The Dental Practice Fixers Podcast Featuring Secret Shopper Calls to Dental Offices

Last minute cancellations are one of the most frustrating things in dentistry, and that’s what today’s question is all about. So please listen as The Dental Practice Fixers (Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow) give some great tips, including one that will actually prevent this from happening ninety percent of the time!! Then we go to the call of the week and ask the classic new patient question – “How much do you charge for a cleaning?” Being able to answer this question correctly is often the difference between a new patient for the practice and a huge amount of last minute cancellations and lost revenue. So you gotta check it out! Also, if you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered! If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast, Should I Compensate My Associate for THIS?

How should I compensate my associates? There are many different formulas for associate compensation. Most are based on a percentage of collections. Some are based on a percentage of production. But today’s listener question is about an associate who wanted a little something extra. What do you think it is, and what do you think the answer will be? Listen up to hear what The Dental Practice Fixers (Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow) have to say about how to compensate your associates. Then we go to the call of the week – but instead of calling a dental practice, we call a dental lab with a very interesting question. You gotta hear the question and the answer! How do you think YOUR lab would answer this question?? Also, if you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered! If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast, Is There Some Hanky Panky Going On In My Dental Office?

Is There Some Hanky Panky Going On In My Dental Office? Today’s episode features a very difficult situation. The doctor and several team members suspect there is a little “hanky panky” going on in the dental office between the associate doctor and one of the staff. Can anything be done without absolute proof? It’s a tough one, and The Dental Practice Fixers (Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow) do their best to give some advice. Then we go to the “Call of The Week.” A potential new patient calls because they are concerned about some clicking in their jaw. You will not believe what happens! Let’s just say you’ll be laughing until you cry, then you will just be crying! If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered! If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast, “My Hygienist Has HORRIBLE Breath – And The Patients Are Noticing!”

In today’s episode a doctor writes in with a difficult question – his hygienist has a horrible case of stink breath! They confronted her and she claims that….well, you just have to hear what she claims! Can anything be done? Leave it to The Dental Practice Fixers (Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow) to sort this one out. Then we go to the “Call of The Week.” A practice gets called out on Yelp for frequent “upselling.” Let’s see how they address this when a potential new patient wants to know the scoop. If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered!     If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast, “I’m In The Middle Of A Big Case And The Patient Is Not Paying!”

On today’s episode we have a great question from a listener. They are in the middle of a large case and have given the patient a payment plan. The problem? The patient is not paying and there are major indications that they never will!! Do you think Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow (The Dental Practice Fixers) will “ream them a new one?” You need to listen to find out. Then we go to the “Call of The Week.” A patient is simply looking for a practice that runs on time. This should be an easy one to answer AND schedule. How do you think they did? You need to listen to find out! If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered!     If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast, “A Tale Of Two Hygienists – What Should We do?”

Today’s episode features a very interesting question. The practice has two hygienists. One has been there forever and is on the way out. She is not that up on soft tissue management and has little interest in learning. But the patients LOVE her! The other is new, has more time in the schedule, and is interested in perio therapy. But the patients don’t seem to be warming up to her. What can be done? Leave it to The Dental Practice Fixers (Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow) to sort this one out. Then we go to the “Call of The Week.” A practice is advertising on their website that they have a “Membership Plan.” But when the caller asks about it, do you think they can answer their questions? You need to listen to find out! If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered     If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast, “I’m In Debt, My Dad Wants My Support…..and I Don’t Like Dentistry!”

Today’s episode features a very difficult listener question. A young dentist is severely in debt – between his practice loan and his “dentist’s lifestyle” it’s over a million dollars! To add insult to injury, his Dad is expecting some support from his rich dentist son. And oh yeah – he doesn’t really like dentistry either! Listen now to hear what Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow (The Dental Practice Fixers) have to say! Then we go to the “Call of The Week.” A patient knows they need five or six crowns and they have a very minor question. Do you think they got them scheduled? You need to listen to find out! If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered! “I’m In Debt, My Dad Wants My Support…..and I Don’t Like Dentistry!”     If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast, “Hey Doc – I Paid For Your Office Remodel AND New X-Ray Machine!”

