The Automatic Patient Podcast

Jordon Comstock, Justin Comstock, Dan Nelson

Welcome to The Automatic Patient Podcast, your go-to source for exclusive practice management content crafted for serious dental and healthcare practice owners who are passionate about patients, profit, and progress. Hosted by Jordon Comstock the CEO of BoomCloud & Dr. Dan Nelson, we dive into proven strategies for building a thriving, profitable practice that delivers exceptional patient care while staying ahead of the competition. Each episode is packed with actionable insights, engaging discussions, and practical tips on everything from optimizing patient acquisition and retention to leveraging membership plans and streamlining operations. Whether you're aiming to boost revenue, improve efficiency, or provide a superior patient experience, this podcast has the solutions you need to transform your practice and achieve lasting success.

  1. FEB 17

    How to Go Fee For Service

    Podcast Summary (Show Notes Style)In this episode, Jordon Comstock talks with Dan from Elevation Association about why dental insurance—especially Delta Dental—is becoming a bigger threat to independent practices, and how practices can successfully transition to fee-for-service without destroying their schedule. Dan explains that Delta is making aggressive moves, including owning dental practices, which gives insurers more control locally and reduces their reliance on independent offices. He also warns dentists not to assume associations will protect them, arguing the industry landscape is shifting fast. The conversation then turns practical: Dan breaks down what it really takes to exit PPOs strategically. The key is preparation—especially having a patient membership / benefit plan in place before going out of network, so patients can move “laterally” into the practice’s own plan. He emphasizes aligning the entire team around the mission, using incentives when appropriate, and building strong patient communication to counter misleading insurer letters that make patients think they “can’t” stay with the practice. Dan shares that the transition isn’t instant—it can take about a year to stabilize, with the first quarter or two feeling messy as hygiene schedules fluctuate and patients test the financial impact. The practices that win dedicate staff to proactive recall/outreach, driven by real data (they use Dental Intel), to refill the schedule and reduce attrition. The episode closes with the payoff: the move is described as freeing and energizing, with fewer write-offs, more control, and the ability to slow down while improving focus and profitability—especially when practices don’t try to do it alone and instead leverage coaching, tools, and a clear plan. TL;DR (30 seconds)Delta is tightening control (even buying practices), so dentists need a strategy to regain power: prep your team + track key KPIs + build a membership plan first + over-communicate + run recall/outreach, and expect a ~12-month stabilization period after the PPO exit. The result: less write-off pain and way more freedom. Jordon Comstock - BoomCloudapps.com Dr. Dan Nelson - Elevation Association

    35 min
  2. 12/20/2024

    Unlocking Dental Profitability: Mastering Costs, Membership Plans, and Insurance Strategies

    Bullet Point Summary:Introduction to Financial Insights in Dentistry: Jordon Comstock and Dr. Dan Nelson discuss the challenges and opportunities in managing practice finances, including calculating true costs and identifying areas for improvement. The Importance of Cost-Per-Procedure Analysis: Stories about initial discoveries of low profitability in procedures like crowns.The shock of realizing practices may lose money on specific insurance reimbursements.Encouragement for granular tracking of profitability per procedure.Insurance Pitfalls and Overhead Challenges: Insurance contracts often lead to significant underpayments, as highlighted by shocking examples like $3 profit on procedures or $39 losses on fillings.The necessity of understanding percentile pricing and staying in the 80th-90th percentile for optimal revenue.Addressing PPO-Driven Losses: How practices can renegotiate insurance contracts or use CE programs to navigate reimbursement loopholes.Insights into Delta Dental and its impact on pricing strategy.The Power of Membership Plans: Benefits of creating patient benefit plans to offset insurance losses.Examples of practices successfully implementing BoomCloud's membership platform for consistent cash flow and patient retention.Membership plans as a stepping stone for transitioning out of PPO dependency.Strategies for Insurance-Free Practices: Gradual reduction of insurance contracts by identifying and eliminating the least profitable plans.Building financial stability through recurring revenue from membership plans.Leveraging Tools and Team Expertise: Emphasizing the value of tools like BoomCloud and consultants to streamline practice operations.Why adding financial analysis to overhead is a must for sustained growth.Empowering Practice Owners: Advice for practice owners to avoid fear-based decision-making and embrace fee adjustments.Encouragement to hire experts, coaches, or facilitators to manage the complexities of modern dentistry.Closing Thoughts on Financial Success: Importance of understanding overhead, cost-per-procedure, and ideal patient profiles for long-term success.Both BoomCloud and Elevation Association emphasize ongoing education and resources for dental practices.Listeners will walk away with actionable steps to tackle their financial challenges and optimize profitability in their dental practices! Jordon Comstock - BoomCloudapps.com Dr. Dan Nelson - Elevation Association

