The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

How many days do you work for free? You're probably thinking, “I don't!” But you may be shocked after doing the math. In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down a new important KPI: days worked for free. They explain why it happens, how to calculate this number, and what you can do after knowing the data. Stop working too many days for too little money! To learn how, listen to Episode 865 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Straub:Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straubSend Gina an email: 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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 865: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosRegister for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849Main Takeaways:Time is the new rich. Control over time is more valuable than money.To start collecting revenue, you need to work fewer days for free.Learn how to calculate the number of days you worked for free.Figure out how many days you are willing to work for free.Work requires energy and effort. Don't do it for no pay!Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:59 How many days are you working for free?2:45 Days worked for free, explained.3:54 The simple math.9:01 Last thoughts.12:33 Why you need to join the BPA.Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.

Your patients aren't truly healthy, but they're also not losing teeth. This “gray area” is keeping them in perio purgatory! In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Rachel Wall, CEO and founder of Inspired Hygiene, to explain what perio purgatory is, why it’s dangerous, and how to pull patients out of it to improve their health. To learn how to put an end to your perio blindness, listen to Episode 864 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Rachel:Follow Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredhygieneJoin Rachel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredHygieneBook your discovery meeting with Inspired Hygiene: https://www.inspiredhygiene.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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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 864: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosRead Beat the Heart Attack Gene by Dr. Bradley Bale and Dr. Amy Doneen: https://baledoneen.com/bdm-booksRead Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain by Dr. Bradley Bale and Dr. Amy Doneen: https://baledoneen.com/bdm-booksWatch Dr. Amy Doneen’s Women’s Heart Health Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKo-4sSo7wMGet Inspired Hygiene’s Standard of Care Worksheet: https://inspiredhygiene.com/standard-of-care-worksheetMain Takeaways:There is a connection between periodontal disease and other fatal health conditions.Recognize the red flags for diseases such as heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes.Collaborate with your team to develop a very clearly written standard of care.Your patients trust you. Always tell them if they have periodontal disease.Find ways to overcome the lack of capacity for your hygiene patients.Chronic inflammation is not healthy! Don't develop perio blindness.Practice your verbal skills and make perio matter to your patients.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.0:44 Rachel’s background.2:56 Why this is an important topic.6:14 The link between periodontal disease and fatal diseases.9:06 Why patients fall into perio purgatory.11:12 Migraines can be red flags.14:23 Overcome lack of capacity in your hygiene schedule.16:55 Get off the prophy hamster wheel.19:20 Use a collaborative approach to diagnosis.20:30 The importance of verbal skills.24:21 Bleeding blindness, explained.26:32 Everything revolves around your standard of care.30:10 Final thoughts.33:22 More about Inspired Hygiene.Rachel Wall, RDH, Bio: Rachel Wall, RDH, BS, coaches dental teams to build highly productive hygiene departments by implementing systems for high-quality periodontal care, enrolling restorative care through hygiene and letting go of negative mindsets and old beliefs while managing the logistics of a high-performance hygiene department.Drawing from her 20-plus years of experience as a hygienist and practice administrator, Rachel delivers to-the-point clinical speaking presentations around the country. Her interactive teaching style coupled with a workshop environment creates a learning space where dentists and team members are compelled to get to the heart of what’s held them back, and inspire them to reach for more for themselves and their practices. 

Are you overwhelmed trying to navigate PPOs? Then keep listening! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Sandi Hudson, founder of Unlock the PPO, to decode some of the biggest challenges when dropping PPOs. You didn't go to dental school to deal with insurance. Let the experts do it for you! To learn more about Sandi’s company and the key things to consider before dropping PPOs, listen to Episode 863 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.comLearn More About ACT Dental:ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/135ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.comACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdentalACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdentalACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdentalMore 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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/id1223838218Main Takeaways:Fee-for-service dentistry is more alive than ever.Understand how shared network agreements work.It’s not just you — this topic is overwhelming for all practices.Think about the direction of your practice before dropping PPOs.Don't be passive when signing contracts. Know what you're agreeing to.Audit your EOBs at least once a month and know what should be coming in.Be patient when trying to negotiate with reps. It may take months for a response.Pay attention to letters from insurance, even when they don't seem relevant to you.Quotes:“Delta is the only major company left where it's a standalone contract. But pretty much everybody else has multiple shared network agreements with other companies. So, it's no longer just who do you sign a contract with, or who do you want to be in-network with? It's understanding for whatever I signed, what else comes along with that? What else am I agreeing to? And the way this all should be said is, there should have to be permission given for a dentist to be opted into these shared network agreements. Unfortunately, it's the reverse. You're automatically opted in, and the burden is on you to opt out. So, you can't really be passive about it and assume that, ‘Well, I didn't know about that. I never signed anything, so it must not affect me.’ It's the opposite. Nobody is asking your permission anymore. It's, here's this new agreement. You can probably opt out of it if you want to, but you're going to have to be the one that takes the initiative to opt out if it's not the right fit for your office.” (6:36—7:39) -Sandi“I say to a lot of offices it's kind of like Jenga. You're plugging in this game of, what does this all mean? What things affect me in a good way versus a bad way? How do I agree to the things that might actually be beneficial for me, and how do I get myself out of the things that are not? That part has all changed. Five years ago, we still saw a lot of shared network agreement changes coming. But ten years ago was completely different than what we're looking at now. So, for offices who are actually trying to see patients, they didn't go to dental school to deal with all of these intricacies of contracting. So, to have the time to map this all out where you're trying to take care of patients and actually deliver dentistry, this has become its own subset to such a degree that it's very difficult to manage alongside of patient care. It's a lot.” (7:41—8:41) -Sandi“The reality is it's overwhelming for everybody, these shared network agreements. Not just the dentist’s side, but the reps on the other side who work for the insurance companies are dealing with it all on their end of things. And honestly, we've had great relationships with a lot of insurance company reps for a long time. There really are some great people on the other side of the table. But one of the things that I think has come along with some of these changes is the individual reps who used to have a lot of discretion in their market no longer have that discretion the same way. So, they're having to go up the ladder. An extra one or two percent is going to require somebody else to approve it. It's going to have to go to management. There are more layers as opposed to just being able to go directly to a person and have some resolution in a couple of weeks. We've got multiple companies right now where it's three or four months that it's taking us to get negotiations wrapped up. So, this is not a thing where you call, and if they don't call you back, you throw up your hands. You've got to be persistent and know it's going to take a few months to even get a response sometimes, to get somebody who can do the negotiation piece. It really is an ongoing project now. So, there is some agreeableness out there. It's just staying at it and being very persistent until you hear back.” (10:03—11:29) -Sandi“A lot of it will depend on your market. Sometimes, I know it's frustrating. Somebody will say, ‘Hey, I know this company is non-negotiable, but I got a great deal,’ which is awesome, and we love to hear that. The reality is that — and I speak for us on this too — it's not necessarily that we're all amazing negotiators in that. Of course, we know what we're going after. We know the market and we know what the top codes are. We're going after very targeted negotiations. But the reality is also, how much do they need you in your market? If it happens to be a time where maybe a new employer group has jumped on board and they don't have enough providers in your area, that might open up some opportunity. So, there is a piece of it that really is specific to the demographic that you're in, and do they need you more than you need them, kind of a situation. But we are seeing it loosen a bit in some markets.” (11:31—12:25) -Sandi“What's the direction of your practice? There are a lot of ways to do dentistry successfully in terms of business models. So, there's not a one-size-fits-all approach by any means. But I do think it's important for each dentist to think about things like — some dentists don't like marketing at all. They don't want to market. They don't want to think about marketing. So, PPOs may fill a little bit more of a gap for those practices where they're thinking, ‘I'd rather have a flow of patients coming in continually, even if I'm taking a little bit less for it. It takes the burden off of me for marketing externally more.’ Other practices, dentists really like that, and they are going after a different business model. We're seeing more where not everything is hygiene driven — dentists who are marketing more to say, ‘I'm not going to rely on the new patient flow coming through hygiene to feed my schedule. I'm going to go after more specialty procedures as the end result.’ So, hygiene is maybe not quite the same piece of the practice the way it has been in a more traditional business model.” (12:54—14:02) -Sandi“You spend so many years trying to build a practice, do everything right, treat people great, give good customer service, hire great staff, all those things. And then, you get to a point where you might actually need to be thinking, ‘Maybe I need to shrink the practice a little bit. If I lose a few patients, but for the 90% who stay I collect X dollars more, does that really check the boxes of what I want to be doing right now anyway, with quality-of-life kind of stuff?’ But it's hard. It's hard to think about shrinking a little bit when your whole business model has been making everybody happy and growing for so many years. So, I think just learning, when is it time to look at the business model a little bit differently, and being okay with that, and making sure your staff is trained and on board with changes that you want to make. Nobody wants to be blindsided by, all of a sudden, we're making changes and they don't know what that entails. So, I think real good communication with staff is a big piece.” (14:56—16:03) -Sandi“I'm sure you've heard many offices saying, ‘I burned through two or three front office people for a few years while things were resettling after COVID-19.’ A lot of times, that means they've all lost track of, ‘I don't even know who signed what for insurance contracts. We don't even know who we're in-network with and who's paying on what.’ We get offices all the time who are, I think, kind of embarrassed because they feel like we've never heard that before. We'll ask for a list of, ‘Who do you have contracts with, and how are you participating?’ And they're like, ‘We have no idea. We know we're in-network, but we just don't know.’ So, regrouping on that really has to be first, because you can't strategically eliminate things in a good way if you don't even know what you're starting with. So, you really do have to get a good baseline.” (16:04—16:52) -Sandi“In terms of the dropping piece, there are some good initial things to do as far as getting a handle on what you've got now, and then really deciding when is it time to make some hard changes and go with a small company where you're not at risk. If you've got a company that you're doing $30,000 of production with a year, and you drop it, and it doesn't go as well as you intended, this is not a make-it-or-break-it kind of thing. So, stepping into that on a small scale and then working your way up, I think, is a great way to approach it for most offices.” (16:56—17:35) -Sandi“I will, a lot of times, ask, ‘How far are you booking out on the hygiene side and the operative side?’ So, let's say a dentist says, ‘I'm booking out four to six weeks on operative. We're super busy.’ Well, that does you no good. All you're doing is taking an entire four to six weeks of production — you can only see the eight hours a day that's on your calendar. So, continuing to book out further and further, it might mentally give you some assurances that we're always going to be busy. But busy, and now you're booking out seven weeks. Now, you're booking out eight weeks. That doesn't do you any good. All that means is that you could have gotten a higher paying patient in the chair, but you don't have room for them because you're accommodating all of the lower paying PPO patients.” (19:12—20:00) -Sandi“You said about the ops, the thought of, ‘Do I build more ops?’ Because once they're in place, then I have to feed that. Another similar thing in that same line is dentists who are thinking about adding an associate. They're too busy, and they're thinking about adding an associate. One of the things I always recommend is, if you are with PPOs now, before you add the associate, get your PPO house in order. Otherwise, if you have overflow that could feed an associate right now, but let's say if that overflow is coming because you're taking a whole bunch of PPOs and you're writing off half of your fee, as soon as you hire an associate dentist to see that overflow, you're still only getting 50% of your full fee, but now you're paying somebody else on top of it to see that pool of patients. So, another good thought with that is, if you are too busy and you take PPOs, go through and get the whole analysis side of your PPOs figured out first, and then get those reimbursement rates to where they're healthy. That way, if it means dropping a couple, you're doing that while you're still going solo. Then, you get that all in order, and if you're still too busy, then it makes sense to add an associate because the PPO fees then will support you being able to pay somebody to see those patients.” (21:12—22:32) -Sandi“For an office, even if they're just saying, ‘Hey, I'm going to try to tackle this on my own,’ I would definitely say look at the top 30 codes. Based on that, and also your volume, how much volume are you doing with each contract? This is actually where it gets harder for a lot of offices because one side of it is just numbers, what your cash fees are and all that. You can dig that up with your reports. But the amount of production you have tied to each fee schedule, that's where offices, a lot of times, are really like, ‘We've lost track,’ because a company like — pick any insurance company — probably have five or six shared network agreements with other companies. So, they know they're in-network, but they don't even know where to assign that production to. So, you don't know the impact of — you might have a low paying fee schedule, but you've only got $5,000 of production with them. So, it's like, ‘Eh, it's a low fee schedule. It's not really hurting us.’ But it turns out that low fee schedule has ten other companies that can attach to their fee schedule, and your impact is really $200,000 a year, not $5,000 a year. So, you really have to understand what insurance company is attaching to somebody else's fee schedule so that you really know the impact.” (27:33—28:52) -Sandi“[A shared network agreement is] when one insurance company has an agreement with another insurance company. There are lots and lots of those out there now. So, what you have to be aware of is, let's say that you're a completely fee-for-service office, you have no PPO contracts, and you get an offer from — I'm just pulling names out of a hat. They're all very similar. There's not necessarily bad guys, good guys in all of this. It's just, be aware. I'm not picking on anybody, just grabbing a name. But let's say you have an agreement that you decide to sign with Guardian. So, if you have a contract with Guardian and you don't have anybody else's contract, there are a lot of other companies that can be in-network through Guardian: Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Emeritus — lots of other companies. So, if you decide to sign up with Guardian, you need to be thinking, ‘Do I just want this contract to apply to Guardian itself?’ because that's who you're signing up with. So, your first thought is going to be, ‘Well, I'm just signing with Guardian,’ without necessarily being aware or understanding that a lot of other insurance companies can come along with that. Now, you can opt out of those other agreements, and you can say, ‘I just want this contract to apply only to Guardian.’ But again, the burden is on you. You have to say, ‘I only want this to apply to Guardian.’” (34:37—35:54) -Sandi“What we find, as you add more and more contracts, is that pretty much all of the insurance companies have agreements with other companies. So, the thought process has to be, what's best for you? Well, it's best for you if you take some high-end companies or contracts, and if a few other companies tack onto those, you might not mind that because if it's a fee schedule you're happy with, you might think, ‘Well, if we get a few more patients and it's a great fee schedule, I don't mind if more people jump on board.’ But where the insurance companies have not added these agreements to find ways to pay you more, what they have done with these is use them to network more dentists through these agreements. But then you also have to remember, if there are multiple agreements, most likely, we're going to assume they're going to choose the lower paying path to pay on. So, you want to be careful.” (35:55—36:48) -Sandi“You have to be really careful about how these shared network agreements impact you. It's not to say that they're always bad — it's just to say that they work both directions. So, you want to be really careful about allowing them in your practice if it works to your benefit. But if they don't, you need to understand how to wall those off. That's what we mean by an opt-out. An opt-out is not the same as a termination. A termination would be eliminating an entire contract. An opt-out is really telling one insurance company you don't want to participate with their agreement with another company. So, again, most of those are optional, and you can just do a letter or form. There's various paperwork to get yourself out of those. But you can't get yourself out of something that you're not even aware of. That's the biggest thing, is that there is no grid out there that you can just look at and say, ‘Okay, how does this all apply to my area?’ Because of all the shared network agreements, it's very messy. It's not clear. It's not a transparent system at all. So, you really do have to do some research.” (36:57—38:10) -Sandi“Once a month, grab a stack of EOBs and look to see, ‘Okay, if I thought that Guardian was paying on the Aetna fee schedule, is it paying on the Aetna fee schedule?’ I'm sure a lot of your listeners will remember, there was a letter that went out last summer that MetLife entered a couple of new shared network agreements. That was a big one because MetLife really had not allowed other insurance companies to use their fees in the past. So, that was a pretty big one. And unfortunately, sometimes there's this letter that goes out but either somebody doesn't...

Collecting 95% sounds great. But there's a big problem: you're leaving 5% on the table! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down net collections percentage. You'll learn why 95% isn't as great as it sounds, how it’s killing your practice, and what you can do to raise this KPI. To learn what you need to know about net collections, listen to Episode 862 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Straub:Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straubSend Gina an email: 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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 862: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosRegister for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849Main Takeaways:Your goal is to collect 100% or more.If you're not collecting 100%, understand why.Make sure your team is aligned with your expectations.97% is great on a chemistry exam. It’s not great for net collections.Pre-collect from patients. When you owe dentistry, you have less stress.Whoever collects money needs to be confident in the value of your dentistry.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.0:38 Net collections, explained.2:07 Why net collections is so important.2:33 The problem with 95%.4:49 Pre-collect from patients.6:16 What it means when you’re collecting less than 100%.7:21 The mindset of the person collecting money.8:42 The importance of right person, right seat.10:45 Action items you can start today.12:59 Last thoughts.Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.

