Becker’s Hospital Review recently spoke with three key members of 42 North Dental’s team:
- Brian Boulter, vice president of business development
- Rondi Michaux, director of corporate development
- Matthew Simko, brand manager
These 42 North Dental executives all have long histories in the dental industry. They shared their perspectives on the current state of the industry, challenges faced, how the industry and 42 North Dental practices are emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and what distinguishes 42 North Dental from other DSOs.
Dental practices face a multitude of challenges
“I think it just becomes more and more complicated every day,” Mr. Boulter said. Dental practices face all of the stress, anxiety and challenges of running any small business. Owners of dental practices must deal with marketing, operational issues, payroll, staffing and more. Increasingly, Mr. Boulter explained, dental practices must deal with regulatory issues and ensuring safety and compliance with the latest guidelines from the CDC.
The good news, Mr. Simko said, is that, “We know patient demand is there.” Ms. Michaux noted that many practices are at full capacity and are actually struggling to keep up with demand. “Patients are back [as COVID-19 recedes] and practices are bursting at the seams,” she said.
In this environment one of the most significant issues that many practices are facing is finding adequate levels of staffing. “It’s tough to hire right now,” Mr. Simko said.
Each team member from 42 North Dental mentioned that wrestling with these various operational and managerial challenges serves to distract dentists from doing what they truly want to do, which is spending time with patients and delivering great experiences. This desire to spend more time focusing on patients and less time on all of the other aspects of the business is what motivates many dentists to consider affiliating with a DSO.
The concept of affiliating with a DSO is top of mind for many dentists
Ms. Michaux, who frequently speaks with dentist-owned practices in the Northeast, indicated that many dentistowners today are aware of the general benefits of a DSO. Having worked in the industry for 26 years — including many years at dental practices — Ms. Michaux conveyed that “the industry landscape has changed.” She said that when she speaks with dentists, “They have already done their homework,” and, “Dentists understand a partnership model.” She hears from dentists who are interested in the benefits of being part of a group, having centralized services and possibly receiving administrative support, marketing assistance and technology guidance and support.
42 North Dental’s customized, people-first approach
Members of the 42 North Dental team stressed that their DSO is different. The company provides similar services to other DSOs but also has multiple specialties under one roof, as well as extensive support, such as mentorship programs, for teams and associates. Yet most important is 42 North Dental’s unique philosophy, attitude and approach. “We seek to partner with the practice owner personally to help them realize their vision,” Mr. Boulter said. “They’re looking for a partner to help them achieve their goals and we work with each practice owner to fine tune that and provide the resources they need to get to where they want to go.” In commenting on 42 North Dental’s reputation, Mr. Boulter said, “We truly care as much as the practice owner about their doctors, their teams and their patients.”
In Ms. Michaux’s experience, most dentist-owners that 42 North Dental works with are looking for a path and a partner. Dentists aren’t necessarily looking to exit their business; they are entrepreneurial and growth oriented and need a partner to help them unlock their practice’s true value — without leaving behind what they have built. “We respect the practice and help them maintain what made them successful, which is their culture, staff, name and reputation in the community,” Ms. Michaux said. “We work with the local leadership team to create opportunities for clinical advancement and growth.” Having seen multiple companies in this space, Ms. Michaux commented, “I think 42 North Dental has a very provider-centric approach that you don’t often come across.”
“At 42 North Dental, we allow the doctors to focus on their patients and provide the style of care they want to provide and have clinical autonomy,” Mr. Simko said. “Our goal and our mission isn’t to go into a practice and change it at all.” He explained that 42 North Dental rarely changes a practice’s name, its operational procedures, its team or its culture. “We work with dental practices that are already very successful and are already running really well,” he said. “We amplify the success of the practice in a more scalable, higher-level way.”
42 North Dental doesn’t have a cookie-cutter approach for working with practices. Every practice has a unique situation and every dentist-owner has their own goals. 42 North Dental takes a personal, people-first approach to provide exactly what the practice owner needs. Each member of 42 North Dental’s team said the company is a true partner with values that include collaboration, collegiality and flexibility. Ms. Michaux said that 42 North Dental is “not prescriptive” and Mr. Simko conveyed that “there is not a one-size-fits-all” formula. He said, “Obviously there’s a lot of clinical and operational best practices, but there’s a lot of freedom and leeway with the practices to maintain the practice’s culture and style of dentistry.”
Part of the reason for this provider-centric way of doing business is because 42 North Dental was founded over 40 years ago by dentists who understand dental practices. Mr. Simko summarized, “Focusing on patients and the dentist is in our DNA.”
42 North Dental prides itself on an incredibly smooth affiliation experience
Any type of change can be hard, but affiliation with 42 North Dental tends to be smooth and comfortable. 42 North Dental is a good partner and works with each practice to decide what the practice keeps intact and what it changes. The company has integration teams that are onsite at a practice for the first 30 days to answer all questions and has regional managers who provide ongoing support. “We do a good job of managing each one individually,” Mr. Simko said, “to make sure that we’re sharing our best practices and that everyone is set up for continued success.”
42 North Dental supported practices and patients during the pandemic and will continue to do so when the pandemic ends
During the pandemic, as many businesses closed, some patients still needed dental care. At the time, 42 North Dental kept approximately two dozen locations running, and did everything possible to support these practices and to assist patients. The company engaged in frequent communication with dentists about evolving safety guidelines, regulations and best practices. No dentists were on their own; they had constant support from 42 North Dental. The organization created a regional hub model to provide PPE and other necessary supplies to those practices that remained open, with all team members pitching in to get supplies to where they were needed. The company also created a remote call center that contacted approximately 5,000 patients in the first 30 days.
As the pandemic wanes, 42 North Dental is continuing to focus on helping dentists put the appropriate safety protocols in place to provide safe spaces for patients.
When discussing 42 North Dental’s response to the pandemic, Ms. Michaux wanted to clarify a misconception. She has heard people speculate that COVID-19 pushed many businesses, including dentists, to the “brink of desperation.” Her experience has been different. “I don’t see that,” she said. “What I see are entrepreneurial doctors . . . they’re proud of how they’ve survived and how they’ve rebounded. They’re proud of their staff and their achievements. And knowing that they are part of something that helps unlock more growth is very exciting for them.”
Conclusion
Most successful dentists love interacting with and assisting patients and don’t necessarily love dealing with all of the administrative, operational, staffing, financial and marketing aspects of running a practice. 42 North Dental works with each dentist-owner to understand their goals, strengths and vision, and provides the support that is desired to amplify the owner’s success and help the owner achieve their specific goals.
This article was sponsored by 42 North Dental.
