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Hello everyone. I am Ryan Mohammed
with Becker's Hospital Review.

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Thank you for tuning in to the
Becker's Healthcare podcast series.

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Today I am pleased to be joined
by today's speaker, Robert Jamon,

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vice President and Chief Digital
Officer at Heartland Dental. Robert,

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thank you so much for talking
with us today. How are you?

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I'm great, having a great day.

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Perfect. Well,

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could you take a moment to please tell
us about yourself and your role at

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Heartland Dental?

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I can. So the role of, uh,

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chief Digital Officer has various
definitions depending on who you ask.

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So what's interesting is my, my
background, um, really is in healthcare.

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Prior joining Heartland,
uh, in June of 2021,

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I spent about 20 years
in the software, uh,

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consulting industry
supporting client clients,

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primarily in like the manufacturing
and distribution spaces. And, um,

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my area of specialization was what
was historically called, you know,

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quote unquote big data and analytics,

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which is almost a comical
term today as all data is big.

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It's kind of a topic of
our discussion today,

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but what I really specialize in
and what I learned was that, um,

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in my consulting experiences,
that 80 to 85% of,

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of company challenges can typically be
solved through something that you can buy

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commercially available software.
And it's that 15 to 20%, um,

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that usually is very data centric,
um, that makes a company special.

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So I met Heartland while
I was in the consulting

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business. Heartland was actually
my customer. So in 2018,

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while serving as an executive
at a mid-market consulting firm,

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I was introduced to Heartland,
and it's kind of a funny story.

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It's by a large software partner.
And, um, they said to me, well,

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this dental, this dental practice
needs some analytics software. And, um,

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I said, okay, what's the
name of the dental practice?

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And you could kind of see that where
this is going. I looked up the quote,

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dental practice and it was the largest
D s o, uh, in the United States. And,

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um, I started researching the
company and met the organization,

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um, at that time the finance
leadership. And I thought, holy cow,

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what a special place and
what a unique opportunity.

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So if I fast forward a little
bit to 2021, I had left,

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uh, the, the, the,

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the firm that I had worked for and
written letters to my customers, uh,

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about what's next in my journey.
And one of those customers,

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Heartland and Heartland called
me and said, Hey, would,

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would you think about joining us? And I
said, gosh, okay, what would I do? And,

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um, there was this new role. So I helped
design the chief digital officer role.

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And the way that I'll
describe it is very simple.

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There is two types of technology when
you think of it, uh, through the,

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through the job. There's
mode one, mode two,

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mode one is what you think about when
you think about traditional it, uh,

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laptops, fixing computers,
infrastructure, uh,

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those types of traditional
IT type technologies in MO
two is really what we call

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transformation technology. And that's
really the application of software,

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the application of technology
to solve business problems.

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So I came on as chief digital officer
to help transform the organization,

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which means how we do work, but also how
we solve problems through technology.

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And that's what I focus on.

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Wow. Thank you so much for
sharing all that information. Um,

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and with that background in mind,

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we could jump right into our
conversation today. Um, so RJ,

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to get the ball rolling,

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can you tell us what are some ways
Dennis can use data to personalize

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and improve patient care?

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I can, I think before I answer this,
we should talk a little bit about,

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about the Heartland philosophy. So
Heartland Dental is, is doctor led.

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So the doctor is the
leader, um, uh, hard stop.

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So we see the world through the lens of
how we can support our doctors and their

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teams to best provide care to their
patients. So when we talk about data, um,

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and harnessing the power of data,
and we do it through that lens,

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and I would use the analogy of a
co-pilot. So the doctor is the pilot,

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our use of data compliments complement
their clinical skill sets to help them

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provide the highest level
care to their patients,

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kind of like a co-pilot and airplane.
So that's how we see the world.

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So setting that foundation, we then
have to talk about, well, what's data?

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So data comes in many forms. When
people usually think about data, they,

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they limit their thinking to like a
transaction that answers the question of

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like, what happened?
I'll give you an example.

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So if I go to the dentist
and I get diagnosed with a
cavity and that cavity gets

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filled, that that's a
transaction that happened.

