Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1418639
10 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 2021 NO. 4 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING Heartland's efforts to manage cost and make dental care more accessible extend beyond supplies and labs. Greenstein added, "Our strategic sourcing team partners with each area of the business to compete and negotiate requirements throughout the organization, ensuring Heartland Dental pays market leading prices reflective of the company's size and scale. This is a constant process as Heartland continues to grow, evolve, and mature." Greenstein noted that these efforts span IT, Marketing, Patient Services, Talent Acquisition, and more. "I would be remiss not to mention how all of these efforts also enable Heartland Dental and our supported practices and team members to live one of our core values – giving back to the communities we serve. Whether through Free Dentistry Days, an opportunity for supported practices to provide basic dental care at no cost to the patients or the Heartland Dental Foundation, we are always looking for opportunities to engage with our communities." Greenstein noted. Another health care industry challenge of late – staffing shortages – has remained a Heartland Dental priority. Heartland Dental's Chief Financial Officer, Travis Franklin, who oversees their recruitment efforts, shared, "Since the pandemic hit, we [Heartland] have seen the challenges of providers and dental teams exiting the dental industry. With the nationwide decline of 7.8% of hygienists and 7.3% of dental assistants servicing the dental industry, our support practices are experiencing elongated times to fill job openings." To mitigate the impact of today's talent landscape on patient care, Heartland Dental is continuing to monitor its external environment to refine its recruiting and retention strategies. "We're definitely going back to basics." Franklin explained, "Our centralized recruiting enables us to expedite the recruiting process and make decisions quickly with supported offices. With our ability to automate the recruitment funnels, everyone has visibility into the number of applicants and how they are progressing through their job discovery process." He continued, "We know helping find our supported offices the right talent is critical! The right talent wrapped in an amazing culture allows Heartland and its supported practices to thrive. From executive leaders to supported doctors and team members, we all strive to live our core values every day, ultimately enabling us to meet the needs of our team members, even in the current environment." Heartland Dental has also found that the best way to access great talent is through their current network, doubling down on referral bonuses to reinforce this point with their existing providers and office team members. Travis also noted Heartland's attention on provider and team member retention: leadership regularly takes the time to check in with team members to understand and address challenges and identify opportunities for development and upskilling. "As the pandemic continues to affect the health care industry, we remain committed to innovative solutions with the confidence to challenge the status quo and provide supported doctors with the best-in-class supplies, resources and support they need to deliver excellent, accessible care to their patients," says Dr. Workman. Continuing, "Heartland Dental will continue to evolve and implement best practices and lessons learned from the past 18 months, while leading with open communication, transparency and continuous communication." n Heartland Dental is the nation's largest dental support organization providing non-clinical, administrative support services. What started from the entrepreneurial spirit of Rick Workman, DMD, with his single dental practice, has evolved into supporting over 2,300 dentists in over 1,400 locations across 38 states. The company is majority owned by KKR, a leading global investment firm. For additional information, please visit the company online at heartland.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. "We're definitely going back to basics. Our centralized recruiting enables us to expedite the recruiting process and make decisions quickly with supported offices." Travis Franklin, Chief Financial Officer, Heartland Dental