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Dear Doctors and Staff,

Happy Holidays to one and all. As we come to the close of another calendar year, I hope you can reflect on the areas of your professional and personal lives that made a positive difference this year.

What patients did you see that brought more than revenue to your practice? What course did you take that made you a better dental professional? What procedure did you perfect that made it easy and more predictable? What staff member was hired that brought you joy rather than frustration?

So many times we get bogged down with the negatives of the profession, and fail to concentrate on the good. Make a list of the things you can do to make dentistry, your practice, and a co-worker s day easier, less stressful, and more fun professionally. Be a mentor to one of your co-workers, or someone new in the dental profession. It is only by teaching others that you as an individual reach your full potential.

One of the exercises I ask my clients to do each year on their annual retreats is this:

Hand each staff member 2 sheets of paper with these headers:

One of my goals in 2001 is to become a better time manager. List three things I can do to accomplish this.

1)
2)
3)

One of my goals for 2001 is to become a more effective leader. List three things I can do better.

1)
2)
3)

P.S. You won t be fired for honesty!!

Too many times the doctor forgets that the practice’s commitment level is only as strong as the leaders . Show me a practice where the dentist is clear in their focus, goals, commitments, and I will show you a staff who shares these goals. Show me and office where the dentist thinks, do as I say, not as I do , and I will show you a practice that gives lip service.

This month we honor all our active clients who have shown significant improvements in time management and leadership. They send their monthly monitors and call to arrange their tele-conference calls at a time that allows group interaction with the entire staff on speaker phone, Most importantly, they implement the ideas we shared with them.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND TOUR

My 4th Speaking Tour to Australia and New Zealand went very well, with the best audiences ever. When the dentists and staff heard about our SunFun Seminars to Cancun and the Caribbean Cruise, they encouraged me to return to do a cruise off the coasts of Perth and Sydney in 2003!

Speaking of Australia, my client, Dr. Deanne Blazek, WI, and her dentist husband, Dr. Larry Heltzel, were in my Sydney audience November 4th. My sincere thanks to them for sharing the platform to field questions from the audience to give my laryngitis a break. It was great to have them interact with ideas from their two different practice perspectives. They also helped Don and me celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary at a lovely Sydney restaurant at the Rocks.

Our thanks go to our hostess, Ruth Port of Port Laboratory, Sydney for all the seamless arrangements. And, to our friend, Kathy Metaxas of Perth for hosting us in that city. The people we have met make this trip a definite highlight each time we go.

ADMC IN CHICAGO

One of our sponsors for the American Academy of Dental Management Consultants Meeting in October was Professional Practice Capital. They are a bank lender for the dental industry. They make loans to acquire dental practices, build dental offices, and they re-finance loans that can save dentists lots of money.

According to their President, Mr. Fred de Roode (Spring, TX) 281.419.0400 or www.ppcloan.com, they will prepare an Economic Valuation for any of our clients. If this is of interest to you, please contact Mr. de Roode and mention Dynamic Data. We are always happy to inform clients and readers of companies that put the clients needs first.

At the ADMC Meeting, I was also privileged to have lunch with two of my favorite consultants, Mr. Bent Ericksen and June Harper of Bent Ericksen and Associates. Bent is the number one person in dentistry who can offer assistance in hiring and retaining good employees. He and June have spent years dedicating their business to making it easier and safer to work with top notch people in the employee/employer relationship arena. They are experts in the office policy adaption process. They take the questions out of dealing with staff. They can be reached at 916.393.0973. Their website is www.Bent-Ericksen.com

EVIDENCE BASED CARE

Our thanks to Joe Blaes, Editor of Dental Economics for publishing Vicki Anderson s article on Evidence Based Care in the November issue. This may be the largest negative to impact dentistry in four decades! I was privileged to be invited to co-author this with Vicki. If you haven t read that issue, please do so.

As we close this year, my staff and I wish you and your staff and families a happy holiday season and an exciting New Year.

We hope to see all of you in Cancun in January or aboard the 4 Day Cruise in April. For more information call our Corporate office at 800.922.0866. Bookings are strong and the airlines have limited seats available these days, so don t delay. What better give to give your spouse and team in appreciation for their tremendous support for the year 2000.

Sincerely,

Linda L. Miles

Please keep in mind that this newsletter is being offered FREE in response to your request for information. If you would like to unsubscribe to Dynamic Data, please send an email to LLMiles@ix.netcom.com to let us know.

Miles & Associates – December 2000

Miles & Associates 4356 Bonney Road Suite 2-103 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23452

757-498-0014 757-498-0290 FAX 800-922-0866 Toll-free DentalManagementU.com

For subscription (or unsubscription) details, as well as Miles & Associates contact information, please see the end of this newsletter.

