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This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
I'm thrilled today to be joined by Vimo, but Nger,
chief Operating Officer of Empire Dental Arts. Vimo,
it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
Thank you, Laura. It's a pleasure to be with you.
Now. I'm excited for our conversation today.
I know the dental industry is so much happening in a lot of buzz around where
things are headed and in technology as well as, you know,
the different dental space and making sure people have care that they need.
But before we dive into my questions,
could you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your background?
Yeah, absolutely. So, um, I, uh, I,
I'm currently a Chief Operating Officer at Empire Dental Arts. Um,
and I got my start in dentistry in 2009.
So I had really no intention of going and been in dentistry, uh,
in the beginning. But, um, I, uh, started to, um,
I actually started working with a friend of mine out in Colorado, um, at, uh,
peak Dental Services. And, um,
initially kind of thinking it was gonna be a combination. I,
I have a legal background of sort of legal and operational,
but it actually shifted a lot more to the operational side of dental,
and I just loved it. Um, and, uh,
helped that organization at its very start, kind of, you know, progressed from,
you know, a couple practices from a single practice to a couple practices. And,
um, and then from then on, um,
I ended up moving back to the Cleveland area where I currently am, and, uh,
started to work for a few of the, uh, DSOs here, uh,
dental service organizations. And then, um,
eventually in 2018 made my shift over to, uh, empire Dental.
Oh, that's amazing. And, and definitely I could imagine that background.
You know,
over the years you've seen a lot of different changes in the industry and, um,
exciting that, that you're able to take them into your current role. And,
you know, I know we're in a, a unique place in healthcare right now. Um,
just given that what we've been through during the pandemic and now, you know,
some of the after effects of that. Um,
so what are some of the biggest issues that you're following right now?
What's really a top of mind for you?
So, you know, being a leader in the dental field is really no easy task. Uh,
I think there's a lot of, uh, aspects that I think we're,
it's really important to keep eye our eye on, especially post pandemic.
You mentioned such, such things as, um, the,
the technology changes in our industry. And I think for me,
I think that's one of the biggest things that I'm,
I'm trying to keep track of and I, and I think are really exciting. Um,
things like 3D printing for dental prosthetics,
things like dentures and stuff like that, AI is a big thing. Um,
digital imaging. Um, and I think what's what's really important is that,
you know, is an issue for us right now is to keep track of those. Um,
I think they can, all of those things are, are hugely important,
are making major inroads in our, in our industry,
and I can certainly make a big difference in patient outcomes. And, you know,
and generally speaking about patients, I think another issue I'm just really,
you know, keeping track of is, um, just, you know, how, how their,
um, sophistication has changed over time. Uh, you know, there's,
there people are more informed,
there's more opportunities to get information about, you know,
treatment options. And I think that's, that's all a very good thing. Um, and as,
and as people go along, they expect better things like transparent pricing, um,
convenience scheduling, and more personalized care.
And I think as leaders in the industry,
we just have to make sure that we're adapting to these changes and to continue
to improve, um, on their experiences. Um,
another big thing I think for, for me, especially, I think,
and I think it can't be,
you can't have any conversation about issues in the healthcare industry or in
the dental industry without talking about it, is, um, the tight labor market.
Um, you know, we are having a very tough time,
and I think it's across the board and with my colleagues and finding, you know,
finding and, and keeping qualified talent. Um, and, you know,
I think what,
what this is stimulating is much more conversations about creating more
supportive work environment, um,
where there's plenty of opport opportunities for professional development. Um,
and then I think, you know, uh, really, you know, a couple other things,
I think, you know, one of the things that we always can't forget,
and it's always part of business,
but I think it's become particularly important over the past couple years,
is the value of financial management. Um, costs are on the rise.
I think they're, they're affecting all of us in so many different ways.
