Former Pride Member, Army Dentist Finds Value in Spear Practice Solutions
By Kaitlyn Thompson on February 28, 2020 | comments
Dr. Jennifer Kirwan knew she wanted to become a dentist by the time she was 8 years old.
While pursuing her bachelor’s degree, she was awarded a U.S. Army ROTC scholarship and she served four years of active duty and four years of reserve duty in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, before exiting the Army and beginning her dental career.
She earned her D.D.S. at Creighton University School of Dentistry and completed her advanced general dentistry residency at Fort Benning in Georgia. Dr. Kirwan joined her Kansas City-area practice as an associate in 2004 and spent years as a Pride Institute client before Spear’s acquisition of Pride in 2018.
When Dr. Kirwan and her partner became Pride clients, they looked closely at their practice numbers, their team and their leadership skills. They started budgeting instead of reacting to needs as they arose.
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Morale improved as the practice team better understood their roles. Dr. Kirwan and her partner implemented the leadership strategies taught by Amy Morgan, the former Pride CEO who joined Spear in 2018 as Vice President of Consulting Strategy following the acquisition of Pride.
Dr. Kirwan saw an increase in practice profitability, productivity and happiness. After a few years, her partner suggested budgeting for other priorities.
Technology-enabled consulting through Spear
In 2016, Dr. Kirwan became a solo practitioner. She had a happy team and loyal patient base and she credited Pride and her military background for helping her develop strong leadership skills.
With a successful, growing practice, Dr. Kirwan continued to invest in her clinical skills by attending Spear workshops and seminars in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Dr. Kirwan attended a Practice Solutions lunch and discovered that membership provides far more than traditional consulting, with coaching to align the entire dental team, prescribed content for growth, leadership training for practice owners and a real-time analytics dashboard to monitor daily progress.
She was pleased to learn that Spear’s educational values aligned with the foundational, leadership principles advocated by Pride.
“I feel like Spear brought all of the best parts of Pride into the 21st century,” Dr. Kirwan said. “There are no more big binders and recipe cards. We have the platform now that is accessible from anywhere at any time.”
Non-traditional consulting yields results
Dr. Kirwan enjoys that Spear is constantly innovating, with new features and tools added frequently to the Practice Solutions Platform. Prescribed weekly meetings allow Dr. Kirwan to practice her leadership skills and communicate efficiently with her team. She said her dedicated Practice Solutions consultant is like part of the team.
The video conferences, monthly consulting calls and regular platform checks hold Dr. Kirwan and her team accountable, with practice goals always at the forefront.
“With Practice Solutions, you get more than just a consultant,” Dr. Kirwan said. “You really have an entire team that’s looking at your practice. Your consultant is discussing your analytics and your numbers with a team of brilliant people and then bringing the conclusions and action plan back to you to implement.”
After nine months as a member of Practice Solutions, Dr. Kirwan's average monthly revenue increased by 73%. She partially attributed the increase to adding a new associate and extending hygiene hours.
New patient value increased from $1,795 to $2,109 and the practice patient base increased from 1,735 to 1,817. Case acceptance increased by 6%, scheduled re-care increased by 5% and the average hourly hygiene rate increased by 41%.
After attending the “Practice of Excellence” workshop at the Spear Campus, Dr. Kirwan's team felt more aligned and engaged.
“What I love about Practice Solutions is that it’s not a cookie-cutter approach,” Dr. Kirwan said. “Spear gives you the tools to get organized and keep your team motivated, but you have to make it your own.”