1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,560 Hi, everyone. This is Lucas Voss with Becker's 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:04,160 Healthcare. Thanks so much for tuning in to 3 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,599 the Becker's Healthcare podcast series. It's great to 4 00:00:07,599 --> 00:00:10,960 have you excited for today's discussion from Pilots 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:11,779 to Making 6 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:13,299 Lab Management 7 00:00:13,934 --> 00:00:16,494 stick. And joining me for today's discussion, also 8 00:00:16,494 --> 00:00:18,675 very excited to have him, is Brandon Belfort. 9 00:00:18,814 --> 00:00:21,154 He's the vice president of procurement at Heartland 10 00:00:21,214 --> 00:00:22,894 Dental. Brandon, thanks so much for being here 11 00:00:22,894 --> 00:00:25,614 today. Hey, Lucas. Yeah. Thanks for having me. 12 00:00:25,614 --> 00:00:27,054 And for those that might not know you, 13 00:00:27,054 --> 00:00:28,710 I do wanna start off with introductions 14 00:00:29,170 --> 00:00:31,169 for everyone. Could you just give us an 15 00:00:31,169 --> 00:00:33,009 overview or share a little bit about yourself 16 00:00:33,009 --> 00:00:34,629 and and your work at Heartland? 17 00:00:35,649 --> 00:00:38,449 Sure. Happy to. So, yeah, I've been with 18 00:00:38,449 --> 00:00:39,189 with Heartland, 19 00:00:39,890 --> 00:00:42,549 going on almost eleven years now, and, 20 00:00:43,664 --> 00:00:46,164 had the pleasure of a great opportunity 21 00:00:46,945 --> 00:00:50,304 to stand up our strategic sourcing organization and 22 00:00:50,304 --> 00:00:52,145 and build it kind of from the ground 23 00:00:52,145 --> 00:00:53,684 up with leadership from 24 00:00:54,064 --> 00:00:56,679 doctor Workman and Pat Bauer, our CEO, and 25 00:00:56,679 --> 00:00:59,320 then my boss, our chief growth officer, Mark 26 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:00,460 Greenstein, has been 27 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,719 alongside in a great team. So, yeah, we 28 00:01:03,719 --> 00:01:04,219 we 29 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:05,260 have 30 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:06,459 the 31 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:07,340 responsibility 32 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,019 of managing all of our supplier partner relationships 33 00:01:11,685 --> 00:01:13,465 and and making sure that 34 00:01:14,004 --> 00:01:16,325 our supported doctors and teams get the best 35 00:01:16,325 --> 00:01:16,825 deals 36 00:01:17,204 --> 00:01:19,284 out there and and have everything they need 37 00:01:19,284 --> 00:01:19,944 to deliver, 38 00:01:20,405 --> 00:01:22,504 the highest quality patient care every day. 39 00:01:23,045 --> 00:01:24,405 Yeah. I'm so excited to have you on 40 00:01:24,405 --> 00:01:26,150 because that's certainly what you just described is 41 00:01:26,150 --> 00:01:29,030 certainly not an easy feed for over 1,900 42 00:01:29,030 --> 00:01:29,930 supportive practices 43 00:01:30,310 --> 00:01:31,450 across the country. 44 00:01:31,909 --> 00:01:33,510 And I I do wanna start off with 45 00:01:33,510 --> 00:01:34,950 sort of laying the baseline for this, and 46 00:01:34,950 --> 00:01:36,390 I think this is a great starter for 47 00:01:36,390 --> 00:01:37,130 the conversation. 