In the fiercely competitive landscape of dental service organizations, most approaches to staffing remain reactive rather than strategic. The focus is most often on short-term wins—filling a chair for a day or covering a shift at the last minute—instead of building a foundation for sustained growth. However, as patient demand surges and market competition intensifies, leadership at forward-thinking DSOs are shifting their perspective. They treat staffing not as a stop-gap measure, but as a strategic lever for long-term profitability.
To explore this approach, I recently spoke with several DSO executives and dental leaders within the onDiem network: John Murphy, Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Aspen; Joshua Perry, CEO of Access Care; and Misty Mattingly RDH, BS, Senior Vice President and Chief Dental Hygiene Officer at Sage Dental. As some of the most experienced authorities in our industry, they candidly shared both the challenges their organizations have faced and the strategies they’ve adopted to turn staffing into a competitive advantage. Their insights, combined with broader trends, shed light on how DSOs can reframe workforce challenges as opportunities for sustained growth.
The Staffing Conundrum: Why Now?
“We’re at a crossroads,” said John Murphy of Aspen. “Demand for dental services is at an all-time high, and the workforce just isn’t keeping up. That puts enormous pressure on us and our margins.”
Murphy’s perspective is critical. In the midst of rising labor costs, evolving patient expectations, and expanding access to dental care, practices must find innovative and flexible ways to maintain capacity.
This challenge highlights a critical gap in the traditional DSO staffing model. In their quest to attract top talent, practices may sometimes underestimate the factors that keep employees engaged and committed long-term. (Smaller practices with limited resources, in turn, may not always be aware of state and local laws that require even part-time dental workers to be classified as W-2 employees entitled to all associated benefits and protections.) For many dental workers, particularly part-time staff, access to benefits and flexible scheduling can be a non-negotiable.
Addressing these issues requires creative and strategic solutions, such as collaborating with staffing partners who can offer benefits and administrative support that DSOs and practices may struggle to provide on their own. By tackling these gaps proactively, DSOs can not only reduce turnover but also enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty.
Let’s explore how staffing can become a growth driver by focusing on three critical elements: retention, quality, and optimization.
The New Growth Equation: Retention + Quality + Optimization
Transforming staffing into a growth driver requires a multi-pronged approach that prioritizes retention, quality, and optimization. These three elements come together to create a sustainable staffing strategy that addresses immediate needs while positioning the DSO for long-term growth and success.
Benefits as a Competitive Edge
Retention isn’t just about keeping staff; it’s about reducing the costs and risks of turnover. According to Joshua Perry of Access Care, “One of our early pain points was losing part time employees who needed a more comprehensive health insurance program. At the time, we simply couldn’t offer it without skyrocketing costs or administrative headaches. That’s where our staffing partnership with onDiem came into play.”
Staffing companies such as onDiem are W-2 compliant nationwide, allowing them to provide all dental professionals (regardless of their full-time or part-time status) on their platform with W-2 benefits such as comprehensive health insurance, PTO, malpractice insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and more. Through onDiem’s SafePay™ offering, practices and organizations such as Access Care have been able to hire and book their own temps through onDiem’s platform—immediately granting them access to these benefits without dealing with the administrative burden or cost.
Perry credits onDiem for Access Care’s improved retention rate, noting that it increased significantly within the first year of partnership. “This partnership was a game-changer for us,” says Perry. “It allowed us to provide benefits to our essential part-time and temp employees without the administrative headaches—and was more cost-effective than building the infrastructure ourselves.”
Choosing a staffing partner that allows for this arrangement not only can enhance retention for the DSO, but also position the DSO as an employer of choice in a highly competitive labor market.
Advertisements
Building a Pipeline of High-Performing Talent
Retention alone isn’t enough; DSOs must also ensure that the talent they retain and recruit is top-notch. “Like any other dental organization, we’ve had our share of mismatches,” Misty Mattingly of Sage Dental admits. “Sometimes we’d bring in a temp who wasn’t a good fit, and it would disrupt the team dynamic or patient experience.”
Mattingly’s solution? Building a pipeline of high-performing talent. “Our philosophy is simple: hire the best temps, and rehire them when possible,” Mattingly explained. “By treating temporary staff as an extension of our team, and choosing a staffing partner with the same philosophy, we’ve reduced mismatches and built a high-quality pipeline.”
Staffing services can play a pivotal role here by offering access to pre-vetted professionals—and in the case of onDiem, by providing access to fully W-2 compliant and certified workers to mitigate costly legal risk. Additionally, sophisticated staffing platforms allow DSOs to track and re-engage high-performing temps, creating a seamless talent pipeline.
“It’s not just about filling roles; onDiem has helped us create a system where we know the best possible talent is always within reach when we need them,” Mattingly emphasizes. “That confidence lets us focus on scaling our business and improving our standards of patient care.”
Flexible Solutions for Dynamic Needs
Staffing challenges are rarely static or fully predictable. Holidays, unexpected sick leaves, and the addition of new columns or service lines all demand flexibility. “One of our biggest headaches was managing staffing during peak periods,” Murphy noted. “We’d often end up short-handed, and it impacted patient satisfaction and care.”
Murphy’s challenge is unfortunately shared across the DSO and practice community. But by moving away from traditional and frenzied “whack-a-mole staffing,” as Murphy puts it, and toward staffing strategy that maximizes your practices’ capacity, a DSO stands to gain for the years to come. “At several of our locations, dental chairs regularly went empty, because it’s hard to ramp up when you’re in the throes of high patient need,” he explained. “Our staffing partner helped our team switch our approach, and now we are proactively staffing to each location’s full capacity, treating more patients, and witnessing significant growth in our margins.”
Flexible staffing solutions such as onDiem expertly adjust to dynamic needs—enabling DSOs to cover peak periods year-round; test new markets or specialties by bringing in specialized talent temporarily; and expand operating hours or columns without immediately committing to full-time hires.
“Our staffing partner helps us adjust in real-time,” Murphy added. “That flexibility has been a big part of our growth story.”
Dental Staffing: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth
Our partner organizations offer a compelling example of how DSOs can evolve their approach to staffing. By focusing on retention, quality, and optimization—and by partnering strategically with a staffing service — they’ve turned a regular challenge into a driver of growth.
“Staffing isn’t just about today,” Murphy said. “It’s an investment that can pay off with growth and profitability. It’s about building the kind of workforce that ensures we’re here tomorrow.”
Collaborating with Staffing Companies: A Strategic Partnership
Moving beyond stop-gap solutions requires a close partnership with staffing services. Murphy describes his organization’s collaboration with its staffing partner, onDiem, as “an evolving partnership that’s delivering meaningful results.” Based on our partners’ experiences, here’s how DSOs can get it right:
1. Align on goals “Initially, we weren’t clear about the best way to manage and leverage temp workers,” says Murphy. “We treated staffing as a quick fix instead of a strategic tool. Once we aligned with our staffing partner on long-term goals—like entering a new market or improving retention—things started to change.”
2. Lean on data to improve quality Modern staffing platforms such as onDiem offer analytics that can inform your staffing decisions. “onDiem helps us track and stay connected with our most effective temps,” Murphy explains. “This helps us avoid costly mistakes, and relieves some of the anxiety that comes with staffing.”
3. Use temp staffing to test the viability of new markets Temp staffing isn’t just about filling gaps; it’s a strategic tool for expansion. “We wanted to test adding weekends or evening shifts for patients who want to be seen after hours,” Perry shares. “Bringing in temporary specialists allowed us to assess demand without committing to permanent hires.”
Across Amy McCarthy’s professional journey, her passion for innovation and entrepreneurial spirit have been driving forces behind her success. They have defined her career and are now shaping the future of Envista. As the newly appointed leader of Envista’s DSO initiative, she is spearheading a transformation designed to elevate how DSOs operate, scale, and deliver exceptional patient care.
Building a Foundation
Amy’s entrepreneurial journey began early. At 17 years old, she founded a mail courier service in Everett, Washington, which served over half of the local medical community. Her innovative service cut delivery times for medical records in half, streamlining workflows for countless healthcare providers.
“I was creating solutions that added value. I didn’t realize it then, but that experience taught me the importance of identifying pain points,” Amy shares. Over the next decade, she grew this business while pursuing a college degree, a career, and later an MBA. This hands-on experience laid the foundation for professional work in the pharmaceutical industry where she quickly made her mark. At 25 years old, Amy became one of the youngest district sales managers in the company’s history.
“I focused on understanding my customers’ goals and needs. By aligning my efforts with their objectives, I was able to build trust and long-lasting relationships. That approach has been a cornerstone of my leadership philosophy,” she explains.
But Amy’s career trajectory shifted when she chose to leave her high-pressure role to focus on raising her two young children.
“On my youngest child’s first birthday, I quit my role as Regional Sales Manager at Sanofi-Aventis Oncology. I was traveling constantly and felt like I wasn’t doing anything well — being a mom or a manager. No matter what adjustments I tried, I couldn’t find balance or happiness. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I loved my career, but I felt a lot of pressure—and pull—to be with my kids. My family always valued stay-at-home parenting, so I decided to give it a try,” Amy recalls.
Yet even during this work hiatus, Amy’s entrepreneurial drive could not be stopped. She soon launched a photography business, a passion project that allowed her to balance motherhood with work through a creative outlet.
“It filled my constant need to learn and improve. I built a custom website, grew a thriving client base, and enjoyed the flexibility. But after a few years, I found myself wanting more,” Amy reflects.
That desire led her to consulting, where she advised small businesses on strategic planning, operations, and marketing. Consulting ultimately connected her to Premier Periodontics, a Seattle-based DSO who brought Amy on to scale operations. Amy was pivotal to the organization’s success.
“I started as Director of Operations and moved into marketing, and eventually I became COO. During my time there, we expanded Premier to eight locations and helped launch Evident Alliance, a 25-location multi-specialty DSO,” Amy explains.
She credits much of her success to the trust her colleagues placed in her.
