DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE
Insider
MAGAZINE
Sept 2019 Issue 33
SOMNODENT AVANT SOMNOMED’S SMALLEST, SLIMMEST, STRONGEST & TM
FIRST MILLED ORAL DEVICE WITH A SOFT LINER BY NEIL VERDAL-AUSTIN
MEDICARE; THE CHOICE IS YOURS
SNOREHOOK SPLINT; SAVING TIME, SAVING MONEY
TARGETING THE IDEAL AUDIENCE WITH YOUR SLEEP MARKETING
Gy Yatros, DMD explains the three options available for Medicare Providers.
Jim Boyd, DDS shares how the Snorehook Splint minimizes the cost and time invested in the provision of a quality FDA-cleared and PDAC-approved device.
Mark Fowler, CEO of Bullseye Media reveals what keywords can make or break a marketing campaign.
SLEEPING WITH THE EDITOR
JASON TIERNEY
DREAM (NOT SO) BIG I
t’s happened to nearly all of us. We want a transformative experience and we set out with the best of intentions. I want to rock the 6 pack abs and the perfectly toned biceps at the beach in June so I sign up for a gym membership today.
in the fridge drawer, and I feel like a failure. Fast food drivethrus are the only beneficiary of my well-intentioned, poorly mapped, unexecuted plans. The goal was too big sans microgoals and without action.
It’s Sunday. I’m going to eat healthily at each meal so I go to the grocery store and avoid the center aisles which contain all the bad stuff. I load up the cart with kale, cucumbers, and quinoa. And I’ll start tomorrow. It’s the big day. Apparently no one told my colleagues and one of the saboteurs brings bubble tea to the office along with chocolate croissants. I guess I’ll actually start Tuesday. I don’t get enough sleep Monday night and didn’t make it to the gym before work. Ghrelin and leptin be damned. Tomorrow is a new day and then I shall rise anew… but for now, I might as well Netflix and chill… with pizza. Doggone it. Wednesday is here. This fresh produce isn’t so fresh anymore. A lot of habit experts recommend starting a new habit on Mondays. I’ll have a last hurrah and start next Monday. Next Monday. The interest waned. I’m actually worse off now. I ate like Jabba the Hutt, committed to a one year gym membership I’m on the hook for, the cucumbers look like pickles
Something similar happens in dental practices each day. Dentists attend their first Dental Sleep Medicine (DSM) course and decide they’re going to sell their practices and transition to DSM exclusively. They purchase new equipment, learn more about all of the appliances that even the manufacturers don’t know, and *crickets*… Too often the end result is 100 hours of DSM CE with multitudinous starts and stops, a closet full of unused equipment, a shelf full of demo models, and a bad taste in your mouth that sorta tastes like that rotting kale (there’s a piece between 10 and 11, WHO’S YOUR FRIEND?!?). Sure, a long-range goal to practice DSM only is attainable. I’ve seen dozens of dentists successfully make that leap. You must have achievable micro-
goals on the way though. If you’ve never run, a marathon isn’t in your cards next week. Instead, lace up and run around the block. Tomorrow, do it twice. Wednesday, go for 4 laps. Next month, register for a 5k. It’s a process. Set reasonable goals on your way to the audacious goal. Stretch goals are good but an unattainable goal is demotivating. Get educated. Include your team. Screen patients. Talk with physicians. Treat team members and their spouses. You’ll get there. Slow and steady wins the race. JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
JASON TIERNEY COO, DENTAL SLEEP SOLUTIONS
Jason@dentalsleepsolutions.com
Home Sleep Testing System
AHI based on EEG-derived sleep time
Customizable reports
Budget friendly disposables
No-cost auto scoring
Chest worn for natural sleep in any position Scoring and interpretation within 48 hrs from our nationwide network
Contact us today to learn how you can add home sleep testing to your practice www.GeneralSleep.com
info@GeneralSleep.com
(888) 330-4424
GY YATROS, DMD
MEDICARE THE CHOICE IS YOURS Today I’m going to talk about Medicare. A lot of dental offices don’t want anything to do with this process, but if you’re treating sleep apnea in your practice, Medicare is worthwhile. It helps decrease the cost of treatment for your patients, increase physician referrals, and improve access to care.
There are three options available if you accept Medicare in your practice: 1. Opt Out 2. Participating Medicare Provider 3. Non Participating Medicare Provider Learn more about each of these options by watching the video below.
