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we serve – Red Cross Blood Drive
Posted by | April 8, 2010
The Red Cross team working their magic.
100 lives. In one day 33 brave people were able to save 100 lives for 30 minutes of their time. It’s incredible isn’t it?
When you see the poster on the wall promoting the event or you recieve an e-mail in your inbox your first thought isn’t (at least mine isn’t) “man I can save 3 people’s lives today”. It’s more like” I’ve got so much work to do today how can I find the time.” or “Do I really want to get poked in the arm?” But when I really look at it; I saved 3 lives today.
Albert and John from the IT team, doing their part.
I’m not a doctor, I’m not a dentist. I don’t save lives. I’m in Marketing, I spend my day trying to convince you how cool things are or why you can’t live without my product or service. But not today, today I’m a life saver. So thank you 33 brave life savers for giving up your time, your arm, and your blood. Thank you to everyone who volunteered who wasn’t able to give, all of you made a difference today.
Michelle Moreno showing off her new Cheetah Snuggy
If saving lives isn’t cool enough, think how great Michelle Moreno felt she won a cheetah print Snuggie in the blood drive raffle. Looking good Michelle!
We’re going to do it again in November and maybe next time you’ll get the chance to save a life. If you’re not here at support contact your local Red Cross.
Give blood and save a life or maybe 3.
New Office Openings!
Posted by | April 5, 2010
Recently we have been a little delayed getting our online content out there. There are some really fun and engaging things we are putting together, which are close on the horizon(and are taking our resources). That doesn’t mean we have forgotten about our readers and our amazing employees. :O) This coming Friday we will be answering some of the questions all of you asked about PDS.
Without further ado, congratulations to all of our new office openings! It takes a lot of planning and teamwork to launch an office and we thank everyone who put in their time and effort. A special shout out to the owner doctors who invest so much of themselves into their new offices. We will now be doing a monthly update of our new office openings to keep from spamming Twitter, Facebook and the Blog; it’s going to be a busy year.
Aurora Modern Dentistry – Aurora, CO
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Clinical Leadership provided by
Dr. Charles Rodgers
Stonecrest Dental Group & Orthodontics – San Diego, CA
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Clinical Leadership provided by
Doctor Katayoun Afshar
Cherry Creek Modern Dentistry – Glendale, CO
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
Clinical Leadership provided by
Drs. Charles Rodgers &
Ashleigh Harrison
Escondido Smiles, Escondido, CA
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Clinical Leadership provided by
Doctor John Nosti
Way to go team!
Dental Assistant Recognition Week 2010
Posted by | March 8, 2010
Dental Assistant Recognition Week, scheduled for March 7–13, 2010, is a week-long tribute to the commitment and dedication this essential team member exhibits throughout the year. The dental assisting role continues to diversify and expand. Whether they are taking digital x-rays, working chairside with the dentist, or contributing to the success of CAD/CAM & CEREC Connect, dental assistants are vital to the success of the dental practice.
“One Team, One Goal: Improving Oral Health” is the theme for the 33rd annual Dental Assistant Recognition Week, which is sponsored by the ADA. This is the perfect time to acknowledge and recognize this versatile, multitalented member of your dental team—your Dental Assistant.
We appreciate our Dental Assistants because we recognize this vital role they play on our team! This is national DA Recognition week – what is your team doing to recognize all the hard work from your dental assistants?
$1000 Toothbrush – Video from CNN
Posted by | March 1, 2010
CNN recently did an expose of Hospital Bills and Medical Expenses. One patient was charged $1,000 for a single toothbrush!
Watch the video via CNN here: http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/health/2010/03/01/cohen.health.care.bills.cnn
(In case you were wondering, no the toothbrush is not from the future)
PDS Gives Kids a Smile
Posted by | February 18, 2010
Click Here For More Photos!
On February 5th, 2010 – PDS affiliated offices participated in the American Dental Association® (ADA) “Give Kids a Smile®” event to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. Forty PDS-affiliated offices – in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs, United Way, local schools, churches and homeless shelters – provided a day of free dentistry, including dental exams, digital x-rays, cleanings, fillings, sealants and extractions, to more than 400 children throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.
“We are very proud of our affiliated offices that spent the day volunteering for children in need,” said Steve Thorne, Pacific Dental Services founder and president.
This was the fifth consecutive year PDS has participated in “Give Kids a Smile®,” “and below are a few of the stories that came out of this touching event.
