MPMB Blog

by Rob Thorup, DDS – President, My Practice My Business There is something in dentistry that has probably cost practices more money than many dentists realize. It is not just fee schedules, inflation, staffing shortages, or even dental insurance by itself. It is the collection of unwritten rules that never actually existed. For decades, dentists have followed rules that nobody can point to in a contract, state law, or a court decision, [...]

by Rob Thorup, DDS – President, My Practice My Business When a dentist invests millions of dollars into a practice, who should that office be designed for? The patient, the clinical team, or the dental equipment sales quota? For decades, the dental industry has largely answered that question the same way by telling dentists to build more operatories because they will grow into them, eventually hire associates, perhaps add [...]

by Rob Thorup, DDS – President, My Practice My Business It happens every day. A patient leaves a dental office with a treatment plan in their hand, gets into their car, pulls out their phone, and before they've even left the parking lot, they're posting in a Facebook group: “My dentist says I need a crown. Does this sound right?” or “My dentist wants to charge me $1,800 for this. Is that [...]

by Rob Thorup, DDS - President, My Practice My Business There is one emotion almost every dentist and practice owner I know has experienced at some point in their career: frustration, specifically frustration with insurance companies, contracts, reimbursement, and feeling like nobody is listening. When that frustration finally reaches a boiling point, dentists are frequently given one of two answers: “You signed a contract,” or “Just drop insurance.” I [...]

One of the least discussed yet most impactful practices in dentistry is cost-shifting. Today, we are going to do a deep-dive on this topic. You might be surprised to learn who is really paying for treatment in your office. Just so we are all on the same page, cost-shifting is the practice of charging fee-for-service patients or patients with higher-reimbursing insurance plans more, in order to cover the losses from [...]

It’s no mystery to all who know me that I love everything Walt Disney created. I grew up watching the Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday at 6pm, eating dinner on a TV tray in front of an RCA 26-inch color television. I was glued to the TV for that hour. No company does customer service better than Disney. We teach in our Clinical Business of Dentistry Training the [...]

Dear ADA/UDA, As many of you know, my wife and business partner, Tracy, and I have been strong advocates for both dentists and patients through our company, My Practice My Business (MPMB). Over the years, we’ve trained dental practices in Utah and across the nation on how to achieve profitability, even when participating in PPOs. Part of our training includes thoroughly understanding dental insurance contracts and state dental laws. We [...]

I just saw an article stating the “Washington State Dental Association is coming for Delta Dental of Washington.” The name of the article is, “Putting patient Care First: Fixing Washington’s Broken Dental Benefits System.” They stated that it’s “the battle over dental benefits.” Well, they got it partially correct. The Washington State Dental Association (WSDA) Advocacy Director said, “Too many patients are paying for dental benefits, only to be denied [...]

Tracy was headed down to Utah County a few months ago, listening to one of our favorite talking heads interview an author, Annie Jacobsen, on a book she wrote titled, “Nuclear War.” She ended up buying the book for me to read, and it was very eye opening. I love reading books and finding what I call “crossovers” that we see in our profession, and such was the case here. [...]

(I love how many of you dentists tend to make business decisions. Don’t deny it, you know how you are. You lick your finger, hold it high in the air, see which way the wind is blowing, give it some concentrated thought, and talk yourself right out of those things that could change your life for the better.) Here are some common bad dental business situations that you can [...]

“Bundling” is defined by the ADA as "The systematic combining of distinct dental procedures by third-party payers that results in a reduced benefit for the patient/beneficiary." Although there are some instances where bundling is appropriate, the concern to dentists is when procedures, which are legitimately separate, are bundled either inappropriately or due to contractual provisions, without explanation, resulting in reduced payment. Some dentists question why they should spend time developing [...]

Point One: I belong to a few Facebook groups, and I see dentists continually complaining about dental insurance reimbursements. I just saw one post where the dentist realized for the first time that one of their third-party payers is down-coding composite fillings to amalgam, and only paying for a one-surface composite, no matter how many surfaces are involved. It’s crazy, I know. But, they aren’t increasing their client’s insurance [...]

It's official. MEPAT is a thing and having its day. If you have been in one of our courses lately or listened to my podcast, you are probably familiar with the term MEPAT, which stands for "More Expensive Professionally Accepted Treatment." Ever wonder why dental insurance allows fillings to be replaced every 2-5 years, when there are better filling materials on the market that can last much longer? Or [...]

We get asked this all the time. Well, it's time to remove the obstacles. Say goodbye to providing free dental services, due in part to the confusing and often misleading EOB guidelines and contractual language from dental insurance companies. It’s also time to say goodbye to the dental consultants and other individuals who truly lack the expertise you need to navigate the business of dentistry. My Practice My Business [...]

