The Playbook Every DSO Needs on Getting Growth Right with Mick Janness
Consistency may be key but how many of us really know where to find it? In this episode of The Dental Economist Show, host CRO Mike Huffaker of Planet DDS sits down with Mick Janness, CEO and co-founder of Oakpoint, to explore strategic approaches that dental businesses need to adopt to achieve sustainable growth.
What you’ll learn:
- Building a successful hub-and-spoke multispecialty dental model while prioritizing patient experience
- How fundamental metrics like phone answering (95%+ target) and re-care drives consistent practice growth
- The strategic approach to practice acquisition that prioritizes expansion potential and operational efficiency
- How to leverage existing practice infrastructure to add operatories and drive organic growth
- Why maintaining clinical autonomy while providing robust operational support creates successful dental partnerships
- How to identify and execute key operational levers for practice optimization
Consistency may be the key that takes businesses to the finish line but it’s going back to the basics that helps you unlock the first door that every DSO needs to walk through.
Episode Highlights
In this episode, Mick Janness reveals the hub and spoke model to dental business success and growth. Here are some highlights from the show:
Understanding the personal journey during practice transitions
Janness offers a crucial reminder that dental practice transitions are deeply personal decisions for doctors, requiring a nuanced understanding of both emotional and business factors, emphasizing that for practice leaders, recognizing this personal element is critical in building trust and creating successful partnerships.
The challenge lies in balancing the professional aspects of a transition while honoring the emotional investment doctors have made in their practices. A key strategy is approaching each transition with empathy and taking time to understand the unique journey of each doctor.
Why core operational metrics reign supreme
Janness shares that the simple yet important act of hitting a 95 percent phone answer rate is a non-negotiable benchmark for practice success and patient satisfaction. Understanding and consistently tracking key performance indicators like re-care rates and unscheduled treatment creates significant growth opportunities.
So, before practice leaders chase new initiatives or technologies, they should first focus on optimizing these fundamental metrics. Implementing regular monitoring and coaching around these core metrics helps identify areas for improvement and drives better patient outcomes—an approach that enables consistent growth even during challenging economic periods.
Choosing your facilities wisely for growth
Janness lets listeners in on the secret to Oakpoint’s strategic and sustained growth, highlighting that they seek out facilities with expansion potential, looking for spaces that can accommodate additional operatories without major construction. This strategic approach to practice selection creates opportunities for organic growth without the complexity of new acquisitions.
Identifying practices with untapped physical capacity allows for predictable revenue increases through operational optimization. This facility-focused growth strategy demonstrates how thoughtful practice selection can drive sustainable expansion.
Efficient payment processing requires technology
In order to maximize efficiency with regards to payment-processing, Janness suggests a consolidated approach to technology adoption—one that focuses on solutions that solve multiple problems while remaining user-friendly for both staff and patients.
By selecting versatile technologies like text-to-pay features, practices can improve efficiency while meeting patient expectations for convenience. This strategic approach to technology implementation shows how careful platform selection can drive both operational improvements and patient satisfaction.
About The Dental Economist Show
Don’t miss insightful conversations with industry experts on the latest trends and top strategies to grow your DSO or dental business. Tune in to The Dental Economist Show each week as we meet at the intersection of profit and purpose.
