The following is our Vivid Vision of what Dental Choice will look, feel, and act like by December 31st, 2023, or sooner. Knowing where we are going is vital in planning how to get there. This is shared with you to welcome your support to ensure the vision becomes reality.
Vision: Well managed dental offices that measurably create alignment of the needs of patients, staff, dentists and company.
We become great by living our Core Values, 11 Pillars, Employer Promise, and effective systems.
Core Values – these are respected and agreed to by all members of our teams.
Alignment:
We achieve measurable alignment between company, doctors, staff and patients, on critical performance indicators.
Accountability:
We take responsibility for our actions, embrace a culture of personal improvement, and model the behaviour we expect of others. Each individual has a clear plan on how to improve their own performance in a manner that is aligned with Dental Choice.
Productivity:
Us and our teams are relentlessly dedicated to hourly, daily, monthly and long term productivity and efficiency.
Passion:
We put our hearts and minds into our work at all necessary times. Each person has a clear path how they will improve the company, through their own personal contribution. Being obsessive on great results is valued and encouraged.
Integrity:
We act with honesty and respect, keep our commitments and do what’s right when others aren’t looking.
Culture, Spirit
In our well managed dental offices, employees, dentists, and patients gravitate to us because our vision excites them. Our patients see both passion and compassion, and this allows us to beautifully combine health care and profitability. Profit is the applause we get for a job well done.
We follow the 11 Pillars, Core Values, and Employer Promise, and judge ourselves regularly on those benchmarks. We recognize respect is earned, respect is a mutual expectation.
Courage
Clinical courage is essential to doctor success. We have the courage to hear what we need to do to improve ourselves.
Dentists and Employees:
Recruitment and Retention
We recruit dentists and staff through organized systems and through word of mouth. Our results attracts and retains dentists. Dentists and staff model our Core Values and this attracts more dentists and staff with these values. Our doctors inspire our teams by leading by example, and emulating and supporting the Vivid Vision. Our doctors and teams inspire colleagues to join Dental Choice through exemplary behaviour.
Systems
Our dentists and staff embrace our proven systems, including Xray and Photo Policy, Perio Policy, financial policies, and many more. All these systems combined are the Dental Choice Way.
Chief Clinical Officer and Clinical Advisory Board
We employ a part time Chief Clinical Officer or Clinical Director who systematically builds our dentists’ skills to higher levels through accountability and self discipline. Our dentists love this support.
We have a dentist to assess new equipment and technology purchases to ensure they occur in a profitable, timely manner.
A quality assurance system is established. We shine a light on clinical performance with performance issues and opportunities being openly addressed. A clinical chart audit system is established and dentists are trained on best practices and lawsuit prevention. An effective mentorship system has been fully implemented.
Team Effectiveness
Execution and accountability matters more than intention; good intentions are not a valid business model. Team victories lead to greater individual bonuses. Individual office production and profit is celebrated as profit is a form of applause from patients.
Our patient care accomplishments are proudly shared with each other and with the public.
Our employees and dentists are committed to customer service so patients and dentists are inspired to provide testimonials. Employee wages are maintained between 26 and 28% of revenue. Our dentists are staffed commensurate to the revenue the dentist generates.
Our systems will build a treatment planning model that allows dentists, hygienists and staff to give consistent advice in all treatment disciplines. A strong team recognizes that a full schedule resolves almost all big challenges.
New members to Dental Choice are fully onboarded to the Dental Choice Way. Doctorly behaviour is foundational to clinical success and team building.
Follow up, using Performance Reviews, audits, and self assessment, will be routinely done so that all Dental Choice doctors and staff are continually raising performance bars.
Bonuses
Bonuses to staff and managers are clear and distributed either bi- monthly or quarterly, as earned.
Patient Satisfaction and Patient Respect
Our patients feel respected at all times by us. Our patients are so pleased with us that they have a treatment acceptance rate of +85% and their experience frequently leave them with a feeling of ‘wow, this is the best office I have ever been to’. We have daily examples of great customer service at every office and we regularly celebrate them. Patients gravitate to the greatness we each exhibit.