Gy Yatros DMD, DABDSM CO-FOUNDER OF DSS & DS3
NEED A PARTNER FOR YOUR JOURNEY TO DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE SUCCESS?
CONSIDER US YOUR DSM SHERPA Pracccing Dental Sleep Medicine can be extremely rewarding, but it brings challenges and hurdles that are difficult to overcome without some help. We’ve trained thousands of providers and developed systems and best praccces so you can avoid the medical billing nightmares, missed opportuniies, legal hassles, and wasted me that many dennsts before you had to endure. so ma Consider us your DSM Sherpa – we will guide you every step of the way. You aren’t just signing up for a sooware or training connnuum, you are gaining a partner who will guide you on your journey to dental sleep medicine success!
START YOUR JOURNEY TODAY With over 120 years of combined Dental Sleep Medicine experience, we have lived through the pain, learned from wide-ranging experiences, pioneered, and innovated to provide you with educaaon, tools, and resources to achieve success! We’ve created the DS3 Experience to help dennsts like you with the 4 Steps of Educaaon, Coaching, Sooware, and Support needed to efficiently implement the 4 Pillars of Dental Sleep Medicine Success; Screening, Tessng, Treaang, and Billing. Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve your dental sleep medicine goals - the path to success awaits!
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATION! DS3SLEEP.COM 877-95-SNORE
info@dentalsleepsolutions.com
ds3sleep.com
NEIL VERDAL-AUSTIN
THE NEW AVANT
omnoMed 2.0. It’s a Sconcept the company has
been actualizing since November 2018, when Neil Verdal-Austin, the newly appointed CEO of SomnoMed assumed his role. Verdal-Austin has launched a mission for the company, one of being “treatment-focused and technology driven”, and we are starting to see that it’s turning out to be more than just another catchphrase.
A focus on “best in class” products and the promotion of oral appliance therapy for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea remains at the center of the
company’s focus. “We’re a medical device company. We measure first-time fit and work to reduce errors in our products. We’ve worked to enhance service and turnaround time to deliver products at the highest quality level possible,” says Eric Cole, Sr. Director of Operations at SomnoMed.
SomnoMed’s process improvements over the last two years have resulted in a decrease in average case turnaround time to only 12 calendar
days, and a decrease in returns by 48%. A focus on prompting the medical community to prescribe oral appliance therapy as a first-line treatment for mild-tomoderate obstructive sleep apnea is also a goal. The company is working to see the adoption of oral appliance therapy increase globally, but especially in the United States. “We want to reach, advise, make aware, and drive adoption and acceptance of oral appliances and lift the water table level for all boats in the industry, so that patients are aware that CPAP is not the end, or the only option,” shared Verdal-Austin.
NEIL VERDAL-AUSTIN
SomnoMed received clearance on their new SomnoDent Avant oral appliance earlier this year. The company shares that the SomnoDent Avant is the company’s smallest, strongest and first milled oral device with a soft liner for fit that is comfortable for patients. The comfort of the device has been positively received by patients based on a study conducted by Professor Marc Braem at the Antwerp University Hospital wherein 100% of patients rated SomnoDent Avant as either comfortable or very comfortable. The results of the study also showed that after 42 days, treatment with SomnoDent Avant resulted in a statistically significant decrease in AHI, with an even larger improvement in AHI-supine for back sleepers.
The strap-based design acts like elastics, pulling the top and bottom jaw together and keeping the mouth closed.
One difference with this device as compared to others from SomnoMed is that it is available for order via an online portal located at somaccount. com. The convenience of ordering online, utilizing iOS scans and CAD-CAM manufacturing creates a completely digital workflow that dentists can use to save chair time and turn-around time in receiving the device back from the manufacturer. “More and more dentists are starting to see [intraoral scanning] as viable—it’s efficient; it’s time saving; it’s accurate. And for us, it’s the future,” Verdal-Austin commented. The SomnoDent Avant is the first of SomnoMed’s
digitally designed, CADCAM manufactured oral appliances, but it won’t be the last. This is SomnoMed 2.0 in action - treatment focused; technology driven.
JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
NEIL VERDAL-AUSTIN CEO OF SOMNOMED
SomnoDent AVANT
TM
SomnoMed’s smallest, slimmest, strongest and first milled oral device with a soft liner for the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
SomnoMed is proud to introduce you to our new SomnoDent AVANT. Be one of the first sleep experts to try our new device. Call them at 888-447-6673, option 4. somnomed.com/avant
RYAN JAVANBAKHT
BILLING MEDICAL INSURANCE IS GOOD FOR PATIENTS & PRACTICES J
ust like you, our organization bills medical insurance for our patients and we still find the benefits outweigh the headaches. Our goal is to increase access to care while helping patients feel safe and secure knowing they’re maximizing the benefit of the medical insurance they already pay for.
Start with Why Case Acceptance Offering medical insurance support will help you gain more case acceptance. This decreases patient out-of-pocket portion and makes therapy more affordable. Patients don’t usually accept treatment until they know their bottom line. It’s What People Want As humans, one of our most primal instincts is the need to feel safe and secure. The word “insurance” means a thing providing protection against possible eventuality. Using tried and true medical billing protocols will help patients feel safe and secure.
Higher Collections Assuming you’ve set fair, affordable, and ethical charge amounts to medical insurances–
your patients will enjoy lower out-of-pocket portions and you are more likely to see rewards of the reimbursements from their carriers.
Move to How Understand and Get Onboard Medical billing key opinion leader, Randy Curran once told me, “the only consistency with out of network billing is inconsistency.” Once you understand and accept the insurance carriers’ processes you can use patients’ medical benefits to their advantage. Be patient and take the time to learn the process. Know Your Stuff Whether you took a course on medical billing or you’ve hired a 3rd party medical biller, it’s important that you know your stuff. Trust the process, bill the correct codes, set ethical charge amounts, understand the out-of-network 3rd party negotiations, and manage your denials. Do Your Part Submit all necessary documentation in a timely manner and follow up accordingly. If you’ve partnered with a 3rd party biller, it doesn’t mean they’re going to do everything for you. Correspond quickly and often with your medical biller.
End with Who Hire an experienced expert or do it yourself. The most costeffective route is to hire a credible
and reliable 3rd party medical biller specializing in dental sleep medicine. Interview medical billers and ask a lot of questions. Look for guaranteed support and find a partner who will give details of your patient’s out-ofpocket portion for your case presentation.
Helping patients into therapy means spending the time and effort to add medical billing to your practice. It will lower patient costs, you will gain higher case acceptance, and It’s what your patients want. JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
RYAN JAVANBAKHT 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.
A Reliable Service You’ve Been Dreaming About
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Visit SleepTest.com or call 630-845-4384 for more details, to enroll or to schedule a tour. PURPOSE | INTEGRITY | PATIENT CENTRIC | SERVICE | RELIABLE | EXPEDITIOUS
JIM BOYD, DDS
THE SNOREHOOK SPLINT; SAVING TIME, SAVING MONEY o paraphrase the TAmerican Academy of
Dental Sleep Medicine’s recent “Definition of an Effective Oral Appliance to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea”, a device should protrude the mandible in increments of 1mm or less, allow >5mm of advancement, may consist of some prefabricated components, and may or may not be made of metallic materials. It’s clear that these criteria are key to any effective oral appliance therapy (OAT) designs. These guidelines are sound, thoroughly researched, wellintentioned, and certain to direct Qualified Dentists to only use devices that meet conform with these important standards. The definition does not broach the practical, non-clinical issues that dentists face when selecting a device, namely the financial cost to the practice. When it comes to running a practice, two critical variables, time and money, can influence
whether OAT is a profitable procedure. Escalating laboratory fees, decreasing insurance reimbursement, costly remakes, lengthy turnaround times, and patient dissatisfaction are all factors that impact the operating costs of a dental sleep practice.
The SnoreHook Splint was designed to minimize the cost and time invested in the provision of a quality FDA-cleared and PDAC-approved device for the treatment of OSA. Combining the technology of an anterior advancing hook mechanism with newly patented preengineered trays and thermoplastic adapting putty, the SnoreHook Splint allows a practitioner to provide an OSA mandibular advancement treatment device in about 30 minutes for approximately 15% of the typical lab fee.
By minimizing both cost and time, the SnoreHook Splint allows practitioners to expand their practices and offer cost-effective treatment to patients who might’ve otherwise been unable to afford treatment due or to patients who need their devices right now. Additionally, this low cost, effective OAT solution presents DSM practices with a new tool in their armamentarium for patients that need an interim or backup device. It’s truly a WIN-WIN.
