Lan has been practice administrator at Natick Dental Partners since April 2016. She previously ran a cancer center in Florida and had relocate due to her husband’s job. She found this opportunity through a recruiter and it sounded interesting. She figured that all of the aspects of management would be similar with some minor differences due to the industry change. However, the different policies, insurances nuisances, and such could be learned and would have to be learned with any job.
Natick Dental Partners has been in business for approximately 40 years. They offer comprehensive dental services including pediatric and adult dentistry, periodontics, endodontic, and orthodontic care. Located near the Natick Mall, They are conveniently located for easy access from multiple neighboring towns. Their mission is to consistently provide exceptional comprehensive dental care for their patients in a professional and caring environment.
Lan’s favorite part of the job is being able to work with the staff and figuring out how they communicate and work best. Then utilizing their strengths to get the job done most effectively. It’s also the most frustrating when she has to deal with HR issues.
I asked her about challenges. “Since dental insurance generally does not cover much, patients are usually left with balances. However some patients simply do not understand that their medical insurance is different from their dental insurance and therefore they are ultimately responsible for what is not covered. My biggest challenge at the moment is working on those cases where patients just don’t understand the concept of dental insurance no matter how much we explain to them.” Lan stated.
Since Lan is relatively new to dentistry, I asked her what advice she would give a new practice administrator. “To new practice administrators I would say to make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself trying to do everything all at once. Just figure out a system that works best for you and take it one step at a time.”
She’s finding Dental Managers Society very helpful. “There are numerous benefits I see with being a part of the Dental Managers Society. However to name one I would say that being able to connect with other like-minded individuals and learning from others’ experiences is a big benefit.”
Lan was born in Vietnam and came over when she was one years old with her parents; the first place they lived when they arrived was Albany. Her parents relocated to Florida as soon as possible because they were not used to the cold weather and wanted a climate closer to what they were used to. She lived there most of her life and recently moved to Massachusetts which she enjoys.
Lan is already a contributing DMS member and has written an article (page 5) The Affordable Care Act’s Section 1557 and how it relates to dental practices. Thank you and Welcome Lan!