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And that's data and recording of that
type of data is important cuz it allows

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for things like operational reporting,
trend analysis in some cases,

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predictions, those types of things.
But that said, it, it really, it,

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what's most important is the,
the broad ecosystem of data.

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So when you combine different types of
data, I'll give an example in a moment,

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um, into a single ecosystem that, that,

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that results in better decisions. Uh,

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now you're really doing something
special example is images.

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So a transaction is data, images are
data. You can do things with both.

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And it's the combination of those
data types that truly lead to,

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to leveraging data as an asset. Um,

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to answer your question, uh,
I'll give two examples, uh,

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as to ways that dentists can use
data to improve patient care.

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I'll give you a direct example
and an indirect example.

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The direct example is very
straightforward. Clinical ai,

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clinical AI technologies that apply
AI engines to support diagnosis and

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predictive outcomes. They,

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they clearly can support doctors in
preventing misdiagnosis and helping,

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helping the patient themselves actually
understand the importance of a given

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procedure, how it can affect their future,
how it can affect their oral health.

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And in some cases we'll get
to this later, I think, um,

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how it can affect their overall
healthcare. So that has that,

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that that's like a game changer. It's a
very direct example. Indirect example,

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and, and stick with me for a minute.

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One could argue that patient
care is indirectly, frankly,

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or directly impacted by the staff
within a practice. So when you look,

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you look at a statistic, something
like 66% of dentists sites,

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staffing is their biggest challenge.
Well, when you dig into that,

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there are many reasons for staffing
challenges related to the external

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environment. That said,

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data can be used to provide a
better experience for the staff.

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So help them make better decisions, focus
on the tasks that are most important,

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and automate tasks that
are just plain tedious.

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So this not only has the
potential to help reduce turnover,

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but also improve culture with directly
or indirectly supports patient care.

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Wonderful. I love how you said it
is doctor led to start off with.

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Um,

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and that information might come in handy
because the next thing that I wanted to

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ask you actually is can you touch on
why Heartland Dental supported dentist,

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uh, have an advantage when it comes
to accessing data driven technologies?

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Yeah, my, my reactive answer to
to the question is, is simple.

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It's because we're a data-driven company.
Um, I, I'm an analytical guy. Um, I,

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I spent a career in the, in
the, in the software world, uh,

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implementing analytical technologies.
But when I came to Harland, I,

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I literally was overwhelmed by the level
of analysis that goes into supporting

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our doctors and their teams. Um,

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whether it be emerging clinical AI
technologies that we just spoke about, um,

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the AI we use in our, in
our call centers to, um,

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to help score and prioritize calls
the deep payer mix optimization

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analysis performed by our payer team to
help our doctors understand the optimal

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mix of, of insurance, um,

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our ability to re reduce supply costs
or data-driven supply chain platforms.

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The, the, that there's
many, many ways in which,

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in which we heartland, uh,
leverage data. I think,

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I think the difference,

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the primary difference between
Heartland and other organizations,

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whether it be in healthcare or outside
of healthcare, is we don't just,

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we don't just present data,
we don't build reports,

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we don't do all those things
for the sake of doing them.

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We very specifically align
our data strategy to our core

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operations systems.

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And it's an important concept
that when I say operation systems,

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I'm not talking about anything
related to technology. When I say,

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when I say operation systems, I'm
talking about the fundamental systems,

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the processes that we know support our
doctors and their personal mission to de

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deliver outstanding
patient care. So that's,

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that's the processes that
they follow. We align,

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align our data strategy with those
operational systems and that's very,

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very important cuz that alignment between
the business process and technology is

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what makes us successful. And, um, our
supported doctors have an advantage,

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frankly, because we embed data
into our operation systems. It's,

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it's the d n A of what we do.

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That is great. Thank you
so much for that insight.

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And since Heartland Dental is a
data-driven company, as you said,

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how is Heartland Dental helping
supportive practices tap into the full

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benefits of the data
that is being generated?

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I I, I love this question and the,
the answer really lies in our,

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in our long-term strategy.
So if you think about Harlan,

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we support over 1700 practices across
the United States. That is a lot of data.