Communication to Patients
The core of our treatment planning and presentation is to inform and educate patients. Our dentists and staff communicate effectively so patients accept treatment 85% of the time or more. Our exams are inspiring to staff and thorough for patients, structured around on our Hygienists “setting the table” for the dentists Communication to patients is a trained and practiced combination of oral, written, digital, and physical, with a focus on listening to the patient wants and needs and acting on them.. We become especially aware of patients who do not return; we “identify, track, and close the back door” to keep our patients with us longer.
Practice Administrators and Office Managers
Practice Administrators, office managers, and team leads, are responsible for understanding the results of their office and teams. Our senior leadership team implements and measures compelling monthly and yearly strategies.
Measureables
Dental Choice embraces a structure where anything important is measured and discussed. We measure productivity by results, not intentions. Each measureable has a comparable to give it meaning. These measureables are used to drive action and greater results. Our most important measureables are a reflection of patient satisfaction: HLI, recall numbers, HFR, treatment acceptance rate, NP numbers, WOM referrals, testimonials, and our satisfaction survey. With the direct support of each dentist, our teams keep our schedules full on an hourly basis.
Dental Software
Curve Dental shall be implemented and optimized in all current offices and suitable acquisitions.
Vendors
Vendors are expected to explicitly support the growth and development of DC and the implementation of our Vivid Vision. Business is directed to Vendors that actively and continuously help us achieve our vision.
Marketing and Brand Presence – internal and external,
Patient – our marketing strategy is professionally targeted, measured and strictly budgeted. Dentists and staff are responsible for effective conversion of new leads to active patients.
Resource Center
Our “head office” services are optimized and effective. We review regularly the production and the expense side of this equation. RC services give value through strict cost containment and supporting and executing the vision of the company.
Centralization, decentralization, and outsourcing is understood and defined for all key services. Cost containment is critical in a highly competitive changing industry.
Formalized expansion strategy
We have an active and formalized expansion strategy implemented through a proven business model and external partners. This process is vetted, profitable and scalable.
Our External Partners and advisors have behind the scenes support services that are capable of doing full accounting assessments of acquisitions and affiliates.
We have defined 2023 operatory under management goal of 175 operatories, up from the current 65. We achieve greater size in order to meet the dramatic changes and opportunities available to larger dental groups. We also leave no office behind, as growth in size, without attending to our foundation is irresponsible.
We make De novo offices profitable within 2 years and only add de novos after the current one is profitable.
Legal and Professional Relations:
Legal
Our acquisitions are all presented to qualified lawyers for review prior to an offer being made. Employment law, commercial law, tax law, and government/ADAC compliance is all managed with sound legal advice. The ADA&C respects and cooperates with us.
Information Technology and Software
Our software programs and IT infrastructure are effective, drive success, support patient education, have strict budgets, and measurably support business growth. Intraoral and extra oral cameras, digital scanning devices, videos, digital presentations, web based information transfer, and web based training all elevate our company. Patient education for best informed patients and membership programs are highly impactful.
Accounting
Our accounting systems are investment grade, creating high quality reporting of General Accounting, Internal Controls, and tax issues. Our Controller leads the accounting department to GAAP, Bank reporting requirements, provides internal reporting that allows managers, dentists, and employees to make valid decisions. Acquisitions are presented to our internal and external accountant for review prior to an offer being made. Accounting manages our space leases effectively.
EBITDA
We gain a clear understanding of EBITDA at the Office, Region and Corporate levels, with EBITDA of 24% earned at the corporate level, excluding de novo. De novo ebitda is determined separately for 3 years. Clinical and Resource level EBITDA are tracked separately. This EBITDA positions us to be investment grade to dentists within our group.
Community presence and Charity
We are committed to establish a strong footprint with supporting a wide variety of local causes, suitable and inspiring to each office. The University of Alberta dental school and multiple Post-Secondary schools embrace our involvement
Influence and Trust
By systematically retaining dentists for an average of 5 years or longer, we have a positive impact on the dental world in Alberta and Canada.
Advisory Board
Dental Choice utilizes an advisory board of 3 to 5 industry leaders.
CEO
He will focus on visionary leadership and building the business by gathering and supporting the best teams to make the vision come true.