Becker's Dental + DSO Review

9 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 2021 NO. 1 That positioned us well to manage through the pandemic and safely open up offices." Once PPE shipments arrived, 42 North Dental made sure that all practices received the supplies they needed and worked with staff to ensure proper usage. "PPE was never a concern for us," Dr. Allen said. "We knew what we needed, and 42 North Dental got us the supplies. It was all hands on deck. During the early days of the pandemic, the CEO showed up one day with PPE and the next day it was an executive board member." Access to in-person, expert fit testing resources was a priority at 42 North Dental. PPE and N95 mask fit testing made employees feel more confident in the safety processes and protocols that 42 North Dental was implementing. Dr. Scialabba organized and attended all the fit testing conducted at practices during the spring and he participated in fit testing like any other employee. "When you put your money where your mouth is, it reassures the staff and generates trust that you're doing the right thing," Dr. Scialabba said. 42 North Dental also focused on providing affiliated practices with pandemic-related compliance updates. The operations department combed through guidance from the CDC, the Massachusetts Dental Society, the ADA, state legislatures and other relevant authorities, and 42 North was able to access outside legal and staffing expertise. This was especially important early on in the pandemic when information was often conflicting as well as rapidly changing. The team analyzed the information and translated it into a form that employees could easily consume and implement. "At the beginning of the crisis, the information overload was intense," Dr. Allen said. "I knew that every day I would receive an email from the operations department with updates about how to protect myself, my staff and my patients. It enabled me to be successful during that time." In addition to these critically important services, 42 North Dental's marketing team created a centralized, fully virtual call center within a matter of days to manage incoming calls for temporarily closed offices. The HR team handled complex employee leave situations, assisted with unemployment insurance for furloughed employees and set up a special health email and phone number to help and support employees. 42 North Dental's approach has translated into both provider and patient confidence, and patient demand remains strong. "Since we've been open, we have worked at about 80 percent of the hours we worked prior to COVID-19, but we're seeing revenue close to our Pre-Covid levels. ," said Dr. Scialabba. "There is more dentistry done per patient than before. Patients who are in tune with their oral health are taking better care of themselves than they were before the pandemic." During the months ahead, DSOs and dental practices must focus on patient and employee trust Although the pandemic shows no signs of abating, DSOs and dental professionals can still take steps to strengthen their businesses. Successful dental practices cultivate relationships with patients and employees alike. During the period of treatment restriction, 42 North Dental contacted patients to see how they were doing and kept patients updated with health and safety information. The organization also checked in with furloughed staff to make sure they were healthy and to offer help if needed. "At the end of the day, actions speak louder than words. You have to build relationships with patients, and you have to lead by example," Dr. Scialabba said. "You can't lead from 10,000 feet and delegate to others. You must be in the trenches and prove to your staff that it's safe to practice dentistry and that patients trust you." Dr. Scialabba, the former owner of a 42 North Dental affiliation with five locations, continues to practice dentistry himself one day a week. In addition to committing to protocols that support employee safety, 42 North Dental maintains employee morale by offering flexible schedules for staff juggling childcare challenges, holding virtual get-togethers for retirements and hosting Zoom happy hours. Throughout the pandemic, the organization has had low turnover. According to Dr. Allen, COVID-19 may inspire dentists to collaborate and share best practices again. "I think one of the biggest things you may see come out of the pandemic is greater communication in the dental community," Dr. Allen said. "We can't do this alone and there are plenty of patients for everyone to see." From a business perspective, this also may be a good time for practices to expand their offerings to new clinical services and noninvasive procedures like Invisalign therapy or sleep apnea treatment. Conclusion Although the road ahead will be challenging, dental professionals should take comfort in the knowledge that they are true infection control experts. 42 North Dental has demonstrated that it's possible to get employees back to work, get patients back in the office and deliver dental care safely. "The providers in our emergency offices were the first responders in dentistry and I can't thank them enough," Dr. Scialabba said. "They were brave enough to trust the protocols under uncertain conditions. We believe that our job is to create happy healthy patients who want to repeat and refer. It's hard to accomplish that under these circumstances, but our providers did that by being there for patients at our emergency hub offices, and I am very proud of them. n 42 North Dental is a leading DSO in the North East supporting 27 practice brands in 78 locations. 42 North Dental's affiliation model offers dental providers clinical autonomy and equity ownership, as well as non-clinical solutions and the business support needed to increase the value of the practice. 42 North Dental was created by dentists for dentists and is rooted in over 40 years of experience in the dental industry. EXECUTIVE BRIEFING

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