    43 min
  3. 12/06/2024

    Crushing Dental Digital Marketing with Minal Sampat

    Crushing Dental Digital Marketing with Minal SampatIn this lively and insight-packed episode, we sit down with Minal Sampat, a powerhouse in the world of dental digital marketing. Known for her unique blend of humor, energy, and no-nonsense advice, Minal shares actionable tips to take your dental practice's online presence from "meh" to mind-blowing. From mastering patient retention to creating social media that doesn’t put your audience to sleep, Minal dishes out real strategies that make marketing fun and effective. You'll learn: Why knowing your audience is non-negotiable (and how to nail it).The magic of leveraging patient reviews and referrals to grow your practice.How to make social media your not-so-secret weapon (hint: it’s all about being relatable and real).The importance of video content that connects, educates, and converts.How to embrace AI and automation to save time and keep your marketing consistent.Whether you’re a seasoned practice owner or just starting out, Minal's edgy and enthusiastic take on dental digital marketing will leave you feeling inspired, motivated, and ready to crush your goals. Tune in to discover how to turn your patients into loyal fans, dominate your local market, and make your practice the one everyone’s talking about (in a good way!). 🎙️ Hit play, take notes, and get ready to level up your marketing game! Visit Minal's rad website! Jordon Comstock - BoomCloudapps.com Dr. Dan Nelson - Elevation Association

    57 min
  4. How to Scale a Membership Program to 365 Members in Just One Year

    12/04/2024

    How to Scale a Membership Program to 365 Members in Just One Year

    Title: "How to Scale a Membership Program to 365 Members in Just One Year: Lessons from Pioneer Valley Dental Arts" Summary: In this episode of The Automatic Patient Podcast, host Jordon Comstock chats with Gina Kiner, Office Manager at Pioneer Valley Dental Arts, about her incredible success in growing their patient membership program to 365 active members in just one year. Gina shares her strategic insights, emphasizing the power of empowering clinical teams to promote the membership program alongside the admin staff. Together, they discuss the importance of patient experience, the role of membership plans in reducing financial barriers, and how effective communication fosters trust and treatment acceptance. Key highlights include: How integrating clinical teams into the financial discussion boosts program adoption.The importance of creating seamless patient experiences and building trust.Specific strategies used to educate both uninsured and insured patients about the membership program.The overwhelmingly positive feedback from members and how it fuels continuous improvement.The significant advantages of membership plans over PPOs, including increased treatment acceptance rates and simplified processes.Whether you're looking to enhance patient care, boost recurring revenue, or learn actionable tips for scaling a membership program, this episode offers invaluable advice from a practice that's successfully done it.How to Scale a Membership Program to 365 Members in Just One Year Jordon Comstock - BoomCloudapps.com Dr. Dan Nelson - Elevation Association

    45 min
  5. 11/15/2024

    PPO Patient vs Cash Patients vs Membership Patients

    key topics for a podcast summary: Technical Setbacks and Humor: The podcast kicks off with some lighthearted moments as Dan and Jordon troubleshoot microphone issues, setting an engaging and relatable tone for the conversation. Strategies for Defining an Ideal Patient Profile (IPP): Jordon and Dan dive into the importance of creating an Ideal Patient Profile, emphasizing how understanding demographics, psychographics, and payment preferences can elevate the success of a dental practice. The Value of Membership Patients vs. PPO and Cash Patients: They discuss the financial and operational impact of different patient types. Membership patients are highlighted as the ideal, with higher conversion rates, more predictable revenue, and fewer limitations compared to PPO patients. The Psychology Behind PPO Limitations: An in-depth explanation is provided on how insurance companies influence patient spending behaviors and the drawbacks of being heavily reliant on PPO patients. Marketing Tips for Attracting Membership Patients: The conversation includes actionable marketing strategies, such as using local SEO, social media, and educational content to bring in more high-value, membership-based patients. Community Engagement and Referral Programs: The hosts discuss ways to build community trust and loyalty, emphasizing how involvement and patient referrals can significantly boost practice growth. These topics set the stage for a dynamic and educational episode packed with actionable advice for dental professionals looking to transform their patient base and increase profitability. Jordon's Company - Membership Platform for dentistry: BoomCloudapps.com Dan's Company - Coaching practice owners for success: https://www.elevationassociation.com Jordon Comstock - BoomCloudapps.com Dr. Dan Nelson - Elevation Association

    1h 8m

About

Welcome to The Automatic Patient Podcast, your go-to source for exclusive practice management content crafted for serious dental and healthcare practice owners who are passionate about patients, profit, and progress. Hosted by Jordon Comstock the CEO of BoomCloud & Dr. Dan Nelson, we dive into proven strategies for building a thriving, profitable practice that delivers exceptional patient care while staying ahead of the competition. Each episode is packed with actionable insights, engaging discussions, and practical tips on everything from optimizing patient acquisition and retention to leveraging membership plans and streamlining operations. Whether you're aiming to boost revenue, improve efficiency, or provide a superior patient experience, this podcast has the solutions you need to transform your practice and achieve lasting success.