The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

Your accountant says your practice is profitable. So, why doesn't it feel like it? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down the cash flow gap, what it is, and how not understanding it affects your practice. To learn how to close your cash flow gap so you can grow your practice, listen to Episode 997 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Miranda:Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalSend Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 997: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosMain Takeaways:When your cash flow gap is wide, it creates more work without creating more wealth.A widening cash flow gap affects decision-making around investing in your practice.Your P&L doesn't tell the whole story. Be sure to review your cash flow statement.Track draws, distributions, and other activities to monitor practice health.Plan and budget for your taxes so that you're not panicking last-minute.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:09 The cash flow gap, explained.3:12 The gap between gross profit and true profit.6:00 How the cash flow gap impacts your practice.13:52 What you can do to impact your metrics.18:00 Last thoughts.Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.

Dr. Uche Odiatu, a dentist and health/wellness speaker, returns with tips for a healthier life. He emphasizes the importance of turning knowledge into action, addressing information overload as a barrier to consistency. Uche advocates for simple daily habits across movement, sleep, and nutrition, highlighting the role of choline for brain health. He encourages finding joy in the process and cultivating gratitude to boost happiness. Uche’s wisdom reminds us to avoid negative self-talk to improve resilience and aging.

Things happen that you don't plan for — and you want to be prepared! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten, founder of The Sletten Group, to share how to plan for the unplanned by creating a crisis coverage group to protect you and your practice. To learn how to plan smarter and have peace of mind, listen to Episode 995 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Paul:Give Paul a call: (303) 699-0990Send Paul an email: paul@lifetransitions.com Learn more about The Sletten Group: https://theslettengroup.comMore Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 995: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosMain Takeaways:Between 5% and 10% of dentists will have some type of career-interrupting event.Every dentist needs to have two plans: an ideal transition plan and a crisis plan.Choose 9 colleagues to be part of a crisis coverage group for up to 90 days.Meet with your coverage group practices frequently to keep things fresh.Each practice should appoint a crisis coordinator as a point person.Be sure to select the right people for your crisis coverage group.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.0:55 Paul’s background and The Sletten Group.2:42 Why this is an important topic.3:26 Two plans every dentist should have.5:43 The crisis coverage group, explained.10:08 Rules of the pledge agreement.11:25 Have practice valuations done at the beginning.12:51 What to know about overhead and disability insurance.14:38 General dentists versus specialists.15:59 Appoint a crisis coordinator.16:58 Have periodic meetings.17:57 What dentists get wrong about crisis coverage groups.19:12 More about The Sletten Group.21:19 Last thoughts.Paul Sletten Bio:Paul D. Sletten founded The Sletten Group, Inc. in 1975 in Denver, Colorado. They are in their 51st year of business and have developed an international clientele, having assisted and completed transitions in all 50 states, six provinces in Canada, and two states in Australia. They continue to exclusively work with fee-for-service dentists and their teams around the country.Paul has spoken at more than 285 dental meetings around the country. This includes almost all of the major dental meetings and numerous study clubs. The topics focus on all aspects of practice transitions, including buying a dental practice, selling a dental practice, and much more, as well as personal growth and development for dentists and team members.

Is your practice creating wealth, or is it just keeping you “busy”? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down production, why it’s important to understand, and how to start improving your numbers. To learn how to be more profitable so you have a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 994 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Miranda:Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalSend Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 994: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosLearn more about Smile Source: https://smilesource.comMain Takeaways:Profitability determines your ability to invest in your team, technology, and your practice.Know and understand your profit margin, not just your production and collections.When profitability is low, you will feel super busy yet not have any money.Don't wait for your accountant to tell you how your practice is doing.If you don't know, find out what your current true profit is.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.0:48 Profitability, explained.4:18 How profitability impacts your practice.9:11 What you can do to impact this metric.11:00 More about Smile Source.15:15 Last thoughts.Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.

Avoiding conflict is like ignoring a cavity — it will eventually become a crisis! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Michelle Wakeman, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the right way to address conflict so your team and practice can function at their best. To learn how to proactively manage conflict as a leader, listen to Episode 993 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Michelle:Send Michelle an email: michelle@actdental.com Follow Michelle on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalSend Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 993: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosJoin ACT’s BPA for their Awareness Wheel resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fthe-awareness-wheel#emailJoin ACT’s BPA for their Guide to Building Trust: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fa-team-playbook-to-maximize-performance-handout#emailJoin ACT’s BPA for their How Trustworthy Are You? resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fhow-trustworthy-are-you#emailRead books by Patrick Lencioni: https://www.tablegroup.com/booksLearn more about the EOS system https://www.eosworldwide.comMain Takeaways:When you avoid, ignore, or mishandle conflict, it always leads to crisis.Have healthy conflict, not artificial harmony or destructive fighting.Healthy conflict can only exist when you’ve developed trust.Give grace, assume good intentions, and be curious.Address conflict early. Never let them fester.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:41 Why this is an important topic.4:24 Patrick Lencioni's conflict continuum, explained.8:46 Healthy conflict is built on a foundation of trust.13:20 How to address conflict in a healthy way.19:17 Final thoughts.21:39 ACT’s BPA and resources.Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, Bio:Michelle Wakeman, BSDH, brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial, and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members, and patients, along with profitable outcomes.In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter, in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.

