Less Insurance Dependence Podcast

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, host Lester De Alwis talks with Callie Ward, a trusted dental practice operations expert. Together, they explore what it really takes to prepare your team for success when moving away from PPO plans. Callie shares smart, simple steps dental teams can take to feel confident, communicate clearly, and keep patients' trust during big insurance changes. If you've ever felt unsure about how to handle insurance transitions, this episode is full of tips to help you lead your team with clarity and care. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://thrivingdentist.com/csm

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, host Lester De Alwis sits down with Dr. Vishal Sharma, Director of Clinical Education at Spear Education, to explore how hybrid clinical education is transforming continuing education for dentists. Dr. Sharma shares how blending in-person instruction with virtual tools and AI-powered feedback is making high-level training more accessible, objective, and efficient, without the traditional barriers of travel, time away from practice, or lost production. Together, they discuss how hybrid learning supports faster skill development, improves clinical quality, and empowers dentists to deliver higher-value care that aligns with a fee-for-service, insurance-independent model. If you're looking to future-proof your education, enhance efficiency, and strengthen your practice without burning out, this episode is a must-listen. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://thrivingdentist.com/csm

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, co-host Lester De Alwis talks with dental consultant Linda Anderson about a skill many teams avoid—but every practice needs: financial conversations. Linda shares how training your team to speak confidently about money can increase case acceptance, build trust, and reduce your dependence on insurance. You'll learn why having a clear financial policy and using value-based language can transform your practice. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://thrivingdentist.com/csm

In this powerful recap, hosts Lester De Alwis and Don Adeesha unpack the biggest moments from the 2025 RIDA Annual Summit. Learn how top experts are helping dentists reduce PPO dependence with clear systems, real data, and smart marketing. If you're ready to gain freedom from insurance, this episode is your roadmap. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, co-host Don Adeesha sits down with Naren Arulrajah, CEO of Ekwa Marketing, to unpack one of the biggest opportunities in dentistry today: attracting more fee-for-service patients. With nearly half of Americans lacking dental insurance, dentists have a massive untapped market—but many are stuck thinking like PPO-based providers instead of value-based clinicians. Naren explains the essential mindset shift dentists must make, how to communicate value with confidence, and the marketing foundations that help practices break free from PPO dependence. From SEO and Google reviews to membership plans and long-term patient relationships, this episode provides a clear roadmap for dentists ready to elevate their practice, charge what they're worth, and attract patients who genuinely value quality care. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/

In this episode, Lester De Alwis is joined by Joanne Villani, co-founder of PreVu Software. Joanne shares her 35+ years of experience in dentistry and the biggest lessons she's learned about case acceptance. You'll discover why patients say no, how to build trust, and how powerful visuals like smile simulations can boost case acceptance. If you're looking to reduce your insurance dependence and grow your revenue with fee-for-service treatments, this episode is packed with practical insights you can act on right away. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, Lester de Alwis welcomes Ryan Mingus, Managing Director at Tusk Practice Sales, to discuss how insurance dependence and evolving legislation are shaping dental practice valuations. From Medicaid cuts and PPO reimbursement stagnation to the impact of inflation and tariffs, Ryan explains how these trends affect profitability and deal structures in the dental M&A landscape. He offers practical insights for dentists planning to sell or transition, including how to strategically reduce insurance participation and prepare for a smooth and lucrative exit. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence podcast, host Lester De Alwis sits down with dental business expert Scott Plantenberg to talk about building real financial freedom by reducing reliance on insurance. Scott brings 30+ years of experience in dental practice growth, consulting, and transitions, and shares why fee-for-service practices often have higher value, stronger profits, and better long-term outcomes. Together, they explore the warning signs of PPO overdependence, how to safely transition away from low-paying plans, and why small practices should think more like DSOs when planning for growth. This conversation is full of practical advice, especially for dentists looking to build a more profitable and independent practice—whether they're just starting out or preparing for sale. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/

In this episode of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, host Lester De Alwis talks with Dr. Tarun Agarwal about how dentists can take a smarter path with insurance through the hybrid model. Instead of dropping all plans or staying stuck in every PPO, Dr. Agarwal explains how to keep the practice in-network while giving lead doctors the freedom to be selective. He shares how to use supply and demand to guide decisions, why training your team matters, and how to talk with patients about plan changes without losing trust. With years of hands-on experience, Dr. Agarwal gives practical tips that help dentists take back control of their time, fees, and practice growth — without letting insurance run the show. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services. https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/csm/

In Episode 365 of the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast, Naren ArulRajah and Don Adeesha dive into how artificial intelligence is reshaping the dental industry. They discuss the challenges and opportunities AI brings for dental practices, from standing out in a crowded digital space to how patients find and choose dentists. Naren emphasizes the growing value of human-generated content, the importance of strong SEO, AI Overview, and AI Mode, and how practices can leverage trusted partnerships to stay ahead. The episode also covers the role of reviews, website optimization, and strategic use of AI tools to maintain credibility and attract the right patients in an AI-driven world. Book your free marketing strategy meeting with Ekwa at your convenience. Plus, at the end of the session, get a free analysis report to find out where your practice stands online. It's our gift to you! https://www.lessinsurancedependence.com/marketing-strategy-meeting/ If you're looking to boost your case acceptance rates and enhance patient communication, you can schedule a Coaching Strategy Meeting with Gary Takacs. With his experience in helping practices thrive, Gary will work with you on personalized coaching, ensuring you and your team are prepared to present treatment plans confidently, offer financing options, and communicate the value of essential dental services.