We had a little boy named Joshua. He and his father were here at 7:35 for their 8am appt. Joshua needed 8 extractions and 4 fillings and was so sweet about it all. Jessica the dental asst was taking Joshua’s x-rays and he began to cry as he looked at them, Jessica noticed and said “Do your teeth hurt?” He said “yes.” Dr Hashemi after completing an exam decided it would be too much for the boy to go through all the work and asked if I minded if he brought Joshua back to complete the other half of his mouth on his own time. I said “of course”. Joshua’s dad works for very little delivering blankets to the homeless, and they don’t provide insurance to the members of the organization. He was so good during his treatment and his dad was so very thankful for what we had done for his son. I went to the operatory to check on Joshua and he was watching a movie with a ton of gauze in his mouth, I said “you did really good today Joshua”, he shook his head yes. This is the reason we do this event for kids just like Joshua.
Katrina Davis – Stockton
The day went great we saw nine kids. We did have one boy from the homeless shelter that is 14. When he was 8 he broke his front tooth so he doesn’t have anything there. The root tip is still there but we’re looking to see if maybe we can help him in some way? His mom left him 8 months ago. He and his dad live in the shelter. We had a lot of great kids did a lot of fills and sealants. Everyone had a lot of fun and the staff even had ponytails.
Sue Leverett – Hesperia 2
I know we were heartbroken when the first time anyone had shown one of our “kids” how to brush and take care of his teeth was when he arrived to our office at 15 years of age. I was so thankful we had bilingual staff on hand to assist and show them step-by-step. Our Doctors were very generous in their efforts to assist the children as much as they could. All the children left the office smiling and saying that going to the Dentist “wasn’t so scary after all. They also loved their kid-themed goody bags.
Nicole Armstrong – Thousand Oaks
These examples are just a snapshot of why “We Serve”
Become A Dental Linchpin
Posted by | February 16, 2010
Are you indispensable? That is the question that legendary marketer Seth Godin asks in his new book “Linchpin”. Imagine if suddenly there was a dental office on every corner of every street, or the dental market became saturated with a product that you were making. How would you succeed, what would you do to be indispensable? February 11th Seth made a rare trip to Orange County and spoke to 800+ of us at the St. Regis in Dana Point. I was given the amazing opportunity to photograph the event and listen in on Seth’s words of wisdom.
“Become an artist” was Seth’s driving point the entire night. Art isn’t about just using brushes and painting, it’s about doing “emotional work”. Work that you pour yourself into and that you are passionate about. Creating that connection with your patient, modeling that CAD/CAM crown and laughing with your staff can be art. It shows you care, and in a world where word of mouth is driving business, showing you care can create an exponential amount of new patients and hopefully make your work life more enjoyable.
When I first started with Pacific Dental Services 3 years ago the Dental Industry was a much slower beast. Most marketing was done with traditional local ads and postcard mailers. Online, things were a little more innovative but still way behind other fast paced industries. Now it’s 2010 and things are changing rapidly, our patients are demanding value, dentistry is becoming much more competitive. Business used to be about talking about how valuable your service was; now it’s about proving it.
You can quote me when I tell you that business has changed forever. With the adoption of social tools and mobile on the rise, the practices that offer the best experience for their patient and employee will become indispensable. How great is that? Those who do “emotional work” reap the reward.
How are you and/or your practice going to be a Linchpin in 2010? How is your business or place of work going to be the one where people see value?
Tell us how you will be indispensable in 2010 and comment below! Now go “make some art”!
I want to give a special thanks to Bryan Elliott who managed to put this event together in grass roots style. He is truly a Linchpin. To see the rest of the photos from the event visit my posterous page
Smiles for Haiti
Posted by | February 3, 2010
“I had previously donated to the Red Cross to help Haiti and then I saw a special segment on CNN and I knew I had to do more.” said San Clemente Owner Doctor Darin Reagan. That’s exactly what Dr. Reagan and his team at San Clemente Dental Group did.
The office decided that they would volunteer their services, come in on a Saturday and partner with their patients. San Clemente Dental Group contacted their patients through e-mail and phone to offer an opportunity to receive previously diagnosed dentistry for a flat donation to the Red Cross in support of Haiti.
“We wanted to do something to make a difference and help those poor people and this was a way to get involved.” said Barb Vartanian office manager. The office targeted patients who needed a crown or an onlay so that they could put their CEREC machine to work and provide patients with the “right fit” all in a day.
It was a great opportunity for the patient to get a great deal with a tax write-off, receive the dentistry they needed, and help someone in need. Talk about a win, win, win for the patient.
Dr. Reagan and his team were able to win as well because it allowed them to strengthen their relationship with their patients and use their talents to help others who desperately need assistance. At the end of the day the San Clemente team was able to see 10 patients and raise $5,000 for the victims of Haiti.
Great work Dr. Reagan, Barb, and the rest of the San Clemente team.