Do you ever wonder what your dental techs really think about you? In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Christopher Mazzola and Dr. Charlie Ward to pick the brain of Joshua Polansky, owner of Niche Dental Studio, to answer your burning questions and to reveal the secret to a great relationship and partnership with your dental techs. To hear one dental tech’s advice for becoming a better dentist, listen to Episode 861 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Mazzola, Dr. Ward, & Joshua:Join Dr. Mazzola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.mazzolaFollow Dr. Mazzola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherdmazzoladdsSend Dr. Ward an email: charlie@bmoredentalarts.com Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwardddsFollow Joshua on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nichedentalstudioRegister for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17004&tuition=0&lodging=trueRegister for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (June 17-20, 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mardRegister for Dr. Mazzola & Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course (July 30, 2026 to August 1, 2026): https://pankey.org/registration/?courseId=17781&tuition=0&lodging=trueLearn More About ACT Dental:ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/134ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.comACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdentalACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdentalACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdentalMore 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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/id1223838218Main Takeaways:Don't be an asshole or an “ask hole”.Stop making the job harder for dental techs.Communication is key. Be open and receptive to feedback.Manage your expectations. A great lab doesn't mean perfection.Every dentist needs to go through the pain of developing their own style.Set realistic expectations for yourself, your dental techs, and your patients.For the best possible outcome, dentists and dental techs need to work together.Social media is a highlight reel. Don't compare yourself to something that isn't real.Quotes:“When we think about planning complex cases and interdisciplinary treatment planning, the ceramist gets left out of that. The technician gets left out of that. I don't do any complicated cases or treatment planning without talking to Josh. I have to know, in order to finalize the plan — we had this conversation yesterday. We had two conversations. We had the implant conversation on something, that the design was off, and then we had a conversation about a complex plan that I'm presenting on Monday that, ‘Hey, what's this going to look like? We have to open vertical. I need to do ortho. I need to do these things. What sequence would make sense for you guys to make sure I get the design back that I want to?’ So that, to me, is a piece that's missing. We teach it at Pankey in the aesthetics class, which Josh teaches with me, that you need to find a ceramist that can deliver the type of work that you want and that you can have a relationship with to have these conversations, because they're going to have to deliver that case at the end for you. So, just like you're going to talk to perio and you're going to talk to ortho in these complex cases, the ceramist is 100% a part of your specialty team.” (7:21—8:37) -Dr. Ward“People treatment plan in a silo. So, they're by themselves. One thing that we see quite a bit of is a lot of people have this knowledge. They can rattle off the facts to you. But when it comes to treatment planning and then setting up a plan and executing it, the confidence disappears. I think it's because, a lot of times, they don't know how good they are — and it's because they don't have working relationships with specialists like dental technicians. I know I've worked with Josh and I've spitballed some things. It's never like, ‘Hey, man. That's a terrible idea.’ It's like, ‘Okay, I see how that would work. I've also seen it fail this way, this way, and this way,’ because for every one case I do in my career, he's got 50 that have come across his desk — at the minimum. So, I think building that rapport with someone, whether it's another dentist, or your ceramist, or whomever, to be able to find that conversation is what's important. Josh knows we know what we're doing. But I know that he really appreciates it when we pick up the phone and he can put his input in to say like, ‘That's a great idea. But turn this way just a hair, and it's going to be so much smoother for me, you, and the patient.’” (8:53—10:22) -Dr. Mazzola“A dental technician wants nothing more than to have dentists that “know what they're doing”. But I think, as a technician, what I appreciate the most is that I know these guys know that I know what I'm talking about. Meaning, I think dental technicians have a really big fear to voice their opinion because, on the totem pole, we're down here. We're at the bottom. I've definitely, I guess through hard work, punched my way up to the top to get their respect. But once I've gotten here, I appreciate the fact that I have dentists — and man, if you had access to my email, you would really see, I don't want to say how insecure, but the questions I get are very basic. But at the same time, I think from a maturity standpoint, I can step back and look at them with no judgment, that maybe I am their only resource because they're embarrassed to ask their colleagues or they're embarrassed to ask specialists. So, you'd be surprised at what I'm asked on a daily basis from dentists. I don't judge them because, at the end, they should grow and evolve and get better. But I think that I've appreciated, as a technician, that I am reached out to a lot. Before, it used to be a lot of pride. Now, I think it's better for the patient and better for the outcome because, in the end, the treatment plans are usually a combination of something the doctor wanted to do and something I wanted to do kind of melded together.” (10:30—12:00) -Joshua“We work in an incredibly stressful environment. Technicians do behind the scenes, so you guys don't see our stress. So, you automatically think what we do is so easy — I just open a drawer, take teeth out, and close it. It's not that easy. But at the same time, I have to respect that you guys work in an incredibly intimate environment where it's very stressful. So, both of us have our own stresses. And I'm not going to work with somebody that — you know that whole thing of the abusive husband who comes home and kicks the dog? I'm not going to be the dog because I'm only here to help. If you make my job harder, you're an asshole, and I don't want to work with you. And here's the issue, and a whole other rant. That is the problem with dentistry, is because there are tons of labs that will work with the assholes, so they never change to become better, which in turn doesn't allow better dentistry to be done because that's just the way they do it.” (13:08—14:07) -Joshua“I can't work with people that really make our job harder because, at the end, it doesn't give a good result from us. When we pick up a case at the lab, we want to feel good. When I pick up a case for Chris or Charlie, I want me and my team — not to smile, because I don't want to get cliché. But I can tell you my team likes Charlie Ward. He comes to the lab, and he sends us cookies and stuff. They like him. Never going to name names on a podcast, but there is definitely a group that when they see their case pan on the bench for the day, they're like, ‘Pfft. I hate this guy.’ I think you don't want to be that. For the young dentist listening to this podcast, you don't want to be that to the laboratory that is, in turn, the person who wants to make you look good.” (14:07—15:00) -Joshua“My closing remarks on what an asshole is is that one of my old lab buddies owned a pretty successful lab in Georgia. Terry Fohey, he's a good guy. He's retired now, but I always went to him for business advice. He's from the South. He told me, ‘You want to work “foxhole dentistry”.’ He says when we're at war, and we're in the foxhole, and people are shooting at us, you want somebody that's going to look at you — and I don't want to say that, but there are situations in dentistry where the shit has hit the fan. You understand? Like, the hybrid cracked, and the patient is in the chair. It's not “war”. Let's not get crazy. But we're in the shit together. I need somebody that's going to look at me when the shit is going down and say, ‘Hey, man. Let's regroup. How do we get out of this?’ I don't need somebody yelling at me. Because if I was in the foxhole, and I was in that situation, and I had some guy yelling at me, I would take the gun, shoot him real quick, and then go back to war. That's hypothetically what I’d do with some of the doctors, is boom, boom, boom, and then we keep going.” (15:01—16:08) -Joshua“What Chris did, we take that for granted. It is very complex, what he just said, transferring all that data from Michigan to a bench in New Jersey, and then back, and have it all fit, and using digital. I'm amazed all this stuff even works, sometimes. It is extremely complex. So, when working in such a complex situation, we've got to be on the same team, to emphasize what I was just saying. We have to be friendly. We must, or else we're working against each other, not with each other.” (17:23—17:56) -Joshua“The expectation seems to be that if I work with a great lab, I'm going to get something back and never have to adjust it. It's impossible. It's a miracle any of this stuff fits to the degree that it fits. I don't even understand how it happens. But we get it back, and you can't take it from the digital world or the analog world on an articulator and then expect to put it in a mouth with soft tissue and muscle and bone and expect it to fit exactly how it did on the articulator or in the digital design. It's not going to happen. You have to do some work in the mouth.” . . . It's an unrealistic expectation that we have, as a profession, that things are going to come back, and they're going to drop into place.” (18:00—18:52) -Dr. Ward“What you guys do is extremely hard. Dentists have very high expectations. And again, that puts those expectations on us. But we have to really determine, what are realistic expectations? I think sometimes we forget that we're making human body parts that have to function. A lot of people refer to lab technicians and ceramists as artists. I am not an artist. What we do is very technical. There are real things involved. It has to work. Art has no rules. Like, this behind me is art. There are no rules to this. If you want to take a picture of a heavy metal guy with no shirt on — it's art. The teeth I make have to work. They must function. Especially working with the caliber of dentists, either Kois, Pankey, or Spear, these people are on a different caliber, and they're checking things a lot differently than like a Medicaid office. They're really checking our work, so it has to work.” (19:06—20:09) -Joshua“As an owner of a lab, I would say almost 100% of new clients, it's always the same. ‘I'm totally open. If you see anything wrong, call me. Please tell me if I could do anything better.’ It's always the same. I've become so numb to it because we do reach out, and a lot of them are saying, ‘No, it's fine. No, it's good.’ And you're going like, ‘What?’ So, that's not an asshole. That's what we would call an “ask hole”. They ask us questions. And then, when we answer them, they ignore everything. That's also difficult to work with.” (21:04—21:43) -Joshua“There's been a doctor that we work with, and we're doing a lot of single central matches. We explained, ‘This is how we can get you the best match. Please don't use the filters on your camera because the filters are more for like “after” glamorous pictures. It's not good for us to read color. And they say, ‘Everything is okay. No problem, no problem. Everything is all good.’ We get the central. What is the picture? It has the [filter]. That's where it gets a little frustrating because, long term, I don't see this working. We're not even giving you criticism. We're just giving you general like, ‘Hey, this is going to make it better.’ When that's ignored, that's no good. So, I think that a lot of clients say they're open. The advice I would give is, really be open. Just listen. And you have the right to disagree. That's fine. But you should be receptive to . . . Like, I'm not going to tell the tailor how to make my clothes. Could you imagine if when I was getting my car fixed, I was like, ‘I don't like those screws. You should use those screws.’” (21:44—22:48) -Joshua“Most lab owners have very thick skin because — I'm very fortunate. When we do a great job, they call me. When we do a poor job, they call me. They communicate all that. But I would say the majority of lab owners are only getting the problem calls. So, they develop thick skin over time. The issue is, it’s not that we don't care, but we hang up the phone and we move on to the next problem. But for you, as a dentist, that's still a problem. And you're beating yourself up. I see a lot of dentists wind up beating themselves up, and that's where the burnout comes from. That's where the depression comes from. It comes from them thinking it's their fault, they stink, they fail. And I think it's because they're not open. They're not receptive. That's my opinion. I don't know if I'm right or wrong, but that's what I see, from an outsider's perspective.” (24:36—25:21) -Joshua“There are expectations that we need to set with the patient, and there are expectations that we need to set with the lab. We were talking a little bit about shade matches and colors, especially for doing single anterior teeth. That's difficult. I mean, it's my job as a dentist to prepare the patient for the fact that, ‘Hey, we're going to try this in next time. There's no guarantee this is going in. This is one of the most difficult things that we do.’ So, if I don't do that properly and the patient is not prepared, then nobody is happy when we try it and have to send it back to the lab. Josh is expecting to get that back. It's so hard to do it on the first try that it's probably going to need to be adjusted if you want it to match the way that we're trying to do the dentistry. So, there's an expectation that he would set with me that, ‘Hey, we're going to try this in. We've done everything. You sent me everything that I need. I've set the patient up for that so that they know, ‘Hey, we're going to try this in. I want it to be as perfect as possible.’ So, there are expectations on both ends that need to be discussed and then followed through with. Then, afterwards, we figure out, ‘Hey, was there something different either one of us could have done to make this better?’ That's why Josh gets a call, whether it went great or whether it went poorly. ‘Hey, why did it go so great?’ Let's have that conversation.” (25:22—26:43) -Dr. Ward“[Social media] sets unreasonable expectations, in my opinion. They're unreasonable. And what I mean is this — I can tell you this firsthand. I work with a ton of dentists, and I work with very talented dentists who have young associates. Those young associates are in very good places. They can learn so much there. They get the right patients, fee-for-service, all that. Those guys and girls follow my Instagram and see the stuff we're doing because I'm pretty active being out there, lecturing and whatnot. And for some reason, I think it always comes to the grass is always greener, where they pull me aside and they're like, ‘Hey, man. We don't do that here. It kind of stinks here. What are you doing? Why are you doing that?’ And I just want to kind of [slap some sense into them]. Like, ‘You're doing that here. You just have to focus on here. You're looking outside too much. Everything I'm showing is what I do, actually, with your bosses. It's here. You're just not looking here.’ So, I think it affects...

