DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE
Insider
MAGAZINE
May 2020 Issue 35
THE ONLY 360° FULL-SERVICE PROGRAM FOR DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE
COVID-19 STRATEGIC LESSONS
TOGETHERNESS: ADAPT & MOVE INTO THE FUTURE ...
MARKETING A DSM PRACTICE POST-PANDEMIC
Mark T. Murphy, DDS, D-ABDSM shares many important lessons that were learned and one that really stood out during the 2020 pandemic.
Ryan Javanbakht, President / CEO / Co-founder at SleepTest explains that asking “What” instead of “Why” keeps you out of the past and moving toward the future.
Marc Fowler, Founder at Bullseye Media, discusses how to navigate unchartered waters when it comes to marketing your DSM practice.
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866.264.7667 contactami@amisleep.com
GY YATROS, DMD
WHAT’S CHOKING
YOUR PRACTICE?
It seems like each time you read a sleep article in a dental publication it is focused on the same old rhetoric about Obstructive Sleep Apnea’s (OSA’s) prevalence and health ramifications as well as why dentists should be involved. Those valid points have been made repeatedly and can be summed up by one bold but true statement: OSA is our country’s most significant undiagnosed, untreated medical disorder
and dentists can and should help with both aspects of these shortcomings. Then why are so few dentists involved in treating Sleep Related Breathing Disorders (SRBD)? Why
do so many dentists dip their toes in this area and never go any deeper? What is choking your sleep practice? There is a simple answer, but many don’t acknowledge it. We will get to that in a bit. But first, I would like to tell you about a recent experience I had while speaking at the North American Dental Sleep Medicine Symposium last month. At the beginning of my talk, I asked for two favors of the nearly 500 attendees. I
Gy Yatros
GY YATROS, DMD
Fig. 1
oral cancer evaluation while far less than half of the time they could do the same for a patient with possible OSA.
Why is that the case?
Fig. 2
asked if they would participate in a group survey and if they would be honest. We then reviewed a couple of patient cases. The first one showed an image of a highly suspicious lesion on the lateral portion of a 55-year-old’s tongue (Fig. 1). The second showed a medical history of a similarly aged patient with excessive daytime sleepiness, hypertension, diabetes and snoring (Fig. 2). The group unanimously agreed that the first patient should be evaluated for possible oral cancer and the second patient should be evaluated for the possibility of OSA. Then, reminding the crowd to be honest, I asked, “Which patient would you more likely convince to go through with the appropriate evaluation?”. Pause for a second and honestly ask yourself. Would you convince the oral lesion patient to be evaluated substantially more often than the high risk OSA patient? That was exactly what the survey of the symposium attendees overwhelmingly demonstrated. In fact, the crowd believed most of the time they could convince a patient to have an
There are many answers you could come up with but there is one underlying reason for this common discrepancy. It may be hard for us to accept, but the root of the problem lies within our own belief system.
this serious medical disorder we will struggle. If you take the leap of faith in dental sleep you will find it is likely to be the most rewarding, meaningful and profitable transition in your dental career. I will leave you with a simple but true statement:
Breathing isn’t overrated! Please help your patients to keep doing it!
We, as dentists and dental team members, do not fully embrace the idea that it is our job to help identify and treat patients with SRBD and OSA. Until we do, bringing sleep medicine into your dental practice will be an uphill battle. If we actually believed a patient might die in their sleep and that it is our job to tell them they should be evaluated or treated, would we really just accept them saying no to treatment? Wouldn’t we try a little harder? Would we likely be more passionate? Think about our analogy! If a patient hesitated to have their highly suspicious tongue lesion evaluated would you just say “OK, we will see you in 6 months.”? Would you just note it in the chart and say, “Good luck with that.”? Of course not! So, “What is choking your sleep practice?”
