In times of economic uncertainty, making the right investments is more important than ever. Here is what three dental leaders chose to invest in during 2022:
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Suzanne Ebert, DMD. Vice President of Dental Practice and Relationship Management at ADA Business Innovation Group: We see that many dentists are stepping out of the crisis mode mentality and into adjusting to the new normal of life post pandemic. These dentists are investing time and resources in performing a comprehensive reevaluation of how patients flow through the office, the insurances they accept, front and back office policies and procedures, and staff functions — especially amidst the ongoing staffing shortage. The result is that these dentists are finding ways to increase efficiency and are happy to be experiencing a reduction in stress due to feeling in control. Many are also finding that they are seeing a corresponding increase in productivity.
Bryan Hildreth. Chief People Officer at Mortenson Dental Partners: The best investment Mortenson Dental Partners made as a company this year was in our people. Taking care of our team members has always been paramount, and in recent months, we have continued to do so in various ways. These include making improvements to our compensation and benefits program and enhancing our internal learning and development program so our team members can have the best tools and opportunities to further their skills and education.
Chris Salierno, DDS. Chief Dental Officer at Tend: The best investment we've made this year is in our people. All dental practices are dealing with the Great Reshuffle, and investments in onboarding and advanced training certainly help with recruitment and retention. But, more than that, devoting these resources improves team culture and patient outcomes.