10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in

Transcription

Smiling
10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years
A nDental
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a z• i25nYears
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e n Practice
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Ma g •a 10
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as Heartland
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as Heart-
land Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland
Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental
Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care •
25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years
in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental
Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice
Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice ManagementSummer
• 102007
Years Vol.
as Heartland
Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management •
4, No. 3
A Heartland Publication
as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland
Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management •
as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management • 10 Years as Heartland
Inside
HDC
In This Issue
2 Newest Members of the
Heartland Dental Care
Family
President’s Club Updates
3 Partnership News
4 Affiliation Stories
5 “10 Critical Roles
For Success”
by Pat Bauer
6 “Building Blocks”
by Donna Weir
Rick Workman, DMD
CEO & President, Heartland Dental Care
Time flies when one is having a good time! It is difficult to believe
that it has been 10 years since we became known as Heartland Dental Care…
and we just opened our 200th dental practice! It is also amazing for me personally to reflect on what is now 25 years in dental practice management. I would
like to express my gratitude to everyone in the HDC Family for all you do.
Wow!
I still get excited when I hear stories of how we are changing lives. I was
speaking with Dr. Parajon in Lakeland, FL, last week thanking him and his
team for their awesome July. He mentioned that they saved a patient’s life
through the use of ViziLite. The biopsy confirmed squamous cell carcinoma
on the tongue. I asked Dr. Parajon how likely they would have been able to
detect the lesion without ViziLite. He said “zero percent!!” I also know our
other protocols have a great benefit to our patients when a dentist and team
commit to implementation.
I have been hearing many other types of success stories from doctors and practices who have recently affiliated with Heartland. Please help me congratulate
and welcome our newly affiliated offices in Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana. We are pleased to have you join the Heartland Family!
And, we have more “Proud Members of the Heartland Dental Care Family!”
The offices formerly known as the partnership offices in Arizona and Virginia
are now wholly blended into HDC. We are excited to now be able to share the
ESOP ownership benefits with all of you!
Finally, speaking of ESOP benefits, all qualified team members (a.k.a. owners)
should have received your ESOP certificate for 2006. For those doctors and
team members who have been in the ESOP for the three full years, the increase
in your account balance was nearly 60% this year alone! (This is approximately one year’s worth of wages sitting in your account!) We expect the value of
your account to continue to grow at a dramatic rate each year.
Thank you to everyone for “thinking like owners”!
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7 Effective ReCare Makes
All The Difference
8 “10 Things I Wish
I Had Known”
by Dr. Samson Liu
9 HDC Anniversaries!
10 HDC Anniversaries!
11 “Clinical & Business
Synergy in Patient Care”
by Julie Thomas
12 “Implantology”
by Dr. O. Craig Shanteau
13 “Heartland Chooses Kodak
Digital Radiology”
by Chad Thompson
14 Rollin’ Down the
ESOP Track
Hygiene Happenings
15 Ensuring Zoom Success
16 On The Right Track
- Referral Tracking
17 Kerr Composites
18 “Your Vision”
by Linda Miller
19 Essential Elements
of Success
20 Essential Elements
of Success
21 Dentsply Endodontic
Systems
22 HDC Photo Gallery
Questions or comments about
the Smiling magazine?
Contact us at 217-540-5100.
We are proud to welcome into our Heartland Dental Care Family the
following doctors and teams, who recently affiliated with us!
BayTree Family Dental
Gainesville Family Dentistry
Anthony DiRe, DMD
William Witt, DDS
Welcome
Lake Mary, FL
Big Bend Square
Dental Center
Ballwin, MO
Mark Kramer, DDS
Robert Leipziger, DDS
Gainesville, FL
Kokomo Oral
Implantology
Kokomo, IN
Green Hills Family Dentistry
Nashville, TN
J. Allen Dietrich, DDS
Roger L. Murphy, DDS
ProDental
Columbia, MO
Hessel Park Family Dentistry
Champaign, IL
Mark Faught, DDS
Brian Link, DMD
Heather Jones, DDS MS
Allen Schwartz, DDS
Scott Mahlin, DDS
We would also like to welcome the following doctors and teams who were
previously partnership offices and are now an official part of the Heartland family!
Sirocco Dental Development
Nelson Family Dental
Ascendent Dental Management
Reflection Dental
Bullhead City, AZ
Alexandria, VA
Frank Nelson, DDS
Little River Office - Qais Musmar, DDS
West End Office - Robert Griffin, DDS
Thunder Mountain Dentistry
Lorton, VA
Bullhead City, AZ
Bob Baird, DDS
Raquel Harris, DDS
Manassas, VA
Glen Miller, DDS | Jenny Cheung, DDS
Would you like to be
SweptAwaytoParadise?
Join us for the 2008 President’s Club Trip to :
2007 President’s Club
www.HeartlandDentalCare.com
Negril, Jamaica
Ask your RDO to learn more about how you can qualify!
Summer 2007
2
Partnership News...
Exciting partnership news! We recently purchased a
partnership interest in Mortenson Family Dental, Inc., a
group of 21 branded dental practices with 36 doctors and
over 250 employees concentrated in the Greater Louisville,
Kentucky / Southern Indiana marketplace.
“We are very proud to be affiliated with an
organization that values patient care and
health care technology as much as
Heartland Dental Care does, and I believe this
partnership will benefit both organizations.”
- Dr. Wayne Mortenson,
Mortenson Family Dental founder and CEO
“We are excited about this strategic alignment with Heartland Dental Care. Our leadership and operations team will
continue to focus on the growth and future development of
our business. With the ability to leverage the support and
infrastructure of HDC, we will experience greater synergies than ever before,” Mortenson added. “We anticipate
accelerating the growth of Mortenson Family Dental with
the shared support and new capital structure.”
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“Our companies have great admiration and
respect for each other. We share common
philosophies with regard to the delivery of
dental care to patients, as well as in dental
practice management business practices. We
are honored to enter into this partnership.
We are excited to be working with such an
experienced and ethical management team
and entire company.”