“They let me make decisions and run with them, which is how I work best. Dr. Will Fernyhough and Dr. Issa Dkeidek remain great friends to this day,” she adds.
Joining Envista
In 2021, Amy joined Envista, drawn by the opportunity to combine her expertise in innovation and healthcare.
“Envista’s portfolio is unmatched. I knew that it would be an opportunity to grow personally and offer endless opportunity to innovate and create value for customers,” Amy says.
Advertisements
Amy shared her vision for the future of Envista’s place with DSOs last spring with CEO Paul Keel. Paul saw the importance, shared Amy’s excitement for the opportunity and added DSO to the strategic planning process. As a result, extensive voice of customer interviews were completed, new resources allocated, and restructuring occurred to suit the needs of these very important customers. All focused on leveraging Envista’s vast customer-centric solutions and portfolio.”
The Secret Sauce
Envista’s success with DSOs boils down to three key elements: solutions, simplicity, and scale.
Envista’s portfolio includes best-in-class solutions, products and technologies across categories: diagnostics/imaging, implants, consumables, and ortho. What sets the company apart, however, is its ability to integrate these offerings into tailored solutions for DSOs.
“We’re not just selling products. We’re partnering with DSOs to help them operationalize and scale their businesses. This means creating training programs, offering fleet management tools, and collaborating on innovations that improve efficiency and patient care,” Amy explains.
Envista offers simplicity for DSO partners. The advantages of working with one manufacturing partner for multiple solutions / across multiple categories is enormous. Having a single point of contact, one contract, a partner who knows your goals and paint points and who is proactively working on your behalf to help you grow, across initiatives, is invaluable. The time savings and peace of mind are invaluable. Envista has the resources, expertise and experience to help our DSO partners and scale.
“Amy has a deep understanding of market dynamics, coupled with an innovative approach to partnership development. Her ability to identify new opportunities, negotiate mutually beneficial agreements, and align partnerships with the company’s broader objectives has directly resulted in significant achievements for Heartland. Her leadership has had a profound impact on DSOs,” adds Dr. Anna Singh, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Heartland Dental.
I saw a chance to apply everything I’ve learned to an organization with incredible potential. Envista’s portfolio is unmatched, and I knew that by bringing everything together strategically, we could create a new kind of value for our customers.
A Vision for the Future
Amy envisions continued growth and innovation for Envista. A significant focus is on advanced training and education, with customized programs for partners like Heartland Dental and Smile Brands to help providers grow their implant practices.
“Envista has been a great partner to Smile Brands for many years and has evolved with our changing needs, always with long-term success in mind for our providers, their patients, and us as an organization. We look forward to continuing this journey together,” shares Steve Bilt, CEO of Smile Brands.
Fleet management technology is another area of focus. Envista’s suite of tools helps DSOs track and optimize equipment usage, improving efficiency and effectiveness. The DTX Studio Imaging Suite is also revolutionizing workflows by integrating diagnostics, imaging, and treatment planning into a seamless experience.
“It’s changing the way dental offices operate. The best part is, it’s an open platform that works with any existing technology, making DSOs more agile and effective,” Amy says.
For Amy, Envista’s success is about more than business — it’s about solving problems and growing relationships.
“I’m never satisfied with the status quo. There’s always room to grow, innovate, and improve. That’s what keeps me going,” she says.
Under Amy’s leadership, Envista is setting a new standard for partnership in the dental industry — offering DSOs not just the tools to succeed but a vision for growth, innovation, and meaningful collaboration that drives long- term impact.
Procurement reports and staffing dashboards are essential decision-making tools for any growing dental support organization (DSO). They help identify gaps, reduce inefficiencies, and unlock growth opportunities. Darby Dental excels in this space by acting as a steadfast partner for DSOs, bringing proven solutions and personalized support to the forefront. Whether the goal is to refine operational workflows, meet evolving patient expectations, or leverage data to optimize costs, Darby provides innovative, tailored solutions that empower DSOs to achieve sustainable success.
Traditionally, the growth strategies of DSOs have centered on mergers and acquisitions. The pace of merger and acquisition activity has slowed due to recent market shifts, causing DSOs to shift their focus towards same-store growth.
“The trend we’re seeing now is a greater emphasis on profitability and efficiency within existing locations,” said Andrea Hight, Director, Strategic Accounts/DSOs at Darby. “This shift has created an opportunity for us to introduce solutions that directly impact operational performance and drive sustainable growth.”
For example, Children’s Surgical Centers is a network of ambulatory surgery centers with a mission to serve underserved children and individuals with special needs. Facing the challenge of scaling operations while maintaining affordable and accessible care, they turned to Darby. Using Darby’s procurement best practices, Children’s Surgical Centers consolidated purchasing processes, optimized inventory, and significantly reduced costs.
“Working with Darby has made life so easy,” says James Walters, VP of Operations at Children’s Surgical Centers. “My supply costs were cut down substantially. Plus, I have everything I need on a convenient list that Darby provides — eliminating the time and energy it takes to track down the right products and prices. We were able to get top-of-the-line products that have led to happier doctors and happier patients.”
Debbie Kessler, Darby’s Director of Strategic Accounts for DSOs, collaborated closely with James Walters and the Children’s Surgical Centers team, delivering cost-effective solutions that aligned with their specific needs. She was instrumental in helping them identify the right products — at the right price — so they could spend more time focusing on their mission.
Now, Children’s Surgical Centers can better focus on filling a nationwide gap in coverage for those who need access to dental procedures under general anesthesia far more urgently than extensive hospital wait times can accommodate.
Darby’s unique ability to provide innovative tools with tailored, hand son support ensures DSOs can optimize operations while dedicating more resources to their core missions. By enabling DSOs to simplify operations and allocate resources more effectively, Darby ensures their partners can prioritize their core mission: delivering exceptional patient care.
Enhancing Procurement
Centralized Processes: Simplify purchasing across multiple locations.
Cost Optimization: Reduce supply costs with bulk purchasing and streamlined inventory.
Tailored Tools: Customized procurement dashboards for real-time insights.
Darby uses advanced analytics to uncover opportunities for improvement. The company’s industry-leading AI-driven tools evaluate spend data interactively, helping DSOs identify best practices and pinpoint areas for improvement.
“We don’t just look at pricing,” explains Scott Walsh, Vice President, Sales at Darby. “We analyze product mix, duplication, inventory management, and even private-label adoption to create holistic strategies tailored to each DSO.”
This approach played a pivotal role in helping one large DSO struggling with high supply costs. Using Darby’s analytics tools, the team uncovered inefficiencies like product duplication and non-standardized purchasing.
The DSO significantly reduced costs and improved scalability by implementing changes such as streamlined inventory management and cost-effective private-label products, realizing financial and operational benefits that aligned with its growth strategy.
As operational efficiencies are crucial for DSOs to thrive, addressing workforce and equipment maintenance challenges has become equally vital. The dental industry’s staffing shortages as well as availability of equipment repair technicians have posed significant challenges for DSOs nationwide. Darby has solutions for both.
Darby Dispatch is the innovative approach to comprehensive, technology-driven access to essential equipment repairs, capital inventory management, regulatory compliance, and data to support expansion and EBITDA demands.
Advertisements
Darby’s partnership with onDiem offers a proactive solution for its DSOs by connecting practices with pre-vetted dental professionals and simplifying onboarding processes.
“It’s about more than just filling a position. It’s about finding the right fit and alleviating administrative burdens so DSOs can focus on growth,” shares Scott.
The onDiem platform offers comprehensive services, handling everything from payroll taxes to ensuring compliance with state and federal laws. By centralizing staffing needs and reducing the complexities associated with hiring, onDiem allows DSOs to maintain staffing levels without administrative strain.
Additionally, quickly onboarding temporary and permanent staff has helped many DSOs bridge staffing gaps during peak times or unexpected absences, ensuring that patient care remains uninterrupted. onDiem’s combination of efficiency and reliability exemplifies Darby’s commitment to empowering its partners with practical, high-impact solutions.
Beyond procurement and staffing, Darby provides DSOs with a comprehensive suite of services designed to drive efficiency and scalability. From IT integration to subscription management platforms, Darby’s offerings align with the evolving needs of tomorrow’s DSOs.
Tools for Growth
Method Procurement – amplifies savings and provides purchasing transparency through one modern dental spend management platform.
TechForce – delivers tailormade, dental-specific and HIPAA compliant technology solutions fromdesktop support to network security, and everything in between.
Dispatch – provides cutting-edge software solutions and equipment repair services to minimize downtime, ensure compliance, and improve operational efficiency.
onDiem – connects practices with temporary and long-term dental hygienists, assistants, and front office professionals2through an on-demand staffing platform and proprietary onboarding process.
Subscribili – allows dental practices to increase access to care, strengthen their customer base, and improve patient outcomes.
Darby TechForce, for example, provides tailored cybersecurity and IT solutions. TechForce seamlessly integrates with hardware and software while protecting patient data. As DSOs expand, this offering is especially valuable as robust IT infrastructures are required to connect multiple locations securely and efficiently. With automated monitoring, system backups, compliance-driven support, and more, TechForce empowers DSOs to focus on operational excellence without worrying about IT disruptions.
Subscribili is another Darby offering that allows DSOs to implement in-house subscription plans, boosting patient retention and generating recurring revenue streams. Patients on these plans are 25% more likely to return for care and three times more likely to accept treatment. This tool improves financial stability and enhances patient satisfaction, making it a win-win for the organization and its patients.
Combined, these solutions reflect Darby’s commitment to understanding its clients’ challenges and delivering tools that enhance operational efficiency while fostering long-term growth. Darby is a tremendous partner for DSOs as it anticipates industry trends and remains responsive to DSO needs.
Working with Darby has made life so easy. My supply costs were cut down substantially. Plus, I have everything I need on a convenient list that Darby provides.