As you know, I'm sure you know, Laura,
and I think it's important for us to get a firm grasp on our budgeting,
understand the ins and outs of insurance reimbursements, and really, uh, do a,
a better job than I think we've,
we've done maybe historically in managing our expenses effectively.
And then finally, I think, you know, uh, an issue that I,
I I'm particularly interested in,
I think it's going to have a lot of effect on how we do dentistry in the future.
Um, Beyonce, some of the technology things that I discussed earlier is just, um,
the,
the increasing understanding of the connection between oral health and systemic
health. Um, it's, it's becoming much more clear. And I think that, um, we,
if we say abreast of these findings, I think we're gonna have a lot of,
of better opportunities to incorporate this knowledge into our practices and
really educate our patients about it.
Absolutely. I think that's a great point. And you have such a,
a great list of things to keep an eye on, you know, and I,
I definitely wanna dig deeper just into a couple of the different themes you
talked about. Um, especially, you know, as you were just mentioning,
the increasing awareness of the connection between overall health and oral
health.
And then you talked as well about more informed patients and wanting more
personalized care. I can imagine that integration, um,
o of the dental healthcare into overall healthcare is just something that,
you know, obviously, uh, at a a broader level, you know,
it takes time to make changes and policy changes and those kinds of things,
but mm-hmm. , how are you connecting with patients in really, uh,
you know, bringing that to light and, and what can, I guess, uh,
dental groups do, even on the individual level to, um,
really just stress the importance of oral health and, um, make connections, um,
within their community to, to foster better care for patients overall?
Yeah, absolutely. No, that's a great question. I, you know, I think,
I think one of the things that, from a business perspective, I,
I can start with at least, is I think it's important that we understand that,
you know, relationships are key to how we continue to, you know,
grow our practices and, you know, build, build you our patient bases.
Um, because, you know, as, as, as you mentioned, you know, pa patients are,
are looking for, for more information.
And I think the more that we can be able to, to prioritize education, um,
and,
and I think not just educating our patients to how dentistry operates or how
their specific treatment plan might be to affect them, it's also, uh,
how we educate our providers, um, and our team members,
what are the things that we're putting behind them to help them get more, more,
um, you know, more abreast of the changes in the, in the industry, um, but also,
uh, and particularly some of those clinical changes so that they can be more
confident in communicating that information to patients. Um,
I also think too that, that for patients, you know,
they're looking for convenience. You know, we, we, we talk about, um,
a lot about, about, you know, how to get patients scheduled.
And I think for all these dental practices out there,
I think they have to start to look at ways that they can improve the convenience
of scheduling. Um, we, we are, you know,
prioritizing things like online scheduling, um, over and above,
say the traditional call calling and scheduling at our offices.
And it's mainly because that's what most people do for everything else, right?
I mean, all of our lives is pretty much, you know, oriented towards the, the,
the, the quick and easy ability to do things through online systems.
And so I think dental practices that can adapt to that more easily are ones that
are going to just, you know, sort of adhere more to patient needs. Um,
and then I also think that, you know, for dental practices,
because we have a shifting market, and you know,
as I kind of talked a little bit about some of the financial needs of, of the,
of the industry, I think we have to also be, be really conscientious about, um,
about keeping patients in our practices.
So developing loyalty programs, uh, membership programs, you know,
there's a lot of organizations out there that can help support, uh,
dental practices in doing that all are,
are key and important just to help patients feel that, you know, they've,
when they've joined your practice,
that they're continuing to make the right choice for their care for now and,
and in the future.
Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. You know, and I,
I really appreciate you talking through that because it's just such an important
part and shift,
I know in the industry to think differently about connecting with patients. And,
um, like you,
you were talking about how to keep them in their practices and keeping them
engaged and, and really, um,
overall prioritizing how you can educate them and, and,
uh, you know, have better healthcare overall. So I,
I think the next question I have is what are you most excited about and what
makes you nervous? I know we've talked through a few different points here that,
um, are, are kind of positives as well as,
as aspects of the industry that are a little bit more challenging right now.