You want great people in your practice. But it’s a challenge to find them, and an even bigger challenge to keep them! In this episode of Practical Solutions Day, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share their proven strategies to keep great team members engaged and wanting to stay. To learn how to build and retain a strong and dedicated team, listen to Episode 860 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 for your Golden Ticket: 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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 860: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosRead The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman: https://5lovelanguages.com/store/the-5-love-languagesRead The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Dr. Gary Chapman: https://5lovelanguages.com/store/the-5-languages-of-appreciation-in-the-workplaceMain Takeaways:Engaged employees stay.Build your team around your core values.Establish a consistent rhythm of communication.Provide feedback consistently using the Right People Scorecard.Understand different appreciation styles and consistently demonstrate it.Empower and elevate your team by understanding what drives and excites them.Your small but consistent efforts is what will lead to big, lasting impact in your practice.Retention isn't about keeping people — it’s about knowing how to keep the right people.You don't need to implement all five retention strategies at once. Lean into one at a time.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:33 ACT’s TTT, BPA/BPA app, and Pro Coaching.6:25 Why this is an important topic.13:57 Strategy 1) Build a team around core values.19:57 Strategy 2) Establish a consistent rhythm of communication.27:48 Strategy 3) Provide feedback consistently.32:06 Hire people who GWC (Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity for it).41:46 Strategy 4) Demonstrate workplace appreciation.54:40 Strategy 5) Empower and elevate your team.1:00:31 Final takeaways.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.

You might think you know your write-off percentage. But do you, really? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down this important KPI. They explain what it is, how it affects your profitability, and countermeasures to start adding some percentage points back to your bottom line. For step-by-step guidance through this process, become a Premium member of ACT’s BPA and listen to Episode 859 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Straub:Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straubSend Gina an email: gina@actdental.com Learn More About ACT Dental:ACT’s webinars: https://www.actdental.com/134ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.comACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdentalACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdentalACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdentalACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdentalMore 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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:Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849Main Takeaways:Understand the causes of large write-off percentages.Higher write-offs mean more pressure on your profit margin.Learn the four steps to add some percentage points back to your bottom line.If you don't know how much you're writing off, you're working too many days for free!To master this KPI and many others, register to become a Premium BPA member today!Quotes:“Today's KPI metric is write-off percentage. It is the percentage of total charges that are adjusted off. There are three different ways or reasons you would adjust off production. One would be PPO insurance adjustments that are contracted through your PPO contract. Number two would be your elective patient discounts or adjustments. Number three would be those discounts that come as part of your membership plan, if you had them. So, basically, we're saying of all the dollars of production, what dollar value, and then what percentage of that did you write off or adjust off and knowingly make non-collectible?” (0:53—1:34) -Dr. Straub“I know what you're thinking if you're listening to this. ‘We've got this. I know what my write-offs percentages are.’ No, you don't. Most of the clients that we coach do not have their arms around this. Now, it's becoming even more complex. Prior to COVID-19, it wasn’t unusual for us to see practices writing off 20%. Even prior to COVID-19, I thought that’s a lot of money. I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years. Now, we’re seeing people north of 35%, 42%. We’re even finding people that are writing off 50%. So, this gap is climbing.” (1:36—2:11) -Kirk“Another factor in the reason why many of us don’t know our write-offs — and we’ve covered this on a previous Metric Monday — is the question, do you bill your full fee? A lot of times, when you're not billing your full fee, you're billing the UCR or the approved fee by insurance. You're under-reporting your gross production, and you're under-reporting your adjustments or write-off off of production. So, it is a little complex, and we can simplify it pretty easily. And the why — what is a write-off? Now, why is it important? Your write-offs are a huge factor in your profit margin. The higher your write-offs — we call it the effort gap — the more pressure there is on your profit margin.” (2:20—3:10) -Dr. Straub“Let's really simplify it, just to make sure all the listeners are on the same page. If we charge $100 for a fee, every time we do that billable code, in our ledger, the top line should say $100. Now, we may have to adjust off $20 of that because we're part of a PPO, contracted. We would write that off and say X, Y, Z insurance. We might write off the total amount of that if it was a guaranteed service for a patient. We would write off the whole $100. We would say — and I did this a lot — NC, no charge. Make it zero. We need to bill out the full fee, write off the full amount. We might write off part or all of it for charitable cases. We might write off 15% of it for our membership plan. All is fine and good, and the goal is not to hide your write-offs or adjustments. The goal is to bill out your full fee all the time, cleanly and accurately calculate those write-offs so you know, ‘I write off X percent. Of that percent, I write off X to PPOs, I write off X to memberships, and I write off X to my elective write-offs.’ So, that's how you do it.” (3:47—5:03) -Dr. Straub“Again, going back to the story, we produce X dollars of production. That's our output. That's our business's output, and it takes energy, time, money, and people to do that. We want to know what percentage of that effort are we writing off before we can start collecting money. Obviously, the larger that amount or the bigger that gap, the less profitable we are. So, what can cause that percentage to grow? One is reduced reimbursements from our PPO contracts. That's largely out of our hands, and part of that is the reason that we're always saying, ‘Hey, let's take a crucial eye at how many plans we're a part of, which ones we're a part of, and what's our strategy going forward regarding PPOs.’ That's one.” (5:08—6:52) -Dr. Straub“Another reason your effort gap or your write-off could increase would be, of your active patients, how many are in-network versus out-of-network? So, theoretically . . . we could have not signed up for a new PPO, and our write-offs could be growing because, for whatever reason, all our new patients are in-network. Or conversely, we can lower our effort gap with bringing in new patients that are out-of-network. And it begs the question, how many of your active patients are paying you 100% of your fee? The more that do, the smaller your write-offs and the higher your profitability. So, when you have a larger proportion of your active patients on PPOs, your profit margin will be squeezed and your write-offs will be increased. Again, we're not making any judgments. We're not saying to do PPOs or not to do PPOs. We're saying, let's understand what our write-off is and what proportion of our patients are on these PPOs, and therefore, we can understand our profitability.” (6:52—7:06) -Dr. Straub“Our best practices in that fee-for-service model live in the four to eight percent range. Meaning, no matter what they produce, only four to eight percent of that is being written off. The rest is being collected. If we are a fee-for-service practice with a membership plan, now the membership plans require some kind of discount. Membership plans are great, but that's going to increase your write-offs. Now, we're usually in the seven, eight, to 12% ratio. Practices that have one big PPO, they're usually 12% to 20%. If you have a couple PPOs, you're usually living in the 20% to 30%. When we have a handful of PPOs, we're 30-plus, sometimes into the 40%. So, you can see I'm using very gray terms: a handful, a couple. And that's usually right. But I want you to think about it this way. It doesn't matter if I have ten PPOs or one PPO. What matters is how many of my patients are in-network versus out-of-network. So, theoretically, we could have two practices. One has eight PPOs, and one has one PPO. They could both have the same level of write-offs if 100% of their patients are in-network. So, it's a two-fold question — not only how many PPOs do I have, but do I have any patients that are outside of these networks? Therefore, now, we're getting deeper into what truly is my profit margin.” (7:18—8:51) -Dr. Straub“Today, when you get to your office, I want you to calculate your write-offs. It can be for last month. It can be for last quarter. It can be for last year. It doesn't matter. Just start and say, how much did I write off? Now, number two, you're going to ask the question, but is that accurate? Do I bill out my full fee, or do I bill out some adjusted? Number three, we're going to calculate how many active patients we have, and then how many of those are in-network versus out-of-network. Those of you that are clients, those of you that are BPA members, those of you that have been in our PPO Roadmap, you might understand this as patient segments. I want you to start looking at your patient segments because each segment means something different to your practice. So, let's say you have 2,000 patients. Great. Now, I want to know how many of those are in-network, versus out-of-network, versus in your membership plan, just for your understanding. Now, lastly, we're going to do some math. If I produce X and I write off Y, what if I reduced Y by five percent and I collected all of that? What's five percent of that production? Add that to your bottom line, your profitability. What would that mean for your practice? What would that mean for your financial health? What would that mean for your life? Now, you can start to see how the financial gaps model works, meaning incremental improvements can mean some very impactful improvements to your profit margin. So, do some math. Those are the four steps I would encourage people to take home and do today.” (9:32—11:13) -Dr. Straub“If you don't know your write-offs, you're working a considerable number of days for free. I used to say if you're writing off 33%, you're working a third of your days for free — but you're actually working more than that. Barrett is going to cover that in a future podcast. But that's one thing to consider. And there's big talk about burnout. While I'm not a burnout expert, I don't need to be to understand that when I'm working harder, and harder, and harder, and I'm paying expenses on efforts that I'm not being rewarded for, burnout is going to happen — especially if you care a lot. A big piece of this is knowing what your write-offs are.” (11:31—12:08) -Kirk“As Barrett already said, you can get really angry about what insurances are paying and reimbursing and how big write-offs are. That's not the real issue. The real issue is you have your arms around that, and you're building a patient base of people that pay your full fee, show up, and all of that stuff. We're here to help you and simplify this journey. When you can get your eyes and your heart set in the right way, you can actually create an amazing practice.” (12:11—12:38) -Kirk“Some of you are driving to work right now, and some of you have a little anxiety happening in the inner parts of your chest. You're like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is complex. I don't know the answers to what these guys are asking.’ And I would say, there's only so much we can do in a 15-minute podcast. This is a little complex. But it is highly simplified if you go step by step. So, number five, if you're like, ‘Boy, this is something I think is not lining up in my practice. Man, this is really resonating with me. I want to figure this out,’ I'm just going to say it: go to our BPA. Sign up for Premium. It's $100 a month. I feel very good asking people to do it because the value is crazy. We have a PPO Roadmap in there as a Premium member. It guides you step by step through all these questions that I'm proposing. All you have to do is take the pressure off and go, ‘I'm going to do step one first. I'm going to pull the numbers. I'm going to find out what it tells me.’ Then, we're going to go, ‘Okay. Now, next question. Do this.’ You just have to do it step by step. It takes out all the fear, it takes out all the unknowns, it takes all the complexity out, and it will walk you through this process. You'll know more about your business. Whether you ever drop a PPO or not, it is going to make you a better leader and better [businessperson].” (12:45—13:58) -Dr. StraubSnippets:0:00 Introduction.0:40 Write-off percentage, explained.3:13 Why your effort gap or your write-offs could increase.7:06 Important benchmarks to know.9:19 Four action items to implement today.12:41 Final thoughts.Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.