– by JAMES WALTERS, VP OF OPERATIONS CHILDREN’S SURGICAL CENTERS
By combining cutting-edge technology with personalized service, Darby empowers DSOs to overcome challenges and capitalize on growth opportunities.
“As they scale, DSOs face unique challenges that require innovative solutions. Vendors have a critical opportunity to act as strategic partners in overcoming these obstacles — the top three being recruiting and retaining skilled dental professionals, navigating regulatory compliance, and adapting to changing patient expectations,” says Kim McCrady, RDH, of Signature Dental Partners.
Darby’s unwavering commitment to empowering DSOs through innovative solutions and personalized support underscores their value as a true partner in navigating these challenges.
Top DSO Challenges
Staffing Shortages: Addressed with onDiem’s simplified staffing solutions.
Rising Costs: Tackled with AI-driven analytics and cost-saving private-label products.
Regulatory Compliance: Supported by tailored IT and HR solutions.
“Darby’s commitment to solving these challenges ensures DSOs remain focused on their mission of exceptional patient care.”
– KIM MCCRADY, RDH CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER SIGNATURE DENTAL PARTNERS
“By addressing these key challenges, vendors can position themselves as indispensable allies to DSOs, helping them improve operational efficiency, patient care, and overall success,” Kim adds.
Darby addresses immediate challenges while actively supporting long-term growth strategies.
Beyond serving merely as a vendor and viewing themselves as a true partner ensures its commitment to maximizing impact for growing DSOs.
Remarkable women across the industry are supporting great organizations with outstanding achievements, and well-deserved promotions. Join us in recognizing these Women in DSO® members and the empowering organizations that recognize their brilliance.
Promotions. Achievements. Purpose in motion. Across the industry, remarkable Women in DSO® members are being seen, celebrated, and elevated by companies that understand the value of unstoppable leadership. This is what progress looks like.
Remarkable women across the industry are supporting great organizations with outstanding achievements, and well-deserved promotions. Join us in recognizing these Women in DSO members and the empowering organizations that recognize their brilliance.
In the dynamic world of DSOs, financial leadership has never been more critical. CFOs stand at the intersection of strategy, operations, and care, tasked with steering organizations through an intricate maze of challenges—rising costs, shifting patient demographics, and the pressure to innovate. As the financial stewards of their organizations, they manage budgets, navigate economic uncertainties, and champion long-term sustainability. But the role of a CFO extends far beyond crunching numbers. It demands a delicate balance between fiscal responsibility and strategic foresight.
Today’s CFOs are not only focused on financial health but also on fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and ensuring that financial strategies align seamlessly with clinical priorities. Their work shapes how care is delivered and how businesses grow.
Advertisements
To better understand the complexities of this role, we interviewed four accomplished CFOS — Crissy Fiscus from PepperPointe, Karen Friar from Benco Dental, Victoria Garcia from Dental Care Alliance and Marie-Claude Tardif from iFinance. We covered everything from navigating workforce challenges to the latest books of interest. Each perspective offers invaluable insights. Here’s what they had to say.
Victoria Garcia
Chief Financial Officer Dental Care Alliance
What are the most significant financial challenges facing DSOs in your region? How are you addressing them?
I believe the most significant financial challenge facing DSOs continues to be elevated interest rates. It is imperative to properly forecast cash flow and only invest in projects that generate positive cash flow after accounting for debt.
What approach do you use to balance cost management with maintaining high-quality patient care?
AT DCA patient care always comes first. We pride ourselves in delivering high quality care. We look for ways to create efficiencies using technology and process improvement to manage costs, while maintaining high quality care.
How do you collaborate with the clinical leadership to ensure financial decisions align with patient care priorities?
I see myself as a highly operations-focused CFO. I partner closely with the CCO and COO to gain clear understanding of clinical and operational priorities before making any significant financial decisions. I get deeply involved in the operational strategy of the company to ensure financial strategy is aligned and complementary.
What trends are you observing in patient demographics and behavior? How are DSOs adapting to meet these trends?
Rising inflation and increasing cost of living have made access to care more challenging. We partner with organizations that help patients with their financing needs to be able to afford the care that they need.
What challenges do you face in communicating the financial story to investors and leaders in your company?
Investors and Leaders in the company have varying levels of financial expertise or depth of knowledge of our business and industry. Simplifying complex financial data and providing enough detail to instill confidence is key in communicating the financial story.
What advice can you offer to leaders on managing workforce challenges?
Managing workforce in DSOs is paramount, especially with today’s clinician shortages and wage pressures. It is important to invest resources in Strategic Workforce Planning that is multifaceted and focuses on employee development, communication and culture.
What key financial metrics do you prioritize to gauge health of an organization?
CFOs are responsible for managing a wide range of financial metrics. I would say the ones that I focus on the most in our current environment are Cash Flow and EBITDA growth.
What significant challenges do you face as a CFO?
The most significant challenge that I face as a CFO is finding a balance between communicating urgency and financial responsibility, while still instilling confidence and excitement across varying stakeholders of the organization.
What’s a book, article, or podcast that has recently influenced or inspired you?
EPIC! The Women’s Power Play Book
Karen Friar
Chief Financial Officer Benco Dental
What challenges do you face in communicating the financial story to investors and leaders in your company?
One of the biggest challenges I face is ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background, understands not just the numbers, but the ‘why’ behind them. Financial data is often complex and filled with technical terms, so I focus on simplifying it, using clear visuals, and avoiding unnecessary jargon to ensure the message resonates with different audiences. I carefully tie every financial update back to our strategic goals, providing a clear view not only of our current performance but also of where we’re headed.
Additionally, I prioritize open, two-way conversations to address questions, clarify uncertainties, and build trust and alignment across all stakeholders. My ultimate goal is to make financial information easy to understand and directly connected to our broader strategic objectives. In the end, I want every stakeholder to feel informed, confident, and aligned with our financial direction.
What advice can you offer to leaders on managing workforce challenges?
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in managing workforce challenges is the power of active listening and adaptability. Listening isn’t just about hearing words, it’s about truly understanding concerns, acknowledging unspoken challenges, and showing genuine care for your team’s input. Leaders who listen create trust, foster transparency, and build a culture where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute. At the same time, adaptability has become non-negotiable. Whether it’s adjusting to remote work, embracing evolving technologies, or responding to shifting employee expectations, leaders must remain flexible and open to change. This balance of listening and adapting helps address challenges proactively rather than reactively.
Equally important is clear and transparent communication, especially when every suggestion or idea can’t be implemented. Explaining the why behind decisions helps employees feel respected and reduces feelings of dismissal, even if they disagree.
Beyond that, investing in employee well-being, offering growth opportunities, and fostering an environment of trust and accountability ensure teams remain engaged and aligned with the organization’s goals. At the end of the day, successful workforce management isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about creating a culture where people feel heard, valued, and motivated to contribute to a shared purpose.
Crissy Fiscus, CPA
Chief Financial Officer PepperPointe Partnerships
What are the most significant financial challenges facing DSOs in your region? How are you addressing them?
Managing several different issues that can negatively impact profitability is our most significant financial challenge:
Managing and controlling overhead costs, which includes staff salaries, supplies, equipment costs, etc. The recent rise in inflation has resulted in an increase in all business costs. As with any other business, it is a challenge to manage costs in this environment and maintain our profit margin. There are two specific areas that have impacted our business costs the most – staff salaries and interest.
Staff salaries have increased significantly in the past 3-4 years. The increase in salaries is also coupled with a labor shortage. This has created a perfect storm of staffing in the dental industry. We are investing in technology to assist our current administrative staff with their duties. By investing in technology and training our people to use these technologies, we are seeing increased efficiency with our teams. Investments in technology will be a continued focus for us.
Rising interest rates impact so many different areas of our business, our cost of capital has increased, and our suppliers’ costs have also increased, which then gets passed on to us. Again, everyone in business is feeling the impact of rising interest rates. We are not as impacted as a lot of businesses, but it still definitely has an impact.
Rising inflation impacts our patients’ discretionary income, which impacts their ability to accept treatment. If patients cannot pay for treatment, that is a problem on many levels. Therefore, we are working to offer more ways to break down financial barriers for patients to accept treatment – offering more financing options, etc.
What approach do you use to balance cost management with maintaining high-quality patient care?
Staff Training – We are putting additional emphasis on staff training, which includes clinical and nonclinical staff in all our practices, as well as staff at the PepperPointe office. Highly trained staff create a better patient experience and a more efficient practice. The same goes for the team at PepperPointe, if the PepperPointe team is highly trained we can provide better, more efficient support for our practices.
Data Analytics – The PepperPointe data analytics team is focused on providing data that can be used by the PepperPointe team, our doctors and our practice level staff to provide insights into their business. We have recently implemented several different dashboards to assist our staff in effectively managing their practices. Using data to monitor financial performance, practice efficiency, and patient outcomes allows us to make real time adjustments to create better outcomes for our patients and the financial performance of our practices.
Patient Payment Options – To improve patient access to care while managing our cash flow, we are utilizing more payment options for our patients. These options include various third-party financing options. We are also using technology such as text to pay to make it as easy as possible for patients to pay.
Staying competitive: Evaluating UCR and Fee Negotiations in Dental Practices – We regularly evaluate our practice’s usual, customary and reasonable fees, as that is crucial to ensure alignment with industry standards and competitiveness within our local market. This strikes a balance between offering a competitive rate that attracts patients and maintaining profitability, which is a vital aspect of practice management.
Fee negotiations with third-party payers are equally important. We focus these discussions on optimizing contracts to benefit both the practice and the payer. Building and maintaining strong relationships with key third-party payers can open opportunities to reduce administrative burdens and create mutually beneficial solutions.
How do you collaborate with the clinical leadership to ensure financial decisions align with patient care priorities?
Collaborative Budgeting and Planning – The PepperPointe team works closely with the clinical leadership to develop the budget and operational plan for the upcoming year. The financial budget is coupled with a business development roadmap (BDR) developed for each practice. The key performance indicators (KPIs) are outlined in the BDR. The KPIs are both financial and operational. Through this collaborative effort a plan that addresses patient care and financial success is developed.