The simple answer is us! Or, more clearly our hesitance to believe that we can and should play a major role in the identifying and treating of OSA patients. Until we fully embrace our role in treating
GY YATROS, DMD, DABDSM CO-FOUNDER OF DSS & DS3 Dr. Gy Yatros has practiced dental sleep medicine for over twenty years and is a key opinion leading international lecturer in the area of sleep-disordered breathing and dental sleep medicine. He has offices in Bradenton, Sarasota, and Tampa, Florida devoted exclusively to the treatment of sleep disordered breathing. He is the founder of New Concept Sleep and the Co-founder and CEO of Dental Sleep Solutions and the DS3 System for Dental Sleep Medicine Implementation. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) and is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of the Department of Internal Medicine with the University of South Florida, College of Medicine
We are acutely aware of what it takes to realize success in Dental Sleep Medicine (DSM). We are taking all the best practices and we’re offering them to you. You might be wondering what this looks like. It requires a 2 year commitment to your dental sleep success. A 2 year commitment from you and a 2 year commitment from us.
MANAGING THE FOUR PILLARS The DS360 Premier Tier program includes 2 years of DS3 access. You’ll be able to manage all 4 Pillars of your DSM practice including screening, testing, treating, and billing using this proprietary cloud-based software.
TAKE YOUR PRACTICE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. GET STARTED WITH THE DS360 PREMIER TIER PROGRAM TODAY! ONSITE TRAINING CONTINUUM:
MARKETING TO NEW PATIENTS:
We’ll come to your office and work closely with you and your team. Then you’ll come to us to observe a busy DSM practice in action. We’re not finished there. We’ll visit you again to observe further and implement some more subtle changes that can make a huge impact. .
Once your internal systems are go, you’ll need to continually drive new patients via effective, proven marketing tactics. We’ll manage these for you:
YOU’LL ALSO RECEIVE:
TAKE THE SURVEY TO GET STARTED:
Dedicated success team Quarterly business meetings Attendance to any DS3 event for 2 years Access to on demand library of content and much more
Online & offline marketing campaigns Dedicated DSM website In office promotional materials
The first step is to take a survey via the following link. Upon receiving your completed survey, we will contact you to learn more about your current practice, your goals, and jointly, we can assess if this is the perfect fit for you and your practice. https://ds3sleep.com/ds360-survey/
"Since becoming a DS360 Premier member in May 2019, we have seen an increase in the number of patients screened in our practice, and our team is more comfortable discussing dental sleep with patients. I am looking forward to continuing to grow with the guidance and support of the DS360 Premier Tier Program." - Gabrielle Cannick, DMD - D360 Premier Tier Member
WANT TO LEARN MORE? VISIT DS3SLEEP.COM/DS360-PREMIER-TIER
MARK T. MURPHY
COVID-19 STRATEGIC LESSONS One of the many lessons learned from the Pandemic is that ‘Performance Matters’. Not just how you and your team responded, but how patients, the government, your supply chain, various devices, and brands responded.
O
nce the safety of your patients, team, self, and family were secured, how should we ride this storm out? Some practices, many dental labs and some manufacturers closed completely. Others were forced to shutter offshore manufacturing or rely on customs transfers both ways for shipping continuity. Repair or
necessary to restore our hope for what the future would hold. Unemployment benefit design, payroll protection, EIDL loans and tax waiver and postponements provided much needed support to a failing economic system. ProSomnus Sleep Technologies immediately offered elongated
‘PERFORMANCE MATTERS’
easier to titrate protocols and the digital storage advantage allowed for ‘no new impression’ repairs or replacements. Lingualess design and the smallest platform design has always translated into less advancement and fewer side effects. Again, less appointments. Similarly, the unparalleled accuracy of the starting bite position eliminated unnecessary chair time and face to face contact. Manufacturers who were not producing many devices redirected resources to printing face shields and supported first responders. Many dental
PHYSICIANS HAVE BEEN NUDGED TO RE-EVALUATE OAT replacement requirements became more challenging when new impressions and records were needed. Devices that require more delivery time and adjustment appointments meant risking increased contact and exposure for and with patients. Our government’s response exampled the depth and breadth
payment terms to free up near term cash. The ability to scale meant that turnaround times remained the same, often even beating promised return dates. Precision engineering and manufacturing shown like a bright ray of hope as the reduced treatment appointments,
laboratories also did this. GM, Tesla and others retooled to make much needed ventilators. The industry morphed to do what they
MARK T. MURPHY
up camera. Imagine if you need minimal knee surgery and your surgeon explained he was NOT using arthroscopy. This is 2020, we have evolved and so have our precision engineered medical devices for the treatment of OSA. Let’s roll, precisely.
JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
could to help us through this difficult time. Another valuable lesson came from medicine and sleep physicians. PAP therapy, long the gold standard was tarnished a bit by COVID-19. The respiratory rich exhaust was seen as a prime contaminator and guidelines for use were restricted. OAT rises. Physicians have been nudged to re-evaluate OAT in light of this crisis. Their demands are high.
They do not want selection criteria to be based on pretty colors, attractive displays or ease of initial fitting, rather ‘Efficacy and Prevention of Side Effects’ as detailed in surveys. We will not win the hearts, minds, and prescription preference of sleep physicians by making cheap, non-precise, artisanal designs that are less hygienic and offer more downstream challenges. All manufacturers should begin to take the path that embraces the medical community, efficacy, mitigating side effects and engineered precision. Today, no one would accept the first several iPhone models as state of the art. You cannot buy a car without seatbelts, airbags and back
MARK T. MURPHY, DDS, D.ABDSM, FAGD Mark T. Murphy, DDS, D.ABDSM, FAGD, is Lead Faculty for Clinical Education at ProSomnus, serves on the Guest Faculty at the University of Detroit Mercy, is a Regular Presenter on Business Development, Practice Management and Leadership at the Pankey Institute and is the Principal of Funktional Consulting. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Pankey Institute, National Association of Dental Laboratories, the Identalloy Council, the Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology, St. Vincent DePaul’s Dental Center and the Dental Advisor.
With ProSomnus
®
Dentists can establish OAT as preferred therapy.
Recent surveys report sleep Physicians have legitimate concerns about traditional OAT. ProSomnus precision OAT devices are designed to address Physician barriers. “With ProSomnus Medical Devices, efficacy is not compromised with simplicity. Less protrusion, no moving parts and a company who listens, makes their devices a winner in the world of Dental Sleep Medicine.” —Dr. Kent Smith, DDS, D.ABDSM, D.ASBA
“ProSomnus is one of my go to appliances because I can depend on the consistency of the fit and its ease of use. My patients who have used other appliances in the past, often comment on how much less bulky ProSomnus feels and how much easier it is to keep clean.” —Dr. Brandon Hedgecock, DDS, D.ABDSM, D.ASBA
“ProSomnus precision engineered devices provide my patients with consistent results. ProSomnus devices are smaller, more comfortable and less porous.” —Dr. Srujal H. Shah, DDS, D.ABDSM Join the growing number of dentists who are treating more patients with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
PRO3-250-A
Visit ProSomnus.com or call 844 537 5337 for a free starter kit.
844 537 5337 ProSomnus.com Leader in Precision OAT®
RICHARD DRAKE, DDS
TO DO LIST FOR APRIL 2020 A
s I write this in April, 2020, there are approximately 185,000 dentists who are presently unemployed in the U.S. Wow! Think about that. Don’t believe that has ever happened, and certainly hope it never happens again. Everyone has a COVID 19 update these days; my unopened emails this morning had about 7 of them. Can’t even make myself read another one. Unprecedented times, for sure, so here’s yet additional ideas for something to do during this down time. • FAQ scripts for your website. I’ve recently completed writing the
scripts for these; we hired a videographer and have filmed them; awaiting editing now, so no, you don’t have a preview yet. However, I will give you a sample FAQ along with my script below. • Redesign of your Dental Sleep Brochure
T IP: Keep it Simple! Both Docs and patients want simple ddress how you deal with A insurance, consults, and how good looking you are • Organize your garage, your fishing tackle, your sock drawer, and your
thoughts (but not necessarily in that order) • Distill your dental sleep marketing plan down to actionable items • Assign a team member to each task • Consider adding a pop up to your home page on your website addressing how you are dealing with dental sleep patients (TIP: Visit: www.GetSomeRest.com to see how I did this)
Please be safe and stay healthy.
JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
How long will my dental device last? Medicare wants our dental devices to last five years, but they don’t always. Most dental device manufacturers warranty their devices for a year. Usual and customary that we see in our office is about two and a half years. If you have worn your teeth down to where there isn’t much left of them, then the odds are that you will be hard on your dental sleep device, and if you can wear teeth down, then you can certainly wear a dental sleep device down. All things equal, most of our patients see their oral appliance last two to three years. Things that you can do that will prolong the life of your custom dental device: keep it clean, show up for your annual follow up appointments, take care to hold it properly when you clean it and take care to transport it in the case you were provided. Keep it from excessive heat or cold.
RICHARD DRAKE, DDS Dr. Richard Drake has been exclusively treating snoring and apnea for 20 years. He Co-founded Dental Sleep Solutions and DS3 and has a state of the art sleep practice in San Antonio, TX.
LISA FISCHER-HERDT
BELT AND SUSPENDERS
“ADVANTAGE”
I
CHARACTERISTICS OF MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS: • Replaces Part A & B and in most instances Part D • May require pre-authorization
• Varying co-insurance %s Medicare Advantage plans must cover the same services that traditional Medicare AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: covers; however, Advantage • Follows Medicare guidelines! plans can add additional services and rules such as pre-authorization. It would behoove you to check with your billing provider or to personally vendor for advice. Knowing the review the individual policies. “playground” rules is imperative
’m not talking about a fashion statement. I’m referring to being cautious to reduce risk regarding compliance for Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage plans are private health insurance plans that replace traditional Medicare. This may be something you already know but read on because navigating these plans is not as obvious as you might think.
A recent hurdle is Advantage plan denials with EOB wording such as “This service is experimental in nature.” or “Claim processed with a $0 allowable due to not being listed on Medicare fee schedule”. This is similar to a playground bully trying to “pants” you. Fortunately, denials can be appealed and if all else fails the Department of Insurance becomes your additional belt and suspenders. Bottom line; Follow Medicare Guidelines.
Let’s start with the basics. To the right are typical characteristics of Medicare Advantage plans. This is where the belts and suspenders make their fashion debut. I encourage providers to follow strict Medicare guidelines while adhering to the Advantage Plan’s specific regulations. That includes: MD face-to-face visits, DDS ordering HSTs and Medicare-approved device selection. The chart below depicts what differs between traditional Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan.
for your success.
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If you are encountering challenges with Medicare Advantage plans contact us or your billing service
MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN Pre-Auth
No Yes
Timely Filing
365 days
90-180
MD Face-to-face
Yes
Yes
DDS Orders HST
No
No
Allowable
Yes
No
LISA FISCHER-HERDT Lisa is the Director of Member Communications at Dental Sleep Solutions and 4 Pillar Billing. She has over 15 years of Medical Billing experience and serves on the Manatee Tech College Advisory Board. Lisa@4pillarbilling.com
Boost Reimbursement. Increase Efficiency. HOW WE HELP YOU: Four Pillar Billing. Medical Billing for Dental Practices
Our Service Includes:
- Application completion - Step by step instructions for the credentialing process - Bi-Weekly follow up for tracking and notification
DME Application This application is required by Medicare to be recognized to deliver the appliance and receive payment -Completion of DME application -List of documents required to be sent with application -Bi- Weekly follow up with a status update -Step by step assistance during the process
EFT Application
Electronic Funds Transfer application is required by Medicare to receive payment -Completion of EFT application -List of documents required to be sent with application
- Status updates - Personal support from a credentialing specialist
+
+ =
*Must be done with DME application, required by Medicare
Prescribing Application This application allows a provider to write prescriptions to Medicare patients -We complete this application as a courtesy with the DME and EFT application
Part B Application
This application is required by Medicare if a provider would like to bill for other services -Completion of Part B application -List of documents required to be sent with application -Bi- Weekly follow up with a status update -Step by step assistance during the process
CONTACT US TODAY! “We collected less than $5,000 during the first half of the year for sleep cases, but since we started using Four Pillar Billing over the past couple months, we’ve collected approximately $30,000.”
