Becker's Dental + DSO Review

26 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 2021 NO. 3 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING them successful, which is their culture, staff, name and reputation in the community," Ms. Michaux said. "We work with the local leadership team to create opportunities for clinical advancement and growth." Having seen multiple companies in this space, Ms. Michaux commented, "I think 42 North Dental has a very provider-centric approach that you don't often come across." "At 42 North Dental, we allow the doctors to focus on their patients and provide the style of care they want to provide and have clinical autonomy," Mr. Simko said. "Our goal and our mission isn't to go into a practice and change it at all." He explained that 42 North Dental rarely changes a practice's name, its operational procedures, its team or its culture. "We work with dental practices that are already very successful and are already running really well," he said. "We amplify the success of the practice in a more scalable, higher-level way." 42 North Dental doesn't have a cookie-cutter approach for working with practices. Every practice has a unique situation and every dentist-owner has their own goals. 42 North Dental takes a personal, people-first approach to provide exactly what the practice owner needs. Each member of 42 North Dental's team said the company is a true partner with values that include collaboration, collegiality and flexibility. Ms. Michaux said that 42 North Dental is "not prescriptive" and Mr. Simko conveyed that "there is not a one-size-fits-all" formula. He said, "Obviously there's a lot of clinical and operational best practices, but there's a lot of freedom and leeway with the practices to maintain the practice's culture and style of dentistry." Part of the reason for this provider-centric way of doing business is because 42 North Dental was founded over 40 years ago by dentists who understand dental practices. Mr. Simko summarized, "Focusing on patients and the dentist is in our DNA." 42 North Dental prides itself on an incredibly smooth affiliation experience Any type of change can be hard, but affiliation with 42 North Dental tends to be smooth and comfortable. 42 North Dental is a good partner and works with each practice to decide what the practice keeps intact and what it changes. The company has integration teams that are onsite at a practice for the first 30 days to answer all questions and has regional managers who provide ongoing support. "We do a good job of managing each one individually," Mr. Simko said, "to make sure that we're sharing our best practices and that everyone is set up for continued success." 42 North Dental supported practices and patients during the pandemic and will continue to do so when the pandemic ends During the pandemic, as many businesses closed, some patients still needed dental care. At the time, 42 North Dental kept approximately two dozen locations running, and did everything possible to support these practices and to assist patients. The company engaged in frequent communication with dentists about evolving safety guidelines, regulations and best practices. No dentists were on their own; they had constant support from 42 North Dental. The organization created a regional hub model to provide PPE and other necessary supplies to those practices that remained open, with all team members pitching in to get supplies to where they were needed. The company also created a remote call center that contacted approximately 5,000 patients in the first 30 days. As the pandemic wanes, 42 North Dental is continuing to focus on helping dentists put the appropriate safety protocols in place to provide safe spaces for patients. When discussing 42 North Dental's response to the pandemic, Ms. Michaux wanted to clarify a misconception. She has heard people speculate that COVID-19 pushed many businesses, including dentists, to the "brink of desperation." Her experience has been different. "I don't see that," she said. "What I see are entrepreneurial doctors . . . they're proud of how they've survived and how they've rebounded. They're proud of their staff and their achievements. And knowing that they are part of something that helps unlock more growth is very exciting for them." Conclusion Most successful dentists love interacting with and assisting patients and don't necessarily love dealing with all of the administrative, operational, staffing, financial and marketing aspects of running a practice. 42 North Dental works with each dentist-owner to understand their goals, strengths and vision, and provides the support that is desired to amplify the owner's success and help the owner achieve their specific goals. n 42 Nor th Dental, a leading dental suppor t organization in New England suppor ting over two dozen practice brands in 81 locations. Our mission is to eliminate barriers to quality patient care by providing business and administrative suppor t to dental practices. We present oppor tunities that help doctors and their teams professionally advance while growing the business to its fullest potential.

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