EXCELLENCE

EXCELLENCE


How is excellence achieved? Excellence is not an event but a process. Continual development, constant improvement. learning, agility, hard work, and persistance are all qualities that are necessary to achieve excellence. When a company holds excellence as a core value, you are likely to see the prior characteristics at hand. I am fortunate to be a part of a company that not only holds excellence in its core values as a promise, but also works to deliver that. This is what was in motion this last week at the advanced office manager training session. All the office managers of the company gave up their summer Saturday to travel to our resource headquarters and participate in a development and training session.  The most impressive part was the positive attitude and culture of collaboration and passion that was present. You would assume that looking outside the window at a perfect summer day would result in annoyed, "why I am here", attitudes. That was not present. Positive attitudes, passionate about the mission of the company was at hand.
I am proud of the team that I am a part of and the leadership that is present in the organization.
The process of excellence is in motion. When this process is in place, the possibilities are endless.

Our company: The Professional Dental Alliance in collaboration with the Refresh Dental Resource Team is creating a new future for the profession.

Andrew Matta, DMD

Good or Great?

In Dr. Marc Cooper's book, Mastering the Business of Practice, he states: 

Good is the enemy of great. Good makes you complacent. Good makes you comfortable. Good diminishes your willingness to take risks. Good forces you to play it safe. You will never move your practice to great by reducing risk. So, first you have to be willing to risk good. But most dentists are too risk-­averse to make that leap. The first question you have to answer for yourself is this: Is "good enough" really good enough? If it is, you will never have a great practice. 

What does it take to move from Good to Great in dentistry? Most are aware of the classic book by Jim Collins, Good to Great. It identifies companies that have separated themselves from their competition and developed Great companies. There are distinct differences between the reality of the public companies Jim Collins compared and dental practices. 

The industry itself has been limiting for dentists. I have been identifying a vision for the industry to shift to practicing in a We environment and leaving the I. Through collaboration and alliance, we can develop Synergy. In addition, moving to a supported setting in which a management team is there as a supportive team to be a true resource to doctors can allow a shift from the struggles of achieving a good practice, to the ability to become a great practice. 

There are many essential factors that are necessary in the development from good to great. 

• Clear Vision
• Leadership
• Focus (Hedgehog concept)
• A supportive team 
• Integrity

The Professional Dental Alliance has the vision to be the company where dentists go from Good to Great. 

Join the evolution of the industry. 

Mastery

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Mastery! In martial arts, the color of one's belt indicates the level of proficiency that they have achieved. In academics, examinations are used to identify competency of material. To obtain a doctorate of dental medicine, years of exams are needed to graduate. Then finally, the weight is lifted off the shoulders. Freedom from the tests, no more hoops to jump through.
It may seem like roses, but as dentists we still have the urge to constantly learn. To improve. To master the trade. Daniel Pink  authors a book titled Drive. It discusses an interesting view of what motivates individuals. While one would think that obtaining a doctorate and having a career with good means would be motivation enough, it appears that motivation for mastery trumps the financial rewards.
As dentists, we strive for excellence. The difficult part is going through the high-end curriculums to learn from the experts. Financial investments, time away from family and hobbies, etc. Solo practice itself creates barriers to developing proficiency and mastery.
A benefit of collaboration and dentistry in a group is the ability to bring experts to the group rather than traveling away from a solo practice.
The PDA (Professional Dental Alliance) is developing a mastery track to allow our doctors to focus on what motivates them. Mastering Dentistry.

I invite all dentists to join us to see where dentistry is going.

When: Thursday June 2, 2011: 7:00PM-9:00PM
Where: Cranberry, Pennsylvania. Patterson Dental Branch Office
Patterson Dental Co, 1253 Freedom Rd Ste 200, Cranberry Twp, PA.



Dr. Andrew Matta

The Future of Dentistry

What does the future hold for our profession? 
Insurance companies for the first time are reducing fee schedules. 

Announced on April 6^th, 2011, Washington Dental Service (Delta of Washington) sent notice to dentists contracted on either or both Premier Plan or PPO plan that new reduced fee schedules will be implemented effective June 15, 2011. It has been estimated the overall reduction in fees will be approximately 15% or more - which in turn will cause a marked reduction in profitability and, therefore, personal income for dentists or specialists with significant WDS patients in their practice. (Cooper Mastery Newsletter April 8, 2011). 