JIM BOYD, DDS Dr. Boyd designed and patented an intraoral device, the NTI (nociceptive trigeminal inhibition) which suppresses the intensity of the chronic contraction of the musculature which can either cause or perpetuates trigeminally mediated signs and symptoms. He currrently practices at The Headache Center, part of the Neurology Center at the Scripps Hospital campus in Encinitas, California.
Dental Sleep Medicine Onsite Mentoring You've been traveling the Dental Sleep Medicine highway in your practice. Maybe you've hit a few speed bumps or potholes?
You and your team will have the opportunity to spend a day and a half immersed in a busy Dental Sleep Medicine practice. See how Dental Sleep Medicine can deliver quality care while being highly productive. The Onsite Shadowing Session includes: New patient consultations Device deliveries Case presentation Fee discussions
Follow-up re-care Records appointments Proper documentation Filing claims
WE PROVIDE 2 DESTINATION LOCATIONS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE:
BRADENTON, FL
Dr. Gy Yatros
SAN ANTONIO, TX
Dr. Richard Drake
$2995 includes Dentist & 2 Team Members
for 1 & 1/2 days of extraordinary learning opportunities. Contact us today to schedule your session. Availability is extremely limited. ds3sleep.com info@dentalsleepsolutions.com 877-95-SNORE
For the treatment of
Features
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Snoring
• Minimal vertical clearance • Trains the tongue to stay forward • Available in 90° and locking 110° variation • Sleek design for complete patient comfort • Dual appliance system for both Sleep and TMD • Treat OSA, associated breathing symptoms, and snoring • Patented dorsal design withstands bruxing and clenching • Decreases frequency and duration of apneic and hypopneic event
For more information on this life changing appliance 4545 Sweetwater Blvd. Sugar Land, Texas 77479 o: 281/565-4100 www.meridianpm.us
BÉATRICE ROBICHAUD
PANTHERA D-SAD
TM
n 2012, Panthera Dental Istarted to offer the D-SAD™
appliance as the newest generation of full CAD/ CAM appliances. In 2016, the success of the appliance was such that Panthera launched Panthera Sleep, an entire division fully dedicated to dental sleep medicine. As a sleep dentist, you want to offer your patients the very best. If you are looking to switch from an acrylic appliance, or trying to find an alternative for a discontinued appliance such as the ResMed Narval CC, you can stop searching: Panthera Sleep is your partner of choice.
Panthera appliances are the only sleep appliances designed to resist heavy bruxism. Our products come with a wide range of customization options to meet the needs of all types of patients and morphologies. You can choose from our selection of several different bands
and plateaus to increase the general efficacy and comfort of the appliances. Our titration systems offer a wide range of possibilities and can go backward or forward by 0.5 mm increments simply by replacing parts for longer or shorter ones, ranking them among the most precise titration mechanisms of the industry. All our appliances are FDA, CE and Health Canada approved. What defines a good appliance is not only limited to how comfortable, light and small it is, but also encompasses the great customer service required to assist you in all situations, which has always been one of Panthera Dental’s top priorities. Obviously, the efficacy of the appliance needs to be up-to-date and consistent, and this is why we also put a lot of effort and energy into working with renowned sleep dentists for scientific research and clinical testing in order to continually improve our appliances. If you are interested to learn more about Panthera
A SUCCESS STORY products, we invite you to contact us or to take part in one of the numerous training classes offered by many well-known sleep dentists.
B É ATRICE ROBICHAUD Béatrice is the co-founder of Panthera Dental, a lecturer, and a Specialist in High Technology CAD/CAM Dental Products. She graduated in Telecommunications at Collège radio télévision de Québec (CRTQ). During her career, she led several lectures in English and French in 10 different countries and trained over 400 dental specialists in the CAD/CAM dental field. Béatrice is responsible for new product launching, product introduction on the international level, and customer technical support.
SLEEP THERAPY ORAL APPLIANCES TO TREAT SNORING & SLEEP APNEA DREAMTAP™
WARRANTY | 90 DAYS
Designed with hardware on its exterior, dreamTAP offers greater tongue space with no obstructions. Its single point of adjustment prevents uneven bilateral adjustment that may create an irregular bite and jaw discomfort.
TAP® APPLIANCES
TAP® 1
WARRANTY | 90 DAYS
Separate upper and lower, full-coverage oral appliances with an anterior hook-and-bar mechanism and adjustment knob allow for maximum lateral movement and easy adjustment while in the mouth.