48 00:01:37,754 --> 00:01:39,694 When you think about affordability 49 00:01:40,234 --> 00:01:42,015 for those supportive practices, 50 00:01:42,875 --> 00:01:46,174 what's your team's approach? What's Heartland's approach to 51 00:01:46,474 --> 00:01:49,754 sourcing dental supplies and lab services, everything that's 52 00:01:49,754 --> 00:01:51,674 needed, right? And and how do you balance 53 00:01:51,674 --> 00:01:53,799 that cost with with that consistency 54 00:01:54,259 --> 00:01:56,920 and and quality and also practice autonomy? 55 00:01:58,019 --> 00:02:00,099 Yeah. Well, you you hit on you hit 56 00:02:00,099 --> 00:02:02,899 on everything there, Lucas. So, you know, we 57 00:02:02,899 --> 00:02:04,759 we view everything from 58 00:02:05,245 --> 00:02:08,284 a true best value perspective. So it's, you 59 00:02:08,284 --> 00:02:09,264 know, all things 60 00:02:09,884 --> 00:02:12,444 when we're sourcing anything across all areas of 61 00:02:12,444 --> 00:02:14,444 our business, it's you know, we look at 62 00:02:14,444 --> 00:02:14,944 cost, 63 00:02:15,645 --> 00:02:16,784 quality, delivery, 64 00:02:17,659 --> 00:02:20,379 and, you know, strategic partnerships in in the 65 00:02:20,379 --> 00:02:21,840 truest sense where, 66 00:02:22,460 --> 00:02:23,280 you know, we 67 00:02:23,740 --> 00:02:24,879 wanna deal with, 68 00:02:25,580 --> 00:02:28,719 you know, supplier partners who are true partners 69 00:02:28,780 --> 00:02:31,520 with us. But from a a clinical standpoint, 70 00:02:31,580 --> 00:02:32,879 when we're talking about 71 00:02:33,365 --> 00:02:37,205 supplies, labs, equipment, everything that's used in patient 72 00:02:37,205 --> 00:02:37,705 care, 73 00:02:38,245 --> 00:02:40,564 that truly starts and stops with our clinical 74 00:02:40,564 --> 00:02:42,425 council. They lead us through it. 75 00:02:42,805 --> 00:02:44,664 They're a group of our 76 00:02:45,044 --> 00:02:46,185 deeply experienced 77 00:02:47,050 --> 00:02:48,669 Heartland supported providers, 78 00:02:49,610 --> 00:02:52,189 and they're experts in all of the categories. 79 00:02:52,569 --> 00:02:54,590 And and they really lead us through 80 00:02:55,289 --> 00:02:55,789 evaluating 81 00:02:56,169 --> 00:02:57,069 those products, 82 00:02:57,370 --> 00:02:59,925 and they give us the thumbs up before 83 00:02:59,925 --> 00:03:01,784 we go negotiate anything 84 00:03:02,165 --> 00:03:05,045 that those products and those lab partners and 85 00:03:05,045 --> 00:03:06,905 and supplier partners are 86 00:03:07,444 --> 00:03:08,425 truly worthy 87 00:03:08,805 --> 00:03:09,625 of being, 88 00:03:10,245 --> 00:03:11,844 in our in our terms, we call them 89 00:03:11,844 --> 00:03:12,745 diamond trusted. 90 00:03:13,389 --> 00:03:14,930 So being diamond trusted, 91 00:03:15,709 --> 00:03:19,310 products and services to to support those 3,000 92 00:03:19,310 --> 00:03:21,709 plus doctors and and as you said, 19 93 00:03:21,870 --> 00:03:23,810 over 1,900 offices today. 