- Dr. Rick Workman
Both companies expect to experience cost savings and
synergies in areas such as marketing, internal referrals,
recruiting, and more. Workman states, “Dr. Mortenson and
I look forward to learning even more about our respective
businesses. We have exchanged ideas and management
philosophies as friends for the last ten years. Now, as business partners, we are committed to taking a ‘best practices’
approach to capitalize on as many opportunities as possible to improve our companies.”
Affiliation Stories...
Hessel Park Family Dentistry - Champaign, IL
“Our transition has been amazing. In one month, my practice increased over
100%! I really thought it would take at least two years to make significant
improvements in my practice. It is unbelievable how the incorporation of
Heartland’s protocols can change and improve one’s practice. My team is
extremely motivated. They return to the office enthusiastic and committed to
implement these new systems into our practice. The HDC system fundamentals will make a tremendous difference in every dental practice across the
United States.
For example, the team is incorporating ViziLite and the Diagnodent and
using these tools to offer better diagnostic patient care. More importantly,
we also now have an improved periodontal protocol. I had concern about
how we were communicating with our patients about their periodontal care.
It still amazes me to realize that what I wondered and worried about for 10
years took two days of total team training to overcome. There is no doubt
in my mind that our patients get much better care today. My hygienists and
team are excited they now get to provide the full scope of periodontal services
and achieve a new level of patient care.
Dr. Mark A. Faught
I also have the terrific opportunity to finally have open and honest discussions
with other dentists about what they are doing in their practice and how they
are doing it. The training sessions allow me to build relationships with other
doctors with similar experiences – and help me learn new skills. I recently
returned from a clinical training session in July on Rotary Endo. I love it and
have four cases scheduled next Monday! (To think I used to use hand files!)
The affiliation with Heartland has allowed both my team and me to grow
where otherwise we had hit a plateau. So many doors have been opened to
improve the way our practice operates and delivers care to our patients. My
team and I are honestly so excited about the improved care we are able to
offer our patients!”
Many dentists are surprised to learn how affiliation with Heartland Dental Care is the answer to their practice transition.
For more information about Practice Affiliation or Employment Opportunities, call us today! 877-903-6427
Visit us on the web at www.HeartlandDentalCare.com
Deer Creek Dental - O’Fallon, MO
Check out Dr. Fetsch’s story on our website at
www.HeartlandDentalCare.com/Affiliation.shtml
Summer 2007
4
The Leader’s Job:
10
Critical Roles
For Success
(Second in a Series)
By Pat Bauer, Chief Operations Officer, Heartland Dental Care
T
he second of the ten critical rules of the
Senior Leader’s Job is for the leader to master
the external environment (environmental mastery). The leader, according to Dr. Gerald Bell
(The Premier Educator on Leadership), needs to
make sure he/she understands everything about
the external environment and that all output from
the business is in-sync with that environment.
Customers: In each of our communities we serve the
patient base is changing. Are the customers getting
older, growing in numbers or are people/employers
changing dental insurance coverage?
If you think about it, the external environment is
always changing. Do you remember Schwinn bicycles? I remember when I was growing up you
were not “cool” if you didn’t have a Schwinn.
They declared bankruptcy in 1997. Converse tennis shoes company twenty years ago was sold for
$200,000 and are now making a comeback. What
about the Good Year Tire Company that was great
in the 1960’s & 70’s. Who remembers Woolworths? At one stage, there were 3,000 stores
and today there are 837. What about records/albums to CD’s to downloading music to your MP3
player or your “iPOD”?
Competitors: What are your competitors doing? Are
there benchmarks you are watching? What are they
advertising in your marketplace?
Dr. Bell would say there are
eight major domains as part of
the Environmental Mastery.
Industry & Business Models: It is still the golden age
of dentistry but changes could be coming. There could
be less doctors graduating, less doctors owning practices. How does that affect your practice?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Customers
Technology
Competitors
Economy
Government
Industry & Business Models
Cultural Characteristics
Vendors, Suppliers, Partner
All of these areas are constantly changing and
require a “mastery” understanding of what is
changing in each area that will affect your business.
See a few examples for our business in the next
column:
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Technology: Are there expectations for new technologies like Diagnodent, ViziLite or digital x-rays?
Economy: Is the economy changing in your marketplace? Is a major employer leaving town which will
affect your patient base?
Government: Thank God today that the government
hasn’t gotten that involved in dentistry, but what if
they do?
Cultural Characteristics: How is the culture changing? We went from Baby Boomers to the Yuppies to
now the Millenniums. What are you doing to change
the culture?
Vendors, Suppliers, Partners: How have China vendors changed your business? The suppliers want
higher fees, so what do you do?
As you can tell, there are lots of questions
that a business must answer and make modifications to their business to keep up. We
are constantly studying these eight domains
to stay on top of our environmental mastery.
Pat Bauer,
Chief
Operations
Officer
Building Blocks
By Donna Weir, Vice President of Operations, Heartland Dental Care
It is an exciting time as our company
celebrates 10 years as Heartland Dental Care and 25 years in dental practice
management. I am proud to have been
a part of Heartland for the last 17 years.
Many amazingly talented and special
people have been a part of the changes
and growth I have seen and
they were willing to share their
knowledge with me. So with
this, I would like to impart
some of the realizations I have
learned along the way.
First, patients scheduled because I assumed they wanted
the treatment. I did not expect
them to say no; I expected
them to complete treatment.
Production increased $10,000 the first
month I was with the practice and Dr.
Workman wanted to know what I was
doing. When the patient came to the
front desk, I would say something like,
“Mrs. Jones, I see in your chart you need
a crown. Will Wednesday or Thursday
work best for you?” Call me crazy, but
my thought was, “Why would you go to
the doctor, find out what was wrong and
then not do what the doctor said?”
I learned to honor and respect patients as
individuals and to speak to what was important to each of them. To some it was
getting out of pain, to others it was keeping their teeth, to others it was how they
looked, and to others it was being free
of disease. The clinical reason a person
needed a root canal did not change – how
it was presented to the patient changed
upon what was important to them.