It was the UDA dental convention this past week. We had a booth there and got to rub shoulders with our clients, potential clients, and many soon-to-be new clients who signed up for our training. Something a doc said to one of our team members at our booth has stuck with me, and I want to talk about it. When our team member asked the doc if he had [...]

I was asked to write an article on how to be profitable with PPO Plans, because that is our specialty here at My Practice My Business (MPMB). It’s honestly such a broad topic, as all of you who have been through our training here at MPMB understand, that I simply didn’t know where to start at first. However, I will be so bold in my old age as to [...]

We often hear dental professionals express their concerns, saying, "I'm working harder, but taking home less," or "my team is asking for raises, but there's just not enough money." These concerns highlight a common dilemma that dental practices encounter—the struggle for profitability, particularly when dealing with PPO Plans. Our goal is to shed light on the practical aspects of profitability within your practice and offer solutions that can [...]

Obstacles or Opportunities It's time to put an end to providing free dental services at the mercy of dental insurance companies and their misleading guidelines. Additionally, bid farewell to misinformation and break free from dependence on dental advisors who lack the necessary expertise. Discover how My Practice My Business (MPMB) can empower you to achieve fair compensation through PPO plans and, surprisingly, your self-pay patients.  Who are we? At [...]

I’m sure many of you saw the business article published in the ADA Weekend Edition and in the ADA Finance Edition titled: “ADA Council Urges Dentists to Report Full Fee to Payers.” Don’t worry, I’m about to rip this ridiculous article to pieces. Let me be very clear from the start. Dental Insurance Companies, commonly called “third-party” payers, DO NOT SET THEIR REIMBURSEMENT FEES BASED UPON YOUR FEE-FOR-SERVICE FEES. [...]

As a dentist, you may feel frustrated with the limitations of being a provider for dental insurance plans. You may be considering dropping some or all of the insurance plans you participate in. Before making this decision, it's important to consider the potential risks and consequences. Pros and Cons of Being a Provider for Dental Insurance Plans Being a provider for [...]

The number one trend we've noticed is dentists leaving Delta Dental. It’s no mystery that dental insurance causes headaches for dental offices across the nation.  Working With Dental Insurance We have rubbed shoulders with all the major dental insurance providers in the nation for many years. We worked very closely with many of them when we passed the “Network Leasing, Downcoding, and Bundling Protections Law” in 2020. [...]

The message to drop dental insurance seems to consume every dental channel. Facebook groups discuss it frequently. I’ve even seen booths pass out stickers to promote this at conventions. As the cost of living increases, dental insurance reimbursements certainly do not cover the costs of dental procedures. With more and more dental offices frustrated with insurance, it’s no wonder why everyone is talking about it. The Risks [...]

The title may sound harsh, but after working with hundreds of dental offices, we’ve discovered that nearly every office does the same things that negatively affect the practice. These actions ultimately decrease revenue, patient retention and employee satisfaction. The worst part is many of the things mentioned below have been preached in dentistry for YEARS. So, we can’t really blame you, but we can help “change you” for the [...]

Dental insurance plans don’t pay for tooth whitening, yet most dental offices charge the patient for it directly. The same applies to electric toothbrushes. However, when it comes to better technologies, materials, or skills, offices will write off thousands of dollars each month. In those three examples just listed, you wouldn’t think of not charging the patient for those services. In contrast, very few dental offices charge [...]

What happens if the office manager goes on vacation, the hygienist calls in sick, or the dental assistant runs off with prince charming? Missing a team member for even one day can lead to chaos in a dental office. Team members feel overwhelmed, which could ultimately lead to a decline in the quality of patient care. It doesn’t have to be this way. The Office Manager I had [...]

The list is long and unfortunately distinguished. Don’t get me wrong, most of the time we don’t like dealing with dental insurance plans and their reps either. But we are the only major consulting company that teaches dentists and their teams to keep them, because we know and teach how to be profitable with them. Please allow me to tell each of you who these teachers of “dump dental [...]

Years ago, I wrote an article on direct operating costs, and how important they are when setting your fee-for-service fees - let alone evaluating your profitability with contracted insurance reimbursement fees. And we all know how most dentists simply hate to use the term “profits” when discussing their businesses. But the simple fact is this: Dentists and their teams often cannot grasp the concept that the patient is [...]

I had a great conversation with one of my respected and trusted colleagues (and friend) several weeks ago. The conversation was not an unusual one, as I have had this conversation with many of you who have been through some sort of consulting with various consulting groups out there. The simple question is this: Should you submit your fee-for-service fees or your contracted fees to the PPO companies you work [...]

It was July of 2017 when a 43-year-old male patient came to my office complaining of pain in #27. Much to my surprise he was missing all lower molars and bicuspids, with an RPD anchoring on both mandibular canines. He also had a full maxillary denture that flopped around like a fish out of water. The remaining lower mandibular teeth, 22 through 27, were not in the best condition [...]