94 00:03:24,590 --> 00:03:26,590 I do wanna touch on that diamond trusted 95 00:03:26,590 --> 00:03:27,969 piece a little bit more. 96 00:03:28,655 --> 00:03:29,715 How is that designation 97 00:03:30,254 --> 00:03:32,254 earned, and and why it's why is it 98 00:03:32,254 --> 00:03:34,514 important to have a designation like this? 99 00:03:35,534 --> 00:03:37,375 Yeah. It's a great question. From the time 100 00:03:37,375 --> 00:03:38,275 doctor Workman, 101 00:03:38,894 --> 00:03:41,534 you know, started Heartland Dental and and founded 102 00:03:41,534 --> 00:03:43,474 Heartland Dental, it's always been 103 00:03:44,210 --> 00:03:45,110 doctor led. 104 00:03:45,569 --> 00:03:46,069 And, 105 00:03:47,250 --> 00:03:47,750 before 106 00:03:48,209 --> 00:03:51,030 our strategic sourcing or our procurement team, 107 00:03:51,810 --> 00:03:53,990 before we enter into any negotiations 108 00:03:54,370 --> 00:03:55,909 with any clinical supplier, 109 00:03:56,665 --> 00:03:59,004 Our clinical counsel leads us through, 110 00:03:59,784 --> 00:04:01,004 a clinical evaluation 111 00:04:01,465 --> 00:04:02,844 by truly using 112 00:04:03,625 --> 00:04:06,125 those products and and those lab services 113 00:04:06,425 --> 00:04:07,885 in their offices 114 00:04:08,425 --> 00:04:09,165 every day. 115 00:04:10,025 --> 00:04:11,300 And then they 116 00:04:11,599 --> 00:04:13,540 come to us and say, okay. 117 00:04:14,479 --> 00:04:17,279 This product or this lab service has the 118 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,660 clinical efficacy to to earn the Diamond Trusted 119 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:21,220 status 120 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,319 within Heartland Dental, and then that gives our 121 00:04:24,319 --> 00:04:25,514 team the green light 122 00:04:26,475 --> 00:04:27,694 to then go negotiate 123 00:04:27,995 --> 00:04:31,215 with those suppliers to get, in our view, 124 00:04:31,675 --> 00:04:32,735 you know, the the 125 00:04:33,275 --> 00:04:34,254 best price 126 00:04:34,555 --> 00:04:35,855 and best terms 127 00:04:36,314 --> 00:04:36,814 that 128 00:04:37,514 --> 00:04:39,134 we as as the largest 129 00:04:40,349 --> 00:04:42,449 end user and buyer of, 130 00:04:42,829 --> 00:04:44,750 you know, I guess, outside of maybe the 131 00:04:44,750 --> 00:04:45,490 US government 132 00:04:46,110 --> 00:04:49,469 of, dental supplies, equipment, lab services in The 133 00:04:49,469 --> 00:04:51,089 US that that we deserve, 134 00:04:51,629 --> 00:04:54,370 you know, that those best deals. So 135 00:04:54,724 --> 00:04:56,324 that's kind of that's kind of the why 136 00:04:56,324 --> 00:04:56,824 behind, 137 00:04:57,685 --> 00:05:00,004 you know, our doctor led philosophy and our 138 00:05:00,004 --> 00:05:01,384 clinical council structure. 139 00:05:02,485 --> 00:05:04,004 Yeah. You talked a little bit about the 140 00:05:04,004 --> 00:05:06,404 collaborative aspect from this. We started off, obviously, 141 00:05:06,404 --> 00:05:08,644 with the procurement piece, which is already a 142 00:05:08,644 --> 00:05:10,620 collaborative process, but also this process. 143 00:05:11,899 --> 00:05:13,819 Right, the the diamond trusted products piece to 144 00:05:13,819 --> 00:05:15,519 this. I'd love to know how you're 145 00:05:16,139 --> 00:05:19,100 incorporating ongoing feedback into this as well and 146 00:05:19,100 --> 00:05:22,139 sort of performance data that that is already 147 00:05:22,139 --> 00:05:24,939 there after something is approved. Right? What does 148 00:05:24,939 --> 00:05:27,824 that process look like to to have an 149 00:05:27,824 --> 00:05:28,324 ongoing, 150 00:05:29,105 --> 00:05:29,605 process? 