When Dr. Kevin Axx left a group practice and took a “leap of faith” to go out on his own in 2016, he knew he needed resources to elevate his new endodontics practice in the highly competitive Phoenix market.

It was important to him to stand out as one of the premier endodontics offices in the community – particularly by establishing an effective system to work with referring doctors and their teams.

“We needed a differentiator,” said Dr. Axx, a native New Yorker who’s practiced endodontics in the Valley of the Sun since 2007.

“So, when my Dentsply rep told me how Spear Masters Program could help set us apart, I was interested right away,” he said. “I had prior experience with Spear and I really appreciate their approach to interdisciplinary dentistry, to developing relationships with referrers and creating the right client experience, so I knew this program would be ideal for me.”

Dr. Axx attended the “Mastering the Exceptional Specialist Practice – Endodontists” workshop, which introduces endodontists to strategies to optimize their referral base, streamline their schedules, create a new paradigm for leading their teams and maximize productivity.

The results proved better than he expected.

“Revenue has gone up 44 percent year over year – and we just recently had our best month ever, with an increase of 76 percent,” Dr. Axx said.

Learning to work smarter, not harder

Dr. Axx said he appreciates the way Masters Program has not only shown his team how to increase referrals, but also how to manage that increase by making team members think more creatively about optimizing their work.

“Before, I was working five days a week doing 25 appointments,” Dr. Axx said. “Now, I’m doing 24 appointments a week, but I’m doing it in four days. At the same time, I have an associate who has ramped up production quickly, so we are way ahead.”

As part of Masters Program, endodontists learn how to help staff recognize the right priorities and empower them to act. Developed by expert clinicians and longtime educators in practice management, the curriculum helps specialist teams leverage their time in and out of the practice.

Establishing effective team roles

After attending the introductory “Mastering the Exceptional Specialist Practice” workshop, the full Masters Program experience provides you and your team with an even deeper sense of how to provide performance-based compensation that clearly defines team roles and aligns your staff on a clear vision for practice growth.

Dr. Axx learned guidelines to develop his own professional relationship director, or PRD – a role that serves as an ambassador between his practice and referring practices.

Additionally, the coaching and support he received help him easily implement more effective work systems into his practice.

“Our PRD feels so supported with the online videos and with her talks with her PRD coach,” Dr. Axx said.

“She’s on her own track as far as her training and I love it because she is getting so much more than what I could teach her at this point,” he added. “The Masters Program is so well structured in the way that they educate and train PRDs, and I am seeing that in the way that she is growing into this role so quickly.”

Content, training tailored for endodontists

Masters Program provides endodontists with content tailored for specialist practices, including strategy playbooks that lay out clear steps to efficiently address specific referral challenges.

Membership also links members into the overall Spear learning ecosystem – including access to the CE-eligible lessons and interactive resources on Spear Online, the platform named “Best Product” by Dental Product Shopper – to reinforce lessons relevant to any individual team and referral network.

“I have confidence in my clinical abilities, but Masters Program teaches you the business aspects and relationship aspects that you can’t get anywhere else,” Dr. Axx said.

“We are in a very competitive market here in Phoenix and this program is giving us the tools we need to set us apart.”


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