Dental technology is a key way for dentists and DSOs to improve their practices. Investing and committing to new technologies and advancements is crucial for this new chief clinical officer.
Sameer Puri, DDS, was recently named chief clinical officer of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Imagen Dental Partners, joining the organization after more than 20 years in private practice and more than 15 years as an educator at CDOCS, a digital dentistry education organization.
Dr. Puri connected with Becker's to share his insights on what drew him to the company, his goals and plans for the future.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: Why did you decide to take the role of chief clinical officer at Imagen Dental Partners?
Dr. Sameer Puri: I was an original investor in Imagen back when it started, was on the consulting board, and I've known the executive team for more than 15 years. After 17 years of running CDOCS we really grew the company, and it was just time for change. I love what we've accomplished at CDOCS, but I think it was time for someone else to take over that role. The challenges of Imagen being a relatively new company with a long runway ahead of them was really enticing. At the end of the day, it was just the right fit. I had a lot of options in my career, and I chose Imagen because of the culture, the team, the doctors and the vision. When I decided it was time to close the door on CDOCS, I looked at a lot of places. I was very excited to have chosen Imagen and Imagen to have chosen me, and it was purposeful. I had other options, and I chose Imagen for a reason and I am very excited about that.
Q: What are some goals and things you hope to accomplish in the role? How will you turn those plans into action?
SP: We are a large dental organization, and there are some large groups that don't have a great name and it's a negative connotation unfortunately. Twenty years ago when I got my first [chairside economical restoration of esthetic ceramic] technology, digital dentistry had a negative connotation, but I believed in the technology and I believed in what was possible with the technology. I've spent the last 20 years elevating digital dentistry where it's now a standard. Of course, I'm not taking sole responsibility by any means, but I was instrumental in helping to standardize scanning, milling, etc. I believe we have the same opportunity with Imagen. I don't want Imagen to be seen as a negative as a large dental organization. We have something special: We have doctors that have successful practices, we have doctors that are highly educated, we have doctors that have a lot of technology in their offices. We want to attract more of those doctors. What I would love to do is help create a culture and a community of high-end clinicians who are benefiting from a corporate structure so that they can focus more on dentistry and not have to worry about the day-to-day operations.
Q: How will your experience in private practice and CDOCS aid you in the role?
SP: When I bought my practice back in Los Angeles, I grew that practice four times before I sold it and eventually moved to help run CDOCS. We didn't do anything magical, it was just taking good care of patients, being very efficient in your business systems and investing in technology. That was a winning strategy for us because other practices in our area were not willing to invest in technology. Those are things that I can directly apply to the Imagen platform because we have some doctors with us that we want to elevate from a clinical standpoint, we have some doctors that we need to elevate from a technological standpoint, and I think every office can benefit from elevation of business systems. My goal is to help supplement Imagen's already great playbook with my experience in private practice as well as running a multimillion-dollar, successful education business.
Q: How does Imagen stand out and differ from other DSOs and dental organizations?
SP: I think we are very unique. There are a lot of the groups out there that just have the mindset of: here's an office, here's an office, here's an office, let's acquire and grow. There's no cohesiveness and there's no camaraderie. One of the advantages that we have is, through the years of education with me and the other partners at Imagen, we have a large network of doctors that we've interacted with over the years. What we want to do is continue to grow that at Imagen so that we are attracting doctors that are like-minded. Everybody understands what technology can do for your office. We want to make sure all of our offices are highly integrated with technology and leverage that technology to grow and become profitable. I don't believe other organizations have that mindset. We're using technology everywhere: digital scanning, digital radiography, integrative implants with a digital workflow, 3D printing, 3D milling, all of those things.
Q: What are some trends that you are following?
SP: As I step out of my role at CDOCS, I need to look at what is the role of large group organizations and what's the trend there? I need to learn more about how we can work as a group together to leverage all of our collective assets. I now have to put on many hats. I have to look at the hygiene department, business systems and I need to support dentists when they come to me. I'm looking at really broadening my horizons, and I'm very excited to do so.