As dentists we look to fight back. However, with the current reality of 85% of dentists practicing in solo private practice, we don't have an ability to organize or leverage to negotiate better fee schedules. 

We can look to the ADA or state dental organizations to work with legislation to resist these changes that insurance companies look to implement. As we all know, this is a very exhausting and commonly futile effort that involves barriers of politics. 

Is their another way? How can dentists define a future that is not controlled by insurance companies? The answer lies in alignment and collaboration. Bring strong doctors together to create a future in dentistry that gives dentists leverage in numbers and in shared values. A professional organization backed by a corporate management team that puts the dentists and patients interest as its mission. A corporate team that understands the ability to leverage and negotiate terms and fee schedules with insurance companies. 

Professional Dental Alliance.
Taking dentistry where it needs to go. 

Dr Andrew Matta

Alliance

Alliance
Wikipedia defines Alliance as an agreement or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests.

The Professional Dental Alliance (PDA) is a group of dentists with a common goal to attain the highest level of dental knowledge delivering the best patient care. The PDA desires for their dentists to "Master Dentistry".

The PDA's common interests include developing friendships with colleagues that produce lifelong partnerships and relationships with like minded dentists.

The Professional Dental Alliance... Leading an exclusive group of dentists today where dentistry is going tomorrow.


Dr. Andrew Matta
(cc from Dr. Chad Wise)

Autonomy?

Autonomy? Wikipedia defines as one who gives oneself their own law. Sounds great. I'm in control. In my practice, its just me and I am the law. No need for compromise.
In private practice, a feeling of self worth and excitement fills you when you finally are in charge. An entrepreneurial seizure drives an incredible amount of energy into your practice. Now, the buck stops with you.
But, is there a sacrifice?  With autonomy comes complete responsibility of ownership with no support. Responsibility on management, on self-improvement, on accountability, on leadership, on marketing, on human resources, on clinical development, on growth of the practice, on legal, and the list goes on. Then comes the reality..."they never taught me any business in dental school".

The business world is filled with collaboration, synergy, support, coaching, and accountability. They setup boards and systems to work in a WE atmosphere not an I.
Consider a collaboration with a system that provides the supportive environment for the essential business needs. A support in a setting that leaves the marketing, the management, the HR, the financials, the growth, the legal, the hiring, the firing, and all the rest in the hands of core value driven, ethical business leaders and then we focus on what we do best.  We can focus on mastering our skills and developing the best patient care possible.

Consider the Professional Dental Alliance.

Dr. Andrew Matta

Collaboration

Collaboration. A process where two or more individuals organize together to realize shared goals. This is more than the intersection of common goals seen in co-operative ventures, but a deep, collective, determination to reach an identical objective.
So what is the goal?
A common purpose to master the art. A common pursuit of happiness in work and life. A determination to improve on what I can accomplish to what We can accomplish.

The Professional Dental Alliance is trailblazing a new concept through collaboration of dentists.
Bringing like minded professionals together with the intention of delivering outstanding service to patients and building an environment where mastery is attainable.
We are taking dentistry where it needs to be.

Dr Andrew Matta

Synergy

Synergy. This is a word that has not been common in private practice dentistry to this point. To often we as dentists practice on an island. Sure we link with colleagues at the monthly local society meeting or exciting convention and chat a bit about what's happening in "our" practice, but we congregate with our guard up constantly wondering if grass is really greener in the other guys world. Not that life is bad, we as dentists make a respectable living doing something we love. However, is there a better way? Is life on the mainland better than life on the island? What can walking away from I and towards WE really look like? SYNERGY.

With collaboration of great ideas, with unselfish partnership, with mentored support, with true kinship comes synergy. Synergy can create better care for patients, better mastery for a doctor, and better lives for all members of the practice. Synergy is the essence of leaving the I and moving towards the We.
Synergy, in general, may be defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently

I invite you to consider the reality of dentistry as We. At the Professional Dental Alliance, WE are creating Synergy in a world that has been reinventing the wheel. We are creating a world of possibility in group.

Dr. Andrew Matta