402 43rd St. W. Bradenton, FL 34209 (844) 954-BILL info@4pillarbilling.com | 4pillarbilling.com
-F. Jay Ohmes, Dardenne Prairie, MO
RYAN C. JAVANBAKHT
TOGETHERNESS:
ADAPT & MOVE
INTO THE FUTURE OF DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE
We are in this together. Now is the time to rise up! It’s your choice. In times like these it’s OK to take a moment to reflect but be careful of getting stuck asking “Why?”. Asking “Why?” puts you in your past, sulking in what has already happened.
T
reach to help at-risk patients, ensuring they are tested and follow through with treatment.”
It’s time to adapt and move into the future of dental sleep medicine! Together, with Randy Curran, Joey Yaller, and boardcertified sleep physician Haramandeep Singh, M.D., D.ABPN, “What?” is the question we asked ourselves. What can we do to serve our dental partners? What can we do to serve more patients?
Together, we realized that it’s time to align telemedicine, sleep testing, medical billing, and therapy. Together we created a 100% compliant solution to help dentists during COVID-19 and will carry practices into the future. Randy stated, “In the 13 years of being involved in sleep medicine, I’ve never been so excited to help develop a program like this - it’s one, simple pathway
he question you should ask is “What?”. What can you do to continue serving patients? What can you do to continue generating revenue?
Togetherness, is what has moved us into the future as we adapt to the new normal and continue serving practices, patients, and our teams. Together we are stronger. Who can help you adapt and move into the future of dental sleep medicine? What will you do? Now is the time! The choice, however, is yours. LEARN MORE: Watch the video!
JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
TOGETHER, WE REALIZED THAT IT’S TIME TO ALIGN TELEMEDICINE, SLEEP TESTING, MEDICAL BILLING, AND THERAPY. According to Dr. Singh, “The current situation in the world has brought us all closer together and helped us to realize that humanity is not separate. All of us who treat obstructive sleep apnea are in this together. For years, the dental and medical communities have played separate roles in tackling sleep apnea. We too are in this together and we know that a variety of treatments, including oral appliances, may be effective for treating sleep apnea. By unifying our efforts through the use of telemedicine, we are able to extend our
for patients that’s compliant with every aspect of sleep.” Our friend, John Tucker, DMD, DABDSM, DICOI, put this to work and said, “Telemedicine has provided me the opportunity to keep my sleep practice alive during this period of time where we’re limited to emergency visits. The patient response has been exceptionally well received, with most reporting a 10 out of 10 experience. Telemedicine has changed the way I practice now and in the future.”
RYAN C. JAVANBAKHT PRESIDENT, SLEEPTEST.COM Ryan Javanbakht is a Co-founder of SleepTest.com, a national home sleep test service that allows patients to be tested in the comfort of their own beds and equips clinicians with a trusted source for obstructive sleep apnea diagnostics. Ryan fully committed to the field of sleep medicine when he learned his father’s cardiovascular condition could have been avoided with a sleep test.
THE RELIABLE HOME SLEEP TESTING SERVICE YOU’VE BEEN DREAMING ABOUT
Q &A
by Brandie Collis
BRANDIE: There’s a lot of conversation right now in the industry about Covid-19 and how it’s affecting dental practices and their dental sleep patients. What are your thoughts on this? KIM: As you know dental practices
across the United States have been forced to shut down. Not completely, but dentists are being asked to only see emergency and truly essential treatment. The ADA has given us guidelines on what those essential treatments are. An abscess, a broken painful tooth or a large dental case where provisionals are breaking down are some cases from patients a general dentist can see. In order to see the patients safely we need to use universal precautions. Because of Covid-19, we need to prescreen our patients, take their temperature and practice social distancing.
BRANDIE: What’s been your process for continuing patient care for DSM?
KIM: Our office is a dental sleep only
practice and we follow the same rules. We are only treating patients that have emergent or essential treatment needs. We had a dental sleep patient this week with an AHI of 12.7. The patient was reluctant to come in. She has mild OSA and we are putting this off until some of the dust settles. This was our patient’s choice and we support it. On the flip side, we also had a patient this week with an AHI of 92 and significant comorbidities. In our opinion, that patient’s treatment should not be postponed. By the way, both of these consultations were done using telemedicine. We did not see the patient in the office. Those two examples from this week are pretty easy to describe and choosing whether or not to treat was a simple decision. Everything else
Covid in between is a little grayer than that. We will be taking impressions and bite registration on patient #2. Only Dr. Murphy will be there to perform the appointment with the patient... Another way of social distancing.