Visit us at www.DentalManagementU.com

EVIDENCE BASED CARE

Evidence Based Care will be the new threat to dentistry. We have survived the throes of OSHA, computer conversions, integration of new technology, managed care, and DMSOs . Just when the economy is at an all time high for practices in every corner of the US, this new threat to dentistry rears it s ugly head.

As stated in my September issue of Dynamic Data, and in my upcoming article in the November issue of Dental Economics, co-authored with Vicki Anderson, dentists in the grass roots need to be aware of the newest twist of fate for their patients employee benefit plans. Just when we thought the benefits to patients would improve, insurance companies are working to dilute quality care. Vicki Anderson, Editor of Insurance Solutions Newsletter, first alerted me to this movement. Dr. James Pride had an excellent article in a past summer issue of Dental Economics which was hopefully read by all. If Evidence Based Care comes through, unless dentists can prove that their patients are at high risk for dental disease, prophys may be approved for every 12, 18, or 24 months and BWX every 24 months. This is even more reason for every general practice to have a strong early diagnosis perio protocol in place. Without proper diagnosis, referral letters to periodontists, and charting, practices may see their entire hygiene departments weaken. For those of you reading this letter who say, this won t affect my practice. Our patients are so well educated, they will come back as recommended even if it is out- of pocket , may be in for a few surprises. Even well-educated patients are Insurance dependent.

ENJOY LIFE

Fall is in the air!! While enjoying the company of our friends from N.Z., Dr. Don Wallace and his wife Heather, my husband Don and I were able to enjoy three magnificent days as tourists to our part of the world. Virginia is a beautiful state this time of year. We walked on the boardwalk at the beach, strolled the Chesapeake Bay beach, went to the Marine Science Museum and enjoyed a day in historical Williamsburg and the Blue Ridge Parkway. How long has it been since the many busy dentists reading this newsletter have taken three days mid- week to play hookie from their practices and just enjoy life? The American working couple stays so busy, they rarely have what I call selfish time. No wonder busy people burn out from the same routine!!

After talking to two widows of my clients this past month, and consulting a practice (when the 54 year old doctor had to sell quickly due to a serious health problem), I realized the precious commodity of good health and life, I urge each one of you to take more time to do the important things in life with the people who mean the most to you. Plan a mini three-day selfish time get- away. You will be amazed at how well it makes you feel. And you will have a great year in spite of these mini-vacations. Once you see production rising, you will start having these excursions quarterly!!

TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT

Last month, one of the highlights of my travels was my tour of the DENTRIX facilities in Provo, Utah. The Summit 2000 Meeting invited 30 consultants to dentistry as their guests to network with their staff of 275. In my 22 years of consulting, I have never been more impressed by a company than I was with DENTRIX. The support, product, mission, and people make DENTRIX the winner it is in the industry.

CLIENT OF THE MONTH

Our October Client of Distinction is Dr. Greg Wych, of Irmo, SC. Greg s practice attended my Hinman seminar four years ago. I have visited their office twice and met with the entire office for a Total Team Retreat in Jamaica. The practice has doubled and continues to grow even in a small town. Dr. Wych keeps up with the latest in clinical excellence, facility updates, new technology, and staff development. He rates in the top « of 1% of solo practices in the US production-wise. He also enjoys a four day work week and many hobbies including golf. We are proud of this supreme practice and feel proud to say we know and work with one of the finest practices in dentistry. Our congratulations to the entire team and Dr. Greg Wych.

STAFF APPRECIATION GIFT

If you haven t decided how to reward your team for a year well-done, call 800-922- 0866 today to register for one of our SUNFUN SEMINARS to Cancun in January or the 4-day W. Caribbean Cruise aboard the beautiful IMAGINATION cruise ship. We will gift wrap your confirmation information to present at your year-end parties if registered before December 1st. For dates, call, or see my complete itinerary on our website.

Don and I will be off to NZ and Australia mid-October to November 6th. It will be great to see our many friends down under . Have a wonderful month of October and a strong 4th quarter. If my consultants or I can be of further assistance, please email or call our Corporate Office in Virginia Beach at 800-922-0866.

Sincerely, Linda L. Miles, CSP,CMC,CEO

Please keep in mind that this newsletter is being offered FREE in response to your request for information. If you would like to unsubscribe to Dynamic Data, please send us and email to let us know.

Miles & Associates’ corporate headquarters may be reached at 800.922.0866 or 757.498.0014. On the web at www.DentalManagementU.com or via email at LLMiles@ix.netcom.com.

Miles & Associates – October 2000 Miles & Associates 4356 Bonney Road Suite 2-103 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23452

757-498-0014 757-498-0290 FAX 800-922-0866 Toll-free www.DentalManagementU.com