I discovered that if the schedule was
full, Dr. Workman did not hang around
the front desk continually asking questions while I was trying to get some
work done. The more focus we had on
keeping the schedule full, the more time
we had to get our other tasks completed
because he was not asking those accountability questions. What are you working
on? Who have you called? Did they
schedule? What did they schedule for?
Why didn’t they schedule?
I learned that dental assistants are a great
resource. They have a wealth of dental
knowledge, know and understand the
patients and could remember patients
they had not seen in awhile to help fill
the schedule.
It has been a continual learning process
and each day has been a building block
to help me become the person I am
today. Along the way, I have learned so
much and have tried to share my knowledge with others. However, some things
I have learned have been outside the
Heartland manuals.
Here are a few of the additional things I
have learned:
■ A credit card can be used as an ice
scraper.
■ Bike paths are not considered
roads and are not to be driven on.
I learned the importance of an emergency protocol. A patient had been in
the chair the entire morning for extended
treatment. When he came to the front
desk, and I asked for his co-payment, he
fainted and dropped to the floor. Yelling,
“Dr. Workman, I need help!” does tend
to cause alarm with other patients.
I was one of Dr. Workman’s patients
before working for the company. As a
patient, I quickly learned I did not need
to pay day-of-service. As I was making
my next appointment, I pulled the checkbook out of my purse. The Business
Assistant made my next appointment and
then said, “See ya next time.” I asked,
“Do you need anything else?” “No,”
she replied. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m sure,” was the reply. I put my
checkbook back in my purse and walked
out without paying. Today, it would be
equivalent to an $800 payment.
I learned how to be a team player from
the example set by the entire clinical
team. During any down time, they were
always willing to help at the front desk
(answering the phone, pulling/filing
charts, confirming, helping with insurance, preparing statements or any special
project). Their example caused me to act
in kind when they needed a hand (seating
patients, cleaning rooms, developing xrays, keeping the sterilization going).
■ When the commercial airlines
cancel flights because of the
weather, it is not advisable to hire
a private plane.
■ Toilet paper hanging out the back
of your pants is never a fashion
statement.
■ A 2-on-1 transfer does not include
me saying, “You don’t have to tell
me. I can read the chart.”
■ Taking pictures to remember the
occasion is not always a good idea.
■ A candle will melt in your suitcase
in 100 degree weather and wax
does adhere very well to
undergarments.
■ Suit jackets should be buttoned
when not wearing a shirt.
■ Dry cleaning is the best method for
removing stains after dumpster
diving to retrieve a missing check.
■ Forgetting to lock the bathroom
door can catch you in an awkward
situation. (Right, Dr. Workman?)
Donna Weir,
Vice President
of Operations
Summer 2007
6
Effective ReCare
Makes All The Difference!
Providing ReCare for your patients is what keeps them healthy and on the road
to Lifetime Care. ReCare is also what builds your practice and helps you
operate efficiently.
In a healthy ReCare System patients are retained in your practice. Your hygiene
schedule has a healthy mix of routine maintenance patients and new patients. Your
existing patient base keeps your practice going so you do not need to rely on extensive
advertising to create patient flow and a full schedule. A healthy ReCare System also
involves building strong relationships with each patient so they will continue coming
to your practice for their dental needs.
If your ReCare system is not functioning well there are several steps you can
take. First, scan the schedule on a daily basis (upon confirming would be best) to save
your patients a visit and do same-day treatment. Second, work the Continuing Care
Report as a team one month in advance. Make sure to document all patient contact
and attempted contact in the computer.
Follow The Six Steps To An Effective ReCare System
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Make each patient’s next ReCare appointment before he/she leaves the office
Send out ReCare cards 1 month in advance
Call the patient 2 weeks prior to appointment to confirm receipt of the card
Confirm 2 days prior to the appointment as normal
For patients who did not make their next ReCare appointment, call them from
the Continuing Care Report - prior to being due
6) Call Past Due patients from last month’s report
Order the ReCare Cards on this page!
These cards have been designed especially for Heartland offices!
Order these ReCare Cards today on the HDC Online Store at
www.HDCstore.com or on the HDC Intranet at www. HDCintranet.com!
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The
10 Things
I Wish I Had Known
(First in a Series)
By Samson Liu, DDS, FAGD
1.
Patient Base is not important – Patient Care is everything
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
There is no such thing as a perfect schedule
Have faith in HDC training, especially with communication skills
Clinical excellence without leadership in action will get you nowhere
Take responsibility and ownership of the success of your practice
Challenge yourself and your team to improve daily
Allow your team members to be patient advocates
Trust your team and delegate appropriate tasks
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Praise your team
1
Like most dental students, I was taught that when I graduate I should be looking for a practice with patients who pay
high fees and stay away from low income patients. Or, maybe I should work as an associate or with a large group to
pay down my student loan. Then, in a few years, I could open my own practice, make good money for the next 20
years, and live a good life.
So, when I started with Heartland in 2000, I was a little turned off that the practice I agreed to start with consisted of
low income/Medicaid patients. I went into the office with the mindset that I obviously learned everything there was
to know about dentistry in dental school. The reality is, I thought I was level 4(unconscious competence), but I was
really level 1(unconscious incompetence). I thought I could handle a Fee-For-Service practice and that I was beyond
treating low income patients. I was wrong.
With that in mind, I’d like to share a skiing story and analogy that was inspired by Steven Covey. I took skiing lessons
when I was a teenager. Like many inexperienced skiers, I fell down a lot, but continually got better. I knew that if I
didn’t fall, I wouldn’t improve. Eventually, I stopped lessons when I went to dental school. As I got older, I skied more
conservatively and took fewer risks. I used to be fairly comfortable on black diamond slopes. Nowadays, I am only
willing to go down the blue square slopes that are of moderate difficulty. I’d liken dental schools to the bunny slope:
they only teach us the basics, so we “do no harm” later.