On today’s episode a listener writes in with a very interesting question. He is considering an office remodel and is thinking about purchasing a CBCT machine. The problem? He is worried that patients will resent this and make snide comments! But don’t worry – The Dental Practice Fixers (Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow) are here with some solutions. And, does he REALLY need that CBCT? Let’s find out. And then we ask a very interesting question in the “Call of The Week” – do you offer a warranty on your dental treatment. This tough question could have been handled beautifully, but that was not the case here!! If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered!     If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast,  Can Staff Turnover Be Eliminated Once And For All?

Can Staff Turnover Be Eliminated Once And For All? On today’s episode a listener writes in with a problem that seems to plague dental practices all across North America – team turnover. But don’t worry – The Dental Practice Fixers (Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow) come to the rescue! Many issues that can cause rampant staff turnover are discussed and great solutions are offered. Then on the “Call of The Week,” a dental practice is called with a simple question – should a missing tooth be replaced. Much misinformation ensues, and then not one, but TWO cardinal rules are broken. You gotta give it a listen! If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered!   If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast,  Financing Options Declined By New Patients?

On today’s episode a listener writes in with a great question. They are offering excellent payment options such as CareCredit, but patients are not saying “yes!” This problem is costing them tens of thousands of dollars in practice revenue each month. But don’t fret – The Dental Practice Fixers (Dr. Richard Madow and Dr. David Madow) show a foolproof way to get patients to give the go-ahead and get their treatment done! The theme continues on the “Call of The Week” as we ask an office about the financing options they offer. This was a softball of a question, but they just could not get it right! If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered!   If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our previous podcast,  The Most Powerful and Quickest Way to Dental Practice Success

Today we have a listener write in with a very interesting question. He is 55 years old and is finally ready to take his practice to that “next level.” He asks The Dental Practice Fixers what the number one thing is that he should do? This is a great question! Do you have any guesses? What is the fastest and most predictable route to dental practice success? Tune in to find out what Dr. David Madow and Dr. Richard Madow have to say about this. Then of course we do the call of the week. We call an office asking this question – We have a family of four who want to get started so what day of the week is the best for us to all be seen? How do you think the office did? You need to listen to this one. If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered! The Most Powerful And Quickest Way To Dental Practice Success Voice Recording: The Dental Practice Fixers Podcast is brought to you by the Madow Center for Dental Practice Success. To find out how we can help increase the success of your practice, check out madow.com or call us at 1-800-258-0060. [music playing] Dr. Richard Madow: All right, I am ready to make my practice rock. What should I do? Tough question. Dr. David Madow: Great question. Dr. Richard Madow: Maybe we’ll get more into that when we do our reader or not reader, listener. I’m so used to the email format. Our listener question this week. Welcome to the Dental Practice Fixers Podcast. I’m Dr. Richard Madow. Dr. David Madow: Dr. David Madow. We have great show for you today. Thank you so much for being part of this whole thing. Let’s get right into it Rich. What do you think? Dr. Richard Madow: Get down to it. Dr. David Madow: We received this question just the other day. I promised this person we’d put it on the show so here we go. Hi Rich and Dave, I am 55 years old, been practicing for 27 years. I am finally ready to make my practice as good as it can be. Everyone has an opinion on what is the most important thing I can do to get back on the road to success. But I wanted to ask the guys that really know the answer to this question. So here it goes, guys, what is the number one thing I can do in my practice? Thanks in advance, Dr. – he didn’t say keep it private so I’ll give his name, Dr. Ron Sherman. Dr. Richard Madow: Dr. Ron Sherman, I have to admit, sometimes when dentists ask to keep it private, we do just put a fake name out there or do full disclosure rather than just say keep it anonymous. It’s just a little more fun. I’d say about 50:50, that’s the real name versus… Dr. David Madow: The odds are about 50:50. Dr. Ron Sherman… Dr. Richard Madow: Do we know where he’s from? I’m just curious. Dr. David Madow: We don’t really know. He didn’t say. Dr. Richard Madow: All right it’s fine. Not that it would matter. Dr. David Madow: We’ll give the same advice. Dr. Richard Madow: This question kind of reminds me of when someone says something like, I just have one question. Six parts… Dr. David Madow: How about when somebody says, I just have a real quick question for you. He’s going to be talking to that person for the next two hours. Dr. Richard Madow: Exactly. One thing, I’m wondering what he’s been doing for the last 27 years that he’s finally ready to ask that question. Dr. David Madow: And we don’t know about his practice, and there’s no other information other than he’s been practicing for 27 years and we just have to kind of guess… Dr. Richard Madow: Why the heck did you choose this question? Dr.

