More Questions Than Answers

FRIDAY! Nice, huh? I have big weekend planned; I’m taking my boys to the Gator game on Saturday. Hope things are well with you.

I still really love Shark Tank. I think it is a Friday show, but we watch in on Wednesdays because that is a day we are usually home. This Wednesday, we ate dinner and then everyone piled into the van and went for ice cream. Then we came home and watched Shark Tank as a family. We talked about people's ideas and about how mean the Sharks were being to the people and to each other. We talked about what it takes to make a small business happen. I think it is good for my kids to see something like this. It definitely gets their entrepreneurial juices flowing.

I want to talk to you today about having associate. As you know, I am the sole owner of the practice and my father is now my associate. This has brought about some challenges that I want your advice on. I know I am not the only one going through this. If you are not going through this, make sure you listen because you may go through it in the future. I my case, my father says he wants to work one more year. At first, this seemed like a long time. It isn't.

You might buy out a dentist who is late in their career. It is a great practice and you want him/her to work there for a year or two to not scare off the staff and the patients. Or maybe you plan on bringing in a young associate.

Let’s say a new patient calls. This patient hasn't been referred to your practice. He is a father who just moved into the neighborhood and keeps driving by. He has a wife and three kids. Do I let the associate see them, knowing he is leaving in a year? Would you have a young associate see them? New to the practice, just getting his feet wet, you don't even know if this young dentist is going to work out.

What about the older patient that was referred by a friend to my father? Slam dunk. My dad will see him. The guy is missing a couple teeth and wants to get implants. He needs a bone graft then implants placed. By the time the implants are integrated, there is a good chance my dad is going to be gone, so I might be finishing this case up. But my dad uses a different periodontist than I do. I don't even know what implant he uses.

These are valid issues. We talked this week about him sending his patients to my periodontist. It is not that I don't like his periodontist. I just like mine better. I have a relationship with him, and I know I can just pick up the phone and talk to him. It is the same with my orthodontist.

This is no different than if a middle aged dentist were to bring in a young guy. Does the young associate only get emergencies and their family? Remember, the associate, regardless of age, is working off of production; they want all they can get. But is it right for the patient to get used to a dentist and then have them leave in less than a year? Is it right for the health of the practice?

As I write, this I am thinking about the future. Does the patient come to a practice because of the dentist? I know all of us think they are there because of us. And I agree with you, kind of. How many times do you hear about a patient following a hygienist? How many times do you hear that a patient liked the dentist but left because the front desk was terrible?

I think people come to my office for a lot of reasons. There are friendly faces when they walk in and a warm reception area. We don't make you wait. The hygienists are sweet and gentle. People like the way we handle the checkout. We call the next day to see how you are doing. It is the whole experience.

The dentist is part of it, whether that is me, my dad, or an associate. If my dad meets a new patient and a I slip in after a year, only one of the many good things in our office has changed. I think this is what I am going to go with. My dad still sees new patients, but I try to make sure they see me. I will walk by his operatory, introduce myself, and welcome them. I poke my head in and ask them if everything is okay. I make a joke and then move on.

What do you think? Have you had an associate? Have you been an associate? What were the arrangements?

Have a great weekend.

john

P.S. Go Gators!

P. P. S. On Monday we are having a team-building experience. I am taking all my staff to a local gun shooting place. They have virtual shooting ranges, with bad guys popping up and stuff. They use real guns that have kick but only shoot lasers. Then we are going to have lunch. I am so looking forward to it. It should be lots of fun.