So just love to hear your thoughts on what's exciting and what makes you
nervous.
Oh, absolutely. So, you know, honestly, the most exciting thing for me is ai.
Um, I think that, you know,
I think AI holds a tremendous amount of potential for our industry. I mean,
you know, we've got things such as improved diagnostics. I mean,
if you think about it, you know, for a long time, you know, you get x-rays,
you're coming into the office, and, and now we have the, the capacity,
and I know there's a lot of organizations out there with a lot of really
powerful technology to be able to not only, you know, di diagnose,
but also to help to create personalized treatment plans. Um, and I think that's,
that is extremely important. And I think, you know,
also AI brings things like predictive analytics. Um, you know, are we able to,
you know, look at the progression of,
of somebody's oral health issues over time, that helps us to really help, uh,
to prioritize preventative care and better interventions to help slow the
progression of disease, um, efficiency and automation's another big part of it.
I mean, if you think about, um, how, you know, as I mentioned earlier,
online scheduling, things like that,
when we were able to help to automate routine tasks,
such appointment as appointments,
scheduling and patient reminders and things like of that nature,
it really does free up more time for our office, our, our,
our dental professionals to focus on patient care. Um,
and so I think that's all, all gonna be a really big piece of it,
and it's certainly, you know, very exciting. I mean,
and I think I touched on a little bit, you know,
education and training is all gonna be another aspect of it. Um,
and then of course, you know, how we, how we utilize that for, uh,
things like teledentistry, um, you know, how do we, how do we, how do we,
you know, utilize the services,
services that AI could potentially provide that would allow for that to be a
much more meaningful experience for patients. Um, but you know,
all that being said,
whats the most exciting thing for dentistry is probably the thing that makes me
the most nervous . Um, you know, and I think, you know,
I think AI holds a great amount of promise,
but it's also important to consider some of the ethic,
ethical and privacy considerations that I, I think are,
are gonna be continuing to become more prevalent in our industry. And, um,
you know, and I think that those things are, you know,
one thing about AI that we can appreciate and,
and love is all the things I mentioned. Um, but I also think that there's,
there's questions about certainly, you know, security pri patient privacy,
um, you know, whether there's accuracy and bias in some of the,
some of the information that comes out in AI models. And then I think it's, uh,
you know, dependence and technology, um, you know, the over-reliance on this,
uh, could be, you know, uh, could,
could I think sometimes take away the intu intuitive aspects of, of,
of dental professional, the, the work of dental professionals. And certainly,
you know, that does bring up the, the question of job displacement,
which I know, um, I think that could is, is, is a real thing. Um,
but I do think that, uh, in, in our field it's probably not as, as considerable,
considerable for the clinical team, but I think for, you know, other,
other team members that could certainly be a consideration. Um, I think that,
you know, those, those certainly make us all nervous. I mean,
because I think that one thing that people associate with when they come to a
dental practice is not just the dentist they see, but the team around them. Uh,
so I think that, you know, uh,
while I don't think any of these concerns are insurmountable, I do think that,
you know, as, uh, as, as, uh, as exciting as they all are, we have to be,
you know, conscientious of how we can use them, you know,
ethically and fairly and, and, and in, in a way that's beneficial to, you know,
patients and your, uh, dental team alike.
Absolutely. I think that's a really great point, and definitely, um,
something to, to think through on the artificial intelligence side. Always,
you know, a lot of positives in terms of being able to pinpoint, um,
areas that, you know,
could be of an issue down the line and really do more preventative care as well
as more, um, precise care. But then too, you know, , the,
the issues or the challenges, um, certainly are,
are apparent across the industry.
