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Phillip R. Devore, DDS
Phillip R. Devore, DDS, Dental Director at Futuredontics, Inc., built
two separate dental practices in ten years with annual revenue exceeding $1.2 million per
doctor. Since retiring from clinical dentistry in 1992, he has lectured on dental
marketing to thousands of dentists around the country, as well as at UCLA and the
University of Oklahoma. He has also visited hundreds of dental practices, sharing the
secrets of his success. Dr. Devore has been published numerous times; his article,
"Internal Marketing; The Five Rs" can be seen in the November 1995 issue of
Dental Economics.
Current Seminar Schedule
Dr. Devore, along with practice management consultant Kristen Gorsuch, presents a
Futuredontics seminar, "How to Build Your Practice With Media-Generated
Referrals." This intensive full-day interactive seminar focuses on all aspects of new
patient management, including phone techniques, scheduling, case presentation and
financial arrangements. Nowhere will you find two people who know more about this area of
practice management! For more information and reservations, contact Gwen Call at
800-552-1616, ext. 4064
Friday, June 21
Detroit, MI
Romulus Marriott
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, June 28
Orlando, FL
Orlando Airport Marriott
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, July 19
Dallas, TX
Sheraton Suites Market Center
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, August 2
Houston, TX
Airport Marriott
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, August 23
South San Francisco, CA
South San Francisco Conf. Center
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, September 27
Irvine, CA
Irvine Marriott Relocated from Irvine Radisson Hotel]
Friday, October 25
Los Angeles, CA
Bonaventure Hotel
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, November 15
Denver, CO
Denver Marriott Tech Center
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Success In Dentistry
When asked what it takes to be a successful dentist, most of us would begin the definition with some reference to production, collections, or net. Ultimately however, success cannot be measured merely in terms of take-home. Whenever I think of what it means to be a successful dentist, I think of various individuals I've known throughout my career that I consider successful. Some of them have very large practices with huge volume and significant net, while others have smaller practices--more like boutique practices with significantly smaller production but also good nets. Above all though, the dentists I think of as being successful have more than just good practices with nice incomes. They have a life--a life outside the walls of their practices.
Sometimes that life is in other aspects of dentistry, such as doctors who have second businesses associated with dentistry, or those who are involved in politics or are part of the State Board of Dental Examiners. In my experience, the key has always been that successful dentists have some balance between their practices and their personal lives. Both the spiritual and financial aspects of their lives are well in hand and in harmony with one another. Their practices are clinically excellent, have solid management, and effective, consistent marketing. To me, that is what it takes to be a successful dentist.
Patients know when the dentist is "having a bad day." They definitely know when he/she is having a bad week, or month, or even year. Personal satisfaction and happiness are crucial to the success of any dentist in practice. If the doctor is not happy with some aspect of his/her life, it will always manifest itself in the practice in one way or another. Doctors who are getting divorced may talk endlessly about their divorce with patients, staff, and anyone else who will listen, with disastrous results. Doctors who have problems with their children or other aspects of their life, will also find an outlet in the practice because it's all they think about. We all know that dentists who have severe financial strain can be tempted in their treatment planning and diagnosis to sharpen their explorers, sometimes too much so. If a doctor isn't a happy person, he/she cannot be a successful dentist.
Spiritual balance and harmony must be found by any person (especially healthcare providers) before they can be successful. In most cases that includes traditional spiritual issues such as church and synagogues, but in this case, it also applies to the notion of personal life and family. If a doctor has a rich and satisfying personal life, whether it's family, friends, or other social outlets, he/she is generally a happy and selffulfilled practitioner of the healing arts. This manifests itself in many ways during personal interactions between patient and doctor, and the patients know the doctor is happy. Patients like to refer to "happy doctors"they're unlikely to refer to a "sourpuss."
Financial considerations are frequently a problem for dentists. If the doctor's personal finances are not in order and the doctor is living beyond his/her means, it will almost always affect the way the practice functions. Doctors will put off buying necessary supplies until the very last minute, causing problems for the staff. Doctors will often postpone needed remodeling or other small investments in their practice/business to "save money." This behavior is as disastrous as having a financially-strapped person make financial arrangements for the practice. It's critical that doctors live within their means, manage their personal finances intelligently, and create balance and harmony in their personal financial life. This will allow them to operate on a free and open basis with their patients without extrinsic financial considerations clouding their judgement.
The doctor must strive to achieve technical excellence in the clinical area of practice by constantly working to improve the delivery of his/her service to patients. This is most easily accomplished by continuing education, reading journals and participating in a study club. Peer contact allows the doctor both clinical and social benefit, enabling the doctor to maintain and indeed improve his/her clinical skills. The delivery of superlative clinical dentistry is crucial to creating the balance and harmony necessary for professional success.
If a dentist is to be successful, his/her practice must be managed well. That management can be accomplished by the doctor or professional management, or a combination of the two. But if the doctor is not welladministered, then there is no chance for professional success, let alone personal satisfaction.
For any doctor's practice to continue to be successful, it must have good marketing to insure ever more business. A marketing program that includes both internal and external marketing modalities is essential. To keep new patients coming in and to create the kind of balance and harmony necessary to be truly successful, a marketing program is mandatory and always present in the case of the successful doctor.
Balance and harmony in both personal and professional life are necessary for a dentist to be entirely successful. This can be broken down into spiritual and financial, as well as clinical, management and marketing aspects. In future articles I will be further defining the methodology by which these goals can be reached. Balance among these areas in the life of a doctor, if achieved, will invariably produce a dentist that is truly successful.
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