --> 00:00:41,789 practice 22 00:00:42,215 --> 00:00:43,655 after that following year. So I've been a 23 00:00:43,655 --> 00:00:45,114 practice owner for eight years. 24 00:00:46,214 --> 00:00:47,354 This is my fourth, 25 00:00:47,734 --> 00:00:49,814 DSO I've worked with since I've been a 26 00:00:49,814 --> 00:00:50,314 dentist. 27 00:00:50,695 --> 00:00:52,934 I'm a fellow in the Academy of General 28 00:00:52,934 --> 00:00:55,195 Dentistry. I'm a fellow in the ICOI, 29 00:00:56,134 --> 00:00:57,950 a a member of the ADA, 30 00:00:58,729 --> 00:00:59,869 big believer in 31 00:01:00,409 --> 00:01:01,469 organized dentistry. 32 00:01:02,649 --> 00:01:03,469 And I've 33 00:01:04,090 --> 00:01:05,450 you know, I also have done, 34 00:01:06,170 --> 00:01:08,090 I do regular, like, Missions of Mercy or 35 00:01:08,090 --> 00:01:10,010 RAM Clinics as they're called now over the 36 00:01:10,010 --> 00:01:10,510 years. 37 00:01:11,045 --> 00:01:12,664 I do, peer review 38 00:01:12,965 --> 00:01:15,864 for the general dentistry magazine for the AGD. 39 00:01:16,244 --> 00:01:18,724 And a past life, I was in the 40 00:01:18,724 --> 00:01:20,644 Air Force for five and a half years. 41 00:01:20,644 --> 00:01:22,424 I was a JAG and a MSC. 42 00:01:23,310 --> 00:01:25,870 And, after that, I was a administrative law 43 00:01:25,870 --> 00:01:27,569 judge with Social Security disability. 44 00:01:28,269 --> 00:01:30,930 I previously worked as a managed care contracting 45 00:01:31,390 --> 00:01:33,090 and physician recruitment and enforcement. 46 00:01:34,109 --> 00:01:36,189 I worked at the National Institute of Public 47 00:01:36,189 --> 00:01:38,129 Health in The Czech Republic and 48 00:01:38,594 --> 00:01:39,975 Slow and then Slovakia. 49 00:01:40,835 --> 00:01:41,954 And I've worked at the, 50 00:01:42,674 --> 00:01:44,915 the IMF and the WHO in Nepal and 51 00:01:44,915 --> 00:01:47,314 the Malachy water conversion project a very long 52 00:01:47,314 --> 00:01:48,534 time ago. So, 53 00:01:49,395 --> 00:01:51,734 I also married, and I have, four children. 54 00:01:52,619 --> 00:01:54,619 And I'm just happily living in West Virginia. 55 00:01:54,619 --> 00:01:56,079 It's a beautiful place to be. 56 00:01:56,619 --> 00:01:58,539 Great. Thank you so much for sharing your 57 00:01:58,539 --> 00:02:00,379 extensive background there. Great to hear more about 58 00:02:00,379 --> 00:02:00,879 yourself. 59 00:02:01,180 --> 00:02:02,939 First question for you here. What are some 60 00:02:02,939 --> 00:02:04,619 of the biggest issues you're following in the 61 00:02:04,619 --> 00:02:06,000 dental industry this year? 62 00:02:06,974 --> 00:02:09,134 I think the the biggest issues that I'm 63 00:02:09,134 --> 00:02:10,514 following in dentistry 64 00:02:11,614 --> 00:02:13,074 kinda revolves around the, 65 00:02:14,334 --> 00:02:16,495 the practice of dentistry rather than the the 66 00:02:16,495 --> 00:02:19,215 dental industry. I mean, AI has kinda taken 67 00:02:19,215 --> 00:02:21,489 over a lot of different things, but substantially, 68 00:02:21,550 --> 00:02:22,270 I don't think that's 69 00:02:23,629 --> 00:02:25,229 my day to day is spent with one 70 00:02:25,229 --> 00:02:26,909 handed dentistry. So, you know, as I look 71 00:02:26,909 --> 00:02:28,050 at it, I look at 72 00:02:28,430 --> 00:02:29,729 what is in the practice, 73 00:02:30,349 --> 00:02:32,604 what's affecting the patients, you know, and and 74 00:02:32,604 --> 00:02:34,764 what's allowing me to get things done. So 75 00:02:34,764 --> 00:02:36,365 within the practice, I think one of the 76 00:02:36,365 --> 00:02:38,205 largest skills you know? And as I say, 77 00:02:38,205 --> 00:02:39,344 I work with the DSO. 78 00:02:40,205 --> 00:02:41,965 So, like, the skill set for the DSO 79 00:02:41,965 --> 00:02:44,125 and the practice is probably the hardest thing 80 00:02:44,125 --> 00:02:46,944 really right now. Getting people in the right 81 00:02:47,490 --> 00:02:49,330 slots that have the right skills and the 82 00:02:49,330 --> 00:02:51,090 right interest and the right motivation to do 83 00:02:51,090 --> 00:02:51,909 things that 84 00:02:52,370 --> 00:02:54,289 they need to do. Right? So, you know, 85 00:02:54,289 --> 00:02:56,229 how do we create a practice 86 00:02:56,689 --> 00:02:58,150 pattern and a culture 87 00:02:58,849 --> 00:03:01,030 where we can meet patient expectations, 88 00:03:01,594 --> 00:03:04,114 you know, in the building or at a 89 00:03:04,235 --> 00:03:06,555 and set a standard for quality of services 90 00:03:06,555 --> 00:03:09,455 that are gonna be handled efficiently. You know? 91 00:03:09,754 --> 00:03:11,455 With the DSL, they're they're 92 00:03:12,074 --> 00:03:13,995 and my DSL that I'm working with now, 93 00:03:13,995 --> 00:03:16,655 they typically are aligned pretty well with that. 94 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:18,439 But that is not all the k always 95 00:03:18,439 --> 00:03:20,379 the case as people probably know. 96 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:21,959 But, you know, so they need to have 97 00:03:21,959 --> 00:03:24,120 people at the DSO that understand dentistry as 98 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,539 it's practiced at the DSO's offices. 99 00:03:27,159 --> 00:03:28,840 That can be a challenge according to some 100 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:30,685 of my friends. So that that's a large 101 00:03:30,685 --> 00:03:32,625 issue within the practice side of things. 102 00:03:33,324 --> 00:03:35,084 Within the lab, you know, you're either gonna 103 00:03:35,084 --> 00:03:37,245 have an inside or an outside lab doing 104 00:03:37,245 --> 00:03:39,245 your your cases that you need to have 105 00:03:39,245 --> 00:03:39,745 done. 106 00:03:40,125 --> 00:03:41,264 And so the large 107 00:03:41,710 --> 00:03:43,389 the large change, I think, is going from 108 00:03:43,389 --> 00:03:46,189 analog to digital or some type of AI 109 00:03:46,189 --> 00:03:46,930 with digital. 110 00:03:47,550 --> 00:03:48,370 You know, what 111 00:03:48,990 --> 00:03:51,469 how do you practice dentistry, and how do 112 00:03:51,469 --> 00:03:52,050 you deliver 113 00:03:52,590 --> 00:03:54,590 materials that are as good as, if not 114 00:03:54,590 --> 00:03:55,409 better than, 115 00:03:55,925 --> 00:03:57,844 some other material. So is it a transition 116 00:03:57,844 --> 00:04:00,004 to analog or a transition to digital, or 117 00:04:00,004 --> 00:04:02,004 are you using one or the other? And 118 00:04:02,004 --> 00:04:03,764 do you have the skill set necessary to 119 00:04:03,764 --> 00:04:05,205 to handle one or the other? Do you 120 00:04:05,284 --> 00:04:06,965 does your lab have the skill set to 121 00:04:06,965 --> 00:04:09,379 handle one or the other or both? And 122 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,280 is it affordable? Right? I mean, can you 123 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:12,259 afford to 124 00:04:12,719 --> 00:04:14,400 do everything digitally? Can you afford to do 125 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:16,319 everything analog? Do you want to do it 126 00:04:16,319 --> 00:04:18,000 all one way or the other? And so 127 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,180 that that's a huge issue that 128 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:21,060 every 129 00:04:21,574 --> 00:04:23,254 everybody I talk to has kinda got that 130 00:04:23,254 --> 00:04:25,595 going on. And then, you know, patients. Right? 131 00:04:25,895 --> 00:04:26,375 How do you 132 00:04:27,334 --> 00:04:28,535 you know, do you have a 133 00:04:29,735 --> 00:04:31,334 do they have a high dental knowledge or 134 00:04:31,334 --> 00:04:33,274 a low dental knowledge? What are their expectations? 135 00:04:34,199 --> 00:04:36,040 What do they want to have done? What 136 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,020 can they have done? What's reasonable? What's not? 137 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:41,960 You know? And then understanding the specialists around 138 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:43,800 you and how they're gonna take care of 139 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,379 issues and what are they reasonably gonna obtain. 