Talking with the Toothcop

Successfully Bring Dental Specialists into Your Practice and Learn From Complete Specialty Solutions - Santosh Patel


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Sep 30 2018 38 mins  
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On this episode of Talking With the Tooth Cop, I interview Santosh Patel, founder and president of Complete Specialty Solutions, a business dedicated to bringing high-quality dental specialists into your practice with as few logistical nightmares as possible. Throughout this episode, he explains the benefits of bringing in outside dental specialists and how you can leverage their expertise in your community. We discuss how to keep patients safe and protect their privacy while incorporating traveling specialists, as well as why relationship building is key throughout the whole process. It’s an episode not to be missed - listen now.

Complete Specialty Solutions offers practical services for independent dental professionals

Many patients are unable to access the specialty care they need, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas. Santosh explains that the idea for CSS came from his background in hospital management, and his desire to inject great healthcare practices and organizational structure into dentistry. CSS provides many resources to dental practices in the Houston/Dallas area such as board-certified specialists, marketing strategies, patient recruitment plans, scheduling services, and many more.

Santosh and his team accomplish all of this through their network of part-time employees that work for their professional limited liability company. The professionals coming into the practices are not independent contractors, so each dental specialist carries their own certificate of specialty, malpractice insurance, etc. Essentially, CSS is a full-scale operations team that can "help be the how-to solution” for small practices looking to expand their services and offerings while still seeking to maintain their autonomy.

Having accurate record-keeping and proper workflow ensures dental specialists can be successful in your practice

Many dentists are hesitant to bring in dental specialists simply because of the perceived logistical nightmare. However, Santosh’s team has developed a way to ensure all records, notes, and files are seamlessly kept up to date as a specialist moves from practice to practice. Typically, a GP fills out a referral form, which is then delivered to CSS. They then recommend a specialist to travel to the practice, where he or she provides all of their own personal documentation. The specialist performs the service and completes all necessary patient care. Billing goes through the practice’s tax ID number but is filed under the specialist’s National Provider Identifier number. The CSS method prevents multiple tech platforms from being used, resulting in a higher level of satisfaction from the GP, the practice’s staff, and the patients.

There are steps you can take to prevent liability and malpractice issues when bringing in additional dental professionals

In addition to stellar record keeping, CSS can assist practices with preventing liability and malpractice issues. They encourage the GP to let their insurance carrier know that they’re bringing in dental specialists, as well as keep honest and direct lines of communication open. Santosh has also discovered that by using specialists that are local to the practice’s area, there are fewer chances of issues arising. If the specialist has a rapport within the broader community, and they fit with the overarching practice culture, it can go a long way towards preventing lawsuits and miscommunications.

Pairing independent practices and third-party dental specialists must be about building solid relationships

Throughout this entire episode, Santosh explains the critical importance of relationship building between dentists, their staff, and dental specialists. Without a healthy rapport between all 3, the process is less likely to be successful and effective. CSS does not seek to have short-term contract work with practices, rather they’re striving to build long-term working relationships between specialists and dentists. CSS encourages all specialists to be diligent in follow-up care with patients, working with the practice’s staff to ensure their databases are accurate, and speaking honestly with everyone involved in order to make the specialist process as smooth as possible. For more, be sure to give this episode your full attention.

Outline of This Episode

  • [0:21] Santosh Patel explains what Complete Specialty Solutions can offer for your practice
  • [3:40] All about Complete Specialty Solutions and what they can offer to your practice
  • [10:20] The employment and organizational structure of CSS
  • [17:22] Auditing, fraud, and ensuring accuracy in your record-keeping processes
  • [25:00] Liability issues in the specialty dentistry industry
  • [31:20] The top things Santosh looks for when researching potential practice partners for CSS

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