In today’s show, a doctor from the Midwest is struggling with his patients demanding that they only want what their insurance will cover. Is this common all over these days? How should this objection be handled? Tune in to find out what Dr. David Madow and Dr. Richard Madow have to say about this. Then of course we do the call of the week. We saw an ad in a local publication from a dental office who has quite the perio program! That sounds good but the way they describe it in the ad would take a combination MD, DDS, DMD and Mensa member to decode it. We call the office asking for an explanation. How do you think they did? Tune in to find out. If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered! Patients Only Want What Insurance Covers Dr. David Madow: Doctor, I only want what my insurance covers. If my insurance doesn't cover it, don't do it. Dr. Richard Madow: Oh. No. Dr. David Madow: How many times have we heard something like this? I am Dr. David Madow along with... Dr. Richard Madow: Dr. Richard Madow. Welcome to the Dental Practice Fixers podcast. We are so happy to have you with us today. Let's just get right down to a question from a listener. Here's what the question says. Yes, I'm reading it off of the email. Dr. David Madow: Of course. Dr. Richard Madow: If you want to email your question and by the way you can do it to: info@madow.com. Probably the easiest way to remember it, info@madow.com. Maybe next week, we'll be reading your questions. So this is from Dr. Jay Hawkman in Ohio. He didn't say what city. I guess it's just somewhere in Ohio. Okay and he says. 'Guys, I have what you might call a typical practice in the Midwest. Lots of good folks, middle-income, most have insurance, you get the picture.' You get the picture? Dr. David Madow: Kind of. Dr. Richard Madow: I totally get the picture. Sounds like a nice place to be. Dr. David Madow: Yeah, yeah. I like it already. 2 | P a g e 1-800-258-0060 info@madow.com   Dr. Richard Madow: And so do I. 'Something that really frustrates me is when patients say, I only want what my insurance covers, or Sounds good doc, but if my insurance doesn't pay for it, I can't get it done. What can I do about this? Dr. Jay Hawkman somewhere in Ohio. It's another Madow trick. Those of you who are maybe contemplating going on the dental speaking circuit, if you ever speak in the state of Ohio, when you get up to the microphone, the first thing you say is... Dr. David Madow: O-H- Dr. Richard Madow: I-O. Well they respond I-O. I don't maybe there are cities where they don't like Ohio state. Maybe the University of Ohio, I can't remember where that is but I guess they don't maybe like Ohio State that much. I don't know. Dr. David Madow: But I think if you're in the Columbus area, it’s pretty safe. Dr. Richard Madow: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe if you're in Ann Arbor Michigan, definitely do not do that. That's just a suggestion. Dr. David Madow: Just a suggestion. Dr. Richard Madow: So okay. So Dr. Hawkman, great question. What do you think? Dr. David Madow: Yeah. I see it on two levels actually. Let's face it. This is rampant in all dental practices across North America, at least the US. I see it on two levels. Number one, patient education. Patient needs to be educated on what's going on and why it's important to have done it and why you just can't like pick and choose and do things that only your insurance covers. So that's number one. And number two is, have ways available for the patient to pay that amount for the amount that the insurance doesn’t cover. I guarantee if that patient wanted a 60-inch bi...