BRANDIE: How are you seeing patients and keeping yourself and your team protected? KIM: Using as much telemedicine and teledentistry as possible. The HIPAA rules have been relaxed on doing this. In fact, even Medicare is okay with telemedicine consultations with sleep physicians. Also, as I mentioned, Dr. Murphy has chosen to see some of these patients by himself without me to assist and take soap notes. We are limiting
BRANDIE COLLIS BRANDIE: What’s one positive takeaway/lesson/outcome you’ve experienced so far from this pandemic? KIM: Telemedicine is here to stay. We
d-19 with Kim Munro the number of patients he will see at a time and using universal precautions. We do not have N95 masks. We have level 3. So in addition, he will also use a face shield, gloves and a gown. He is also hoping to do some tele-deliveries. Or at least distance delivery from across the room.
strengthen our relationships with referring doctors. I am also going to use this time to complete some of the templates I have been putting off in the software and honing in on some of our policies and procedures as an office so we can work efficiently when we come back.
BRANDIE: Do you have any suggestions for other ways to help patients with DSM and generate revenue during this time?
BRANDIE: What message or advice would you impart to those who have completely shut down all operations in the dental practice due to Covid-19?
KIM: In our office we use a global fee but there are telemedicine codes that the ADA has for dentistry and the AMA has for medicine for billing for consultations and limited exams using telemedicine. We are also going to use this time to help
KIM: We are perfectly fine with their decision. You have to do what you are comfortable with. This is a risk/ risk decision instead of risk/reward. We need to do what is best for our patients, our team and our families.
are going to be using telemedicine and teledentistry for so much more. I am excited to see how things change on a day to day basis in the office. I love using telemedicine for personal doctor visits already and I can see how effective this will be for the world of dentistry and DSM. The other takeaway for us personally is we need to get better about our normal use of universal precautions and infection control. We sometimes can be a little lax as an office (as many offices are) and we have truly learned how important this can be during this time.
BRANDIE COLLIS MEMBER SPECIALIST, DSS Brandie has been involved in the dental field for over 20 years with 13 years experience managing a dedicated dental sleep medicine practice. She is a Member Development Specialist at Dental Sleep Solutions and has consulted with hundreds of practices regarding Dental Sleep Medicine implementation.
MARC FOWLER
MARKETING A DSM PRACTICE POST-PANDEMIC In the midst of the current pandemic, we are all navigating uncharted waters and the tide is changing daily. None of us, even the so-called experts, know what the “new normal” will look like post-pandemic. The only thing we can be certain of is that things will not be back to the old normal anytime soon, and most likely, never.
the public events we attend, air travel, to healthcare delivery will be re-examined as the economy reopens.
However, we all have two choices, embrace our new reality, or mourn the loss of the way things were. I’m choosing to embrace the new reality and I hope you are as well.
The positive is that like every past crisis, new, innovative ideas, processes and products will emerge.
The New Reality While we aren’t certain what the postCOVID world will look like, we can be certain, it won’t be business as usual, but rather it will be a fundamentally re-shaped place. Everything from shaking hands,
Positioning Your Sleep Practice for Success After you’ve created a separate brand identity for your sleep practice, here are the steps you’ll want to take. (If you aren’t sure why you need a separate brand watch this video).
