Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2020 - 49

Doctors

Presentation Summary

Give Patients What They Want
Dr. Renelle Connor
PCSO Bulletin Contributor

Presented by Dr. Ben Fishbein at the PCSO Annual
Session, Oct 5, 2019
Dr. Ben Fishbein is the owner of Fishbein Orthodontics. Over the past five years, Fishbein Orthodontics has rapidly grown from one location to
eight locations and from seven team members to
more than 80 employees. He attributes this expansion to successful management and patient
acquisition.

Dr. Ben Fishbein
Fishbein Orthodontics

Lecture Objectives
▫▫ Understand what it means to create and
maintain a positive team culture
▫▫ Learn how levels of leadership can control the
many responsibilities of an orthodontic office
▫▫ See some of Fishbein Orthodontics' most
effective methods of new patient acquisition
Fishbein Orthodontics' Growth and Branding
Fishbein Orthodontics is a multilocation practice
in the Pensacola, Florida area. After finishing his
orthodontic residency in Jacksonville, Florida, Dr.
Fishbein acquired an orthodontic practice in Pensacola. From that single office, he has grown his
practice into seven other locations. Every office
that was acquired was updated, receiving renovations, hardware updates, and software updates so
that the style of Fishbein Orthodontics could be
reflected at each location. In this way, each office
location underwent construction rehabilitation.
To create branding, Fishbein Orthodontics puts
logos throughout the dental office and on patient
pamphlets. Fishbein Orthodontics also uses videos to highlight patient experiences. Dr. Fishbein
stated, "We don't use the standard testimonial
videos, we use lifestyle-type videos," and "We
want brand-centered videos, not doctor-centered
videos."
Objective 1: Understand What It Means to Create
and Maintain a Positive Team Culture
Fishbein Orthodontics strives to provide the best
experience, not only for the patients and parents but for the employees, too. Dr. Fishbein's
motto is that experience above all else matters
and that "culture is king." Dr. Fishbein controls

Spring 2020 PCSO Bulletin

culture through team events. At Fishbein Orthodontics, appreciation is shown with free snacks
for the staff and by taking the staff to lunch
once a month. Fishbein Orthodontics also does a
retreat each year which allows staff to meet each
other and also serves as a form of advertisement
because staff members post about it on social media. The positive team culture at Fishbein Orthodontics extends out into the community through
general patient experiences and the Embrace
Campaign. The Embrace Campaign is a Fishbein
Orthodontics foundation, focused on offering free
treatment to patients who cannot afford treatment and are being bullied because of their teeth.
Objective 2: Learn How Levels of Leadership Can
Control the Many Responsibilities of an Orthodontic Office
As a part of ensuring a positive experience for
the staff and the patients, a prompt schedule is
established and maintained. This enhances patient experiences and keeps staff morale positive.
Fishbein Orthodontics believes in starting the day
on time. To promote this belief, there is a strict
tardiness policy in which the first episode of tardiness is "free," but any tardiness after that results
in an increased level of employee reprimand,
from verbal warning to written warning to being
sent home without pay. The strict tardiness policy
enforces a culture of promptness.
Dr. Fishbein acknowledges the importance of
identifying levels of leadership. To identify levels
of leadership and responsibilities, people are hired
based on job descriptions which are very well
defined. Responsibilities are further emphasized
during quarterly reviews. The management flow
of Fishbein Orthodontics is such that the doctor is
responsible for a few team members who are in
management positions, and those managers are
then responsible for the members assigned under
them. In this way, responsibilities are more manageable, as they are spread through the levels. This
setup is beneficial, especially when issues or concerns arise, because employees work together and
report to supervisors. Because of these leadership

Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2020

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