In contrast, modern day patients are like the double black diamond slope; they are sophisticated and cosmetically
driven. In order to take care of these patients the best we can, we have to continually fall down and make mistakes
along the way to become better. No ski instructor will take you down on a black diamond unless you have mastered
the bunny slope first, then the blue square. So it goes in dentistry. If we can’t do a simple posterior CII composite efficiently or communicate the importance of saving a tooth by doing a root canal and a crown
to a patient, how do we have the self confidence to do a 10-unit smile design and believe we
provided our best care?
Samson Liu,
DDS, FAGD
Caring for patients of all income levels can help you build up speed. It can also give you
an opportunity to do more complicated procedures like multiple extractions, learn to handle
increased patient flow in your office, and become a more cost conscious (economy dentures,
PBMs) and overall more efficient dentist.
Summer 2007
8
HDC
July 2007 was a very exciting time for Heartland Dental Care! This month
marked our 10 Year Anniversary in business and a 25 Year Anniversary in dental practice
management for Dr. Workman! We have come a long way and have made some wonderful
achievements along the way! The timeline below shows some of the milestones we have
reached. Also, the year marker at the bottom of the page demonstrates our office growth over
the years. We are very excited about how far we have come and we look forward to many
more years of success and growth. Thank you for sharing in this wonderful time with us!
10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management
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10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in Dental Practice Management
Summer 2007
10
Clinical & Business Synergy
in Patient Care
By Julie Thomas, RDH, Vice President of Operations, Heartland Dental Care
O
ne phrase that doesn’t belong in
Heartland is “It’s not my job.”
We go to great lengths to encourage teamwork in our practices. We
often discuss synergy in teamwork.
By this, we mean that a team can
achieve more than individuals
working independently. Within our
teamwork efforts, we also focus on
individual accountability.
that we can help them and offer
solutions to their dental needs
and wants.)
♦ To meet the patients’ needs and
expectations, we need to be
aware and document what
they want, don’t want, how they
want their smile to look, and
what (if anything) stands in the
way of completing the recommended dental treatment.
(Utilize the updated New Patient
Call Summary.)
One phrase that is commonly reiterated in our training is that our job
is to “guide patients to an informed
decision that is in their own best
interest.” In regard to accountability, this role rests with our clinical
team members first and foremost.
So, does that mean that our business
team can say, “It is not my job to
explain treatment to our patients!”?
No. What we are saying is that it
IS the primary responsibility of the
clinical team (the Doctors diagnose
and the Hygienists and Dental Assistants educate the patients regarding
the Doctor’s treatment plan).
What we should help our
patients understand:
As clinical team members, there are
important things we need to know
and our patients need to understand
before they arrive at the front desk
for the Business Assistants to review
the treatment plans, schedule and
make payment arrangements.
♦ We are glad they are here and
we are excited, positive and
ready to help them.
What we need to know:
♦ The patients scheduled their own
appointments for a reason. They
do expect that they may have
some dental needs. (Sometimes,
we can be tentative or apologetic
about offering treatment. We
need to celebrate and be proud
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♦ We customize treatment for each
patient and recommend
treatment that will help them
meet their dental health/aesthetic
needs and wants with a
Lifetime Care Philosophy in
mind. (Utilize predictable
treatment planning.)
♦ They made a good choice in
scheduling their appointment
and deciding to focus on their
dental health.
find a way to complete the
necessary treatment.
♦ We will help them meet their
dental health/aesthetic needs
and wants with a Lifetime Care
Philosophy in mind.
After following our New Patient
Flow and utilizing respectful communication skills taught within
Heartland, our patients move to the
next step and meet with our Business Team members to review the
treatment plan, make appointments
and secure financial arrangements.
Of course, there will be some questions re-addressed if the patient
needs reassurance or clarity.
The clinical team is committed to
addressing clinical concerns and the
Business Assistants are committed
to addressing the business concerns.
However, there will always be some
give and take. We at Heartland will
always be proponents of teamwork
along with individual accountability
to ensure we “guide our patients to
informed decisions that are in their
own best interest.” We exist to serve
our patients; their needs are our
priority.
♦ We will ask them questions so
we can provide and deliver the
best dental care experience
possible!
♦ We will perform a thorough
exam “with” them vs. “to” them;
in other words a co-diagnosis.
♦ We will work as a Patient Advocate for them by helping them
Julie Thomas, RDH,
Vice President of
Operations
Implantology
Offering the best treatment modalities to our patients
By O. Craig Shanteau, BS, DDS, FAGD, Senior Clinical Director, Heartland Dental Care
At Heartland Dental Care, our
patients are our primary focus.
And, we respect the patients so
much, we offer them Lifetime Care.
This means we present our patients
with the treatment options available that are in their long-term best
interest.
One of the “Lifetime Care” treatment options available to our patients is dental implantology. Dental Implants offer patients so many
benefits such as comfort, restored
function and enhanced aesthetics.
Many dentists in the past have
stayed away from implants due
to fears of complicated implant
surgery, among other things. We
have found a new product that I
believe will begin a new paradigm
in implantology, NobelGuide, from
Nobel Biocare.
We have also welcomed Dr. Roger
Murphy and his team at Kokomo
Oral Implantology to help us deliver implants to our patients in the
Indianapolis area.
“The benefits to the patients are
life-changing. Not only do implants enhance appearance, they
also improve the patients’ quality
of life simply by restoring natural
functionality. Denture wearers,
in particular, will benefit from this
NobelGuide technology. For those
who have been told before that they
don’t have enough bone for implants, it is now quite possible with
this newest technology,” shares Dr.
Murphy.
“I look forward to working with
fellow Heartland dentists to share
my knowledge and experience with
implants. This treatment option for
patients absolutely fits with Heartland Dental Care’s philosophy
in ‘Doing the Right Thing for the
Right Reason,’” stated Dr. Murphy.
Examples of screen shots available through NobelGuide
NobelGuide is a revolutionary
system that allows dentists to use
either conventional modeling or
computer-aided technology to
know the precise position and depth
required for the implant prior to
surgery. This information helps the
lab create a planned, step-by-step
surgical template for safe, predictable and simple implant placement.
Our partners at Nobel Biocare
have offered to assist us in training HDC doctors on the placement
of implants using the NobelGuide
system. In August, we will welcome Thomas Balshi, DDS, FACP,
to lecture and present this system
to us.