A doctor writes in asking how The Dental Practice Fixers feel about hiring team members with large visible tattoos. He has been doing a lot of interviewing and says that this is extremely common these days. His concern is that they do not look good and he is worried that his patients, especially the elderly ones, will go elsewhere. Tune in to find out what Dr. David Madow and Dr. Richard Madow have to say about tattoos. Then of course we do the call of the week. We call an office asking a fairly simple question – Are you accepting new patients? It’s the call that every dental office would LOVE. How do you think they did? You need to listen to this one. If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered! Large Tattoos on Team Members – Do You Hire Them? Dr. Richard Madow: Hiring new team members has always been a bit of a tricky proposition, but it seems like these days there’s a new complication that’s been thrown into the mix. We’re going to hear about that on our question in this week’s episode of the Dental Practice Fixers Podcast. Welcome, welcome, welcome everyone. I am Dr. Richard Madow, along here with my cohort and co-host. Dr. David Madow: Dr. David Madow. How are you all doing? Welcome back, we really appreciate you and let’s get right into the question today. Dr. Richard Madow: Let’s do it. Dr. David Madow: It’s a great one. I’m surprised we haven’t got this question earlier. Dr. Richard Madow: I know. I think we’ve got it in our live seminars before. Yeah, I think so. Dr. David Madow: Have we got it? Oh okay. Anyway, this is something that is probably going to affect if it hasn’t yet, every single dental practice out there. It starts out with Rich and Dave, hey guys, love the podcast. Thank you so much, we appreciate that. I’ve been a practicing dentist for over 35 years and still love every single day in the office. There are no plans to retire. Well I’m not sure that’s great because you should have some kind of exit strategy at some point. Dr. Richard Madow: Well it doesn’t mean he can’t afford to retire. It’s just means he has no plans to retire. That’s great. Dr. David Madow: Like most dentists, we have staff members who leave for various reasons. So, every now and then we need to hire someone new. The last few times I’ve interviewed people, they all had very large visible tattoos which I found to be unattractive. I know these things are commonplace these days, but many of my patients are older and I don’t think they would appreciate team members with tattoos, piercings, etc. What do I do? Dr. Abner Smith from Georgia. That explains the whole thing. But actually, it doesn’t because tattoos are ubiquitous. No matter what state… Dr. Richard Madow: State, city, urban, rural. I mean they’re just – they’re everywhere. Tattoos are extremely… Dr. David Madow: Hey have you ever seen mine? Dr. Richard Madow: I don’t want to. Hold on… Dr. David Madow: It says Marshall. Dr. Richard Madow: Is this Marshall? What? Dr. David Madow: This is Marshall. I had one that said Barb but I took – I covered it with Marshall. Dr. Richard Madow: As you remember many years ago, I think it was Marshall – Marshall’s our middle brother. It was he’s 50th birthday so he’s 61 now. Dr. David Madow: Wait a minute… Dr. Richard Madow: So it’s 11 years ago. Dr. David Madow: It was 11 years ago. Are you sure it’s that long ago? Dr. Richard Madow: The three cool brothers were in Atlantic City. Well it’s not the three cool brothers,

Here is a practice where the doctor is always running late simply because he just loves to chat it up with his patients. A team member is bringing this up because she is extremely frustrated. We find that running late is a very common occurrence in dental practices all across the USA. So the question is how does it affect patient retention and the office’s bottom line? Tune in to find out what Dr. David Madow and Dr. Richard Madow have to say about this. Then of course we do the call of the week. We call an office asking a great question – I would like to come in as a new patient but does the doctor run on time? How do you think they did? You need to listen to this one. If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered!     Doctor Runs Late – Is This Destroying My Practice?   CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT   Dr. David Madow: Is the doctor constantly running late destroying your practice? Stay tuned, we’re going to find out right now. Welcome back to the Dental Practice Fixers Podcast. I am Dr. David Madow, along with… Dr. Richard Madow: I’m Dr. Richard Madow. We are your co-hosts for the Dental Practice Fixers Podcast. Thanks so much everybody for listening, for watching, for sending us your comments. Why don’t we get right down to it because we have a really cool question today. Here’s the question, I’ll just read it. It says Doctors Madow. I really like that… Dr. David Madow: The Doctors Madow. Dr. Richard Madow: Doctors Madow. Yeah, I have friends who are physicians and they’re both – they insist on being called the doctors. Dr. David Madow: The doctors. Dr. Richard Madow: I’m not going to say their last name just in case they’re listening. But they don’t know… Dr. David Madow: Guess what, they’re not listening. Dr. Richard Madow: Let’s just say it’s Smith. They have to be introduced as the Doctors Smith. Dr. David Madow: It’s not a true story. It’s not true. Dr. Richard Madow: It’s true. Like if you send them an invitation to a wedding or something… Dr. David Madow: The Doctors Smith. Dr. Richard Madow: The Doctors Smith. Dr. David Madow: How about the Doctors Smiths? It’s not that? Dr. Richard Madow: It’s kind of like saying I have two brother in-laws, where it actually should be two brothers in-law. Right? Dr. David Madow: Yeah exactly. But I’ve got two brothers in-law. I got two brother in-laws. Dr. Richard Madow: Do you? Dr. David Madow: I don’t think I have any brothers in-law. Dr. Ricard Madow: Sure you do. Dr. David Madow: Who’s my brother in law? Dr. Richard Madow: Yoko’s brother. Dr. David Madow: Oh he’s my brother in-law. Right. I didn’t think about that there for a second. Dr. Richard Madow: I have a whole slew of them because Kandace has a large family. So I’ve got brothers in-law, sisters in-law coming out the ying-yang Dr. David Madow: And you have a lot of brother in-laws too. Dr. Richard Madow: Exactly. Dr. David Madow: Let’s read the question. Dr. Richard Madow: No mother in-laws unfortunately. Okay. Doctors Madow, I work for a fantastic dentist. He does great work and he’s kind to all of his patients. He really cares and this can cause him to talk a bit too much. You know where that’s going. Right? I feel that we’re constantly running late. I can tell our patients don’t like it when we get them from the waiting room 20 or 30 minutes after their ...

