At almost two years past the initial onset of the pandemic, staff costs continue to soar. Practice owners are often backed into a corner with staff pay increase requests, or staff members are “bought out” by another office in the area. Hiring new employees continues to be a punch in the gut because of their starting asking rates. Add in the supply cost increases that continue to rise, and many practice owners are left either wondering how they are going to make ends meet or how they are going to...
Jan 31, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Do you remember the good ‘ole days of rock-solid cancellation policies and cancellation phone call scripts? The latest resurgence of COVID-19 has caused a rattling and even complete decomposition of the plan for handling patient cancellations. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany continue discussing the current impact of COVID-19 on the practice, specifically in the way of a schedule that never seems to stay put together. Because an obliterated schedule can cause extreme stress, it is vital to ...
Jan 24, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany commiserate together on the most recent impact of COVID-19 on the team and also on the schedule. This conversation is definitely real in every way – raw emotions, real reactions, and dialoguing together to find hope in yet another tough wave of this pandemic. Tune in to hear how other practice owners are weathering this storm while also finding some encouragement for yourself and your team. Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Reena Kuba discuss the following to...
Jan 17, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 18
In today’s episode Bethany is flying solo! Dr. Kuba is busy running her practice as we near the end of 2021 and will be back and ready for 2022.. As Bethany discusses the top ten important things you should do to prepare for 2022, it’s important to remember to stop and evaluate your own health and get plenty of rest. We all too often pour our everything into ensuring our practice is running smoothly and efficiently that we often forget to take care of ourselves. When you do this, everything else...
Dec 20, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 18
In this follow up episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the other valuable aspect of having strong bonus plans – their usefulness in disciplinary action. Not only are bonuses excellent at positively motivating team members, but they can also be used to negatively motivate team members. Bonuses can (and should) be taken away when an employee is significantly underperforming or failing to meet certain deadlines or expectations. So many practice owners are limited by the small scope of options they...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 17
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and with it comes the age-old question, “What should I do for my team in the way of a bonus or holiday gift?” Nearly every practice owner struggles with the why, how, and what of gift-giving at the end of the year. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss not only year-end gift giving strategies but also on-going bonus plans for the rest of the year. Three main bonus strategies are discussed as well as the impact of these bonuses and gifts upon the ...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Keeping a dental office fully staffed now seems to be a full-time job. So many practice owners are struggling to run a full schedule because they are missing key team members. One creative strategy is to offload some of the administrative work in the practice to employees who work remotely or away from the office. By incorporating remote workers into the fold, practice owners no longer have to find and retain employees who live near the office. Instead, they are able to expand their options to o...
Nov 29, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 15
You asked, now receive! So many practice owners struggle with effective team building ideas. After receiving foundational ideas in episode twelve, this episode takes a deep dive into multiple team building examples that Dr. Kuba has executed in her practice. Self-proclaimed as “Off the Wall Ideas,” Dr. Kuba shares her creative and fun events including her original team building event. She and Bethany offer advice to practice owners struggling to start a cohesive culture through team building eve...
Nov 15, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Today’s episode called for a well-timed detour. Drama hit Dr. Kuba’s office, and it required corrective conversations with two of her employees. Within these conversations, Dr. Kuba had a light-bulb moment when she realized her impact as a leader on these two employees. Using the analogy of a fruit orchard, Dr. Kuba explains how she reached a new level of understanding in how to manage her team. With a depleted employee market that seems to grow worse by the minute, retaining employees is critic...
Nov 08, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Dr. Kuba, a self-proclaimed introverted homebody, has an extensive team building calendar. Why? She believes it is foundational to creating and maintaining a good office culture. Her strategy works. Although she could never claim a perfect practice culture, her team has a strong unity and sense of value. Most team members who join Dr. Kuba’s practice are loyal because they feel seen, heard, and valued by Dr. Kuba. Her team often comments on the generosity of their boss and how valued they feel. ...