Are you struggling to figure out shared network agreements? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Sandi Hudson, founder of Unlock the PPO, to help you navigate the complex world of PPOs with her expert advice. To learn everything you need to know about shared network agreements for the new year, listen to Episode 992 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Sandi:Join Sandi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnlockThePPOFollow Sandi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unlocktheppoLearn more about Unlock the PPO: https://unlocktheppo.comMore Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 992: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosMain Takeaways:Understand how shared network agreements work to avoid misunderstandings.One contract does not equal being in-network with one insurance company.Opt out of agreements proactively. Don't leave things to chance.Regularly audit your EOBs to stay on top of any changes.Review your contracts. Don't keep this on autopilot.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:19 Sandi’s background.2:38 Shared network agreements, explained.3:54 Common misunderstandings to be aware of.5:22 Pay attention, do what you're supposed to, and follow up.7:55 Regularly audit EOBs.9:22 What to look for on an EOB.10:32 Regrouping, explained.13:21 The state of negotiating power in shared network agreements.16:14 Narrow down your procedure codes.17:45 Trends in revenue and expenses.19:46 The value of doing a retention analysis.23:40 The trend of corporations purchasing dental practices.25:54 Final thoughts.27:22 More about Unlock the PPO.Sandi Hudson Bio:Sandi Hudson, founder of Unlock the PPO, has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Iowa. After several years in healthcare and fundraising management, she transitioned into dental office management and spent a decade overseeing dental insurance participation and negotiations. Her experience comes from hands-on experience rather than concepts that just sound good on paper. She has worked with offices across the country and has a broad perspective on how to tailor insurance decisions to various regions and demographics. Her goal is to help dentists take a common-sense approach to managing insurance participation in a way that best fits their goals. By keeping abreast of industry trends, she is well-positioned to help dentists prepare for how insurance will best fit into their practices, both now and in the future. Sandi focuses on the analysis side of the business by crunching numbers and making recommendations about participation levels.Sandi is married to a dentist and has a unique perspective of both consultant and dental practice owner, uncommon to the industry.

Are your lab costs a little too high? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to continue the series on overhead and break down lab percentage. They explain what it is, how it impacts your practice, and what to do to maintain a healthy lab percentage. To learn how to lower your lab costs the smart way, listen to Episode 991 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Robyn:Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.com Follow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalSend Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 991: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosLearn more about Smile Source: https://smilesource.comMain Takeaways:For a healthy lab percentage, have efficient clinical systems and a balanced case mix.Find the right lab partner. It’s one of the best relationships you're ever going to find.Evaluate and strengthen your clinical protocols to reduce lab and error costs.Track your remakes to know how it’s impacting your practice.A healthy lab overhead percentage is eight percent.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:22 Lab percentage, explained.2:32 How lab percentage impacts the practice.4:07 Combine dental supply costs and lab costs.6:48 Make smart decisions around lab costs.8:10 What you can do to impact this metric.8:57 How Smile Source can help your practice.9:54 ACT’s BPA.Robyn Theisen Bio:Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.

Have you ever hired someone, then regretted it six months later? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share four key types of interview questions that will help you prevent bad hires. To learn the most important step to finding the right people, listen to Episode 990 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Carlie:Send Carlie an email: carlie@actdental.com Follow Carlie on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalSend Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.com More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 990: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosJoin ACT’s BPA for Bent Ericksen’s Hiring FAQs resource: https://join.actdental.com/users/sign_in?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fjoin.actdental.com%2Fc%2Fpractice-coaching-tools%2Fbent-ericksen-hiring-faq#emailMain Takeaways:If you ask the right questions, it will reveal who someone is, not just what they can do.Ask questions that are credential, technical, experience, and behavior-based.When you hire the wrong people, your practice culture will always suffer.Develop and document a hiring system — and then stick to it.Always hire people who fit your core values.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.0:57 Why this is an important topic.3:03 Four key types of interview questions: Credential-based questions.4:14 Four key types of interview questions: Technical-based questions.6:06 Four key types of interview questions: Experience-based questions.8:09 Four key types of interview questions: Behavior-based questions.14:20 Hire people for a core values fit.15:50 Build a hiring process that protects your culture.19:46 Final takeaways.22:58 Bent Ericksen & Associates.Carlie Einarson Bio:Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.In her free time, Carlie enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.

Robyn Theisen, a dental practice coach with nearly 20 years of experience, dives deep into the power of metrics in dental practices. She emphasizes using data to guide decisions and improve case acceptance, rather than merely cutting hours. Robyn highlights vital KPIs like collections percentages and production gaps that can reveal underlying issues. The conversation also covers strategies for engaging with new patients and the importance of reappointing them into hygiene. Discover how tracking a few key metrics can transform practice performance!

Rent and equipment is a huge part of overhead. But there are other costs hidden in those categories! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robyn Theisen, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to continue the series on overhead and break down facilities and equipment percentage. To find out where else your money is being spent and how you can improve your overhead, listen to Episode 988 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Robyn:Send Robyn an email: robyn@actdental.comFollow Robyn on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalSend Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: courtney@actdental.comSend Gina an email to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.comMore Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaDownload ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_USJoin ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 988: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosMain Takeaways:Examine your space and equipment. Are you optimizing what you currently have?Review your systems. Do you have underutilized ops or unused technology?A healthy percentage for facilities and equipment is between 7% and 8%.Appoint an equipment coordinator to manage repairs and maintenance.Schedule regular maintenance to extend the life of your equipment.Make equipment purchasing decisions based on ROI, not feelings.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:54 Facilities and equipment percentage, explained.2:50 How this percentage impacts your practice.3:56 What is a healthy percentage for this metric?5:27 Are you paying yourself rent?6:17 What you can do to impact this metric.9:02 ACT’s BPA.Robyn Theisen Bio:Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.