Shared Data – The financial and nonfinancial KPIs are developed and shared with the clinical leadership. They contributed to the development of the BDR and they also share in the performance against the goals of the BDR throughout the year.
Financial Training for Clinical Leadership – We also invest in financial training for the clinical leadership. The BDR and budgeting process provides the opportunity for clinical leadership to develop their financial skills as well.
What trends are you observing in patient demographics and behavior? How are DSOs adapting to meet these trends?
Digital Health Engagement – Patients are looking for more digital options – online scheduling, text communications, etc. More importantly, they are excited about digital treatment options, especially in orthodontics, where the physical patient visits can be reduced by using technology to send pictures to the orthodontist for review.
Flexible payment options – patients want and need various ways to pay to allow them to get the treatment that they need, this includes payment plans and third-party financing options.
What key financial metrics do you prioritize to gauge the health of an organization?
This varies based on specialty, but these are some of the metrics that we are looking at daily for all specialties:
Days sales outstanding
Over the counter collections
Staffing costs as a percentage of revenue
Supply costs as a percentage of revenue
What’s a book, article, or podcast that has recently influenced or inspired you?
The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity
There are several, but I am currently reading a book titled The 100 Year Life – Living and Working in the Age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott. It discusses how having a longer life span is changing (and will continue to change) the way people live. Life will no longer be in 3 big buckets – education, work and retirement. The longer life span will have a significant impact on every aspect of our lives – work, financial, social, healthcare.
What key financial metrics do you prioritize to gauge health of an organization?
When assessing the financial health of an organization, I prioritize a balanced set of key financial and non-financial metrics that provide both a snapshot of current performance and insight into long-term sustainability. While we consider many metrics, we emphasize revenue growth, market share, EBITDA margins, free cash flow, and customer and associate satisfaction scores. Each of these metrics is important individually, but their full value is realized when analyzed together as part of a broader performance perspective.
Financial health isn’t just about numbers, it’s also about building trust and loyalty with customers and associates. High satisfaction scores indicate repeat business, brand advocacy, and long-term customer retention. Likewise, engaged and satisfied employees are the driving force behind operational excellence and innovation, offering insights into organizational culture and long-term productivity.
What is a significant challenge you faced as a CFO and the lessons it taught you?
One of the most significant challenges I faced was of course navigating the CV19 pandemic. Practically overnight, we were faced with disruptions in operations, supply chains, and customer demand. During those moments, two key lessons stood out: the importance of resilience and the power of proactive communication. We focused on optimizing cash flow without compromising long-term goals and supporting our teams with clarity and transparency. At the same time, we doubled down on serving our customers, ensuring they had the resources needed to weather the crisis.
Perhaps the most important takeaway was that during times of uncertainty, financial leadership isn’t just about spreadsheets and forecasts, it’s about trust, adaptability, and courage. By staying focused on our core strengths and maintaining open communication across all levels, we emerged from the pandemic not just stable but in a position to grow and invest in the businesses. CV19 reinforced that true financial health isn’t established during periods of stability, it’s revealed and tested by how you navigate the most challenging moments.
What’s a book, article, or podcast that has influenced or inspired you?
A book that shaped how we hold our organization accountable ‘Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs’.
A classic book that has influenced me early in my executive career is ‘Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead’.
My go-to podcast is ‘CFO Thought Leader’ because it shares real-world stories from finance leaders, offering valuable insights on resilience, strategic decision-making, and driving meaningful change within organizations. I love listening and learning from many amazing leaders, gaining fresh perspectives, and finding inspiration to enhance my own approach.
The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity
CFO THOUGHT LEADER Podcast
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
What challenges do you face in communicating the financial story to investors and leaders in your company?
Simplification without oversimplifying! One of the main challenges is translating complex financial data into clear, concise, and accessible narratives. Financial topics often involve intricate details—such as the underperformance of a project or deteriorating relationships with external partners—that require careful explanation. However, investors and leaders typically seek a high-level understanding rather than a deep dive into every detail. Striking the right balance between clarity and comprehensiveness is crucial and a daily challenge for CFOs. Another challenge is prioritizing key insights, by determining which elements are most critical to highlight. Investors and executives are primarily interested in the facts that impact the organization’s overall performance and long-term strategy. For example, when explaining why a project underperformed, it’s essential to not only share the contributing factors but also connect these to the broader financial impact and lessons learned. In other words: audience adaptation is key: tailoring the message to the audience’s role and perspective. Leaders focus on strategic decisions, while finance teams handle day-to-day operational details. Recognizing this distinction and adapting the narrative to ensure that messages are both impactful and aligned with the audience’s strategic priorities.
What advice can you offer to leaders on managing workforce challenges?
Listen actively: The first and most essential piece of advice is to truly listen to your employees. Make time to understand their concerns, ideas, and feedback. Active listening fosters trust, encourages open communication, and helps leaders stay connected to the pulse of their workforce. After, balance employee needs with organizational goals. A key challenge in leadership is finding the right balance between prioritizing the well-being of employees and achieving the company’s objectives. These two priorities can sometimes feel at odds, but they are not mutually exclusive. A great leader listens to and values their team while making decisions that align with both the team’s needs and the organization’s strategic goals, and they are also skilled at clearly communicating the bigger picture to their team, ensuring everyone is aligned and onboard. To achieve this, make sure to foster a shared vision. A leader must clearly communicate the company’s vision and how individual and team efforts contribute to achieving it. This alignment helps employees understand the bigger picture and the rationale behind decisions, especially when those decisions are difficult. A leader who can inspire their team while staying transparent about challenges is more likely to maintain morale and engagement.
What key financial metrics do you prioritize to gauge health of an organization?
The metrics I prioritize depend on the nature of the business, as every organization has unique key performance indicators (KPIs). However, there are three broad areas I consistently focus on:
Liquidity and financial stability : The ability to quickly access funds, whether through cash reserves or credit lines, is essential for responding to unexpected challenges or seizing opportunities, but most importantly, I also evaluate relationships with financial partners: strong relationships with lenders and investors provide not only access to capital but also insights into how the organization’s financial health is perceived externally. Financial partners are often well-informed, and their perspectives can serve as a valuable indicator of overall stability.
Employee retention and organizational culture: Employees are a company’s most valuable asset, and their retention is a strong indicator of internal health. High turnover rates can reflect deeper cultural or operational issues, while stable retention suggests a positive work environment. Employee satisfaction and engagement also serve as a barometer of organizational culture, which is directly tied to long-term success.
Strategic vision and alignment: A company’s strategic vision and its execution are key to its long-term viability. To assess this, I look at:
Clarity of Vision: Is there a well-defined strategic direction?
Resource Allocation: Are resources being deployed effectively to achieve this vision?
ashboards and Metrics: How well does leadership track progress toward strategic goals? Dashboards that monitor KPIs aligned with the vision are critical for ensuring accountability and adjusting courses when necessary.
What is a significant challenge you faced as a CFO and the lessons it taught you?
One significant challenge faced as a CFO was effectively sharing the enthusiasm of the management team with external financial partners—particularly when presenting a new project or expansion plan. While the benefits of such initiatives might seem obvious to those deeply involved, communicating this vision in a way that resonates with external stakeholders requires a different skill set. As CFOs, we are often more accustomed to analyzing and presenting data than crafting narratives. However, I learned that storytelling is just as crucial as the numbers themselves. It’s not enough to simply present financial projections; you must create a compelling narrative that explains the broader impact of the project on the organization—both financially and strategically. This experience taught me three key lessons: master the art of communication, focusing on tailored messaging and bridge passion with data! Enthusiasm alone isn’t enough; it needs to be backed by solid numbers.
What’s a book, article, or podcast that has recently influenced or inspired you?
ACQUIRED Podcast
I am particularly drawn to stories, whether they are about companies or inspiring individuals. That’s why I enjoy immersing myself in the episodes of the podcast Acquired.
Chief Clinical Officers are defining what it means to lead in dentistry. Their role demands more than technical expertise—it requires vision, adaptability, and the courage to move oral care into the broader health conversation. Within DSOs, they oversee the clinical integrity of vast networks. At companies like Colgate–Palmolive, they influence research, innovation, and global standards of care. Increasingly, Clinical Officers at artificial intelligence and technology companies are shaping how digital tools transform diagnosis, decision-making, and communication across the industry.
The expectations are rising. Oral-systemic health is no longer a buzzword; it’s becoming a measure of excellence. Chief Clinical Officers are leading efforts to embed these connections into provider training, patient education, and organizational strategy. They are catalysts for interdisciplinary thinking and early adopters of technologies that make dentistry more transparent, consistent, and trusted. And when resistance comes—as it always does—they are the ones who navigate the friction to keep momentum alive.
Advertisements
In the following pages, five distinguished clinical leaders share the lessons, strategies, and stories that define their leadership. From the principles they return to in moments of challenge to the innovations they see as indispensable, their answers illuminate both the burden and the privilege of leading dentistry forward.
PIC FROM CATERS NEWS (PICTURED 05/07/2018 London, UK. Farzeela Merali- Rupani) PR SHOOT FOR Sarah Learoyd at GLRPR
Dr. Farzeela Rupani
Chief Medical Officer Colosseum Dental Group
What intentional steps are you taking to shift oral-systemic care from a buzzword to a system-wide standard across your organization?
We have been piloting salivary MMP-8 testing, a biomarker in periodontal and peri-implant diseases, and exploring oral microbiome testing which can provide a broader assessment of oral and general health by identifying potential risks and guiding personalized treatment plans.
We have also started to offer plasma blood tests to assess for HbA1c (diabetes), CRP (inflammation), vitamin D, and other relevant markers so that we can tailor treatment plans based on a patients’ systemic health and monitor healing more effectively especially in patients who are having periodontal treatment or implant treatment. Some of our clinics are working with local medical practitioners to assist with blood pressure screening so that Colosseum Dental can continue to provide a high standard of care, positioning us as a proactive, health-focused dental provider.