140 00:04:47,104 --> 00:04:48,625 You gotta you gotta fuse that in with 141 00:04:48,625 --> 00:04:51,504 the the patient and their expectations, what they're 142 00:04:51,504 --> 00:04:53,824 what they're gonna receive from the situation. And 143 00:04:53,824 --> 00:04:55,845 then the money side of things, that's always, 144 00:04:56,704 --> 00:04:58,384 nobody seems to have any money in the 145 00:04:58,384 --> 00:05:01,285 economy of the current experience. So, you know, 146 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:04,259 people are hand hinging upon 147 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,160 insurance pretty heavy. And, you know, so and 148 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:09,600 the insurance industries are 149 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:11,919 yeah. They're there to make a make money 150 00:05:11,919 --> 00:05:13,300 out of the situation. So, 151 00:05:13,759 --> 00:05:14,560 you know, if they, 152 00:05:15,165 --> 00:05:17,645 they're using the AI to screen claims, and 153 00:05:17,645 --> 00:05:19,165 then the claims are getting shot down, and 154 00:05:19,165 --> 00:05:20,925 everybody's trying to appeal them. Then they're using 155 00:05:20,925 --> 00:05:23,004 AI to appeal the claims. And it's this 156 00:05:23,004 --> 00:05:24,845 vicious circle of, like, we can just turn 157 00:05:24,845 --> 00:05:26,764 our brains off and let the AI battle 158 00:05:26,764 --> 00:05:29,264 the AI. That's a concern for me. 159 00:05:30,210 --> 00:05:32,449 But, you know, it's it's expensive, right, to 160 00:05:32,449 --> 00:05:35,810 provide services and maybe it's expensive to run 161 00:05:35,810 --> 00:05:38,389 the payment mechanisms, but patients need to pay. 162 00:05:38,770 --> 00:05:40,610 And the provider needs to be paid, and 163 00:05:40,610 --> 00:05:41,889 the staff needs to be paid, and the 164 00:05:41,889 --> 00:05:43,410 lab needs to be paid. So the the 165 00:05:43,410 --> 00:05:44,770 money side of thing is a lot of 166 00:05:44,770 --> 00:05:46,485 thing. But But there is a room for 167 00:05:46,485 --> 00:05:48,745 charity care, and there is room for compassion. 168 00:05:49,044 --> 00:05:49,285 And, 169 00:05:49,925 --> 00:05:52,165 most of that falls on the the practice 170 00:05:52,165 --> 00:05:54,024 and the people in the practice typically. 171 00:05:54,805 --> 00:05:55,865 So those are the 172 00:05:56,404 --> 00:05:58,324 the larger issues that I spend my time 173 00:05:58,324 --> 00:06:00,959 thinking about when I, you know, when I'm 174 00:06:00,959 --> 00:06:02,560 at work doing things that are in the 175 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:03,060 dentistry. 176 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:05,920 Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Thank you for for sharing 177 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:07,199 all of those. A lot to cover there. 178 00:06:07,199 --> 00:06:08,319 So I have a I do have a 179 00:06:08,319 --> 00:06:10,019 couple follow-up questions for you there. 180 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:12,419 I know you mentioned patient expectations. 181 00:06:13,004 --> 00:06:14,685 Can you list, just a couple of the 182 00:06:14,685 --> 00:06:17,324 ways you've seen patient expectations evolve over the 183 00:06:17,324 --> 00:06:18,384 past couple of years? 184 00:06:19,564 --> 00:06:21,025 Sure. Some patients 185 00:06:21,564 --> 00:06:23,345 want to look like they're 18 186 00:06:24,125 --> 00:06:25,585 when they were in prom, 187 00:06:26,579 --> 00:06:29,399 and they're 65 or 70 years old. 188 00:06:29,779 --> 00:06:31,779 And there's that's a huge ask and a 189 00:06:31,779 --> 00:06:34,500 heavy lift. And it might not realistically be 190 00:06:34,500 --> 00:06:35,879 possible. You know? 191 00:06:36,500 --> 00:06:38,120 But even if it were possible, 192 00:06:38,579 --> 00:06:39,639 it might be expensive. 193 00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:41,399 Right? So how do you 194 00:06:41,954 --> 00:06:44,675 that that's a challenge for managing what people 195 00:06:44,675 --> 00:06:46,375 want. And most of what we do is 196 00:06:46,754 --> 00:06:49,735 is dentures or implant retained dentures. 197 00:06:50,035 --> 00:06:52,754 We don't do a lot of restorative dentistry. 198 00:06:52,754 --> 00:06:53,254 So 199 00:06:53,634 --> 00:06:54,694 how do you match 200 00:06:55,139 --> 00:06:57,060 what they want with what you can provide 201 00:06:57,060 --> 00:06:57,560 them? 202 00:06:58,019 --> 00:06:58,519 And 203 00:06:59,139 --> 00:07:01,379 is it reasonable for them to to want 204 00:07:01,379 --> 00:07:03,300 what they want? You know? But you then 205 00:07:03,300 --> 00:07:04,979 really tell people, you know, I I wanna 206 00:07:04,979 --> 00:07:06,339 look like I'm 18 again. You know? It 207 00:07:06,339 --> 00:07:07,079 was great. 