TAP® 3
WARRANTY | 90 DAYS
TAP 3 has separate upper and lower, full-coverage oral appliances a standard anterior hook-and-slot mechanism (smaller hook than TAP 1), A separate adjustment key allows full lip closure and easy adjustment while in the mouth.
SOMNODENT®
WARRANTY | 3 YEARS Separate upper and lower, full-coverage, clasp-retained oral appliances provide comfort and freedom with normal mouth opening. Also available in FLEX™.
HERBST ADVANCED®
SOMNOMED APPLIANCES
®
WARRANTY | 3 YEARS Visual calibration indicator for the treatment of OSA, giving you and your patients greater control over therapy.
D-SAD™
WARRANTY | 3 YEARS
When worn at night, the Panthera D-SAD™ (Digital Sleep Apnea Device) positions the lower jaw in a forward position, relieving snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea conditions. The Panthera D-SAD™ is one of the smallest, lightest and most durable appliances on the market and provides total comfort.
EMA®
WARRANTY | 90 DAYS EMA has separate upper and lower oral appliances connected by interchangeable bands, with ample lateral movement and tongue space.
With over
25 YEARS of experience in dental sleep medicine
DSG has everything you need to build your practice, including leading products, unequalled technical support, education programs, and practice development tools.
For additional sleep appliance options, sleep therapy information, patient education, or a full price list please contact us!
616.261.9191 www.dentalservices.net
LISA FISCHER -HERDT
WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? I
screw up. Oh, I know, I’m sure I’m the only one. I can see you all in the comfy coziness of your glass houses. When I make mistakes, I like to evaluate what happened and what the root cause is so I can prevent a repeat performance. I look at the event, ask the 5 whys, consult my colleagues, and ALWAYS seek the counsel of my Mom. 92% of the time (I made that statistic up, BTW), I find that my missteps can be traced back to my attempts to do too much. I’m either over-committing to aggressive timelines, forgetting there are only 24 hours in a day, sacrificing personal life activities for work activities, OR insisting on managing everything myself. Do you know what the corrective action is for each of these? 1 word: DELEGATION! You cannot be a master of all trades. Tiger Woods is a great golfer but I haven’t seen him win an Oscar. Peyton Manning is a heckuva quarterback but the expertise and dedication required mean that he’s probably not picking up his own dry cleaning or preparing the gourmet meal at Saturday’s dinner party for 10. I do a pretty darn good job leading a team of medical billers and heading up a customer
support team. I run into trouble though when I also have to function as counselor, project manager, fitness coach, and everything in between. You just can’t do it all. At least I know I can’t. Neither can Peyton Manning or Tiger Woods so at least I’m in good company. So what do you do? Again, you DELEGATE. Evaluate the tasks that make up your week & place them in 3 buckets.
These should be high value activities that only you can do because of your unique education, licensing, capabilities, or experience. Think crown preps, placing an implant or delivering an oral appliance.
These can be low value or high value tasks. They are usually tedious, require very specific knowledge sets that you don’t inherently possess, or are absolutely necessary but can be managed by someone else. A few ideas that come to mind are medical billing for your sleep cases, financial discussions
about treatment, or completing your Medicare credentialing.
These may be artifacts of the past. Don’t feel guilty about it. They probably made total sense at one time but they don’t really matter anymore. Get these tasks off your “to do” list. Kicking this bucket will free you up to work on things in Bucket #1 or work on that golf game with Tiger. JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
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
MARK MURPHY, DDS, FAGD
FOUR WAYS PRECISION SAVES YOU TIME; TIME IS MONEY T
oo often, manufacturers develop competency in what drives THEIR business, not our practices. This brief discussion will focus on efficiency, more specifically, how precision design and manufacturing saves time, and time IS money. It’s estimated that DSM practice production approaches the $1,000 per hour range. A fifteen minutes unproductive use of time represents $250 lost. Conversely, saving fifteen minutes can boost productive capability or yield more free time to spend with friends or family. Time is the great denominator when measuring practice efficiency. Precision Retainer-Like Fit Tooth movement and the associated time spent explaining the cause and effect to patients, referrers and our team is an expense. When I see ball clasp retention, I know the device platform does NOT fit. Only the ball clasps ‘fit’ and are retentive. A precision platform fits everywhere and prevents tooth movement. If we spent just 15 minutes with a patient or physician trying to explain how and why the open contacts or esthetic changes occurred, it would ‘cost’ us $250. Not to mention patient and referring doctor dissatisfaction. Screw Slippage on a Herbst The small pin hole sleeves designed to hold the Herbst arm at the desired protrusion are notorious for slipping. A couple of tenminute appointments to reset the screw takes time and time IS money. The precision hex nut on
the ProSomnus® [PH] Precision Herbst-style Sleep Device not only is more robust in surface contact area, but also has a proprietary anti-slip technology that enhances the retention. Less slippage means fewer appointments and a significant saving.
