Podcast

In this crossover episode with The Dental Practice Heroes podcast, Kiera shares a ~ton~ of dentistry gold with Dr. Paul Etchison. She talks about her past life as a treatment coordinator, the worst firing story you’ll ever hear, and how grocery tabs totally used to be a thing. You’ll also hear all about the number one fatal mistake made by treatment coordinators and how to become a master at the game of “Silent Chicken.”

Kiera has held a ton of dental practice positions, and this episode is the perfect one to understand just how wide her expertise is. Special thanks to Dr. Etchison for such a fun episode! Tune in, folks. This one you won’t want to miss (though if you do, there’s always more at www.TheDentalATeam.com).  

Kiera could talk for hours about scheduling, but this time she’s only taking 20 minutes, so listen up! Her favorite way to schedule an office has three columns: high production ($500+), low production (fillings, crown seats, etc.), and assistant-only (night guards, bleaching, etc.). Tune in as she explains the why of each, and what two time slots are the best for high production procedures!

Doctors, do you wish your schedules could be more consistent? Too many heavy days in a row followed by fluff days? This episode is for you, and for you team members who feel the same! Kiera shares tips on how you can move appointments around to even things out and why scheduling templates are life-saving.

More tips and block parties at www.TheDentalATeam.com! 

Kiera is car-casting to Lake Tahoe with Doctor Summer Kassmel! The duo discusses fighting through day-to-day details to have a win of the day every day. It’s hard being human, and often we find ourselves dodging around the difficult assignments to get little things done. As Dr. Kassmel puts it, we’ve mastered the urgent and negated the important.

Have no fear, Kassmel is here! In this episode she reveals her tips for righting your ship:

1. Use a time journal to identify where you’re spending your time
2. Cross off what’s not “working,” or what isn’t moving the needle in progressing the business and your professional life
3. Reprioritize your list of to-dos; what are the top three things that you and only you can do?
4. Sit down with your doctor and ask what’s done versus well done in his or her mind

Doctors and team members, be on the same page as one another! Have open conversations to avoid any bad surprises. Helpful hints and more are...

Transitioning from a co-worker to manager position can be stressful! In this episode, Kiera sits down with Ashley Irvin, office manager at Ivory Dental in Sandpoint, Idaho, to discuss what that transition looks like, and how to do it successfully.

Ashley’s been diligent in her managerial role, enough that she helped her practice grow to another location. Discovering her strengths and weaknesses as a leader over the years — many which she talks about with Kiera — led her to be very proud of the accomplishments her office made during the expansion (for example, dealing with personality conflicts but keeping the team completely intact!). Her tips:

1. Ask for clear job expectations from your doctor

2. Hold strong to systems

3. Maximize your management based on office personalities

That’s right, we’re giving you full permission to go online and take a personality test. Understanding results can do wonders for your team! It’s all here in this episode;...

Kiera digs into systems today. Systems are processes that can be implemented without explaining something to someone new — someone else can be plugged into the role. Three freebie systems that can be implemented today? End-of-day checklist or a morning huddle or hand-offs.

Now, systemizing your practice doesn’t mean being too strict. Leave room to ebb and flow; help people have room for error. Here’s four steps to get you on the right path towards successful systemization. Ask yourself...

1. How could we do this smarter?
2. How could we do this more efficiently?
3. How could we do this cost effectively?
4. How can we have happier people working?

Don’t system for system’s sake: do things with a purpose. To morph in this life is to succeed. More tips on success at www.TheDentalATeam.com.

Doctor Paul Goodman is BACK and talking with Kiera about dentistry connections in our modern age. Ever heard the phrase “Everybody wants to be successful until they see what it actually takes”? That’s the topic of this episode. Paul and Kiera discuss influencing as a dental practice team member, and why people aren’t talking as much about what it takes to succeed; the duo is pushing for getting more people in rooms to talk things out!

No matter what phase of life you’re in, no matter what position you have in your practice, find people who’ve been where you are and have pushed through it. Use them as inspiration. After all, that’s often how best practices and best lifestyles are shared.

For the ladies listening, come to Women Dentists Connect, taking place in Scottsdale, AZ this October! And for more Nacho goodness from Doctor Goodman, there are always extra servings. Other dentistry topics you can find at www.TheDentalATeam.com.

“My tooth is killing me and I need to see my dentist immediately!”

Ever get these calls? Emergency patients are inevitable, and in this episode Kiera shares how the front office and back office can work harmoniously during the panic of last-minute same-day care. Her overall tip is to be proactive, not reactive.

• Front office: Create an emergency call questionnaire that you have front and center when a call comes in. Questions for the patient might include 1) How long have you been taking pain meds? 2) How long have you been in pain? 3) What part of the mouth hurts? 4) Is your tooth/are your teeth sensitive to hot and cold? 5) Is your tooth/are your teeth sensitive to chewing?
• Back office: During every morning huddle, look at the schedule as a group and decide where emergency patients should go if one pops up. That way, should the call come, you’ve already mentally prepared for it.

Implementing these practices means improved communication, better patient care, and...

Episode 60 talked about quarterly calibration with Mark’s method (The 4 Disciplines of Execution). THIS episode is from Kiera’s point of view using Gino Wickman’s Entrepreneurial Operating System from his book Traction: Get a Grip on your Business. The good news: While the vocabulary between the two might be different, the ideas are the same — successful quarterly calibration meetings improve dental practices every single day.

Kiera explains the details behind the agenda points below (which you can find online!):

1. Segue
2. Ice breaker activity
3. Review of previous quarter
4. Build issues list*
5. Establish rocks*
6. Tackle key issues
7. Next steps
8. Rate the meeting

* These steps are interchangeable.

But what if a single person or department is taking all the blame for ineffective office management? These meetings can get uncomfortable, but they’re necessary to progressing the practice. Make sure you have the right people in the right seats, people who want the business...

Does having a personal assistant mean you’re extremely wealthy? Kiera says no! This episode is all about the benefits of personal assistants, and the journey Kiera went on to realize them. Hiring a personal assistant can help you maximize your time on to-do list items that are important rather than urgent.

Still not convinced? Try time journaling or brain dumping your day-to-day life. Figure out where you’re spending your time and recognize your patterns. Then, take two highlighters (or three, in Kiera’s case) and highlight the items only you can do, then the items that can be delegated out. When Kiera hired her personal assistant just to help book travel, she saved roughly 30 hours a month.

More on the greener grass of personal assistants in this episode, plus other awesome episodes at www.TheDentalATeam.com. Interested in seeing a sample job posting ad for a personal assistant? Email [email protected].  

Dr. Summer Kassmel is back with some quick and dirty tips on creating relationships between doctors and team members. Her go-to? Success stories! She gives a two-page document to her team members after they’ve been on board for at least 90 days. The document asks such questions as…

• Where do you feel you are physically? Mentally? Spiritually?
• Do you feel like there’s growth potential in these areas?
• Where do you want to end up in each of these areas?
• Do you feel you’re a success?

Once a year, Dr. Kassmel takes each team member out to lunch, one-on-one, and talks about the answers. What’s holding a certain team member back? Is it finances? This way, she’s building a personal relationship with each and every team member.

Kiera echoes Dr. Kassmel’s thoughts: It’s important for doctors to know their team! Investing in your team is one of the most important things a doctor can do.

Learn more about Dr. Kassmel and Kiera’s Women...