What aspect of your role today sparks the most energy or unlocks the most potential— for you and your organization?
Having taught undergraduates previously and mentored many clinicians following their graduation from dental school, I have always felt a real sense of pride and achievement when I see them grow and progress to become thriving, capable, and profitable clinicians!
Investing time and effort in a personalized and targeted way has really helped to enhance our teams’ capabilities, improve retention, and enabled sustainable performance within Colosseum Dental Group.
What’s one leadership principle or mantra that’s changed the way you show up at work—or that you return to in moments of challenge?
“Progress over perfection” is something that I learned from inspirational leaders I have had the opportunity to work with. Most dentists are naturally perfectionists, and early in my career, I was the epitome of trying to be this. I would delay launching projects until every detail was absolutely perfect. This could mean that I sometimes missed market opportunities!
I now focus on rapid iteration and learning from feedback rather than endless planning. I know that making mistakes or failing at something usually makes us stronger and that we learn the most from these situations, so I try to embrace that and live by this mantra. It’s not always easy and the perfectionist side of me sometimes slips out, but because I am conscious of it, I know how to tell that inner voice to quiet down when I need to!
How are you helping patients connect the dots between oral care and overall health?
We encourage our teams to use simplified, relatable explanations, without being patronizing, and highlight direct links e.g., oral bacteria entering the bloodstream and affecting heart valves. We do this during our consultations with all patients as part of the discussion at the medical history taking stage but also when running through the treatment plans. We ensure that we have personalized risk discussions tying oral health to the patient’s unique profile, highlighting something like “managing gum disease could improve your blood sugar control, as inflammation complicates diabetes.”
Change is never frictionless. What approaches have helped you navigate internal resistance to a new oral-systemic model and interdisciplinary thinking?
It is important to align with your existing vision and values so framing the oral-systemic model is an extension of patient-centred care, not a departure. For example, highlighting that this is not “extra work” for our teams. Instead, it is deepening our ability to address the root causes of oral issues, which aligns with our mission to deliver comprehensive care which could then lead to reduced emergency visits and higher patient retention.
I always try to bridge knowledge gaps with contextual education, hosting workshops where we discuss real patient stories (e.g., a diabetic patient whose glycaemic control improved after periodontal therapy). Also highlighting peer-reviewed data from well-known and respected journals.
We tend to run small pilots and track key metrics prior to scaling widely to ensure that we gather supportive (or sometimes not so supportive!) evidence. This enables us to identify and empower internal champions who will be the early adopters and go on to encourage and mentor their peers. By blending evidence with empathy, and prioritizing incremental, visible progress, teams can shift from skepticism to ownership with the right guidance and support.
What is a book, article, or podcast that has recently influenced you?
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein. It’s not a new book (first published in 2008) but I stumbled upon it whilst staying at a hotel and became intrigued after reading the first few pages. It explores how we make decisions and how we can lead others to make better ones using behavioral science evidence. This has influenced the way I lead my teams across Colosseum Dental Group and how I encourage and coach our clinicians to achieve their goals and deliver enhanced patient care.
Dr. Maria Ryan
Chief Clinical Officer Colgate-Palmolive
What intentional steps are you taking to shift oral-systemic care from a buzzword to a system-wide standard across your organization?
We recognize that globally, oral health literacy is exceptionally low, so we have developed educational tools to inform the public of the importance of oral health to overall health and wellbeing. We created a simple quiz—Know Your Oral Health Quotient (KnowYourOQ.com)—to educate people about oral diseases they may face, preventive strategies, and the importance of seeing a dental provider to diagnose often silent oral diseases. The earlier we educate people, the better off they will be, so we have been educating children and their parents about the importance of oral health and preventive strategies for over 30 years through our Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Program, which has reached nearly two billion children globally.
What strategies have worked best in cultivating interdisciplinary thinking among your providers?
Connecting medical and dental electronic health records is essential to improving coordination between providers and promoting integrated care. This enables optimal treatment planning and better patient outcomes, as the impact of oral health on medical conditions—and medical issues on oral health—can be more effectively monitored. Educating medical providers about the importance of oral health is also critical to opening lines of communication between the professions, since most physicians and nurses receive little training in this area. We support programs like the 100M Mouths Campaign, which engages oral health champions across the U.S. to work with academic institutions and bring oral health education into medical settings.
What aspect of your role today sparks the most energy or unlocks the most potential— for you and your organization?
As Colgate-Palmolive products can be found in six out of ten homes, our ability to reach out to consumers and to educate them about the importance of oral health to overall health is not only of great importance to me as a healthcare provider, but is important to my organization—which is reimagining a healthier future for all. Improved oral health literacy enables consumers to advocate for themselves and for policies that will provide access to preventive strategies and essential oral care that will improve not only their oral health but their overall health.
Our work with the Global Health Equity Network of the World Economic Forum is another important initiative where we have partnered with the ADA and Henry Schein to form an Oral Health Affinity Group that has developed an economic rationale for a global commitment to invest in oral health.
What’s one leadership principle or mantra that’s changed the way you show up at work—or that you return to in moments of challenge?
I have always believed in the 4Ps that are transforming modern medicine and dentistry, which is to be more predictive, preventive, and personalized in our approach, while encouraging our patients to be more participatory.
As these approaches can be challenging to develop and implement, I have developed my own 4Ps that I deploy during challenging times, which include the importance of persistence, perseverance, and passion for the work that you do, as well as the importance of surrounding yourself with the best people, as it is teamwork that combines these 4Ps to allow you to achieve your goals.
From diagnostics to at-home tools, what innovations are proving indispensable as the field shifts toward a more systemic approach?
New diagnostics that enable patients and practitioners to see shifts in the microflora from a more pathogenic flora to a healthy microflora are extremely helpful. The same is true when both patients and practitioners can visualize changes in pro-inflammatory mediators and destructive enzymes, before and after treatment. These clinical decision support (CDS) tools can improve clinical decision making at the point of care. Measurements of markers like glucose, hemoglobin A1C, and hsCRP in saliva will also be helpful towards a more systemic approach and can be used as screening tools for systemic conditions. Genetic testing can inform patients of risk and let them know the importance of more frequent visits, risk reduction strategies, and the use of antimicrobial and/or host modulatory therapies.
What is a book, article, or podcast that has recently influenced you?
health and the impact of oral health on overall health throughout their lives, I was influenced by a book called Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado- Perez. This book reveals the adverse effects on women caused by gender bias in data collection for medical research, in product development, in government policy, and in many other areas. As Chief Clinical Officer, I feel the importance of collecting and evaluating data based on gender has always been important, in addition to educating healthcare providers about the gender-related differences that we see relative to oral health.
It was only when I switched to a female provider that I learned the statin lowering agent I had been taking for years (Lipitor) was not as effective as the one she switched me to (Crestor), as research had revealed that this newer agent works better for women. As a periodontist, I have always advised my female patients about their risk for developing oral diseases throughout their lives based on hormonal changes and the impact of oral disease on their overall health.
From your perspective, how is the dentist’s role evolving as a frontline player in whole-body health?
The dentist’s role now extends well beyond being a gatekeeper of oral health—we’ve become essential partners in our patients’ overall wellness journeys. Because we see our patients every six months, dentists are uniquely positioned to notice subtle health changes over time, catch early warning signs, and foster proactive conversations about total health—not just teeth. This regular touchpoint allows us to screen for conditions linked to oral health, like diabetes or hypertension, and collaborate with primary care and specialists as needed. I believe our ability to build trusting, consistent relationships with patients puts dentists at the forefront, closing the gap between oral care and overall health.
What’s one leadership principle or mantra that’s changed the way you show up at work?
Leaders create leaders, and growth should be part of everyone’s journey. Instead of seeing leadership as top-down, I focus on empowering others to find and cultivate their strengths, knowing it makes our organization stronger.
What aspect of your role today sparks the most energy or unlocks the most potential—for you and your organization?
What energizes me most is helping doctors and teams discover their “genius”—that unique intersection of passion and skill where work becomes deeply satisfying. There’s nothing more rewarding than spotting what excites a provider and then tailoring development opportunities so they can thrive in that space.
When our clinicians operate in their Genius Zone, patient care improves and morale soars. Investing in people this way doesn’t just transform individual careers; it elevates our entire organization. For example, if I know a doctor loves to do more surgery, we focus their training on surgical procedures so they’re working within their genius when they return to their office, making an impact on their patients, their office, and the whole organization.
Beyond successful procedures, what does true clinical excellence look like to you— and how do you measure it?
For me, true clinical excellence is when patients are so satisfied that they refer loved ones to our care because of their experience. It’s also when providers, equipped with new skills, begin sharing stories about meaningful cases— showing pride in how they’ve made a difference. I see excellence reflected in the camaraderie of our teams, especially after mission trips when members return eager to share impactful lessons. I measure clinical excellence by the ripple effect of positive outcomes, from wordof- mouth referrals and team growth to the enduring impact on the communities we serve.
How are you helping patients connect the dots between oral care and overall health?
We use a “co-diagnosis” model, harnessing tools like intraoral scanners and AI to visualize oral health with patients in real time. By exploring findings together and discussing any health changes or concerns, we create genuine engagement. When patients see how oral health factors relate to sleep, blood pressure, or wellness, they’re more motivated to act—and to value regular care. This collaborative approach gets patients invested in their health journeys and drives lasting impact.
If you had unlimited budget and no red tape, what change would you make tomorrow in dentistry or healthcare?
One of my most rewarding projects is our mission trip to the Dominican Republic. In addition to providing basic dental care, we have expanded to implants, sinus lifts, and full arch reconstruction (All-on-X) to those in need. Thanks to our partners there is no cost to the patients.
