Have You Ever Asked Yourself: How can I get more patients? What are the systems I need to streamline operations? How can I be more effective with marketing? How can I align marketing and operations? How can I measure marketing results to see what’s working? If this is you, you’re in the right place. We’ve spent a lot of time talking with orthodontists, dentists, practice managers, office staff, and consultants, and we’ve actually built a framework to connect your office to patients & develop a relationship. Our Patient Acquisition & Retention Framework™ enables you to manage the patient experience from the first call through their procedure of interest. The GrowOrtho podcast is for orthodontists and dentists who want to run their practice like a business and discover how to take their practice to the next level.
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Have You Ever Asked Yourself: How can I get more patients? What are the systems I need to streamline operations? How can I be more effective with marketing? How can I align marketing and operations? How can I measure marketing results to see what’s working? If this is you, you’re in the right place. We’ve spent a lot of time talking with orthodontists, dentists, practice managers, office staff, and consultants, and we’ve actually built a framework to connect your office to patients & develop a relationship. Our Patient Acquisition & Retention Framework™ enables you to manage the patient experience from the first call through their procedure of interest. The GrowOrtho podcast is for orthodontists and dentists who want to run their practice like a business and discover how to take their practice to the next level.
The Hard Truth About Building a Thriving Orthodontic Practice!
The GrowOrtho Podcast
51 minutes 16 seconds
2 months ago
The Hard Truth About Building a Thriving Orthodontic Practice!
The Problem Every Practice Owner Faces
You hire great people. You build solid systems. Yet something still feels off.
Maybe your star treatment coordinator suddenly can’t close cases because the new “foolproof” workflow confuses her. Or your front desk team starts avoiding phone calls because the seven-step process feels overwhelming.
Here’s what’s happening: you’re treating people and processes like enemies instead of dance partners.
The best practices don’t choose one over the other. They create systems that amplify what their people already do well. When you get this balance right, your team performs at their peak and patients feel the difference.
Your Practice Is Bleeding Money Right Now
Picture your practice as a boat moving downstream. Every operational gap is a hole letting revenue pour out.
The leaks look small:
* One missed follow-up call per day
* Slow response times that lose warm leads
* Team members asking “what do I do next?” instead of taking action
* Unclear responsibilities that create finger-pointing
But those tiny holes add up fast. Missing just one qualified lead per day costs your practice up to $1 million annually. That’s not a typo.
Most practices try to solve this by generating more leads. That’s like pouring more water into a leaky bucket. You need to plug the holes first.
Data Shows You Where to Look
Tools like PracticeBeacon and Gaidge give you X-ray vision into your practice operations. The numbers don’t lie about where patients slip through cracks.
Track these three metrics religiously:
* Scheduling percentage (inquiries that become appointments)
* Show rates (appointments that actually happen)
* Consult-to-start conversion (consultations that become treatments)
When one of these numbers drops, dig deeper. Check phone response times. Review follow-up procedures. Listen to how your team communicates with patients.
The data will spotlight exactly where your processes are failing your people.
Build Systems That Make People Shine
Stop building processes around individual team members. Build them around roles.
When you create a system for “Sarah” instead of “treatment coordinator,” you trap your practice. Sarah leaves, and your entire workflow crumbles. Plus, the next person feels like they’re living in Sarah’s shadow.
Design role-based systems that give structure while letting personalities flourish:
* Your organized team member who struggles on phones? Move them to back-office tasks where they thrive.
* Growing practice overwhelming your front desk? Split responsibilities so one person handles calls while another greets walk-ins.
The goal: systems that elevate both staff performance and patient experience.
Warning Signs Your Systems Are Too Complicated
Good systems feel invisible. Bad ones scream for attention.
Watch for these red flags:
* Team members constantly asking for the next step
* Patients looking confused or frustrated
* Staff resistance to new procedures
* Processes that feel like punishment instead of support
The best systems work like bowling bumpers. They keep your team in the lane without restricting their ability to aim for strikes.
If a system feels like a grind, simplify it.
Write SOPs That Actually Get Used
Standard Operating Procedures shouldn’t require a PhD to understand. They should provide guidance, not handholding.
Keep SOPs concise and visual:
* Use bullet points instead of paragraphs
* Include Loom videos for complex tasks
* Avoid click-by-click instructions that break with every software update
The GrowOrtho Podcast
Have You Ever Asked Yourself: How can I get more patients? What are the systems I need to streamline operations? How can I be more effective with marketing? How can I align marketing and operations? How can I measure marketing results to see what’s working? If this is you, you’re in the right place. We’ve spent a lot of time talking with orthodontists, dentists, practice managers, office staff, and consultants, and we’ve actually built a framework to connect your office to patients & develop a relationship. Our Patient Acquisition & Retention Framework™ enables you to manage the patient experience from the first call through their procedure of interest. The GrowOrtho podcast is for orthodontists and dentists who want to run their practice like a business and discover how to take their practice to the next level.