208 00:07:07,939 --> 00:07:08,439 But, 209 00:07:09,095 --> 00:07:09,754 you know, 210 00:07:10,055 --> 00:07:12,055 maybe this isn't the best option for you, 211 00:07:12,055 --> 00:07:14,314 you know, or maybe it's the best option. 212 00:07:14,375 --> 00:07:16,615 But, you know, I never wanna put myself 213 00:07:16,615 --> 00:07:18,235 in a position where I'm overpromising 214 00:07:19,335 --> 00:07:21,435 what I can do for a person 215 00:07:22,300 --> 00:07:23,199 to match expectations 216 00:07:23,660 --> 00:07:25,360 that may or may not be unreasonable 217 00:07:25,819 --> 00:07:26,639 for a patient. 218 00:07:27,900 --> 00:07:29,759 So it's kinda you know, how do you 219 00:07:29,900 --> 00:07:32,139 just make that discussion with patients? It's very 220 00:07:32,139 --> 00:07:32,639 difficult. 221 00:07:33,500 --> 00:07:34,720 Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. 222 00:07:35,314 --> 00:07:36,774 And I know you also mentioned, 223 00:07:37,474 --> 00:07:40,514 AI being used by insurance companies to review 224 00:07:40,514 --> 00:07:42,514 claims and then having to go through the 225 00:07:42,514 --> 00:07:44,914 appeals as well. Is that something new that 226 00:07:44,914 --> 00:07:46,914 you've seen just in the past year? Is 227 00:07:46,914 --> 00:07:49,154 that something that's been going on for, quite 228 00:07:49,154 --> 00:07:49,974 a few years? 229 00:07:50,879 --> 00:07:52,639 I think it's starting to catch its stride 230 00:07:52,639 --> 00:07:54,399 in the last year. I mean, AI can 231 00:07:54,399 --> 00:07:56,000 do a lot of stuff. Your call center 232 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,839 could be AI. You wanna have someone answering 233 00:07:57,839 --> 00:07:58,740 the phone at midnight, 234 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,120 you can get yourself an AI call center 235 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,105 that's a couple $100 a month. 236 00:08:03,665 --> 00:08:05,425 Anything that sounds like a human being will 237 00:08:05,425 --> 00:08:07,745 be answering the phone and scheduling patients twenty 238 00:08:07,745 --> 00:08:08,404 four seven. 239 00:08:09,185 --> 00:08:11,264 Same thing with claims. You know? They'll they'll 240 00:08:11,264 --> 00:08:12,944 do the rub a dub dub and, you 241 00:08:12,944 --> 00:08:13,444 know, 242 00:08:13,985 --> 00:08:16,384 suggest that you make changes before you submit 243 00:08:16,384 --> 00:08:18,649 it, or it'll get bounced back and you'll 244 00:08:18,649 --> 00:08:20,889 have to address this. But there were you 245 00:08:20,889 --> 00:08:22,430 know, a lot of these things that, 246 00:08:22,970 --> 00:08:24,829 the AI can or can't do 247 00:08:25,930 --> 00:08:27,610 tip it it hits the wall pretty quick, 248 00:08:27,610 --> 00:08:29,470 and then it comes back to human intervention. 249 00:08:29,930 --> 00:08:32,684 And so I think the insurance industry as 250 00:08:32,684 --> 00:08:34,924 a whole used to bank on, oh, we're 251 00:08:34,924 --> 00:08:37,404 gonna deny this deny this, and then a 252 00:08:37,404 --> 00:08:39,165 person's gonna need to intervene. And then in 253 00:08:39,165 --> 00:08:41,004 a month, you're gonna get around it looking 254 00:08:41,004 --> 00:08:41,825 at that again. 255 00:08:42,205 --> 00:08:44,205 Those games are are kinda coming to an 256 00:08:44,205 --> 00:08:45,184 end with AI. 257 00:08:45,710 --> 00:08:47,309 It's actually coming to a point where, like, 258 00:08:47,309 --> 00:08:49,389 they're now you know, even in in, 259 00:08:49,950 --> 00:08:53,309 medical in, medical claims are automatically being downgraded 260 00:08:53,309 --> 00:08:54,850 by what is it? Cigna, I think? 261 00:08:55,389 --> 00:08:57,309 They just kick it down a tier because 262 00:08:57,309 --> 00:08:58,910 they can, and then you have to appeal. 263 00:08:58,910 --> 00:09:00,164 And then there's a a they'll come up 264 00:09:00,164 --> 00:09:02,485 with a different appeals process for this. So, 265 00:09:02,485 --> 00:09:03,544 like, within dentistry, 266 00:09:04,485 --> 00:09:06,004 you know, they don't wanna pay the claims 267 00:09:06,004 --> 00:09:08,164 for the services that, they don't have to 268 00:09:08,164 --> 00:09:10,325 pay the claims for. And so dentists wanna 269 00:09:10,325 --> 00:09:12,105 get paid for the services they provide. 