The most common desire of all dentists is obtaining more new patients. Tons and tons of them. Docs think that this is the magic fix – you get more new patients and you are automatically successful. Is this true? In today’s episode The Dental Practice Fixers tackle this issue. They dive really deep into it. The answer may not be what you think. Tune in to find out what Dr. David Madow and Dr. Richard Madow have to say about this. Then of course we do the call of the week. We call an office asking a fairly simple question – How much is a cleaning? Most offices totally mess up this straightforward question. What’s your bet? Do they get it right today or not? You need to listen to this one. If you have a question that you would like answered on our podcast, please send it in to podcast@madow.com. We will do our best to get yours answered!     I Need New Patients!   CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT   Dr. Richard Madow: This is one of the questions we get about practice building problems more than anything else. And it just happens to be the question for episode 16, season two of the Dental Practice Fixers Podcast. I'm your cohost, Dr. Richard Madow. Dr. David Madow: I am Dr. David Madow. How are you guys doing? Dr. Richard Madow: How's everybody? Thanks so much for being with us today. We really appreciate you. Dr. David Madow: And thanks so much for being a follower, listener, whatever you want to call it, fan of the Dental Practice Fixers whenever you're listening Dr. Richard Madow: Friend or the devil. Whether you're listening on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, right from our website, or maybe you're even watching us on YouTube. Pass the word. Give us a good rating, do what you can to help out the podcast. It's really good for everyone and for the whole dental community, so we appreciate you. Thanks. Dr. David Madow: Let's get right into it today. Today's question is really not even a question. It's a statement. Dr. Richard Madow: A statement? Dr. David Madow: It's a statement from Scott in Illinois and his statement is four words. Just, 'I need new patients'. I think he wants the Dental Practice Fixers to help him. I need new patients. Dr. Richard Madow: We're going to do, right? Dr. David Madow: We, that's like probably the most common like, I wouldn't say its complaints, but the most common desire of a dentist. They say, you know why? Because they think that if, if I get more new patients, everything in my practice would be fantastic, all great. Dr. Richard Madow: I just want a big bus that says new patients on the side, they pull up to my office and they all get out and their teeth are just dangling everywhere. They've got insurance, that's going to be my dream. It will solve everything. You know what, we try to keep these somewhat brief. I think we could probably do a five-hour podcasts on this, but we're not going to do it. Dr. David Madow: I got time. Dr. Richard Madow: I know, I know. Dr. David Madow: We're going to keep this brief. We're going to answer the question for sure. Dr. Richard Madow: I think there were a bunch of different things we can say about this. Dr. David Madow: Oh definitely. Dr. Richard Madow: One is that people think they need new patients, but it's not always the answer. An example would be, I have practice and I need new patients and we look m...