ProSomnus® [PH] Archival Digital Model and Bite Storage Loss or breakage occurs, devices get eaten by pets and there are a variety of other ‘how it happened’ stories. New appointment for impressions and bite registration follow. Time and maybe even a direct monetary cost depending on the warranty follow. With digital archives, ProSomnus simply remanufactures the device with the same preferences as you ordered originally (3-year standard and 5-year Medicare warranty). Platform Size and Tongue Space Recent papers confirm that precision platforms with more tongue space and/or 90-degree posts require less protrusion to start and to treat the patients at. Less protrusion means more comfort, better compliance AND fewer appointments. Less time, more money, repeat. You get the idea.
Time is money, but time is also an important component to our balance. Saving time can mean more money, but it could also translate into making more soccer games, an evening with friends or another round of golf. When I first heard Dr. Pankey speak about balancing life inside and outside of dentistry, I never thought I would be writing about it in the context of precision medical devices! Managing time means more choices. Time OR Money!
JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
MARK MURPHY, DDS, FAGD Mark T. Murphy, DDS, 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 Boards 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.
DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE GPS STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS TO DRIVE YOUR SUCCESS
REGISTER TODAY! WHETHER YOU’RE BRAND NEW TO SLEEP OR ALREADY PRACTICING, THIS COURSE WILL HELP YOU LEARN TO EFFECTIVELY:
SCREEN
TEST
BILL
TREAT
THIS COMPREHENSIVE HANDSON COURSE IS FOR DENTISTS & TEAMS THAT WANT TO GO FROM AZ IN DENTAL SLEEP MEDICINE & AVOID ALL THE TRAFFIC JAMS & WRONG TURNS THAT PREVENT PRACTICES FROM SUCCESSFULLY REACHING THEIR DESTINATION.
PRESENTER
UPCOMING COURSES 9/13 - 9/14 ST AUGUSTINE, FL
REGISTER WITH JODI JACKS!
9/27 - 9/28 NEW YORK, NY 10/4 - 10/5 GRAND RAPIDS, MI 10/5 MEDICAL BILLING COURSE - BRADENTON, FL 10/18 - 10/19 CLEVELAND, OH
GY YATROS DMD, DABDSM
10/24 - 10/26 ADVANCED HONORS COURSE - DALLAS, TX 10/25 - 10/26 KANSAS CITY, MO
JODI@DENTALSLEEPSOLUTIONS.COM
DS3SLEEP.COM/COURSES 877-95-SNORE (76673)
11/1 - 11/2 CLEARWATER, FL 11/8 - 11/9 PHILADELPHIA, PA
SCHEDULE: FRI 8AM - 5PM & SAT 8AM - 2 PM DENTISTS $995
DS3 MEMBERS $695
ADD’L TEAM MEMBERS $295
TUITION INCLUDES: 14 HOURS CE, 1 TEAM MEMBER, 1 SLEEP TEST & CUSTOM DEVICE
BREAKFAST PROVIDED, LUNCH SERVED FRIDAY. REFUND POLICY: 75% REFUND IF >60 DAYS, 50% IF <60 DAYS BEFORE EVENT
MARC FOWLER
TARGETING THE IDEAL AUDIENCE WITH YOUR SLEEP MARKETING emember the days R when postcards were the
marketing medium of choice? Back then, the key to a successful campaign was the mailing list. A below average postcard sent to an excellent prospect list could produce solid results. However, an amazing postcard sent to the wrong list was doomed to failure. In the digital world, targeting the correct search terms (keywords) can make or break a campaign. To succeed, a digital campaign must not only have compelling, informative content, but that content must be targeted to the right audience – the people actively searching for the type of content you are providing. So how do you know which keywords/search terms you should be targeting? Too often that decision is based on gut feel, which is inherently tainted by personal bias.