151 00:05:31,185 --> 00:05:32,805 Yeah. I I I think, 152 00:05:33,665 --> 00:05:35,904 it's it's important if we maybe take a 153 00:05:35,904 --> 00:05:37,204 step back and and 154 00:05:38,350 --> 00:05:39,810 really just tell you how we 155 00:05:40,269 --> 00:05:42,990 how we approach strategic sourcing at Heartland Dental. 156 00:05:42,990 --> 00:05:44,589 And and this is something that, you know, 157 00:05:44,589 --> 00:05:46,830 as I mentioned, Mark and Mark Greenstein and 158 00:05:46,830 --> 00:05:47,330 myself, 159 00:05:48,350 --> 00:05:50,209 really kinda came up with 160 00:05:50,675 --> 00:05:52,514 in dental, which was a little bit, I 161 00:05:52,514 --> 00:05:54,855 think, unique at the time and and installed, 162 00:05:56,194 --> 00:05:58,535 you know, ten or so years ago. But 163 00:05:58,675 --> 00:06:01,334 we really kinda have six levers that 164 00:06:01,634 --> 00:06:03,975 is is how we operate our sourcing, 165 00:06:04,834 --> 00:06:07,790 overall. And and those six levers are, 166 00:06:08,170 --> 00:06:09,230 you know, we're continuously 167 00:06:09,610 --> 00:06:10,670 scanning the market. 168 00:06:11,129 --> 00:06:14,029 We have a clinically valid validated formulary. 169 00:06:14,649 --> 00:06:18,410 We are wildly open to private label products 170 00:06:18,410 --> 00:06:19,069 and offerings. 171 00:06:20,134 --> 00:06:21,675 We negotiate with manufacturers 172 00:06:22,375 --> 00:06:23,194 and distributors. 173 00:06:24,055 --> 00:06:24,555 We 174 00:06:25,014 --> 00:06:26,634 prefer firm fixed pricing. 175 00:06:27,574 --> 00:06:30,475 And all this is enabled by marketplace technology, 176 00:06:30,615 --> 00:06:32,214 which we'll talk about in a little bit, 177 00:06:32,214 --> 00:06:33,014 I think. And, 178 00:06:34,149 --> 00:06:36,410 it's aligned with our doctor compensation. 179 00:06:36,870 --> 00:06:37,370 So 180 00:06:38,069 --> 00:06:39,370 back to your question, 181 00:06:40,230 --> 00:06:42,170 the the first lever is 182 00:06:42,629 --> 00:06:44,490 continuously scanning the market. 183 00:06:45,189 --> 00:06:45,689 And 184 00:06:46,149 --> 00:06:46,470 we 185 00:06:47,035 --> 00:06:49,514 our supported doctors, you know, help us with 186 00:06:49,514 --> 00:06:50,254 this, certainly, 187 00:06:50,795 --> 00:06:53,055 supported hygienists and team members. 188 00:06:53,435 --> 00:06:55,035 We always wanna be up to date with 189 00:06:55,035 --> 00:06:57,375 the latest and greatest innovations in dental 190 00:06:57,995 --> 00:07:00,735 and make sure that, you know, we're investing 191 00:07:00,795 --> 00:07:03,210 where it makes sense. And and our supported 192 00:07:03,210 --> 00:07:04,670 doctors and teams have 193 00:07:05,129 --> 00:07:07,210 the latest and greatest of everything at the 194 00:07:07,210 --> 00:07:09,930 best prices to to deliver that highest quality 195 00:07:09,930 --> 00:07:12,430 patient care. So that's that's our overall approach. 