For years I’ve given this topic a lot of thought. It’s a subject that, not until now, I had any answer to. First, let’s define the word “dichotomy”. di·chot·o·my /dīˈkädəmē/ noun: a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different. synonyms: contrast, difference, polarity, conflict;  gulf, chasm, division, separation, split; "the great dichotomy between theory and practice" Now let’s discuss the typical background of the dental office [...]

Each year in January many dental practices adjust their Fee-for-Service (FFS) fee schedule to help cover rising expenses in their dental business, and to hopefully generate higher profit margins. There have been many approaches throughout the years I have seen dental practices use to determine these new fees: There is the “across the board” approach where practices increase fees between 3% and 7% for all services. This works great if [...]

In the State of Utah our Dental Association puts out a publication every two months called the UDA Action. In the January February 2019 publication Dr. Chamberlain, our UDA President, shared some fantastic stats on dentistry here in Utah. If you live in another state, listening to this podcast, you might want to take note on my comments to this article, as it may have some cross-over where you practice. [...]

Oh my, where do I even begin? Many years ago, I lectured on digital imaging and radiography. Trying to help practices understand the benefits of this technology was difficult back then, and now it’s the norm for most practices. However, how many offices still use analog radiographs today? With the constant changes in dental technology, it’s not healthy to embrace the status quo. Most of you have heard the [...]

I’m finally getting around to looking at my first quarter results in my dental practice. Sound familiar? I was shocked to see our profits were down. How could this be? The number of patients seen and procedures worked were both up. But, profits were down for the first time in years. It was time to dig a little deeper and learn why. We discovered several things that have changed [...]

The other day we got a phone call from a new dental insurance company attempting to build their panel of dentists in the Salt Lake area. My office manager asked them to send us their fee schedule and we would consider joining. The fee schedule came, and we made a close observation to see if they cover our top forty codes we use the most. We noticed they had [...]

We’ve all seen them, the dirty little tricks insurance companies do to make our lives a living hell, right? At My Practice My Business our dental consulting helps practices deal with this “hell” head on with our Clinical Business of Dentistry Training. However, here is a small list of typical insurance tricks they use to torment us, and how to deal with them. -Baked in codes: This is one of my favorites. [...]

One of our team members at MPMB reached out to a long-term client of ours, and spent some time training a new office manager on our cloud-based dental software and key concepts with the Clinical Business of Dentistry Training. When it came to teaching the OM about upgrading, and the documents in My Dental Docs to print out, she said, “Oh no, we don’t upgrade as we have chosen not to nickel [...]

Whenever I give a lecture with the Clinical Business of Dentistry Seminar, which is the introductory to our Clinical Business of Dentistry Training at My Practice My Business, I always ask a few questions to watch people squirm in their chairs. Question 1: How many of you take intraoral photos on your patients to show or prove the need for treatment and charge for it like you would an x-ray? Question 2: [...]

We’ve all seen them, the dirty little tricks insurance companies do to make our lives a living hell, right? At My Practice My Business, our dental consulting helps practices deal with this “hell” head on with our Clinical Business of Dentistry Training. However, here is a small list of typical insurance tricks they use to torment us, and how to deal with them. -Baked in codes: This is one of [...]

It’s no mystery with all who know me that I love Disney! I grew up watching the Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday at 6pm, eating dinner on a TV tray in front of an RCA color television. I was so blessed… We teach in our Clinical Business of Dentistry Training the importance of giving our patients, what we call, the Disney experience. One of our Facebook reviews exemplifies what I’m [...]

There I was, sitting in a Utah Dental Association (UDA) Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) meeting that all practicing dentists in our state must attend if they want their malpractice insurance rates to stay low. These meetings are conducted by our UDA officers, and they do a good job at bringing issues to light which help us be better practitioners. On one occasion, our UDA President was taking questions and [...]

For all of you who verify insurance coverage on every patient coming in the next day, for all of you who verify insurance coverage on every procedure, for all of you who enjoy watching yellow stone set, for all of you who truly utilize about 30% of your practice management software system, for all of you who enjoy children screaming in your ear while doing a prophy, this article [...]

Nothing! Most days that’s what it seems like. Some of my favorite phrases were: “That’s not the amount I was quoted” “You’re doing a root canal and crown today? Why?” “You want how much for that cleaning?” “You scheduled me for three hours but I only have an hour” Are you kidding me? Unbelievable! Those are just some of the phrases I’ve heard throughout the years. I use to hear [...]

What you are about to learn is something they should really teach us in dental school. That is, case acceptance is grounded in biology. Who would have guessed?! If we look at the brain from the top down, you would see three sections: The inner section is known as the Reptilian Brain. This section is where the fight or flight section resides. It’s the instinct and survival section. The [...]