O. Craig
Shanteau,
BS, DDS, FAGD,
Senior Clinical
Director
Summer 2007
12
Heartland Chooses Kodak Digital Radiography
For Better Patient Care
By Chad Thompson, Vice President of Administration, Heartland Dental Care
H
eartland is always looking for Constant And
Neverending Improvement (CANI) in our systems
that benefit patient care as well as our practices. After
almost two years of analysis, the Kodak digital radiography system became the obvious choice for Heartland. Kodak’s digital resolution is superior to all others
on the market, and their new sensor design makes the
conversion even easier. Just as Heartland is committed
to training, Kodak offers the best training teams and
technical support on the market for a company the size
of Heartland. Kodak has been a partner to Heartland
for many years in supplying us with film and supporting
our training programs, so we look forward to working
with them on this digital initiative as well.
There are a number of benefits that support the move
to digital besides the obvious savings in time as well as
film and chemical costs. The ability to give our doctors
enhanced images to benefit their diagnosis and share
these images with their patients in real time will take
our patient care and customer service to a new level.
Images can be easily stored, retrieved and emailed to
colleagues for advice or attached to an insurance claim.
“This system eliminates processor time and
allows me to pull up the images quickly which
allows more time for me to address immediate
concerns and provide patient education,” says
Dr. Dwayne Bacchus of North Vermilion Family Dental
in Danville, IL.
An added benefit to the Kodak system is the Logicon
Caries Detector software that assists dentists in detecting proximal caries. As reported by JADA, a group
of dentists trained with
this software were able
to find 20% more caries
penetrating into dentin
than they were able to
find without it. It’s also
important to point out
that the software did not
cause these doctors to
mistreat any additional
healthy teeth.
13
Smiling
Dr. Reggie Thurston of Essington
Family Dental
Care in Joliet, IL,
explains,
“The Kodak
system delivers
great clarity and added
tools such as
Logicon which
has given me
increased
confidence in
my diagnosis
and greatly
improved our
treatment planning.”
Currently, there are seven Heartland offices that have
the latest Kodak RVG 6100 sensor system installed.
Three of these offices also possess the Kodak 8000
Digital Panoramic system as well. Our goal is to have
at least ten offices outfitted with some combination of
these systems so we can properly support and streamline the systems for future transitions of other Heartland
offices. Although we do not have a plan in place at this
time to roll the systems out company wide, we will be
installing both the sensors and panoramic units into
all denovo offices going forward. A transition plan for
existing Heartland offices will be announced later this
year.
We are excited about this new venture and look forward to working with all of you through this process.
Heartland is committed to staying on the cutting edge
of technology, and we feel this technology is what our
patients will come to expect in the near future. Our
anticipation is the Kodak system will compliment our
philosophy of care as well as improve efficiencies in
work flow, which in turn will
have a positive effect on our
Chad Thompson,
patients and practices.
Vice President of
Administration
Rollin’ Down
The Track
As we continue to roll down the train track, take a minute to
see what you know about Heartland Dental Care’s ESOP.
Circle your answers in the word search below.
How many years do you have to be a participant
to be 100% vested?
What does ESOP stand for?
The stock is held in a ...
How many hours do you have to work in a
calendar year to meet eligibility requirements?
What percentage are you vested after participating
in the plan for four years?
You are an ...
Normal retirement age is considered ...
Your proportion of stock allocation is prorated
based on your ...
Who has the opportunity to participate in the ESOP?
Distributions can be rolled over to an ...
What month is nationally recognized as
Employee Ownership month?
October
seven
Employee Stock
Ownership Plan
trust
one thousand
forty
owner
sixty-five
compensation
everyone
IRA
An answer key can be
found on our website at
www.HeartlandDentalCare.
com/Smiling.shtml
Questions about the ESOP? Call the HR Department at 217-540-5100 or email esopquestions@heartlanddentalcare.com.
Hygiene Happenings
Exciting times are happening for Heartland Hygienists with the
launch of the Hygiene Mastery Program. The primary focus of
this two day course is Enhanced Patient Care and World Class
Periodontal Therapy.
With the help of our wonderful supplies and education teams,
hygienists attending the class are able to utilize portable selfcontained ultrasonic units and “real-life” models with calculus
to have more hands-on “hygiene fun” than previously imaginable.
“It really boosted my confidence.”
- Melissa Majzel, Southwoods Centre Dental Care
“I feel great that I work for Heartland since we aim to
do what is right and care so much for our patients.”
- Paige Rosentreter, Affordable Dentistry Today - Alton
We are very proud of the standard of care Heartland Hygienists
provide for their patients. We are always committed to striving
for excellence because our patients deserve it. We have had five
groups of hygienists attend this class and they have since shared
many successes with each other. Those successes include:
1) Increased implementation of life-saving
Oral Cancer Screenings using ViziLite Plus
2) Improved teamwork skills that can enhance
the patient’s visit from a time-efficiency perspective
3) Accelerated periodontal outcomes using their new
instrumentation skills
The Hygiene Mastery Class is just one of the many training
courses in which the main focus is to provide patients with the
best care possible. These classes help to bring to all of
Heartland’s amazing Hygienists the level of training needed to
exceed relative success and attain “Mastery.”
Summer 2007
14
Ensuring
Zoom! Success
Maximizing Results & Patient Comfort
From tooth whitening to aesthetic dental veneers and
for all your patients by offering services that are fast, quick and
crowns, smile enhancement represents a dramatic and effective
convenient like Zoom!
way to improve ones appearance. Tooth whitening represents the
Zoom! is the world’s #1 chairside whitening system, with over
quickest and most cost effective way to impact a smile, and can be
55,000 systems in use, and understanding the process from start to
used as a gateway procedure to all the goods and services in your
finish will assure the best result and client satisfaction. Isolation is the
practice. Make whitening services as convenient as possible
most important part of getting set-up for the Zoom! procedure.
1. Apply protective lip cream
generously and evenly to the lips,
then insert the retractor.