1) Embrace Telemedicine I believe it is safe to say that telemedicine, and to a lesser degree, teledentistry, are here to stay. I differentiate between the two because when you are treating a patient for sleep apnea you are treating a life-threatening medical condition. With the press coverage telemedicine has received the past few months and the number of people (myself included) who have utilized it recently, there will be a significant, sustained increase in
demand. Patients will embrace the efficiency and convenience - my telemedicine appointment took less than 2 minutes to schedule, the appointment itself lasted 11 minutes and it accomplished exactly what I needed it to. Both patients and providers have found telemedicine to be an efficient alternative to traditional face-to-face interactions. Most major insurance companies have improved their reimbursement policies for telehealth and even Medicare is currently paying for telemedicine at the same rate as in-person visits. This is definitely a situation where the proverbial horse has been let out of the barn and it’s going to be tough to put it away. If you haven’t already, invest some time in setting yourself up with a HIPAA compliant telemedicine solution for treating sleep apnea patients. If desired, you can provide every aspect of treating a patient with an oral appliance (other than taking an impression/scan) without them ever stepping foot in your office.
2) Go Overboard with Infection Control Protocols You may have seen the graphic in the New York Times that ranked dentistry (dentists, oral surgeons, hygienists and dental assistants) as some of the occupations that face the greatest Coronavirus risk. The aerosols created during many dental treatments can send high levels of the virus airborne. This type of information will lead more patients to seek out healthcare providers who are able to effectively communicate their adherence to infection control best practices.
MARC FOWLER For the foreseeable future, a large percentage of the patients that contact your office will be germophobic - defined as “having an extreme fear of germs and an obsession with cleanliness”.
Until COVID-19 is a distant memory, your practice will benefit from erring on the side of caution and over-communication as it relates to infection control.
You need to proactively address this issue not only in your office, but also on your website, your Facebook page, your Google My Business Listing and ideally in a video on your YouTube channel. And you should create a script for your front-desk staff because the way they answer the inevitable questions will have an impact on the number of callers they convert to scheduled appointments. In addition to adhering to the CDC guidelines (sterilization, PPE, etc.), you should consider taking extra steps such as the following: • Implement a “parking lot waiting room” process. Have patients text you when they arrive and wait in their cars in the parking lot until you are ready to see them and then send them a text. • Take all patient’s temps upon arrival. • Hand sanitizer stations at check-in and throughout the office. • Have visible air purification devices (ie. medical grade HEPA or commercial Ozone machines) throughout the office. • If possible, see sleep patients in a room that is closed off from the areas where you treat general dental patients. Those of you who no longer see general dental patients, or have a separate location for your sleep practice will have an advantage. • Have a disinfection checklist on the wall in the operatory that shows each step you take to disinfect the room between patients. In addition to putting patients’ minds at ease and enhancing your marketing message, these protocols will protect you and your staff.
Display Ad Examples
dental professional are the best positioned healthcare provider to screen these patients and provide the much needed, life-saving treatment.
3) D ouble Down on Creating Awareness Leverage display advertising to create awareness and educate patients about the risks of untreated sleep apnea. Unlike search ads where someone actively types a search term such as “if I snore do I have sleep apnea?” in Google, display ads show without someone conducting a search. For example, someone near your office could be on USAToday.com and your sleep apnea or snoring ad shows up on the page. They weren’t searching for information on that topic, but it could create awareness and pique their interest so they click on it. Here’s an approach that would work well with a display campaign. A lot of people are thinking about how to boost their immune systems. And the link between quality sleep and a strong immune system has been getting a lot of press coverage. So while it’s top of mind, and people are spending a lot more time online, a well worded display ad addressing this issue could perform well. Treating sleep disordered breathing issues is more important than ever and you as a
If you would like to discuss these or other ideas on how to position your practice for success, Click here to schedule time on my calendar for a complimentary 30 minute marketing strategy call.
MARC FOWLER FOUNDER, BULLSEYE MEDIA Marc Fowler is the founder of Bullseye Media. Since 2006, the team at Bullseye Media has helped hundreds of dental practices across the U.S. and Canada leverage the internet to achieve their practice growth goals. Learn about their turnkey 3 step direct-to-patient sleep marketing program at DentalSleepMarketing.com. Marc@BullseyeDental.com
THE 3 STEP MODEL FOR GROWING A DENTAL SLEEP PRACTICE Discover the direct-to-patient system that is working for successful dental sleep practices nationwide.