In this episode of Clinical Edge Fridays, ACT shares their latest Master Class by Brittny Murphy, founder of CT Orofacial Myology, who explains the long-term dental, mental, and overall health benefits of introducing myofunctional screening and therapy to patients of all ages. With a quick, pain-free, and non-invasive screening, you can save valuable chair time and elevate patient care! To learn how to integrate this process into your practice, listen to Episode 858 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Brittny:Give Brittny a call: (203) 217-7090Send Brittny an email: brittny@myctom.comLearn more on Brittny’s website: https://themyohygienist.comListen to Brittny’s I Spy with My Myo Eye podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q4OEbkVqMGRKFppn2WYOWRegister for Brittny’s myofunctional therapy course: https://www.airwayhealthsolutions.com/myo-newLearn more about CT Orofacial Myology: https://www.ctorofacialmyology.comJoin CT Orofacial Myology on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctorofacialmyologyFollow CT Orofacial Myology on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ct_orofacial_myologyWatch CT Orofacial Myology on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ctorofacialmyologybrittnys4772More 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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 858: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosFAIREST 6 Screener: https://www.fairest.orgRead Breath by James Nestor: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547761/breath-by-james-nestorTry Xlear nasal spray: https://xlear.comTry Ayr saline nasal gel: https://www.bfascher.com/products/ayr-saline-nasal-gelTry Neti Stik: https://shop.himalayaninstitute.org/collections/neti-pot/products/neti-stikTry BoomBoom nasal sticks: https://boomboomnaturals.com/collections/nasal-inhalersMain Takeaways:Myofunctional therapy goes beyond dental health.Learn to identify signs of airway issues and improper oral habits.Educate patients on the importance of tongue posture and good oral habits.Introduce the myo therapy screener as something that's easy and non-invasive.Many people are not aware of their mouth-breathing and other improper oral habits.Practices offering sleep dentistry should have a myofunctional therapist in their office.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.4:26 Brittny’s background.5:48 Objectives.6:52 OMT, defined.8:18 How to explain OMT to patients.9:19 Myofunctional therapy requires compliance and self-awareness.10:41 Goals of OMT.13:32 The importance of nasal hygiene.14:59 Where the tongue should be at rest.17:34 Dental office benefits.32:21 Myofunctional therapy goes beyond dental health.38:14 Causes of OMDs.40:36 What age should myo start?41:11 Who can do myo?41:22 Signs of dysfunction.43:17 The sleep and myo connection.44:32 Tongue-tie and sleep apnea.46:48 What happens when

Are you scared of tough conversations? Do you avoid them at all costs? Then it could cost you your practice! To help you avert future crisis, Kirk Behrendt brings back Carlie Einarson, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share a framework for having good, productive conflict and building a culture of trust. Put an end to false harmony in your practice! To learn how to have courageous conversations with your team, listen to Episode 857 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 Gina an email: 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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 857: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosRegister for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849Main Takeaways:To build trust, you need good conflict.Start embracing conflict. It is helpful, not harmful.Conflict doesn't mean confrontation, drama, or arguments.Regular team check-ins are critical for building a culture of trust.Don't let your fears get in the way of having tough conversations.Remember that some personality styles are more averse to conflict.Practice having courageous conversations. It will get easier with time.When you avoid conflict, it will cost you time, money, and team morale.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:11 Why this is an important topic.2:10 Stop avoiding conflict.5:17 Conflict, defined.7:11 Examples of conflict in a dental office.9:18 Don't let fear get in the way.11:18 DiSC styles and conflict aversion.13:30 How to embrace conflict.16:16 Courageous conversations, explained.19:45 The importance of team check-ins.22:56 Final thoughts.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, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.

Every year, you set gross production goals. But is that the right number to focus on? In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to break down the most overlooked number: net production. To learn how focusing on this metric will increase profitability, listen to Episode 856 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Straub:Send Dr. Straub an email: barrett@actdental.com Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straubSend Gina an email: 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/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet 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 856: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosRegister for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (April 11, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-april-11-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1012966789937Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849Main Takeaways:Aim to collect 100% of your net production.Focus on net production more than gross production.Net production gives you a more accurate picture of your practice.Figure out the gap between your net production and gross production.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.0:51 Net production, explained.3:26 Two questions you need to answer.7:18 Countermeasures for low net production.9:57 Final thoughts.Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.