196 00:07:13,529 --> 00:07:16,564 Yeah. Improvement across the process at every single 197 00:07:16,564 --> 00:07:18,084 level, which is so key to be able 198 00:07:18,084 --> 00:07:20,404 to support all of those offices that we've 199 00:07:20,404 --> 00:07:23,044 talked about earlier. And I wanna jump into 200 00:07:23,044 --> 00:07:25,044 this innovation piece that you've talked about, a 201 00:07:25,044 --> 00:07:26,024 little bit here. 202 00:07:26,404 --> 00:07:28,884 You've recently selected Dentaira as the enterprise lab 203 00:07:28,884 --> 00:07:31,500 management platform for your supported offices, 204 00:07:34,060 --> 00:07:36,252 more about the partnership, what made now the 205 00:07:36,252 --> 00:07:36,879 right time to expand that 206 00:07:37,500 --> 00:07:38,000 partnership 207 00:07:38,620 --> 00:07:39,120 specifically, 208 00:07:39,420 --> 00:07:40,800 and sort of what criteria 209 00:07:41,180 --> 00:07:43,286 went into it to say, okay. This is, 210 00:07:43,286 --> 00:07:45,839 you know, enterprise ready, not just good. 211 00:07:47,055 --> 00:07:49,188 Sure. I'll I'll I'll give it I'll give 212 00:07:49,188 --> 00:07:51,375 it a shot. I this is a vision 213 00:07:51,375 --> 00:07:52,095 we've had, 214 00:07:52,495 --> 00:07:55,074 along with some of our doctor leaders for, 215 00:07:55,215 --> 00:07:56,514 you know, a long time. 216 00:07:57,215 --> 00:07:59,295 I think, first and foremost, we we're we're 217 00:07:59,295 --> 00:08:01,795 always committed to finding scalable solutions 218 00:08:02,889 --> 00:08:06,170 that continuously improve our doctor support and and 219 00:08:06,170 --> 00:08:07,310 their patient outcomes. 220 00:08:08,089 --> 00:08:08,589 And 221 00:08:08,970 --> 00:08:11,470 five years ago or so, we selected Dentira, 222 00:08:12,730 --> 00:08:15,370 which is a world class ordering platform for 223 00:08:15,370 --> 00:08:15,870 supplies 224 00:08:16,250 --> 00:08:17,069 at the time 225 00:08:17,704 --> 00:08:19,964 to to give doctors and teams an intuitive 226 00:08:20,185 --> 00:08:22,985 one stop shopping experience for all their dental 227 00:08:22,985 --> 00:08:23,485 supplies. 228 00:08:24,185 --> 00:08:26,745 And, really, what it does is it it 229 00:08:26,745 --> 00:08:27,245 provides 230 00:08:28,504 --> 00:08:31,410 product options at pricing options 231 00:08:31,789 --> 00:08:32,850 that we've negotiated. 232 00:08:33,230 --> 00:08:34,990 But, you know, we try to do our 233 00:08:34,990 --> 00:08:38,110 best to educate doctors on what those diamond 234 00:08:38,110 --> 00:08:40,129 trusted products are through Dentira. 235 00:08:41,070 --> 00:08:43,389 So if we take that to the next 236 00:08:43,389 --> 00:08:43,889 step, 237 00:08:44,894 --> 00:08:46,654 our doctors and teams have come to us 238 00:08:46,654 --> 00:08:48,335 over the years, and they've been looking for 239 00:08:48,335 --> 00:08:49,475 a similar solution 240 00:08:50,254 --> 00:08:51,475 on the lab side. 241 00:08:51,935 --> 00:08:54,435 And, you know, the a solution that 242 00:08:55,055 --> 00:08:58,669 helps with communicating with the labs, helps tracking 243 00:08:58,669 --> 00:08:59,490 the order, 244 00:09:00,350 --> 00:09:02,769 the the case throughout the manufacturing 245 00:09:03,389 --> 00:09:03,889 process. 246 00:09:04,990 --> 00:09:05,490 And 247 00:09:06,269 --> 00:09:07,169 since Dantira 248 00:09:08,110 --> 00:09:10,450 already powered our supplies purchasing, 249 00:09:11,389 --> 00:09:13,490 expanding the partnership to labs, 250 00:09:14,245 --> 00:09:18,584 gives our supported offices a unified platform for 251 00:09:18,964 --> 00:09:20,824 basically all of their clinical needs. 