If resources were unlimited, I would expand access to care for the underserved by launching quarterly mission trips, both internationally and across the US. Scaling this model would allow us to touch more lives, train more professionals, and make a real dent in oral health disparities—bringing worldclass care to those who need it most.
What is a book, article, or podcast that has recently influenced you?
Rich Dad Poor Dad was a turning point for me. Reading it over 20 years ago fundamentally changed how I approached finances, life goals, and building security outside the dental operatory. It set the foundation for my personal and professional growth. More recently, Blue Ocean Strategy opened my mind to the power of innovation and thinking beyond traditional boundaries. Both books, in different ways, encourage breaking out of conventional thinking— whether in running a business or envisioning new ways to deliver care. They remain touchstones for how I lead and make decisions.
From your perspective, how is the dentist’s role evolving as a frontline player in whole-body health?
There has never been a more exciting time to practice oral-systemic health. The evidence connecting the oral biome to systemic diseases is undeniable, and dentists are increasingly recognized as vital partners in whole-body care. As this research expands, I believe we will see closer collaboration between dentists and physicians, with dental teams identifying risks, initiating preventive conversations, and contributing to earlier interventions in systemic disease management. Oral health is health, and our role is shifting from being siloed providers to being essential members of a broader healthcare team.
What’s one leadership principle or mantra that’s changed the way you show up at work—or that you return to in moments of challenge?
The most powerful leadership tool is listening. Listening to patients reveals their unspoken concerns, listening to colleagues fosters trust and collaboration, and listening in moments of challenge provides the clarity needed to move forward. In a profession that often values doing and solving, listening is what allows us to truly understand and lead.
What strategies have worked best in cultivating interdisciplinary thinking among your providers?
Specialized Dental Partners’ integrated care model is built on interdisciplinary collaboration. Endodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons work side by side with general dentists to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients. This model ensures patients benefit from multiple expert perspectives and receive coordinated, patient-centered care. While we believe this is best for the patient, we have also found that our dental specialists gain so much from working together and seeing differing perspectives. It’s a model that breaks down silos and makes collaboration the natural way we practice.
What aspect of your role today sparks the most energy or unlocks the most potential— for you and your organization?
My greatest passion lies in guiding the next generation of dental specialists. Dentistry is evolving at an incredible pace—from innovations in technology to new models of integrated care—and helping young specialists chart their path through this changing landscape is both energizing and deeply meaningful.
What excites me most is the chance to combine clinical expertise with mentorship and leadership development. I focus on preparing specialists to thrive in the realities of modern practice by equipping them with confidence, resilience, and a vision of themselves as clinicians, collaborators, innovators, and future leaders in the profession.
This work unlocks potential on two levels. Individually, it empowers specialists to grow, take ownership, and envision what’s possible in their careers. Collectively, it strengthens our organization and the specialty as a whole—building a pipeline of leaders who will carry dentistry forward with excellence, innovation, and compassion. That sense of momentum, of shaping the future of the field while supporting the next generation, is what fuels me every day.
Beyond successful procedures, what does true clinical excellence look like to you—and how do you measure it?
To me, true clinical excellence means working together to support growth for doctors, for practices, and for patients. It’s about creating an environment where doctors are continually learning, where practices thrive, and where patients experience seamless, coordinated care. Excellence shows up in the strength of our culture, the confidence of our clinicians, and the trust patients place in us.
A recent highlight was our New Specialist Summit, a doctor-driven, doctor-led event where mid-career doctors shared early-career experiences with new specialists. The goal was to give younger doctors the kind of head start many of us didn’t have—learning from peers, exchanging tips, and gaining practical insights. Events like this show that excellence is measured by more than clinical precision. It’s also about how we share knowledge, support one another, and invest in the future of the profession. Through mentorship, board certification support, and programs like the New Specialist Summit, we are supporting and coaching specialists to deliver excellent care and step into leadership roles that define the future of the profession. Watching them grow as clinicians and leaders is what unlocks the most potential for our organization and for dentistry as a whole.
What’s a question you wish more people asked you?
I wish more people would ask about advice for young doctors at the start of their careers. My answer is simple: say yes. Say yes to opportunities big and small, even when they stretch you. Every experience builds connections, perspective, and clarity about what truly excites you in dentistry. After years of training, finding that passion is the key to longevity, fulfillment, and happiness in your career.
What is a book, article, or podcast that has recently influenced you?
Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg has been especially impactful. In any field, but particularly in healthcare, success ultimately depends on how people communicate and understand one another. Clear, authentic communication builds trust between doctors and patients, and within clinical teams. This book reinforced for me that the ability to connect across perspectives is as essential to outcomes as any clinical skill.
Terri Dolan
Chief Dental Officer Overjet
What’s one leadership principle or mantra that’s changed the way you show up at work—or that you return to in moments of challenge?
One principle that resonates deeply is “Lead with curiosity, not certainty.” This means approaching challenges— whether it’s a complex clinical case, a product development hurdle, or a team conflict—by asking better questions rather than rushing to provide answers. In practice, this looks like asking “What are you seeing that I’m not?” instead of immediately jumping to solutions, or “Help me understand the trade-offs you’re weighing,” when someone disagrees with a direction. It’s particularly powerful in moments of high stress or when projects aren’t going as planned.
This principle tends to unlock better solutions because it engages your team’s expertise rather than bypassing it. It also builds psychological safety—people are more likely to surface problems early when they know they’ll be met with curiosity rather than judgment. And it models the kind of intellectual humility that’s essential in fields where technology and best practices are constantly evolving. The hardest part is pausing to ask questions when your instinct is to provide answers—but that pause often leads to insights you wouldn’t reach alone.
Beyond successful procedures, what does true clinical excellence look like to you—and how do you measure it?
Excellence means every interaction leaves patients more empowered and healthier than when they arrived, regardless of the complexity of the procedure performed.
Change is never frictionless. What approaches have helped you navigate internal resistance to a new oral-systemic model and interdisciplinary thinking?
I’ve found that leading with education and evidence is essential. When team members understand the robust research connecting oral health to conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes, resistance often transforms into enthusiasm for expanding their impact on patient health. Demonstrating how patients respond when given accurate, trusted information about these connections has been particularly powerful; patients are genuinely hungry for this knowledge and become more engaged partners in their care when they understand the “why” behind recommendations. By positioning our team as trusted educators who can leverage AI tools to deliver this information clearly and compellingly, we shift from being seen as “tooth fixers” to being recognized as integral healthcare providers who significantly impact overall wellness.
If you had an unlimited budget and no red tape, what change would you make tomorrow in dentistry or healthcare?
I would completely reimagine dental care delivery and benefits to reward prevention and early intervention while fully integrating oral health providers into the broader healthcare team with seamless access to interoperable health records—enabling dentists to see a patient’s diabetes management, medication history, and cardiovascular risk factors to provide truly comprehensive care.
This new system would provide patients with financial incentives for regular preventive visits and measurable oral health improvements, while giving clinicians the resources, reimbursement structure, and real-time health data access needed to spend adequate time on evidence-based risk assessment and coordinated care planning with physicians.
By aligning financial incentives with health outcomes and breaking down the artificial silos between oral and systemic health, we’d transform dentistry from an isolated, reactive specialty into a proactive, prevention-centered discipline that’s integral to overall patient wellness and population health.
What’s a question you wish more people asked you—but never do?
I wish more people would ask “What career paths beyond traditional practice has your dental training opened up?” because it would let me share how dentistry is truly a gateway to endless possibilities—from leading AI companies and conducting research to public health policy, forensics, and entrepreneurship—proving that if you can dream it, you really can build it with the foundational skills and credibility that dental education provides.
What is a book, article, or podcast that has recently influenced you?
My personal volunteer engagement with the Santa Fe Group (SFG), as well as Overjet’s involvement with the SFG’s Strategic Advisory Council, has kept me focused on the mission to improve lives through oral health. The SFG resources on integrated healthcare provide a roadmap for the systemic changes we’re working toward, moving beyond individual practice innovations to industry-wide transformation. Both organizations offer concrete evidence that the future of dentistry lies in true healthcare integration.
Similarly, the CareQuest Institute’s recent publications and webinars on medical-dental integration have been particularly influential in shaping how I think about systemic change in our industry. Their focus on making oral health “more accessible, equitable, and integrated with overall health” resonates deeply with our mission at Overjet and reinforces why we’re passionate about using AI to break down traditional silos.
What strikes me most about their work is how they showcase practical examples of oral health startups advancing whole-person care, rather than just talking about integration in abstract terms. They’re documenting real-world success stories that prove medical-dental integration isn’t just possible—it’s profitable and scalable.
An Interview with Five Prominent CTOs Shaping What’s Next
Growth doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built. From the systems that power smarter operations to the tools that elevate patient and user experience, the CTOs featured in this issue are designing the frameworks that help their companies scale, adapt, and lead.
Whether inside a fast-growing DSO or at the helm of technology serving the industry, each leader brings a distinct perspective on how innovation actually happens—what to invest in, what to ignore, and how to stay focused when the noise gets loud.
Advertisements
Meet five visionary technology leaders who are reshaping what it means to be a CTO in the dental industry. Their responses are equal parts strategic and personal. You’ll find insight into long-term tech bets, practical approaches to productivity, and the mindset required to align complexity with clarity. And yes, even what keeps them up at night.
This is growth by design—and the executives behind it.
Carol Juel
Executive Vice President, Chief Technology and Operating Officer
Synchrony
What’s one technology decision you’ve made in the last year that will shape your company for the next five? Our goal is to connect patients with financing options at the moments that make the biggest impact for them—and technology is an increasingly vital piece of that equation. We’ve been deeply embedded in the dental space for more than 35 years. During that time, we’ve prioritized partnerships that allow us to reach patients where they are with payment choices that fit their budget and lifestyle.