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If we go back to my earlier comment
about me going to the dentist and,

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and having a, a, a cavity, uh, uh, filled,

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that's w think about how many times that
happens in a given day across the 1700

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practice footprint. We can
collect that data all day long,

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but none of it really matters unless
we turn it into actionable information.

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That's the difference.
So our initial strategy,

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our initial data strategy was just that,

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collect the data and form a single
trusted version of the truth.

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What is trusted version of the truth?

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It means that anybody can
look at a certain dataset,

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a K P I a number if you will,
and trust it and say, okay,

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if RJ comes to a meeting,
he presents data and if, if,

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if Nicole comes to a meeting, they
present data, it's the same data.

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And so our initial strategy
was to get to that,

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get to that foundation
and collect the data,

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form the single version of the truth.

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And as time goes on and that
data grows and grows and grows,

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now once you have that
data and, and more of it,

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you can now report on the business
from the most macro level down to the

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clinical procedure level,
right? So you can say,

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I can report at the most executive level
and then it can get down to the detail

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level, and that's nothing
new. Historically,

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people would call that data
warehousing. Um, but in my view,

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that's somewhat a myopic definition or
myopic view of the potential use cases

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for data.

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The broader opportunity and the
strategy that we adopted at Heartland is

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embarking on taking all that data.

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So now we have it years and years of
data and transforming it from a system of

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record to what we call a
system of engagement. So I'll
tell you what that means.

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The technologies we're deploying
now will not simply report the news,

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so to speak, of what happened or
what isn't happening in the office,

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but will what will actually help
optimize operations in the office?

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You suggested suggested non-clinical
action. Well, what does that mean?

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I'll be a very simple
example. Think of it this way.

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Imagine if you came to work every
day and you sat down and the

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system, the technology system told you,
Hey, you do these five things today,

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you're gonna have a really good day.
So I'm oversimplifying it. But if you,

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for example, are a business
assistant in a dental practice,

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you're tacit many things.

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It takes you six months to get ramped
up on your job and it's a hard job.

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And if I have that business
assistant come to work,

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sit down and have a system,
a technology system again,

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that aligns with those
operation systems and says, Hey,

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focus on these things today, you're
probably gonna have a good day.

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So we're taking data and we're,

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we're using it to suggest
action to folks to optimize

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their job, make their lives easier,
basically. And that's the difference.

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Rj I love how you spoke about the
future of the company and what

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you're doing because if we could
expand a little bit more on that, um,

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for you,

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how do you see data-driven technologies
impacting the dental industry in

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the next three to five years or so?

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Yeah, so what my first reaction is,
wow, like three to five years is a,

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is a pretty long horizon when,

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especially considering the accelerator
rate of change in, in technology.

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Um, that said, I,

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I think there's a few trends that that
will impact our industry and it'll be

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really fascinating to watch.
So, uh, clinical AI OG will,

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will continue to evolve
augmented by operational ai
and I'll explain what I mean

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by that. So I,

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I personally still believe we're in the
early stages of clinical AI technology.

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Um, we've piloted various solutions
and we're seeing promising results.

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But as it advances, i
I, I believe there'll,

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there'll be some sort of natural
consolidation of technologies among AI

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companies in the industry. So we
should keep watching for, for ai.

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I also think, and this goes back to the
comment about all the data that we have,

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that there'll be new AI technologies,

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new AI technologies that will
impact operational efficiencies.

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So not just from the clinical side,
but from the operational side. Um,

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and a few things come to mind.

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Revenue cycle management for
automated payment processing, uh,

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the use of artificial intelligence
to predict claims adjudication,

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all of those things are possible with
the technology that we have today.

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So I would say watch ai. Uh,

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the second would be cloud-based
practice management software, um,

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at the enterprise D S O
level. What do I mean by that?

