Future Potential Partner Assessment and Onboarding

By: Carolyn Ghazal, DDS, Chair, GP Platform Development

From an overall platform perspective, the majority of PDS-supported practices are experiencing healthy patient flow. In fact, one of the biggest challenges we have is not with patient flow but rather a shortage of clinician days. Our collective success as a team is depends on how well we support and retain our current Future Potential Partners (FPP) ,also referred to as Associate Dentists. In order to best support FPPs we must execute a detailed assessment process and implement structured onboarding plans in every single practice. Many of us are already deep into the assessment and/or onboarding process. I challenge every team to revisit the standards and best practices of assessment and onboarding to execute at the highest level — our success depends on it

As a refresher, here are some highlights:

ASSESSMENT

• Have a structured approach to the assessment process

• Listen to the candidate’s needs

• Discuss the candidate’s comfort with:

- The Owner Dentist’s (OD) clinical culture

- CEREC ® CAD/CAM- Diagnosis and treatment planning

- The Perfect Patient Experience ® (PPE) process

- Clinical assessment- Co-diagnosis- Coaching environment

• Role play activities focusing on verbiage

• Shadow the OD-patient interactions

• Utilize the Dentist-in-Training (DIT) program when possible

ONBOARDING

• Communicate the ODs clinical culture, including non-negotiables and lead by example

• Execute the PPE process with every patient:

- Meet and greet- Case conversation

- Healthcare Coordinator (HC) Handoff

• CEREC (50 in 50)

• Ensure the FPP understands treating patients with periodontal disease:

- The full mouth probe is a nonnegotiable

- Role play periodontal disease conversations

• Discuss areas of opportunity for accountability

The AD/OD Playbooks include additional standards and best practices and should be referenced for additional support.

The playbooks can be found on PDSConnect > Departments > Professional Partnerships.

Carolyn Ghazal, DDS, Chair, GP Platform Development