252 00:09:22,164 --> 00:09:22,664 And 253 00:09:23,204 --> 00:09:25,304 as I I mentioned a few things, but 254 00:09:25,684 --> 00:09:26,184 for 255 00:09:26,549 --> 00:09:29,269 3,000 doctors across 1,900 256 00:09:29,269 --> 00:09:29,769 practices, 257 00:09:30,230 --> 00:09:32,730 this gives them one place where they can 258 00:09:33,110 --> 00:09:35,210 order their supplies. They can 259 00:09:36,710 --> 00:09:37,210 track 260 00:09:37,669 --> 00:09:40,009 the lab case throughout the process, 261 00:09:41,365 --> 00:09:42,745 have a predictable 262 00:09:43,205 --> 00:09:44,184 time, and 263 00:09:44,565 --> 00:09:47,545 that that lab case will be delivered back. 264 00:09:47,925 --> 00:09:50,404 They can communicate with all of our diamond 265 00:09:50,404 --> 00:09:52,585 trusted labs in in Dintera. 266 00:09:53,539 --> 00:09:55,379 And then they'll also be able to see 267 00:09:55,379 --> 00:09:55,879 financially, 268 00:09:56,579 --> 00:09:57,320 how they're 269 00:09:58,179 --> 00:09:58,679 spending, 270 00:09:59,379 --> 00:10:01,459 you know, and and performing when it comes 271 00:10:01,459 --> 00:10:03,639 to supply spend and lab spend 272 00:10:04,019 --> 00:10:05,860 and have all of that available at their 273 00:10:05,860 --> 00:10:07,399 fingertips real time. 274 00:10:08,414 --> 00:10:10,575 So, you know, we we really think this 275 00:10:10,575 --> 00:10:12,514 is one of the most advanced, scalable 276 00:10:12,894 --> 00:10:15,634 lab supplies and labs e ecosystems 277 00:10:16,014 --> 00:10:16,754 in dentistry. 278 00:10:18,095 --> 00:10:19,315 Yeah. It's a more holistic 279 00:10:19,855 --> 00:10:22,080 approach to the conversation as well, which is 280 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:23,360 is so key to be able to then 281 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,139 be, as you've mentioned, be scalable 282 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,220 across the board for practices. 283 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:28,420 Now, 284 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:29,460 Brandon, 285 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:32,420 the beauty of your job is in procurement, 286 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,095 right, this isn't going away. Unfortunately, we're always 287 00:10:36,095 --> 00:10:38,495 going to see supply chain volatility most likely, 288 00:10:38,495 --> 00:10:40,915 especially in 2026, but also beyond. 289 00:10:41,695 --> 00:10:43,934 How is your team and how is Heartland 290 00:10:43,934 --> 00:10:46,995 Dental working to maintain that quality and reliability 291 00:10:47,934 --> 00:10:51,870 across the network for those practices in 2026? 292 00:10:52,889 --> 00:10:55,309 Yeah. Yeah. It's it's it's a great question. 293 00:10:56,409 --> 00:10:58,009 The way we the way I think about 294 00:10:58,009 --> 00:11:00,889 it, anyway, we think about it is, you 295 00:11:00,889 --> 00:11:03,470 know, the more and more volatility that 296 00:11:03,865 --> 00:11:04,605 we have experienced 297 00:11:05,465 --> 00:11:07,565 if, you know, we just start with certainly 298 00:11:07,625 --> 00:11:08,125 COVID 299 00:11:08,665 --> 00:11:11,144 and some of the supply chain issues that 300 00:11:11,144 --> 00:11:11,804 that presented, 301 00:11:12,904 --> 00:11:15,565 certainly, you know, the the noise around tariffs 302 00:11:15,945 --> 00:11:18,209 over the last maybe, you know, twelve to 303 00:11:18,209 --> 00:11:20,690 eighteen months. But all of that really kind 304 00:11:20,690 --> 00:11:23,029 of amplifies the importance of 305 00:11:23,809 --> 00:11:25,829 scale and alignment with 306 00:11:26,129 --> 00:11:28,149 our true strategic partners 307 00:11:28,610 --> 00:11:30,709 across all areas of the business. 