2. Document the starting shade using
a shade guide arranged in value
order. Photograph the patient’s
teeth with the proper shade tab for
reference.
3. Place the first piece of gauze fold side
down in the upper vestibule. Repeat in
the lower vestibule. Place two face bibs
over the retractor. Open a 2x2 piece of
gauze into a 2x4 and roll it lengthwise
to resemble a cotton roll, align the
crease with the mid-line and place it
into the upper vestibule. Repeat for
the lower vestibule. Fully open a piece
of gauze and fold it into a triangle,
place the apex of the triangle into
the posterior cheek and tuck the end
into the flange of the cheek retractor.
Repeat for the other cheek.
5. Apply the pre-treatment swab to the
teeth. Then extrude the Zoom!
Whitening gel into a dappen dish and
apply the gel to the facial area of all
visible teeth, approximately 1mm to 2
mm thick.
6. Align the slots on the Light Guide with
the retractor and ensure the retractor
is fitted into the slots. Start the initial
Zoom! Lamp session. When the
session is finished wipe the enamel
clean and repeat the procedure for 2
more sessions.
7. Remove all isolation material With the
retractor in place use a shade guide to
determine the “after” shade. Place the
Relief® ACP in the take home trays and
have the patient wear them home for
30 minutes.
4. Apply Liquidam along the gauze in the
upper vestibule, apply to the full arch
(or at minimum a single quadrant)
for proper coverage. Make a second
pass scalloping along the margin to
ensure full coverage, be sure to cover
all interproximal areas, sealing the
Liquidam to the enamel. Cure the
Liquidam in a sweeping motion over
the entire arch for about 10 seconds.
For Liquidam to provide the greatest
protection of the gingival tissue, it is
best if it is applied and cured in two
separate 1 mm thick layers.
15
For additional tips to ensure success, contact
Carolyn Kunz, Corporate Account Manager at:
carolynk@discusdental.com
or call 763-442-7896
Smiling
ADV_2211_062807_ZOOM_Advrtrl4.in1 1
7/30/07 4:43:07 PM
c
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On
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a
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Refe
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With
s referral tracking really that important? YES! Referral tracking is extremely valuable because it tells
you what works in regard to attracting new patients. Referral tracking will tell you if your advertising is
working and bringing in new patients. If there are a lot of patients from one source, you know it was successful. If there were not any new patients, you know to try something different next time.
Referral Tracking Success!
The region led by Angie Leming really focused on referral tracking in July, and the
region had excellent results! This region participated in a referral tracking
competition with rewards going to the offices with the highest percentage increase in their
new patient referral tracking. There has been improvement across the board with eight of
thirteen offices tracking 100% of their new patients in July!
“ Quotables”
“Success!”
“I held the Richmond Family Dentistry team accountable by including the new patient report
(showing all new patients and their referral sources) with the other mandatory weekly reports
the BA team turns in to me at the end of the week. Once they went through the list the first time
and had so many charts to pull and people to contact to get it right, they never wanted to go
back again! It’s so much easier to handle it the first time!”
- Dia Rodandello, Practice Administrator for Richmond Family Dentistry
“Hearing our numbers was enough to get motivated. We wanted to take pride in the percent of patients we tracked, so we decided to make it a priority to improve. We now ensure referrals are en-
tered as patients come in. We also run a new patient report weekly and go back to enter those not listed.
We discuss it as a team and we are getting a better awareness of how our patients hear of us!”
- Kelly Ferguson, Office Manager for Smiles Plus - Burlington
“We (the BA team) remind each other to ask new patients how they heard about us. We make sure this
referral source is listed on the new patient summary sheet and we check throughout the day in the appointment book to make sure everyone has a referral source listed in their family file. We double check
ourselves by going through the Dentrix appointment book and making sure all referrals have been entered before the end of the week. We have actually gone back through all the new patients we have seen
so far this year, and they’re all in! We definitely know where our new patients are coming from!”
- Phyllis Dusang, Business Assistant at Creative Smiles - Greenfield
As the offices realize how simple it is to enter the referral tracking
information, they are also beginning to truly understand how valuable
the tracking information is! Now they know where their new patients
come from and they know what advertising works best for them!
Does your team know how your new patients hear about you? Contact your
Market Manager if you would like to get on the right track with referral tracking!
“WOW!”
Summer 2007
16
Family
Pride
IT’S INEVITABLE
WHEN YOU OWN
THE LION’S SHARE
OF THE MARKET.
HERCULITE XRV
POINT 4
HYBRID
HYBRID
TRIMODAL
FLOWABLE
0.6 µm Average Particle Size
78% Filled by Weight
0.4 µm Average Particle Size
• High wear resistance
• Long-lasting lustre and
smoothness
• Ideal Vita* shade match
and shade selection
• 15 years’ clinical efficacy
Remains the industry
standard to which all
other composites
are compared
• Bridges the gap between
microfills and hybrids for
strength and beauty
• Excellent shade selection
• Chameleon effect for
superior adjacent
teeth blending
• 7 years’ clinical efficacy
Point 4 Filler
Prepolymerized Filler
.024 µm Silica Filler
Point 4 Filler
Prepolymerized Filler
.024 µm Silica Filler
72.5% Filled by Weight
•
•
•
•
•
• Medium viscosity
• Flows easily to fill cavities,
yet holds its shape
• Nonslumping
• Ultra-low shrinkage
• Radiopacity over 300%
• NEW in 2006
®
™
PREMISE
™
Ultra-low shrinkage
Easy, sustained polish
Superior wear resistance
Simple shade matching
3 years’ clinical efficacy
PREMISE FLOWABLE
™
W
NE
Down through the generations, Kerr has helped define modern dentistry.
Take our composite family of products, each remarkable for its time.
Thirty years ago, Herculite was the first hybrid on the scene—and is still
going strong with XRV. Then came Point 4, revolutionary in its day for
superior polishability and wear. The Premise era brought the lowest
shrinkage on the market and trimodal technology. Then we managed
to outdo ourselves with Premise Flowable, setting standards for high
radiopacity and low shrinkage in a flowable. How can one company
be a winner every time? We’re the best listener in the industry. You tell
us what’s working and what’s not. Then we turn that information into
a great new product. So, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you
for helping to make Kerr one of the most trusted names in dentistry.