270 00:09:12,899 --> 00:09:13,639 You know, it creates 271 00:09:14,500 --> 00:09:17,639 a a very, very difficult situation for, for 272 00:09:18,019 --> 00:09:20,199 dentists and the dental industry as a whole 273 00:09:20,500 --> 00:09:22,600 because insurance is not always your friend. 274 00:09:23,620 --> 00:09:25,639 Yeah. Yeah. I know. And and there's definitely 275 00:09:26,019 --> 00:09:27,959 so many challenges that come with working 276 00:09:28,835 --> 00:09:31,715 through the insurance companies and getting reimbursed and 277 00:09:31,715 --> 00:09:33,254 going through denials and appeals, 278 00:09:33,634 --> 00:09:35,154 as far as, you know, for the for 279 00:09:35,154 --> 00:09:36,215 the dentist themselves. 280 00:09:36,754 --> 00:09:38,375 And I know when it comes to AI, 281 00:09:38,514 --> 00:09:39,955 AI has solved a lot of problems for 282 00:09:39,955 --> 00:09:41,555 dentists. But do you think as far as 283 00:09:41,555 --> 00:09:43,335 insurance, it's created more? 284 00:09:44,230 --> 00:09:46,149 I don't think it solved all of the 285 00:09:46,149 --> 00:09:47,830 problems. I think what it is allowed is 286 00:09:47,830 --> 00:09:48,870 more problems to be 287 00:09:49,669 --> 00:09:52,710 the insurance company will study what is going 288 00:09:52,710 --> 00:09:55,289 to result in them avoiding paying claims. 289 00:09:55,590 --> 00:09:56,090 Alright? 290 00:09:56,470 --> 00:09:58,230 We used to be the number of human 291 00:09:58,230 --> 00:09:58,730 interventions. 292 00:09:59,029 --> 00:10:00,514 You You know? You need to touch a 293 00:10:00,514 --> 00:10:02,034 human being needs to touch the claim so 294 00:10:02,034 --> 00:10:02,774 many times, 295 00:10:03,075 --> 00:10:04,615 we're gonna lose claims 296 00:10:05,235 --> 00:10:07,254 60% of the time. Great. Right? 297 00:10:08,195 --> 00:10:09,875 AI is solving a lot of that, but 298 00:10:09,875 --> 00:10:11,975 they're just coming up with new tricks 299 00:10:12,419 --> 00:10:15,620 and new practices to catch that same percentage 300 00:10:15,620 --> 00:10:16,279 of people 301 00:10:16,740 --> 00:10:18,519 where they don't get paid for those claims. 302 00:10:18,659 --> 00:10:21,059 And it's just putting the squeeze on. So 303 00:10:21,059 --> 00:10:22,039 is it an improvement? 304 00:10:22,500 --> 00:10:25,154 Yeah. But, I mean, eventually, you know, if 305 00:10:25,235 --> 00:10:27,795 if everybody's got this war of AI versus 306 00:10:27,795 --> 00:10:30,115 AI versus AI versus AI, they're just they're 307 00:10:30,115 --> 00:10:31,654 coming up with new practices 308 00:10:32,754 --> 00:10:34,935 to deny properly or improperly 309 00:10:35,475 --> 00:10:36,855 claims for payment, 310 00:10:37,980 --> 00:10:39,519 you know, for whatever reason. 311 00:10:39,980 --> 00:10:41,019 And, you know, people 312 00:10:42,220 --> 00:10:43,919 the patient buys insurance 313 00:10:44,700 --> 00:10:46,879 because they expect the claim to be paid, 314 00:10:47,580 --> 00:10:49,980 not because they expect the dentist to have 315 00:10:49,980 --> 00:10:52,024 AI and and the insurance company to have 316 00:10:52,024 --> 00:10:53,785 AI. And for those two people to get 317 00:10:53,785 --> 00:10:55,565 into some slugfest with technology, 318 00:10:56,105 --> 00:10:57,625 and then have to go back and fill 319 00:10:57,625 --> 00:10:59,625 out paperwork and resubmit, and then you get 320 00:10:59,625 --> 00:11:00,524 a human intervention. 321 00:11:00,985 --> 00:11:02,825 You send a check for partial payment to 322 00:11:02,825 --> 00:11:04,960 the the patient. They come into your office. 323 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:07,059 They argue about why this wasn't paid. 324 00:11:07,519 --> 00:11:09,139 You know, like, the largest 325 00:11:09,839 --> 00:11:12,419 reason for denial we get on insurance claims 326 00:11:12,799 --> 00:11:15,039 is that they say that the NPI is 327 00:11:15,039 --> 00:11:16,799 not on the claim, and so patients will 328 00:11:16,799 --> 00:11:19,075 come in. It's right there. It's printed out 329 00:11:19,075 --> 00:11:20,695 on the form. It's been submitted. 