308 00:11:31,654 --> 00:11:34,315 But, you know, really now more than ever, 309 00:11:34,535 --> 00:11:35,835 our supported doctors 310 00:11:36,695 --> 00:11:37,434 and teams 311 00:11:38,375 --> 00:11:39,274 with the leadership 312 00:11:39,815 --> 00:11:42,235 of our clinical council, our operations 313 00:11:42,615 --> 00:11:44,794 folks, our executive leadership, 314 00:11:45,654 --> 00:11:47,195 and our team, we're 315 00:11:47,709 --> 00:11:50,190 we're doing better and better every day is 316 00:11:50,190 --> 00:11:51,889 truly acting as one. 317 00:11:52,589 --> 00:11:54,690 So when we can align 318 00:11:55,230 --> 00:11:55,970 and drive 319 00:11:56,750 --> 00:11:57,570 our purchasing 320 00:11:58,190 --> 00:12:00,450 to a smaller set of products 321 00:12:01,245 --> 00:12:04,045 and lab services in our world. It's the 322 00:12:04,045 --> 00:12:07,024 Diamond Trusted products and the Diamond Trusted Labs. 323 00:12:07,565 --> 00:12:10,225 This allows our supplier partners 324 00:12:10,605 --> 00:12:11,105 to 325 00:12:12,205 --> 00:12:15,519 predict what they need to provide us and 326 00:12:15,519 --> 00:12:18,500 at what price point. It also allows them 327 00:12:19,039 --> 00:12:21,519 to then strip costs out from their supply 328 00:12:21,519 --> 00:12:24,100 chain and share those savings with us. 329 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,679 So as we continue to to act as 330 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:28,179 one, 331 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:29,220 it'll 332 00:12:29,574 --> 00:12:31,434 continue to allow Heartland Dental 333 00:12:32,054 --> 00:12:35,254 to and our doctors and teams to have 334 00:12:35,254 --> 00:12:37,274 the best and most predictable 335 00:12:37,735 --> 00:12:38,235 prices 336 00:12:38,695 --> 00:12:39,195 available. 337 00:12:40,294 --> 00:12:42,634 And this just, again, fuels 338 00:12:42,934 --> 00:12:46,139 their ability to deliver the highest quality dental 339 00:12:46,139 --> 00:12:46,639 care 340 00:12:47,019 --> 00:12:48,000 to the patients 341 00:12:48,379 --> 00:12:50,480 and their teams and then, you know, ultimately, 342 00:12:50,700 --> 00:12:52,879 the communities that that they serve. 343 00:12:53,820 --> 00:12:55,519 Yeah. It all comes back to the collaborative 344 00:12:55,580 --> 00:12:57,100 nature of everything that we've touched on at 345 00:12:57,100 --> 00:12:58,779 the beginning of the conversation, which then in 346 00:12:58,779 --> 00:13:00,159 turn leads to more stability, 347 00:13:00,725 --> 00:13:02,425 across the network for you. Brandon, 348 00:13:03,045 --> 00:13:04,485 so great to have you. Thanks so much 349 00:13:04,485 --> 00:13:05,925 for being here and taking some time for 350 00:13:05,925 --> 00:13:08,024 us. My pleasure. Thanks, Lucas. 351 00:13:08,404 --> 00:13:09,845 Great to have you. And we also want 352 00:13:09,845 --> 00:13:12,245 to thank our podcast sponsor, Heartland Dental. You 353 00:13:12,245 --> 00:13:14,404 can tune into more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare 354 00:13:14,404 --> 00:13:18,964 by visiting our podcast page at beckershospitalreview.com.