* Vita is a registered trademark of Vita Zahnfabrik Co., Germany
Your Practice is Our Inspiration™ • KerrDental.com • 800.KERR.123
©2007 Kerr Corporation
!
Your Vision
By Linda Miller, Senior Practice Coach, Heartland Dental Care
Have you ever had a
perfect experience?
That experience for me is sitting on
a balcony of an old hotel in Positano,
Italy. When I close my eyes, I can
recreate that experience. All my senses
are engaged. I can smell the rich scent
of the bougainvillea blooming in pots
outside my room and the lemon trees
that surround my hotel. The Gulf of
Naples is a brilliant blue, dotted with
fishing boats. The sun is hot on my
face, and I can hear the chatter of the
village women, heading to the market
for their daily provisions. I am enjoying
a breakfast of local cheeses, salami and
fresh fruit.
I admit that being in Italy is vastly different from being in a dental office in
Midwest USA, but don’t we, as dental
professionals, want to create a near
perfect experience for our patients as
well? We can do that by developing a
vision for our practice that engages our
patients’ senses: sight, sound, smell,
taste and touch.
Team members can take turns doing
a walk-through of the office during
patient hours, making notes of what
they see, smell, hear, etc. Then, utilize
a team meeting to compare notes. Did
individual team members experience
different things? Are the things you saw,
felt, heard, etc., what you WANT your
patients to experience?
Are there piles of charts and papers in
your business area? What message does
that send to your patients? Patients
SIGHT – what do we want our patients to see when
they visit our practice?
● Smiling faces of team members
● Professional appearance (matching, professional shirts;
classic black pants with white lab coats; professional
shoes; minimal jewelry; subtle make-up)
● Immaculately clean, organized office and treatment areas
● Tasteful decorations and furniture to create a
comfortable, welcome feeling
● Strategically placed mirrors
● Smile art hanging on walls
SOUND – what do we want patients to hear in our office?
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Voices of empathy, compassion and knowledge
Positive & respectful communication in every exchange
Protection of patient’s privacy by discreet interaction
Laughter - friendly but appropriate
Soothing music throughout the office
Patient headsets minimize dental sounds
Radio communication between team members
who see this lack of organization might
assume the same applies to patient care
as well. What do your patients hear
when they are seated in the treatment
chair? Do they hear discussions about
where team members went last night
or do they hear positive, professional
exchanges?
Use your team meeting to determine the
vision that you want for your practice
by being specific about what you want
your
patients to
experience.
Linda Miller,
See the
Senior Practice
Coach
example
in the box
below for
ideas.
SMELL – how does our practice smell?
● Appealing air fresheners or candles minimize typical
dental office smells
● Close monitoring of cigarette, perfume and food odors
● Bathroom air fresheners available
TASTE – how do we minimize typical dental tastes?
● Mouthwash offered before patient leaves treatment
room
● Sugar free mints or gum at business area
● Flavored topical anesthetic
TOUCH – how do we approach our patients tactilely,
yet maintain respect for cultural differences?
● Shaking the patient’s hand as a gesture of respect
● Clinical touch is one of gentle precision
● Pre-heat patient before invading their personal space
● Neck rolls, lumbar and knee supports available
● Use of lip balms during treatment
While a sensory vision cannot make a visit to the dentist feel the same as a trip to Italy, a clearly defined vision, along
with a commitment to Lifetime Care, can make the patient’s experience one that they do not dread or want to avoid.
Take the time to create your vision. Your patients will respond by accepting needed treatment!
Summer 2007
18
At Heartland Dental Care, Dentists and team members are trained on the five fundamentals, more commonly referred
to as, ‘The Five Rocks’. One of the most important fundamentals is Communication, which is the focus of the Essential
Elements of Success (EEOS). This two-day program was developed to bring to life the Accomplishment Goals of HDC
through more effective communication with our patients.
The EEOS course provides life-changing information that can be applied in both work and personal relationships. Presenter, Dr. Bill Bloink shares, “In my almost 20 years with Heartland Dental Care, the EEOS program has the potential to
be the most profound practice changing experience that we have offered. This course encompasses the emotional and
technical aspects necessary to develop a world class dental practice!”
The 15 Essential Communication Elements are not only explained, they are demonstrated by the presenters and then
practiced by the participants. This full-circle participation helps create an emotional connection between the presenters,
the participants and the material, which is often necessary for people to move forward with change. We frequently share
this quote with participants: ‘A change can happen in an instant when a decision is made.’ Throughout the
course material, the presenters ask the participants to make commitments toward a positive change.
The course also discusses the role of ‘Healer’, rather than that of ‘bad
news bearer’. It helps team members understand that the best place
a patient could be today is in our dental practice where we can help
them improve their situation. This can be a significant shift in thinking for many who apologize or feel bad when informing a patient of
their dental needs. Presenter, Dannie Ryan-Holtgrave, shares
“Celebrate! Every time we share a solution with a
patient, no matter what it is, we should be celebrating!”
To create and sustain momentum, when the doctors and team members returned to their offices they were equipped with the Four Week
Implementation Plan to share and implement the concepts presented. At Heartland Dental Care, the Purpose of Education is Results
Producing Action! The Essential Elements of Success course
provides the tools to help participants take action to change
their lives and the lives of their patients.
“What made the EEOS so worthwhile for our team
is that we were all present and ready to learn. It was an
opportunity for us to re-align ourselves and to refocus
on our mission. The following quote sums it up well :
‘As a team we: Come Together - Work Together Share Together - Succeed Together’ (author unknown).”
- Dr. Ashish Mehta, ADT - Springfield
19
Smiling
******* Essential Element *******
Celebration! What are you saying to yourself and the patient?
Believe that we are offering healing and know that
dentistry is a great investment.
Make a team commitment to use positive words and body language.
The power to seek your own personal best and not be
held to the standards set by others!
