Managing Dental Drama

Bethany and Dr. Kuba are absolutely giddy to introduce you to a special friend and guest - Laura Diamond, Attorney to dentists. Laura is an absolute wealth of information. While Dr. Kuba has had the privilege of seeing Laura defend and advise dentists for years now, she finally gets the opportunity today to dish out some tough legal questions. Dental professionals need to hear the advice that Laura gives, so don’t miss it!&nb...

Bethany had an extremely interesting series of events with a client, and today she puts Dr. Kuba in the hot seat. “What would Kuba do with a fake two week notice?” Together, Bethany and Dr. Kuba unpack how to address an odd scenario where an employee turns in notice but actually did not intend for the doctor to accept the resignation.They dig into the details and speculate on the possible reasons that an employee might ...

Today, Dr. Kuba talks about the stresses and challenges of cultivating a successful practice when there are so many frustrating staffing problems. Much like her self-proclaimed best friend, Jerry Jones, who does his best to have a winning team, he ultimately is at the mercy of other factors and people - like the coaches and team. Dr. Kuba, too, recognizes the hardships of good staffing decisions when she discusses two recent decisi...

It is hard to believe, but MDD is celebrating its FIFTH anniversary! After surprising Dr. Kuba with this anniversary reminder, Bethany reflects on her favorite episode as well as the way the themes and topics have changed over the years. Dr. Kuba reflects on her favorite moments and aspects of being a show host. They both marvel at the international reach of the show (hello Germany!). Together, they dream about the days ahead for M...

It’s dental conference season! If you are like many dental professionals, you come back from seminars with an overwhelming amount of ideas and excitement. Yet, it is difficult to decide what to implement and even more difficult to decide how to implement. Dr. Kuba and Bethany jump into several tips in today’s episode to help you successfully incorporate new things. Whether it is a new product, new equipment, new technol...

Keeping a dental office fully staffed now seems to be a full-time job. So many practice owners are struggling to run a full schedule because they are missing key team members. One creative strategy is to offload some of the administrative work in the practice to employees who work remotely or away from the office. By incorporating remote workers into the fold, practice owners no longer have to find and retain employees who live nea...

Dr. Kuba is all bent out of shape today over a recent medical visit. She recaps multiple instances of inefficiencies that push her to pause, reflect, and consider the hidden lessons. She and Bethany dialogue about the potential causes of such inefficiencies as well as what dental teams can do to avoid chronic medical mistakes. Everyone can relate to those terrible medical experiences, but today’s episode will help you to stop...

Dr. Jones is finally back, and he is passionate about today’s topic! In this episode, he reminds listeners what it takes to truly grow. He and Bethany discuss the challenges and setbacks to growing as well as the skills and determination it takes to make daily changes that lead to growth. Today’s episode will have you smiling and hopefully recommitting to the daily pursuit of growth. Rev up that engine and get ready!&nb...

Dr. Kuba and Bethany put the gloves on today! While they often see things from different perspectives, today’s episode might represent the most they have ever disagreed on a subject matter. As Dr. Kuba reads through actual applicants from her recent job post, she shares why she accepted or rejected the candidate, and Bethany shares her perspective. If you struggle to determine who is a good applicant, this episode makes it cl...

The news story this week should cause us all to pause. Medical emergencies are a reality for which we should all be prepared. When an incredibly sad news story regarding a dental death occurs, we owe it to ourselves, our team, and our patients to pause and ensure that we are as prepared as we can possibly be. In an effort to remind us all, Dr. Kuba and Bethany have resurrected a recent episode regarding medical emergencies. Togethe...

The Texas heat forced Dr. Kuba and Bethany into their cozy closet to record today’s important episode. Dr. Kuba throws two completely different scenarios to Bethany and puts her on the spot for advice. Both with the question - Who you gonna call? A patient receives services in your practice and then three weeks later gets admitted to the hospital with facial swelling. Should you self-report to the Board? In another scenario, ...

Bethany’s sister-in-law is back!! Amanda has been a manager for many years now. She recalls a time when she felt, “If I want to have something done right, I have to do it myself.” This mindset led her to burnout, fatigue, and frustration. She and Bethany discuss her delegation mindset. Amanda shares how she strives to create a collaborative environment where delegation, teamwork, and equality is the norm. She also...

Have you ever been in that uncomfortable situation where you feel like you might need to report something to either the state board or even the police? This episode digs into an incredibly yucky topic, but the information provided should make it useful for any listener. Dr. Kuba and Bethany shift through many of the various situations that can come across your plate that might necessitate you filing a complaint or taking some type ...

Have you been asking yourself lately, “Where is all the money going?” Or have you noticed that certain procedures are simply less productive than they used to be? Maybe you’ve even wondered to yourself, “I feel like I’m working harder and making less, what is happening?” If these thoughts sound familiar, then tune into this episode. Dr. Kuba and Bethany spend time discussing current trends in the...

Today’s episode continues the saga from last week’s episode (“Are Accurate Estimates Important?”). Dr. Kuba continues to unpack details about a disgruntled parent in her practice that ended up with an unexpected bill of $1,700. Today, they discuss more oversights from the team including coordination of benefit issues (involving primary and secondary insurance), miscommunication to the parent when insurance f...

Today’s episode jumps straight into the deep end of managing a practice. Dr. Kuba shares about a disgruntled parent in her practice that ended up with an unexpected bill of $1,700. Travel together with Dr. Kuba and Bethany as they discuss step by step how they investigated the account and used it as an opportunity to learn and improve. In today’s episode, they discuss what all went wrong with the treatment estimate and ...

As an addendum to last week’s “Money Matters” episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany dig into the various ways that a team member can unintentionally sabotage a practice. While collections (last week’s episode) is foundational to practice success, there are many other seemingly insignificant mistakes that can substantially impact success. Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss several important ones to consider. This power pac...

Collecting money in a practice tends to be one of the more difficult tasks. At times, odd emotions get in the way. Sometimes we feel guilt over charging a patient for something they need, a service they receive. We attempt to lighten the guilt feeling by making unsanctioned collections agreements or even avoiding to collect altogether. Balances can loom over our heads at times and can cause patients to resist returning to the pract...

Last week’s episode probably sounds like a beautiful pipe dream….so today, Dr. Kuba asks the hard question, “Can you really truly pass things off to team members?” She and Bethany discuss the times where tasks are passed off and teams either fail to accomplish them OR are not equipped to complete the task successfully. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss how to ensure that the right people receive...