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Den talSleepMarketing.com
JUSTIN ELIKOFER
ON-SITE VISITS I never enjoyed bread and butter dentistry. I was looking for an exit from a dental service organization (DSO) and was introduced to Dental Sleep Medicine through Dr. Gy Yatros. I saw an opportunity to apply learned communication techniques and joined his practice two years ago. Our office hosts a number of different dental offices throughout the year from all over the United States through the DS3 Premier Tier Program. These onsite visits allow us to confront each office’s obstacles head-on multiple times over two days. We see numerous common struggles and knowledge gaps, and the following are some important take-aways to help grow your dental sleep practice. The most common obstacle is performing effective consultations. What is the secret to effective consults? Simply, it is knowledge and repetition. This knowledge includes the practices, protocols, and techniques applied to dental sleep therapy along with the knowledge of psychosocial buying behaviors. Two of the best techniques I learned from the DSO’s were “Good, Better, Best” and the “Sequence of Yes”. Good, Better, Best is a pricing strategy that has been shown to be effective in a variety of purchase decisions for goods and services. The reason for having the good, better, and best options are that some patients may not be willing to initiate the level of recommended treatment at the cost needed to be profitable for your practice. Their failure to accept treatment can be for a variety of reasons. However, as healthcare providers it’s our responsibility to communicate the importance of treatment and initiate some level of therapy or
BIGGEST CHALLENGES provide them with an appropriate referral. Period. This is a matter of life and death. Let’s be honest, few of us take well to ultimatums. Good, Better, Best devises a pricing strategy that allows you to EFFECTIVELY treat each patient based on their specific needs and wants. The different levels of therapies have different features and prices. Ultimately, the patient wants to feel they have made their own decision for their care and are not just following doctors orders. We help offices outline their Good, Better, and Best treatment alternatives for their OSA patients. These offerings range from provisional devices that are used to assess treatment efficacy to the latest milled or 3D printed devices with 3 years of follow up. With three options available, neither medical insurance nor finances seem to be the constriction point for treatment. The “Sequence of Yes” is the second skill to master in consultation. Try to think back to when a salesperson approached you in order to sell the latest and greatest. You are naturally resistant to any buying decision. You probably do not even want to hear what he/she has to say because you don’t know them and you certainly don’t trust them. Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware! You probably just said “No, thank you” right away. The word “No” has an incredible amount of power and is very difficult to overcome. Medical consultations are no different. Our white coats don’t make us immune to these psychosocial behaviors. The “Sequence of Yes” is an approach in which during and after information has been presented you continually obtain
agreement, a “YES”, with the other party. An important part of the consultation is getting the patient to agree with the information you are presenting and then acknowledge that the information you are presenting applies to them and they understand its importance. It becomes much more difficult for patients to say “No” to treatment when you have a solid momentum of yes throughout your consultations.
JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
JUSTIN ELIKOFER, DDS Prior to practicing in Florida, Dr. Elikofer focused his care primarily on oral surgery services and intravenous sedation. Dr. Elikofer’s practice is now limited to Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr. Elikofer also works closely with our own DS360 Tier members so that they can become more successful in Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr. Elikofer has completed extensive training with the help of his partner Dr. Gy Yatros. Dr. Elikofer and Dr. Yatros both lecture for University of South Florida and volunteer their time training sleep physician fellows from the medical school on the potential of dental devices for their patients with sleep disordered breathing.
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Dr. Cruz is a general dentist who graduated in the top 1% of his class from the Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador. He then graduated with honors from the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry where he obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree in 2007. Throughout his DS3 membership, Dr. Cruz has shown a true dedication to Sleep! Congratulations Dr. Cruz
March 5 – 6, CLEARWATER, FL
INSPIRING PRESENTATIONS
VALUABLE NETWORKING
REGISTER NOW FOR THE BEST DSM MEETING EVER!
PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE
Join us for the 5th annual NADSM Symposium! The event focuses on the practical aspects of Dental Sleep Medicine, emphasizing practice growth, increased efficiency and providing optimal care. Hear from KOL’s, network with innovative sponsors and earn 13 hours of CE at this 2 day event! See you on the beach!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
877-95-SNORE
ds3sleep.com/symposium
PRISTINE BEACHES Hilton Clearwater Resort, Clearwater FL