Adopt a “no boundaries” thinking process.
“The EEOS was a wonderful experience for our team to grow
closer together, both as a practice in the way provide patient
care, and also personally with each other. We are excited to
see the results from what we have learned and applied.”
- Dr. Nathan Harris, Pickerington Family Dental
SWOT is about respecting your
patient! It is information gathering, not problem solving. SWOT
is about customizing the experience to our patients’ needs, wants
and desires. ALL of our patients
deserve this standard of care!
Measure daily ratio of New Patients
to Service AND Smile SWOT’s
completed in your practice.
When the presentation team for the EEOS came together, they
had some significant things in common: passion for teaching
and real day-to-day experience with the Essential Elements.
EEOS Presenters: (Front) Stef Kingery, Diane Mueller,
Dr. Bill Bloink, Joanna Dames, Kay James
(Back) Dannie Ryan-Holtgrave, Connie Rushton
Attitude is a choice!
Choose the BEST for yourself.
“If you think you can do a thing or
think you can’t do a thing,
you’re right.”
~ Henry Ford ~
“The EEOS training was extremely motivational for our entire team. It really solidified us and enhanced
our ability to provide quality patient care as a unified team. We are all on fire about dentistry and
patient care now. It is great! I particularly enjoyed the EEOS discussions about Relative vs. Mastery and
the power to seek your own personal best. In the field of dentistry, we are constant learners and constant
healers. Knowing this inspires me to keep going and continually better myself (through training like the
EEOS) so I can take patient care to the next level!”
- Dr. Jaime Stennis, Osceola Dental Care
Summer 2007
20
Endodontic System
Proven leaders know how to stay the course. Take GT® rotary instruments,
for example. Designed by Dr. L. Stephen Buchanan, their greater taper
and special radial lands are proven to keep the file centered while
respecting the true canal path – for less chance of transportation. GT
rotary files together with ProLube® root canal conditioner. The smart
way to stay centered and true from Tulsa Dental Specialties.
Performance Combo
ProLube root canal conditioner lubricates your GT rotary files while lifting
debris coronally with effervescent action.
Performance Proven by Science
See how the GT file instrumented canal
(in green in the CT scan to the right) follows
the original canal morphology (in red).
DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties
DENTSPLY International, Inc.
5100 E. Skelly Drive, Suite 300
Tulsa, OK 74135
1-800-662-1202
1-800-597-2779 (fax)
www.tulsadentalspecialties.com
© 2006 DENTSPLY International, Inc. Manufactured in the U.S. under one or more U.S. patent nos.: 5,897,316; 5,921,775; 5,842,861; 5,655,950; 5,762,541; 5,628,674; 5,527,205; 5,941,760; 5,464,362; 6,106,296;
5,836,764; 4,758,156; 4,894,011; 5,089,183; 5,098,298; 5,118,297; 5,149,268; 5,833,457; 5,088,927; 4,934,934; 5,624,976; 5,409,377; 5,236,361; 5,636,991; 5,947,659. PSGTAD2 4/07
21
Smiling
GT Ad_1_HD.indd 1
7/27/07 5:29:56 PM
Photo Gallery
r
u
O
Landmark Dental Care recently held a special charity day where 100% of the
proceeds - $7,106 - was donated to the Shriners Children’s Hospital. The day
was held in honor of Dr. Brinegar’s daughter, Tanner, who was referred to the
Shriner’s Orthopedic Hospital as an infant. In support of the day, Jeb Bates and
Southern Craft Dental Lab donated lab services for the day and Sonicare donated
two toothbrushes for door prizes.
Dr. Jackson Kuo, Dr. Erika Ynga and the
team at Champaign Dental Group recently
dedicated a Saturday for a Free Dentistry
Day for underprivileged kids. It was a
great opportunity for the team to pass out
educational materials (shown here) and to
discuss the importance of good oral health
with their patients and the public. The
local television station promoted the event
on their 6:00pm and 10:00pm news!
In honor of Children’s Dental Health Month, Dr. Timothy Larson and Dr. Dez
Ziegenhorn and their teams participated in a Health Fair at Mid Rivers Mall.
They provided complimentary Toothprints and dental screenings for children.
Dr. Gerald Awadzi and Dr. Venu Maturi were
granted a Fellowship in the Academy of
General Dentistry in a convocation ceremony
on June 30. The event was held on the USS
Midway Air Craft Carrier in San Diego, CA.
Dr. Scott Ritchhart (left) and his daughter, Casey, are
shown with Dr. Bill Bloink (right) and his son, Gus,
after a Sacred Heart Griffin vs. Lincoln High School
basketball game. Both doctors are active in their communities and spend a lot of time supporting the area
teams their children are involved with.
Dr. Samson Liu and the
team at Spring View
Dental Care held a
Free Dentistry Day for
children 17 and under
without insurance to
honor Children’s Dental
Health Month. The
office donated a total of
$7,023 in free dentistry.
Balloons were donated
and delivered from area
party stores and the
local news station did a
story on the office!
Summer 2007
22
Smiling
Summer 2007
Upcoming
Events
September
10-12
14
15
28
29
New Employee Orientation
Dental U 101.2 - Illinois
Florida DU 201.3 - Orlando
Dental U 201.3 - Indianapolis
October
8-10
19
20
23-25
26
New Employee Orientation
FL New Employee Orientation
Dates subject to change. Visit www.HDCevents.com for the latest information!
PRST STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
- - Fun Facts About Heartland - -
EFFINGHAM, IL 62401
• July, 2007 marked 10 years as
Heartland Dental Care and 25 years
in Dental Practice Management.
• HDC works with 200 affiliated dental
practices and employs 1,761
individuals, including 243 dentists!
• HDC welcomes an average of
340 team members to training in
Effingham each month!
• In the last 10 years, HDC has donated
more than $500,000 in cash, services
and products to local, national and
international charitable causes.
PERMIT NO. 268
1200 Network Centre Drive
Effingham, IL 62401
ESOP Word Search Answer Key

10 Years as Heartland Dental Care • 25 Years in

Transcription

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