One way we’ve been doing this through the years is by partnering with independent software vendors (ISVs). Synchrony’s extensive partnerships with many of the leading healthcare ISVs make it possible for practices to seamlessly integrate customized technology into their existing systems. These partnerships ultimately allow us to extend financing offerings that boost treatment acceptance from patients, supporting dental providers by ensuring their patients can continue seeking care.
In your view, what role should the CTO play in shaping the user experience? Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do. I have a unique role overseeing both our technology and operations organizations, including our contact center teams. Bringing these organizations together has enabled more transparency, closer collaboration, and a sharper focus on CX across channels—ensuring a positive and consistent experience, no matter how patients engage with us.
Of course, this extends to our providers as well. We recognize that handling healthcare payments can be complicated, even on a good day. Streamlining that process starts with making our solutions as seamless and easy to use as possible.
All to say—technology plays an essential role today in shaping the user experience, and it’s only becoming increasingly critical. I think CTOs who embrace this role and develop a real passion for the customer experience will be best positioned to influence and drive growth for their organizations.
What keeps you up at night— cybersecurity, interoperability, or something else entirely? I truly believe we have the industry’s best talent. Our teams are experts in the sectors we serve and bring incredible passion for driving innovation and results for our partners. Especially within technology, I know there’s always competition to attract and retain high-performing employees. That’s why, as a company, we have prioritized creating an outstanding employee experience and culture for our Synchrony teams.
Our approach centers on employee listening. I travel to each of our team’s Synchrony hubs to hear directly from employees. Then we act on their feedback. This has led to quick tech fixes, process overhauls, new employee benefits, career development programs, and much more. Most importantly, it creates a culture of trust, where great talent can do great work.
What’s one piece of non-tech advice that made you a better technology leader? The best advice I’ve received is to stay curious. Sometimes it can be hard to set egos aside and admit that you aren’t the expert in every discussion, which is why real curiosity takes courage. It means surrounding yourself with smart people with different life experiences and being unafraid to ask a question that exposes that you don’t have all the answers.
Whether you’re a new leader or a veteran member of the team—ask the questions. It shows you want to learn more and grow with your team. If you’re not having those conversations, you can’t learn, you can’t improve, and your business won’t advance.
What emerging tech trend is overhyped—and which one isn’t getting enough attention? In many ways, I believe the generative AI discussion is both oversaturated and often misunderstood. Gen AI has incredible potential and will undoubtedly change the ways many of us work but can exist as a tool that supports human-centered work, rather than threatening it.
We view AI as a partner at Synchrony, not a replacement for human expertise. Gen AI can help get certain tasks done more efficiently, but a human must always be in the loop. We’ve introduced a variety of use cases across our business over the past two years, and they have one thing in common—they reduce friction in employees’ day-to-day work. In many cases, gen AI has reduced or removed tedious manual tasks, helping employees to focus on the more fulfilling and engaging parts of their jobs.
I believe this approach has also led to enthusiastic—and responsible—exploration of gen AI-powered tools at Synchrony.
What is a recent book or podcast that you recommend? A good friend and long-time mentor recommended The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. It’s historical fiction that takes place during World War II, telling the story of three female “code breakers”—people who were charged with decoding and breaking German military codes. The three main characters all come from various walks of life and are brought together by their wit and the intense circumstances of their duties.
We know that so many women were involved in important projects like code breaking throughout history, but often their firsthand accounts are scattered or lost because women’s stories weren’t deemed important enough to tell at the time, let alone recorded or preserved for future generations. Although this book is fiction, it reminded me of the importance of shining a light on women’s stories and valuable contributions.
Dev Ashish
Chief Technology and Center Operations Officer
ClearChoice Management Services
What keeps you up at night—cybersecurity, interoperability, or something else entirely? What keeps me up at night isn’t just one thing—it’s the pace of change and how we adapt while continuing to enable the business to grow securely and efficiently. Cybersecurity remains a constant concern, especially with healthcare data being a high-value target. But just as critical is interoperability. Even with intentional system design, ensuring seamless integration across clinical, operational, and financial platforms can be complex and resource-intensive.
I also think about how to evolve our technology function from a traditional support role into a true strategic partner by leveraging data, automation, and cutting-edge digital tools to improve patient care, enhance the provider experience, and drive operational efficiency. My goal is always to stay aligned with business objectives, anticipating needs and delivering scalable, sustainable solutions that help the organization thrive.
What’s one recent tech tool you personally can’t live without? One tech tool I have personally incorporated into personal and professional life is generative AI. I use it regularly to accelerate research, draft communications, refine ideas, explore new ways to solve problems, and even create itineraries for family vacations. It has become a powerful thinking partner, helping me move faster without sacrificing depth.
Beyond personal productivity, we are actively exploring how AI can be responsibly leveraged across the organization. From automating routine documentation to enhancing data analysis and improving patient communication, the opportunities are vast. What excites me most is how AI can reduce the administrative burden for clinicians and enable more focus on patient care. We approach it thoughtfully, with a focus on transparency, safety, and alignment with our clinical and operational goals. AI is a strategic capability that has the potential to reshape how we work and serve patients.
How are you leveraging tech to improve clinician productivity without adding complexity to their workflow? We focus on supporting clinician productivity by making technology feel almost invisible. Our approach starts with understanding where clinicians actually work—whether that is in the practice management system, the operatory, or on mobile tools. We design around those touchpoints to meet them where they are, rather than forcing them into new systems or steps.
One major area of focus is connecting across platforms to reduce redundant data entry. When systems can talk to each other, clinicians spend less time inputting the same information and more time focused on patient care. We also prioritize automation and real-time data access to support faster, more informed decision-making without adding clicks or complexity. Every solution is evaluated not just for functionality but for how seamlessly it fits into the daily workflow. Our goal is to remove friction, not add it—and that starts by listening closely to our users.
What’s been the biggest challenge in unifying data across multiple practices or platforms—and how are you addressing it? The biggest challenge in unifying data across multiple practices is inconsistency. That can show up in processes, system usage, data capture, labeling, and interpretation at the local level.
Since we have grown through de novo, we have had the advantage of choosing our platforms from the start. However, even with that consistency, variations in workflows and user behavior can still lead to fragmented or incomplete data. To address this, we have made data governance a top priority. This includes establishing clear data standards, ownership, and validation processes to ensure accuracy and usability across the organization.
We are also investing in centralized integrations and APIs that allow for secure, real-time data flow between systems. More than just a technical task, unifying the data requires ongoing collaboration across marketing, clinical, operational, and technology teams to ensure that data supports both frontline needs and strategic decision-making.
What is a recent book or podcast that you recommend? Two recent reads that I have enjoyed immensely and am working to incorporate into my leadership approach are Multipliers by Liz Wiseman and To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink.
Multipliers reframed how I think about leadership. It emphasizes that the most effective leaders are not those with all the answers but those who create space for others to think, contribute, and grow. That insight has shaped how I build teams, run meetings, and approach problem-solving—always looking for ways to amplify the intelligence around me rather than directing from the top down.
Daniel Pink’s To Sell Is Human complements that idea by exploring how influence and persuasion show up in everyday leadership. Whether I am advocating for a technology investment or aligning stakeholders around a shared vision, the ability to move people with clarity and purpose is critical. Together, these books reinforce the human side of leadership—developing talent, building trust, and inspiring action.
Cindy Klein
Chief Administrative Officer
Affordable Dentures & Implants
What’s one technology decision you’ve made in the last year that will shape your company for the next five? There have been significant advancements in AI for dentistry, and over the next five years, AI will transform the dental office and patient experience. The decision to focus on finding the right AI solution to support our clinical quality and patient experience programs will transform how we view clinical quality from reactive to proactive. AI-powered tools will enable us to personalize care and build better relationships with patients.
Being thoughtful in the approach to AI is critical to building confidence in the tools and creating a roadmap to a long-term solution that clinicians and patients can trust. By understanding the role of AI in enhancing human ability and making sure we use automation for efficiency, we can place focus on making human interactions more caring and empathetic.
In your view, what role should the CTO play in shaping patient experience? In building a roadmap that elevates the patient experience, technology leaders are critical thought partners. Collaboration creates a shared vision for a comprehensive end-to-end patient journey that can be supported by automation and integration. The technology leader plays a pivotal role in aligning technology throughout the organization and must understand how technology can improve the patient experience and seamlessly integrate with other technologies and workflows.
A technology leader who understands processes and pain points in workflows and experiences will be better equipped to create technology that works for the patient and the practice. When technology is built and supported from an automation standpoint, the human element can be lost; the partnership between operations, clinical, and technology creates an open dialogue to build a patient experience that allows people, all along the journey, to be caring humans augmented by great technology.
What does your ideal “deep work” day look like, and how often does it happen? My best deep workday includes a thinking walk. Walking allows me to clear my mind and focus. I shut off distractions and let my mind wander and explore ideas or creative solutions that I may not see when I am in hectic workday mode. The rhythm of walking can help calm my busy brain and bring clarity of thought. Stepping away into a new environment helps me see things from a different perspective.
I am at my best and most creative self when I have a thinking walk daily, which only happens when I make it a priority and put it on my schedule. My focus is on taking a walk to think, not counting steps. I count my thinking walks as a vital leadership skill to continuously keep me balanced.
What’s been the biggest challenge in unifying data across multiple practices or platforms—and how are you addressing it? While we have a data warehouse that helps us bridge the gap between disparate systems, changes made within those systems can be a challenge. Governance and change control are critical to ensure data is mapped and maintained for consistency across systems.
Limiting security access to make system changes helps support the change control process, but system owners need to attend governance and change control meetings, where the impacts of decisions are discussed, understood, and then communicated. Master data management used consistently across systems and departments is a good foundation and an important part of the governance and change control process.
What is a recent book or podcast that you recommend? Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick is a good book for anyone who wants a basic, not-so-technical understanding of AI. The book offers some sensible advice on interacting with AI. The title says this so well: AI isn’t human, but collaboratively working together. AI can make us better humans. It reminds you to be the human in the loop and keep human control over AI applications.