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So the shift to the cloud is
really a question of when, uh,

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not if for every company, um, for for
certain aspects of their business,

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it's dental is no different. Um,

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I think there's somewhat of a historical
aversion to cloud based on perception,

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uh, of security risks and the challenges
of perhaps migrating from traditional

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solutions into the cloud. And those are
all things that have to be studied and,

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and figured out. But cloud
adoption will continue, um,

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as it's key to data interoperability
and the bigger picture,

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which is gonna be my my third
point, and this is a really big one,

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but three to five years is a long time. I,

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I would say closer alignment
on medical and dental.

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And from a technology perspective,

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technology will serve as an
enabler here. And we'll continue,

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continue to see advanced advancement in
solving for a single integrated patient

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record across healthcare data management
technologies offered through the

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hyperscalers. Wanna
talk about hyperscaler,

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I mean like the Googles of the world,
the Amazons of the world, the, the, uh,

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the Microsofts of the world that they'll
enable this through their partnerships

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with dental practice
management software providers.

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And that goes back to this enormous
amount of data in what you can do with it.

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And at the end of the day, advance
advancements in data technology,

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it's just gonna allow for
closer correlations between
oral health and overall

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health. So I think that
the, the, it's not just a,

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an an evolution of
technology in dentistry.

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I think it's an evolution
of technology in healthcare.

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That is great. Rj,

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you've given some great information on
what Harland Dental is currently doing

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and what you're going to do.
Um, but before I let you go,

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I was wondering if you can give a few
tips for dental professionals out there to

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get ahead of the curve
with technology changes?

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Yeah, and um, <laugh>, I'm not sure I'm
a hundred percent qualified for this,

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but I I have a few thoughts. I'll share
a few thoughts. So first I would say,

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um, keep an open mind and be
men mentally flexible. Um,

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technology can be, can be hard,
it can change quickly. Um,

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in some cases it can be intimidating
though that's not the intent. Um,

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study the external environment and be
aware of what's coming. There's a, there,

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there's, there's, it is very easy to,

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to look up trends in
technology and dentistry.

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Just be aware of that external
environment and study it. Um,

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the second I would say
is practice discernment.

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And coming from a technology leader,
this may seem a little a little off,

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but technology for the sake of technology
rarely works out well, <laugh>.

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So don't be afraid to ask questions.
Point out new opportunities and challenge.

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One of the things that we're very big
on at Heartland is feedback. And often,

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often, uh,

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pe we deploy technologies and the only
way we're truly successful with it is if

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we get that feedback from
the people that are using it.

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So practice the sermon and
give feedback. And the third,

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um, I'll call it dare to dream. And,

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and this is a healthy
exercise for anybody.

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Take a blank piece of
paper and write down,

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imagine if with the ellipse
at the end. So imagine if,

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and then periodically come back to that
piece of paper and finish the sentence

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to the lens of technology. Imagine
if I could do this in my daily job.

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Write it down and talk your technology
teams and your and your partners about

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it. Cuz you never know.

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And I'll give a specific example of
this came up in my job last week.

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I was speaking to our operational
leadership and they were talking about way

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back to the beginning of our discussion
about when I was working as a consulting

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partner to Heartland.

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And we were talking about this data
strategy and I was listening and,

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and one of the operations
leaders commented on, um,

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what she thought this system would do.
And I said, whoa, wait, wait, hold on,

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tell me that again. What did you
think back in 2018 that this system,

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this data system would do? She said, well,

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I thought I could just ask it a
question, it would gimme an answer.

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And she laughed and I
thought about it all weekend.

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And the reason I thought about it all
weekend is that is what her concept was

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back in 2018. And if you now
look at emerging technologies,

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we all probably hear
about in the news chat,

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G P T and all these advanced AI
technologies. What she wants,

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what she thought the system would
do is what systems will do, uh,

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now and in the future. So when I
say dare to dream, ask the question,

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finish the sentence.

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Imagine if you never know what data-driven
technology is going to be able to

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enable.

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Those were amazing tips. Um,

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and that is all the questions
that I have for you today.

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So I wanna thank you RJ for your time
and thought provoking responses. Um,

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we also wanna thank our podcast sponsor
Heartland Dental and you can tune into

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00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:04,400
more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare
by visiting our podcast page at becker's

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00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:07,360
hospital review.com. Thank
you again, rj. You're welcome.