So it'll be interesting to see how the technology develops and,
and really incorporates into, um, the dental setting now. Uh,
we've talked through some of the big changes in, in dentistry,
whether it's looking at the consumerism aspect, tight labor market, um,
as well as the financial insurance reimbursement
space as well. So when you think through where the industry is headed,
what will most effective leaders need in order to be successful over the next
two to three years? Um,
would love to hear your perspective on any additional skills or, um, you know,
what really they'll have to be thinking through as they're leading large, uh,
teams within their practice as well as organization-wide.
Yeah, no, I think it's a great question, and I think, um,
I think the first thing that effective healthcare leaders is gonna need that
what they're, what we're gonna need is adaptability. Um,
as we kind of talked about earlier where, you know,
this industry has made so many shifts and changes over the last few years. Um,
I talked at length about ai. I mean, that's,
that's a sort of a revolutionizing thing for every aspect of our life,
let alone our industry. I think that as, as, um, as healthcare leaders,
we have to be extremely adaptable and can, and, and, you know, see,
kind of go with the flow in some ways. You know, look at how policy changes,
technologies, and patient needs all are going to help,
help to affect and to strengthen our businesses. Um, and, uh,
you know, I also think that, you know, healthcare leaders to be effective,
we have to, you know, you know, embrace the technology. Like I said,
we have to also look about, look at, uh,
at big data and analytics because I think it's, it's, it's, it's available.
Um, and in my space particular,
it's been particularly available to larger organizations,
but now that we've had sort of, you know, just a change in, in the, uh,
and technology development over time and, and access to it, um,
we definitely have more opportunities for smaller organizations,
smaller practices to get the benefit of using things like data and analytics.
So I think that the, that's one thing that's gonna be extremely important.
I also think that, you know, we,
we have to recognize at the heart of what we do is patient care. Um, you know,
we, as business people, sometimes we get focused a lot on the, the,
the clear and, and, and, you know,
most important issues on the business side about, uh, you know,
leveraging technologies, managing financial, pe, the financial piece. But, uh,
we all have to recognize that, you know, it's the patients that, um, that,
that make our businesses and break them. Um,
so we have to be very conscientious of their needs and certainly, um,
in how we can provide care that's individually tailored to those, um, to,
to this, to those patients and what they're looking for. In addition,
I think that, you know, healthcare professionals now, uh,
and the leaders need to, and I think in our, in our space too,
need to have a stronger focus on prevention. Uh,
I think preventative treatments are making, uh, a much,
much larger headway in, in all, in all facets of facets of healthcare,
including my own and including the dental, dental space. And so I think that,
you know,
bringing preventative and wellness initiatives is gonna be really key and
important if we want to kind of, you know, see, again,
adapt through this next couple years.
And I think also just keeping abreast of all the different regulations and
policy changes that are gonna happen, um, you know, I think that, you know,
we sometimes think that things don't ever change in our industries,
and I think dental can again, be one of those,
those fields that sometimes has that, that, um, that can, can, can have that,
that, that, that feeling. But, um, when I,
when we look at how things are going to, you know, adapt over time,
we have to be just really conscientious of those kind of things,
like policy changes. And of course, you know, you know, as always, as a,
as a business leader, you always have to think about, you know, um,
about making important and ethical decision making. Um,
healthcare always involves complex issues, and I think we have to be able to,
to, you know, pursue those, explore them and, and be care,
be prepared to make some tough decision, tough decisions. But I, but you know,
in the end, I think, you know, the future's always gonna be,
be full of surprises. Um, but I do think that those are some key aspects of how,
uh, a business leader, um,
and any leader in this industry can start to look towards the future and I think
be the most effective they can be in the next few years.
Absolutely. I think that makes a lot of sense. You know,
and I really appreciate you talking through the, that space because, um, it,
it is challenging to be a leader today,
but certainly being prepared as much as possible and understanding, um,
really what it takes to bring folks in and understanding the impact
they're making on the community is so important. So vial,
thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today.
This has been a fun and interesting discussion,
and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.
Oh, my pleasure, Laura. Thanks so much. Have a great day. Bye.