The book stresses the importance of not losing our critical thinking and problem-solving skills but learning to partner with AI to enhance human potential. The most critical human in the AI loop is the person who reviews, judges, and analyzes the data AI provides. We are all curious, excited, and a bit wary of AI, so it was nice to find a book that offers some advice on being more prepared for the massive changes ahead in a rapidly changing field.
What do you prioritize or make time for that replenishes you? I love the water—just being near water replenishes my joy well. Knowing my paddleboard is in my car, waiting to hit the water after a long day, keeps a smile on my face. I started cold-water swimming and have learned to love that moment when you have to make the decision to just jump in—and once you get past the initial shock, you are refreshed and exhilarated. When facing a difficult decision or task, I think of that moment when I jump in, and I’m reminded to stop overthinking and take the leap.
Jeff Forbes
Chief Technology Officer
Dentalcorp
In your view, what role should the CTO play in shaping patient experience? There is a reason some organizations choose to have a C-level IT leader, and that choice comes down to an awareness that technology is at the center of how every business is evolving. In terms of patient experience, we’ve seen a huge transformation over the past few years, whether it be the shiny new AI radiography solutions, patient engagement tools like MaxAssist, digital scanning technology, or AI agents answering phone calls.
The role of the CTO is to be a partner to help vet these solutions out, understand who the pretenders are and only implement the real deal, and use the experience technologists have around systems implementations. This ensures we get the change management right for the clinic so that they’re ready to adopt these solutions properly and provide a frictionless experience to the patient.
What keeps you up at night—cybersecurity, interoperability, or something else entirely? Anybody who has cybersecurity as a mandate will always be kept up by it, no matter how well prepared. While we’ve done a lot of great work to strengthen the resilience of our network and our clinics, risk is always present. Dentistry is a highly attacked industry and we’re seeing further tailoring of attacks towards our dental clinics like phishing emails masked as patient referrals, and therefore preparing our administrative teams on phishing and usage of MFA have been critical. These are fairly new measures in our industry, but they’re foundational and critical to adopt. I encourage anyone outside of our network to also make these important investments in training and cybersecurity as this is an area where we’re better off as an entire industry when everyone is secure to ensure dentistry isn’t perceived as a soft target.
What’s one piece of non-tech advice that made you a better technology leader? Leading with empathy and being and having a servant-based leadership philosophy. This generally surprises a lot of people, as the stereotype of a tech executive is that we’re very input and output focused and don’t focus on the human side. Given that technology wears multiple hats (not only implementing new technology but supporting current technology), managing risk and security can lead to teams being overwhelmed and burnt out. Unless you’re equipped to support your team as people, you’re not going to be successful in creating an environment where you can balance all these demands and keep your head above water and your teams engaged.
What’s one technology decision you’ve made in the last year that will shape your company for the next five? The biggest technology decision in the past year was landing on VideaHealth as our partner for AI radiography. Given this technology has been around dentistry for the past few years, the first part of this critical decision is knowing when the right time was to fully commit. We were intentional in having early pilots across all the major vendors and watching the technology closely, and we felt this was the right time. These solutions have evolved to a place where while they’re not accurate enough to replace a clinician’s judgment, they’re additive to the clinical and patient experience where prior iterations were far too “noisy” with false positives to be effective.
The second part of this critical decision was picking the right partner, balancing clinical feedback with the ability to execute a rollout at scale, along with commercial considerations. We also wanted to bet on a partner we felt would be around for the long haul. As we’re now well into our rollout of VideaHealth’s clinical AI solution, I can see how this will shape our patient experience and standard of care for years to come, and our dentists and teams really like the solution.
How are you leveraging tech to improve clinician productivity without adding complexity to their workflow? It’s more about the workflow and how a clinic adopts technology rather than the technology itself. If we take VideaHealth’s clinical AI solution for radiography as an example, one of our best doctors who uses it freely admits that when he first implemented the technology, it slowed him down.
What changed after a few weeks was he thought about the workflow—as an example, ensuring his staff already has the application open in the operatory when he comes in. He also changed over time viewing the annotated view before the unannotated view so that he still used his own clinical judgment for the final say but understood where the AI was drawing his attention first to evaluate those findings before doing a final check of everything else in the field of view.
Very few technologies will improve clinician or staff productivity on their own. It’s about how these technologies are implemented and adopted that will ultimately lead to the right outcomes.
How do you prioritize tech investments across clinical, operational, and patient-facing initiatives? I’m very thankful that given the size of Dentalcorp, if it’s the right investment to make, and if it will drive the right outcome, the capital will be there. This is an advantage we have that may not be true of many smaller DSOs or independent operators.
The other side of that coin is when you do want to invest and implement something, you have more than 570+ clinics to roll out, which requires significant planning and effort. We’re very intentional with our prioritization; we don’t chase shiny objects or the latest features. We look at what is foundational (like PMS consolidation, cybersecurity, and data) and how we can execute on those foundational things across a large network to then act as a springboard for flashier investments that we’ll be able to implement more broadly because the foundation is there to integrate with.
These foundational pieces are sometimes multiyear strategies that require very intentional planning and investment but are absolutely necessary for the long-term success and scalability of our network.
What is a recent book or podcast that you recommend? I am going to shamelessly plug for our very own Dentalcorp podcast DNTL Talk hosted by our Chief Dental Officer Dr. Gary Glassman. We have two episodes on AI in dentistry I highly recommend, and there is a lot of other great content there too.
Navin Narayanan
Chief Technology Officer
DentalXChange
What’s one technology decision you’ve made in the last year that will shape your company for the next five? Over the last two years we have built and deployed API infrastructure that enables DSOs and Practice Management Software to create intelligent workflows within their applications. This shifts old-school clearinghouse models that were slow and had no real-time feedback within the workflow for the user. We now leverage this stack to provide intelligence for patient eligibility and payment reconciliation in detail that was never available to dental practices.
How do you balance the need to push forward while aligning legacy systems and workflows? With over 20 years of experience, DentalXChange has cultivated its knowledge of Practice Management Software and transaction data to develop solutions that help bridge gaps in legacy workflows. This knowledge helped us understand the variances that exist within these systems, enabling us to build an API infrastructure that normalizes these variances. We are now actively working with every Practice Management Software in dental to utilize our API stack to upgrade these workflows.
What keeps you up at night— cybersecurity, interoperability, or something else entirely? While cybersecurity is number one, the next most important problem is automating treatment planning to payer payment life cycle within the dental office. We have created purpose-built solutions, like Eligibility AI, to provide data that helps dental offices get accurate pricing for patients at the time of service, creating a more efficient RCM life cycle from claims to payments. We are now working on a similar solution to reconcile payments from insurance companies through automation. I am always thinking about ways to innovate and modernize these actions into the user workflow within the Practice Management Software so the front office can focus on patient care.
In your view, what role should the CTO play in shaping user experience? While UX is typically seen as the domain of design and product, the reality is that technology defines the boundaries of what is possible. I see it as my responsibility to ensure our tech strategy enables exceptional user experiences. That means collaborating closely with design and product early in the process, making intentional trade-offs and advocating for things like real-time responsiveness. It’s not about dictating UI decisions, but about creating the conditions where great UX can thrive—through scalable platforms, clean APIs, fast feedback loops, and a culture that values user empathy.
What’s one piece of non-tech advice that made you a better technology leader? When approaching a solution to a problem, we always go in with the “How can I solve this problem?” mindset. Early in my career, I was quick to jump in with solutions, especially in technical conversations. “Listen to the room with the approach that every person in the room is smarter than you” and “Listen to what’s not being said”. These two pieces of advice have reshaped the way I work and lead my team.
What does your ideal “deep work” day look like and how often does it happen? An ideal deep workday starts early, before the noise kicks in. I like to start two to three hours before my first meeting for the day for uninterrupted work. That time is for strategic thinking, architecture design, digging deep into a complex problem that needs clarity. Realistically, deep workdays happen once, maybe twice a week—and only if I guard the time fiercely. It’s not about volume, it’s about protecting quality thinking time, because that’s where the best decisions are made.
What’s one recent tech tool you personally can’t live without? My reMarkable tablet has become nonnegotiable for me. It’s where I think. I use it for deep notes during meetings, sketching out architectural designs, and clearing my head when I need to step back from the screen. What I love most is that it’s distraction-free, with no notifications, no browser tabs, just focused thoughts.
What is a recent book, or podcast that you recommend? And Why? On the podcast front, I’d suggest Acquired. They do deep dives into iconic companies and technologies that are rich with business insight and strategic thinking.
A foundation for sustainable success, Women In DSO® launched its Wellness Program in 2024. The program was built on the belief that thriving individuals lead thriving organizations. By addressing financial, professional, personal, and relational wellness, this program empowers members to achieve sustainable success both in and outside their careers.
The Four Pillars of Wellness
Financial Wellness:
Promoting stability and peace of mind through sound financial decisions in budgeting, debt management, and savings.
Professional Wellness:
Advancing career fulfillment and work-life harmony as essential components of overall wellness.
Personal Wellness:
Integrating mental, physical, and spiritual practices to elevate overall quality of life.
Relational Wellness:
Strengthening relationships through empathy and communication.
2024 Highlights by Pillar
The year unfolded with dynamic workshops, thought-provoking blogs, interactive challenges, and signature events aimed at inspiring members to take charge of their wellness.
Advertisements
Looking Ahead to 2025
The momentum continues with new initiatives coming in 2025. Building on the success of last year, Women In DSO® plans to expand with the following initiatives:
The 2nd Annual Wellness Summit in Washington, D.C., on October 22, 2025.
Programs like Wellness Accountability Partnerships, Try-it Sessions, a Book Club and Wellness Playlists.
The launch of the Wellness Plan, offering members childcare, elder care, financial guidance, and mental health resources.
Women In DSO® is equipping women with tools to lead authentically and prioritize holistic well-being. Get involved today.