Smart marketers compare their gut instincts with hard data because, as the saying goes, the numbers don’t lie. When analyzing Google search data for sleeprelated terms, the numbers break out as follows:
Over the past 12 months there have been an average of 368,000 searches on Google each month for the term “sleep apnea”. Comparatively, “snoring” has received an average of 60,500 searches per month.
If a marketing campaign manager incorrectly assumed snoring would be the best search term to target because more people know about it, more spouses complain about it, etc., they would be targeting an audience that is six times smaller than the audience for “sleep apnea”.
MARC FOWLER That isn’t to say you wouldn’t want to include snoring in your campaign, it’s just helpful to know that sleep apnea receives over 300,000 more searches each month and you should allocate your time and budget accordingly. Additionally, knowing that CPAP receives 165,000 monthly searches shows that it is another keyword you would want to spend some energy targeting. While it’s true that a lot of those CPAP searches are being conducted by happy CPAP users simply looking for replacement CPAP supplies, we know from experience (and digging deeper into the data), that a high percentage of them are ideal prospects for a dental sleep practice.
Current CPAP users have already been tested and diagnosed, and statistics show that the majority of them aren’t using their CPAP consistently. Many would be open to an alternative. Even those who
are CPAP compliant could benefit from having an oral appliance for traveling, as a backup when they don’t have power, or when they’re too congested to use their nasal CPAP mask. Using the broad keywords listed above is just scratching the surface of a proper targeting strategy. To really maximize your marketing efforts, you’ll want to research keywords associated with those main terms. A deeper dive into the term “sleep apnea” turns up numerous additional search terms with large search volumes. For example, the term “sleep apnea symptoms” has an average search volume of 40,500 per month, nearly as many searches as the broad term “CPAP.” Even “sleep apnea machine” presents a strong opportunity for targeting, with over 27,100 average searches per month. Adding granular search terms such as these can help you really hone in on your true target audience. Understanding your audience and targeting them properly can be the difference between another failed marketing campaign and bringing significant
numbers of new sleep patients through your doors.
If you would like to discuss ways to effectively target your ideal sleep patients, click here to schedule time on my calendar for a complimentary 30 minute marketing strategy call. JOIN ME AT THE NADSM SYMPOSIUM! REGISTER NOW
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. Email: Marc@ BullseyeDental.com
Dental Sleep Marketingâ&#x201E;˘ Make a diďŹ&#x20AC;erence. Grow your practice.
Sleep apnea treatment saves lives. Our comprehensive sleep marketing system creates awareness, educates, and generates scheduled sleep consults. The program combines online and offline, internal and external, done-for-you marketing strategies and collateral.
Contact Bullseye Media President, Marc Fowler, to learn more. CALL: (214) 592-9393 EMAIL: Marc@BullseyeDental.com CLICK: DentalSleepMarketing.com
Dental Sleep Education that fits your schedule The Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorder Disciplines is the only organization offering a fully online and on-demand certificate in Dental Sleep Medicine. Study the lectures and course materials at your own pace, then when you are ready, take the exam. A C.DSM certificate from ACSDD provides the necessary medical and dental knowledge to confidently approach physicians and seek insurance reimbursement.
ACSDD.ORG | (800) 261-1809
Call 1(800) 261-1809 to Enroll Today The Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorders Disciplines (ACSDD) is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider at info@acsdd.org or to ADA CERP at www.ada.org/goto/cerp. This program has been submitted for approval by the ACSDD for a maximum of 14 credits as meeting general dental requirements.
Join the ACSDD at the Breathing Wellness Conference 2019 September 11-14 Gaylord Palms, Orlando, FL breathingwellness.org
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14-15 FEB ‘20 C L E A R WAT E R , F L
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“ T H E B E ST D E N TA L S L E E P M E D I C I N E NEW! TEAM TRACK These sessions will provide insights, pearls, and tips from some of the most accomplished Team Members in the industry. From time management and man case presentation to medical billing and clinical techniques, your Hygienists, Assistants, Sleep Ambassadors, and Administrative Team will leave the 2020 North American Dental Sleep Medicine Symposium equipped to take your practice to the next level.
M E E T I N G , EVE R ”
- E R I N E L L I OT T, D D S
REGISTER TODAY! KEYNOTE SPEAKER
RYAN HOLIDAY BEST SELLING AUTHOR
Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of The Obstacle Is the Way and other books about marketing, culture, and the human condition. He has appeared everywhere from the New York Times to Fast Company and lectured for Google, Nike, TEDx, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and many more. ma