330 00:11:21,075 --> 00:11:22,995 It is there. The patient doesn't know what 331 00:11:22,995 --> 00:11:26,115 an NPI is. So now they're causing patients 332 00:11:26,115 --> 00:11:27,715 to come in and ask me what my 333 00:11:27,715 --> 00:11:28,934 identification is. 334 00:11:29,235 --> 00:11:31,235 It was already print it's already on the 335 00:11:31,235 --> 00:11:33,550 form. It's already submitted. It's on every insurance 336 00:11:33,550 --> 00:11:36,190 claim, but they're denying claims for that. And 337 00:11:36,190 --> 00:11:37,730 they're causing their customer, 338 00:11:38,269 --> 00:11:40,429 the insured, to have to come in to 339 00:11:40,429 --> 00:11:41,649 me, the dentist, 340 00:11:42,670 --> 00:11:44,850 to work out an issue that doesn't exist. 341 00:11:45,125 --> 00:11:47,524 And they're just trying to find barriers for 342 00:11:47,524 --> 00:11:48,024 people. 343 00:11:49,125 --> 00:11:51,684 Alright. And that's that's where it's coming to. 344 00:11:51,684 --> 00:11:52,504 AI is 345 00:11:52,884 --> 00:11:55,044 AI has reached its limitations at some point, 346 00:11:55,044 --> 00:11:57,764 and then human intervention is what reduces the 347 00:11:57,764 --> 00:11:58,264 payout. 348 00:11:59,269 --> 00:12:01,429 Mhmm. Yeah. Some good points that you make 349 00:12:01,429 --> 00:12:03,129 there. So thank you for for 350 00:12:03,590 --> 00:12:05,269 going into a little bit more detail about 351 00:12:05,269 --> 00:12:07,590 that. Next question for you here. I'm also 352 00:12:07,590 --> 00:12:09,350 curious to know, what are you most excited 353 00:12:09,350 --> 00:12:11,269 about when it comes to dentistry right now, 354 00:12:11,269 --> 00:12:12,649 and what makes you nervous? 355 00:12:14,230 --> 00:12:16,175 Well, I think what I'm what I'm most 356 00:12:16,175 --> 00:12:18,995 excited about is I love wet handed dentistry. 357 00:12:19,455 --> 00:12:20,995 You know? I I love my patients. 358 00:12:21,535 --> 00:12:23,375 I love my staff. I'm lucky to do 359 00:12:23,375 --> 00:12:25,375 what I do. You know? I just I 360 00:12:25,375 --> 00:12:26,274 enjoy it. 361 00:12:26,990 --> 00:12:28,909 I like the work that needs to be 362 00:12:28,909 --> 00:12:31,389 done, and, you know, it's really nice to 363 00:12:31,389 --> 00:12:33,949 have patients that appreciate the work that we 364 00:12:33,949 --> 00:12:36,029 do. And so for the most part, I 365 00:12:36,029 --> 00:12:37,549 like that. That gets me out of bed 366 00:12:37,549 --> 00:12:38,209 in the morning. 367 00:12:38,750 --> 00:12:39,970 I also like the 368 00:12:40,524 --> 00:12:43,164 the fact that the practice of dentistry is 369 00:12:43,164 --> 00:12:43,664 evolving. 370 00:12:44,205 --> 00:12:45,105 You know? It's 371 00:12:45,485 --> 00:12:47,884 you can get effective and appropriate care. The 372 00:12:47,884 --> 00:12:50,365 options in terms of materials have improved in 373 00:12:50,365 --> 00:12:51,264 terms of practices. 374 00:12:51,964 --> 00:12:52,605 I think, 375 00:12:53,629 --> 00:12:56,509 printed dentists printed dentures, I think, are probably 376 00:12:56,509 --> 00:12:58,190 not completely a solution to a lot of 377 00:12:58,190 --> 00:13:00,589 problems. But I think if you look at 378 00:13:00,589 --> 00:13:03,070 the technology is now starting to get to 379 00:13:03,070 --> 00:13:04,350 the point where it can correct a lot 380 00:13:04,350 --> 00:13:05,629 of the lab issues and a lot of 381 00:13:05,629 --> 00:13:08,129 the practices. You know, the the shortfalls of 382 00:13:08,334 --> 00:13:10,095 skill sets and the number of people in 383 00:13:10,095 --> 00:13:12,414 the workforce, right, it's starting to catch up. 384 00:13:12,414 --> 00:13:14,654 So that that is exciting to me. Will 385 00:13:14,654 --> 00:13:15,475 it be affordable 386 00:13:16,095 --> 00:13:17,695 for patients to be able to do that? 387 00:13:17,695 --> 00:13:19,634 I don't know. That kinda makes me nervous. 388 00:13:20,095 --> 00:13:20,815 I think the, 389 00:13:21,690 --> 00:13:24,750 the workforce shortages, you know, the economy that's 390 00:13:24,809 --> 00:13:26,590 that's challenging right now. 391 00:13:26,970 --> 00:13:28,269 You know, I look at, like, 392 00:13:29,049 --> 00:13:30,269 for the larger economy, 393 00:13:30,809 --> 00:13:32,889 there is a Panera across the street from 394 00:13:32,889 --> 00:13:34,875 my office where I'll stop, and I'll get 395 00:13:34,875 --> 00:13:36,634 the office, like, a box of bagels and 396 00:13:36,634 --> 00:13:38,235 cream cheese and coffee and whatnot in the 397 00:13:38,235 --> 00:13:40,735 morning. And five years ago, 398 00:13:41,195 --> 00:13:43,134 six years ago, seven years ago, 399 00:13:43,595 --> 00:13:45,754 you couldn't drive through the drive thru to 400 00:13:45,754 --> 00:13:47,034 pick them up in the morning because there 401 00:13:47,034 --> 00:13:48,715 was a line around the building and into 402 00:13:48,715 --> 00:13:49,774 the parking lot. 403 00:13:50,159 --> 00:13:52,559 In the last five months or so, there's 404 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:54,720 never a line at that Panera. I could 405 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:56,480 drive through and get bagels and be at 406 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:57,220 work early. 407 00:13:57,919 --> 00:13:59,279 But I think that, you know, from the 408 00:13:59,279 --> 00:14:00,179 Panera index, 409 00:14:00,799 --> 00:14:02,720 you know, I think the economy is heading 410 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:04,875 in a bad way. And so that that 411 00:14:04,875 --> 00:14:06,634 makes me nervous. Right? Because there are some 412 00:14:06,634 --> 00:14:08,095 people that don't have insurance 413 00:14:08,794 --> 00:14:11,195 that can't pay. They can get financing, but 414 00:14:11,195 --> 00:14:12,654 then they have to pay the financing. 415 00:14:13,914 --> 00:14:15,294 They just have 416 00:14:15,909 --> 00:14:18,009 other expenses in life they need to meet. 417 00:14:18,149 --> 00:14:19,990 And so that that, I think, makes me 418 00:14:19,990 --> 00:14:20,490 concerned, 419 00:14:21,269 --> 00:14:23,509 more than anything else. You know? People have 420 00:14:23,509 --> 00:14:24,649 less cash available 421 00:14:25,350 --> 00:14:27,909 for discretionary expenses, and most of dentistry is 422 00:14:27,909 --> 00:14:29,929 a discretionary expense. So, 423 00:14:30,754 --> 00:14:31,955 you know, if you could talk about the 424 00:14:31,955 --> 00:14:34,355 dental the dentist shortage in the country or 425 00:14:34,355 --> 00:14:36,274 the dental hygienist shortage in the country or 426 00:14:36,274 --> 00:14:38,434 the dental staff shortage in the country, but 427 00:14:38,434 --> 00:14:39,955 all those people are still feeding at the 428 00:14:39,955 --> 00:14:43,315 same trough of dental insurance patient payments and 429 00:14:43,315 --> 00:14:45,634 patient payment. And if you don't have those 430 00:14:45,634 --> 00:14:47,759 two, the rest of it is just gonna 431 00:14:47,759 --> 00:14:48,420 go away. 432 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:49,940 So that that's 433 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:52,799 the two largest things I've you know? I 434 00:14:52,799 --> 00:14:54,980 like the work, but I'm concerned about the 435 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:57,620 the financing of it going forward. 436 00:14:58,174 --> 00:15:00,574 Yeah. I can definitely see, how that causes 437 00:15:00,574 --> 00:15:02,095 some nerves in the industry as well. And 438 00:15:02,095 --> 00:15:03,294 I and I know that you're not the 439 00:15:03,294 --> 00:15:05,794 only dentist who's nervous about that as well. 440 00:15:06,495 --> 00:15:08,495 Last question for you here. What will the 441 00:15:08,495 --> 00:15:10,414 most effective health care leaders need to be 442 00:15:10,414 --> 00:15:12,355 successful in the next two to three years? 443 00:15:13,809 --> 00:15:16,370 Well, you have to I look at dentistry 444 00:15:16,370 --> 00:15:18,129 as, like, what is my core strength as 445 00:15:18,129 --> 00:15:19,509 a dentist? You know? 446 00:15:20,129 --> 00:15:23,090 Is it is my career aspiration to be, 447 00:15:23,090 --> 00:15:25,160 like, a dental op chief dental officer somewhere 448 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:27,184 or whatnot? You You know, if that's great, 449 00:15:27,184 --> 00:15:28,745 build your skill set to do that. But 450 00:15:28,745 --> 00:15:30,725 that right now, my goal 451 00:15:31,264 --> 00:15:33,024 is to do the best dentistry I can 452 00:15:33,024 --> 00:15:34,705 in the in the the day to day 453 00:15:34,705 --> 00:15:36,465 that I'm doing it in. So I think 454 00:15:36,465 --> 00:15:39,105 most dentists should focus on what they're doing 455 00:15:39,105 --> 00:15:40,049 now and get 456 00:15:40,610 --> 00:15:42,370 mindful about what they're doing in the day 457 00:15:42,370 --> 00:15:43,350 to day. You know? 458 00:15:43,809 --> 00:15:44,309 So, 459 00:15:44,690 --> 00:15:46,610 you know, the next two to three years, 460 00:15:46,610 --> 00:15:49,730 I'm focusing on, developing as a servant leader. 