Berning & Affiliates

AAO Orthodontist As CEO NYC

Five hundred very attentive orthodontists gathered in NYC November 14-15. I was the kick off speaker sharing a perspective on "Performance Based Leadership" with attention to sharing how to achieve consistent high performance leadership for their practices. We explored how practice environment, expectations and vision, when tied to business plan execution can lead to significant advancement of the practice. A key aspect was asserting that doctors given the present financial condition of the country be tougher in controlling overhead and seeking to lead with increased attention to timeline implementation. Other speakers were Paul Zuelke on expenses and overhead, John McGill on accounting and financial concepts and management and Bo Elliot on financing options. To me the format provided for good audience interaction and a panel discussion allowed the attendees to hear each speaker comment on any question asked. My compliments to AAO and COOP for a very good meeting! Two photos from the AAO web site are included below.

 

Sad Downfall of Dentist

Most of my readers anticipate that I comment on doctor CEO leadership, practice transition approaches, valuation and related topics. Today, I write to share with you the downfall of a dentist. This excerpt is so sad for me because I have worked with association presidents, both ADA and AAO among them, and many board members, chairs and many wonderful members in the great volunteer ranks of dentistry. I know the potential for dentists and their practices, the wonderful life they can lead in their community and with their family. This dentist turned his back on all that and for what? Now it is prison. The article in the Chicago Tribune, Nov 21st is titled Dentist-landlord for pimps gets prison, subtitle, Prostitution ring was run from his apartments in Marina Towers by David Heinzmann. Here is an excerpt, for the complete article see the Chicago Tribune.

Chicago dentist Gary Kimmel told a federal judge Thursday that he didn't know at first that he was doing business with pimps who trafficked in women and underage girls.

And by the time he realized that he was laundering money for criminals, he was up to his neck in a financial mess he couldn't get out of it.

But U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning sentenced Kimmel to 3 years in federal prison, saying plenty of evidence showed he knew for a long time what was going on.

In addition to renting apartments to pimps, Kimmel also bought them flashy luxury cars, using prostitution money to make the payments. And in one instance, he did dental work on a prostitute after her pimp knocked out her teeth. Kimmel's payment for the work was sex from another prostitute for an elderly friend, prosecutors alleged.
Defense lawyer Joseph Lopez described Kimmel as a naive "teddy bear" of a man.

But Assistant U.S. Atty. Julie Ruder said that over several years of doing business with the pimps, Kimmel regularly saw evidence of violence against the prostitutes. And many of the prostitutes with whom he had contact were clearly minors, she said.

Kimmel apologized, saying: "I'm terribly sorry for what I've done. I've ruined my life, and I've ruined my children's lives."

Time to Innovate Your Practice Business Model

Recently I discussed the status of a practice with a doctor who was a client 8 years ago. All has proceeded well for the practice, the doctor and the new partner of 7 years since my last work for them as they went through their practice transition. Why the discussion then if all was going well? Because some of the practice’s competitors were apparently doing very well. They apparently had very focused market develop campaigns and seemed to have the cream of the crop of local staff. The competitors seemed to always be referred to as being "ahead of "other practices or as being the "best", a position they had enjoyed for years but did not now seem to be apparent to the market. We discussed that no practice or business stands still. It must continue to execute based on its vision and its marketing message. One way to give dimension and movement to a practice is to review performance and based on the review to innovate the practice business model seeking to advance the practice. It is a timely message for any doctor CEO today

Understanding Doctor CEO Consistent Performance.

My experience has been that the environment of most healthcare practices works against top level performance by the Doctor CEO. The reason, in my view, is that the doctors attention is fully engaged for most of the day in providing patient care (this may not be the case where the doctor CEO is an administrator, which is not the case with the practices I generally work with. Of course, there can be breaks for lunch and calls, but for the most part the day speeds by and is gone. Unlike most other CEO’s who spend their day focused on leading and managing the enterprise the doctor is in this respect clearly at a disadvantage. Yet, my experience has also been that when the Doctor CEO sets out a written vision, creates a linked in mission to the vision and sets performance objectives and does not waiver, staff and other doctors in the practice will act to move the practice forward. The key seems to be to have the structure set, the reinforcement in place and the commitment to consistent leadership.