Nov 01, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 12
To have a manager or to not have a manager – that is the question! After years of functioning with the traditional office manager model, Dr. Kuba found herself anxious about what would happen if her manager decided to leave. When her manager was finally burned out and done with managing, Dr. Kuba and Bethany had to incorporate a new model. In this episode, the details of how the team lead model concept works in Dr. Kuba’s office are discussed. Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Reena Kuba dive int...
Oct 25, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 11
What do patient personalities have to do with anything? Our answer – personalities impact EVERYTHING including our interactions with patients and/or patient guardians. Continuing the conversation on personalities, Dr. Kuba and Bethany describe the specific ways that customizing communication based on the patient’s personality not only makes the communication more effective but also saves time and energy. Patients give clues to their preferred communication style. We must attend to these clues, a...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Do personalities really matter? The non-surprising answer – absolutely. After discussion of the four main personality types and then revealing their own personalities, Dr. Kuba and Bethany reflect on the various ways that the four distinct dispositions have impacted the practice. They discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each type and the difficulty a practice owner might have when he or she fails to consider the impact of each staff member’s personality. //Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Re...
Oct 11, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Although we know it, we often forget just how important clinical documentation is in the everyday life of a dental practice. This episode serves as a reminder of all the reasons why it is vital to prioritize good notes. Dr. Kuba shares about a time when a patient complained to the State Dental Board, and her documentation was suddenly under review. Due to her personal experience and the experience of others, Dr. Kuba is passionate enough about this topic to serve as a chart compliance auditor fo...
Oct 04, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 8
One of the hardest decisions to make when managing a practice is whether or not to fire an underperforming employee. In some cases, it can feel like an incredibly emotional decision. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany dig into some important self-reflection questions to start with when deciding on an employee’s future with the business. Despite the hardships associated with firing an employee, it is often necessary. // Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Reena Kuba dive into the following import...
Sep 27, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 7
We are putting Dr. Kuba on the spot in a special edition of “What Would Kuba Do?” In this show, Bethany presents Dr. Kuba with three scenarios from her dramatic week of sour employees and turns the table to see how Dr. Kuba would handle things. Have you ever had a Sour Patch employee? Maybe they’ve always been a bit moody, or maybe they suddenly became sour and you just can’t figure out why. Either way, you know that it is just not a good thing for your team or your practice. It is important to ...
Sep 20, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 6
The landscape of dental insurance has changed drastically since it’s inception in the 1950’s. In a post-pandemic world, insurance has digressed at an alarming rate. Reimbursements are constantly being lowered, and new clauses and rules of payments are leaving many in-network providers in a difficult predicament. How is it possible to continue to be successful when we are receiving less money from dental insurance while our practice expenses are increasing? Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Reena ...
Sep 13, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 5
So often practice owners find themselves at a place in their life and in their practice where they are completely dissatisfied. We believe arriving at a state of dissatisfaction or even frustration is caused by a series of misguided decisions along the way. It is critical for a practice owner to periodically pause, determine their “why” or their purpose, and then begin to make decisions that align with or take into consideration their purpose. //Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Reena Kuba dive i...
Sep 06, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Are you paralyzed in fear each time you read a negative patient review? Or do you avoid reading patient reviews because of the stress they cause? Positive and negative dental patient reviews are unfortunately a fact of life, and they deserve our attention. Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Reena Kuba dive into the following important topics: The importance of either personally reading reviews or assigning a member on your team to consistently read and respond to reviews Positive and negative revi...
Aug 30, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Have you posted a job opening recently only to find that nobody applied? Or maybe you received applications but they weren’t qualified for the job? Many places around the country are experiencing a depleted workforce making it impossible to have a full team and full schedule. Other places are finding under qualified people to work and are having to rework their expectations to continue running the business. //Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Reena Kuba dive into the following important topics: W...
Aug 23, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 2
We’ve seen it too – every single place you walk or drive past is wielding their “Now Hiring” sign. With every sign you see, the pit in your stomach grows. What if I lose my beloved Susie? What would I do without her? The competition is absolutely real, and it’s time we step up and fight to keep our employees. Show hosts Bethany Petty and Dr. Reena Kuba dive into the following important topics: Times have changed. It is no longer about the highest dollar amount when it comes to retaining employee...
Aug 22, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 1