You can also watch the above video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlXrxnteg8E
David Letterman Needs a Modern Dentist
Posted by | December 14, 2009
President & CEO Steve Thorne
It’s amazing to me that most dentists still practice dentistry the same way my grandfather did for 50 years; and he retired about 30 years ago! Yes, bridges and partials were common practice for him. I don’t believe he ever did an implant. He used film to take x-rays (most dentists in America still use film). He also sent his crowns out to laboratories and told his patients to come back two weeks later for a delivery, hoping that the patient’s temporary didn’t come off and the crown would fit.
Check out this video clip from David Letterman prodding at dentists in America for their deficiency in practicing Modern Dentistry (a concept that PDS is pioneering). It’s an excellent commentary; a true patient’s viewpoint on what patients want from their dentist! Patients don’t want goopy impressions. Patients don’t want multiple visits. Patients don’t want temporaries that simply fall off. Patients want to be offered up-to-date techniques and the best possible care. They deserve to have their dentist practicing Modern Dentistry. At PDS we are continually working to make sure that patients don’t have the same experience as Mr. Letterman.
To all of our colleagues in the world of dentistry, what advancements have you seen add real value to your patient’s experience? What are ways that you have helped make your patients love coming back to your office? If we can make going to the dentist an efficient and enjoyable experience for everyone; it’s a benefit for all! Tell me your thoughts.
P.S. Mr. Letterman, I would love for you to experience true Modern Dentistry at any PDS affiliated office any time you want, compliments of me!
Video Courtesy of Youtube®
Industry Insight from Dental Economics
Posted by | November 24, 2009
The following article provides insight into the changing trends within the dental industry. There is a good explanation of typical dental practice settings and where basic financial metrics fall. You will see a good explanation of the benefits of larger dental practices and how management companies alleviate some of the headaches and add value within this setting. This reasonably explains and helps confirm the logical existence of a dental management organization like Pacific Dental Services, Inc.
Please read the article below and feel free to come back and comment:
The Emergence of the Dental Practice Management Company – By Thomas A. Climo, PhD, Courtesy of Dental Economics
What trends do you see happening in the dental industry? What pros and cons do you feel this brings upon the dental field? We would like to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Charles Rodgers, DDS
Vice President of Clinicians
PDS Goes Fully Digital – Electronic Dental Records In Every Office
Posted by | November 19, 2009
Today we announced that all 195 affiliated practices have migrated from paper charts to electronic dental records (EDRs). The technology is user-friendly because it mimics the way that providers have traditionally used paper charts. EDRs are fully integrated with existing practice management solutions, such as patient treatment plans, charges, insurance records, digital x-rays, appointments and billing. By incorporating EDRs, PDS affiliated owner doctors are now able to run their practices more efficiently while enhancing patient care.
“We are committed to providing dentists with state-of-the-art resources for their practices, and our affiliated dentists have seen a tremendous value in EDRs. Patients’ records are more precise, can be located quickly, and are backed-up to minimize the impact of catastrophic events. Furthermore, our PDS network is secure so patients can be assured that their privacy will continue to be maintained,” said Steve Thorne, Pacific Dental Services founder and president.
Photo Courtesy of waynemah via Flickr
“Using EDRs has been such an advantage in running my practice. Ultimately, I was pleased that PDS offered my office the opportunity to make the transition to EDRs so that I can open a chart and study it from any workstation in my office. The time I would have spent locating my patients’ charts can now be allocated to treating the patients themselves,” said Lance Rygg, DDS. “Of course, the fact that EDRs are environmentally friendly, require less storage space, and are backed-up in the event of an emergency are also great benefits.”
Our goal is to allow dentists to concentrate on providing the highest levels of cost-effective patient care by providing business support services including human resources, marketing, daily operations, billing and collections, with ongoing educational training and strategic financial and practice development planning. The Company continues to grow, reporting a revenue growth of $102M, increasing from $178.8M in 2005 to $280.8M in 2008. Additionally, 136 new offices have been opened between 2005 and today increasing the number of employees and affiliated dentists to more than 3,000.
We are excited to be part of the modernization of dentistry and business. What other advancements in dentistry would you like to become a standard? Comment below and let us know where you think the world of dentistry is going or where you would like it to be.
Community
- RT @smilegen: Next Tues we are starting to give away 2 kindles a week! Like us on Facebook for a chance to win! http://bit.ly/aXzGeS
- Share A Smile - A Smile Generation Blog — Dreya and her super cute dog Clementine... http://t.co/XGj6IDZ via @smilegen
- @ImpactMktPR Thanks for the RT! :)
- Gooooo Chino Smiles! Congratulations to them on winning KEARTH 101 office of the day! http://bit.ly/dqSjQL
- Take a Trip Together http://bit.ly/drmgUL by @ChesterElton | Thanks Chester for being a part of XP 2010 and the mention!