461 00:15:49,730 --> 00:15:52,049 Right? That's the model that's always been taught 462 00:15:52,049 --> 00:15:53,190 to me in the military 463 00:15:53,764 --> 00:15:55,845 and the boy scout and the boy scout 464 00:15:55,845 --> 00:15:57,384 leader. You know? All these things. 465 00:15:58,245 --> 00:16:00,985 Place yourself in the role where you are 466 00:16:01,445 --> 00:16:03,304 leading by example and 467 00:16:04,085 --> 00:16:06,884 functioning to as a caretaker of the people 468 00:16:06,884 --> 00:16:08,325 around you, not only the patient, but the 469 00:16:08,325 --> 00:16:09,465 people in your staff 470 00:16:09,819 --> 00:16:11,519 to give them the things they need 471 00:16:11,980 --> 00:16:13,740 to be successful to do the things they 472 00:16:13,740 --> 00:16:16,059 want to do. And then, you know, also, 473 00:16:16,059 --> 00:16:17,519 you know, stay current with 474 00:16:18,139 --> 00:16:19,600 some knowledge, equipments, 475 00:16:20,699 --> 00:16:22,079 skill sets. You know? 476 00:16:22,445 --> 00:16:24,845 I think c can be an answer. You 477 00:16:24,845 --> 00:16:26,065 know, like, I'll do 478 00:16:26,605 --> 00:16:28,205 I think I do about ninety hours of 479 00:16:28,205 --> 00:16:30,365 c a year, which is way more than 480 00:16:30,365 --> 00:16:31,424 the average person. 481 00:16:31,884 --> 00:16:33,644 But you also get the benefit of being 482 00:16:33,804 --> 00:16:35,964 the benefit from organized dentistry if you go 483 00:16:35,964 --> 00:16:38,144 to these participate in organized dentistry. 484 00:16:38,580 --> 00:16:40,180 You go to these meetings, and you get 485 00:16:40,180 --> 00:16:42,519 surrounded by people that are you'd be surprised. 486 00:16:42,980 --> 00:16:44,660 You're not you may work in an office 487 00:16:44,660 --> 00:16:46,519 by yourself all day long. 488 00:16:47,220 --> 00:16:48,740 You go to these meetings, and there's a 489 00:16:48,740 --> 00:16:50,660 thousand people that are doing exactly the same 490 00:16:50,660 --> 00:16:51,879 thing working by themselves 491 00:16:52,464 --> 00:16:54,384 all day long. And they are very bright 492 00:16:54,384 --> 00:16:56,705 and very motivated, and they've got solutions to 493 00:16:56,705 --> 00:16:57,205 problems 494 00:16:57,745 --> 00:17:00,004 you don't even know you had. Though, 495 00:17:00,784 --> 00:17:01,684 for me personally, 496 00:17:02,144 --> 00:17:03,745 I think I focus on that. In the 497 00:17:03,745 --> 00:17:05,184 next two to three years, if I think 498 00:17:05,184 --> 00:17:06,599 there's one thing I could continue to do 499 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:08,380 or people could continue to do 500 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,339 would be to get high quality continuing education 501 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:13,480 and focus on, 502 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,440 on becoming a better clinician, a better person, 503 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,799 a better person to work with in in 504 00:17:19,799 --> 00:17:20,539 the office. 505 00:17:21,244 --> 00:17:22,924 That would that, I think, will pay off 506 00:17:22,924 --> 00:17:23,664 in spades. 507 00:17:24,365 --> 00:17:25,105 You know? 508 00:17:25,565 --> 00:17:26,884 That's where I put most of my energy. 509 00:17:26,884 --> 00:17:28,125 I think that's in the next two to 510 00:17:28,125 --> 00:17:30,144 three years, a huge opportunity for people. 511 00:17:30,924 --> 00:17:32,045 Well, that is all I have for you 512 00:17:32,045 --> 00:17:34,445 today, doctor Anderson. Such a great conversation. So 513 00:17:34,445 --> 00:17:36,159 thank you so much for joining us. Definitely 514 00:17:36,159 --> 00:17:37,799 been a pleasure speaking with you and learning 515 00:17:37,799 --> 00:17:39,640 more about some of the issues you're following 516 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:41,079 in the industry. So I'm looking forward to 517 00:17:41,079 --> 00:17:42,619 connecting with you again in the future. 518 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:44,279 Yeah. That'd be great. Thank you so much 519 00:17:44,279 --> 00:17:45,339 for having me on.