2014 AAO Webinar - Chief Operating Officer 101

Credits: None available.

Many new orthodontists have what it takes to start a practice (or take ownership of an established office), but how many are prepared for the daily management and operation of a full-time business? This course will examine best practices for improving your production / collection ratio, understanding practice financial statements, developing and maintaining referral relationships, managing employee issues and more. We will also talk about corporate dentistry and how these providers may impact your future.

Course objectives include:

• Explain how to effectively manage a growing orthodontic practice
• Discuss how to decipher practice financial statements
• Discuss what the emergence of corporate dentistry means for orthodontic practices

2013 AAO Webinar - Personal Finance 101

Credits: None available.

This course will examine budgeting milestones at both the personal and practice level. We will provide an overview of student debt, efficient methods for its repayment, and how debt impacts practice transition activities. Finally, we will look at retirement planning options and discuss why it’s never too soon to start building up a nest egg.

Course objectives include:

• Explain how to set up personal and practice budgeting milestones
• Discuss various methods for managing student debt
• Discuss the basics of personal retirement planning

2013 AAO Webinar - Retirement Planning Basics - Start Now!

Credits: None available.

Participants will learn the different types of basic retirement plans. Each has its own benefits, costs and requirements. Though your retirement is years away, pre-positioning yourself early in your career and choosing the best option can mean a difference measured (literally) not in hundreds of thousands, but in millions of dollars. There is no substitute for a well chosen and executed plan.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the difference between 401k, defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans and SIMPLE IRAs
• Define what is a Roth IRA?
• List the benefits of a well-designed retirement plan, and what are the downsides of delaying?
• Analyze what kind of plan is best for me now, and does it make sense to change it later in my career?

2012 AAO Webinar - The New Marketplace and Adding a Partner

Credits: None available.

This course will survey current trends and developments in the operating environment for orthodontic practices, and include the effect on transition activities. In addition, the best practices / planning protocols for adding a partner will be explained, to include the necessary legal documentation, both initial and secondary.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the fundamental changes in orthodontic practice operations and transition activities that will influence your career
• Explain the best practices / protocols for Partnership Pathway planning
• Explain the fundamental causes for partnership failure and how to prevent them
• Differentiate between the initial and secondary legal documents

2012 AAO Webinar - I Have Found a Practice: Now What?

Credits: None available.

This course will provide an understanding of the four important phases necessary in acquiring a practice:

• Practice value and the deal
• Financing, interest rates and depreciation
• Legal documents / representation
• Operating / managing the practice

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the fundamentals of practice valuation, how it is developed and the successful strategies for reaching an agreement in principle
• Discuss how to secure financing, secrets to finding the best deal, and lender requirements
• Explain the basics of the necessary legal documents, how they affect you and having representation to protect your interests

2014 AAO Webinar - Constructing or Remodeling Your Office: Legal and Practical Issues

Credits: None available.

Constructing or remodeling an orthodontic office can be a make-or-break process for a practice. Cost overruns and construction delays can put a start-up office deeply in debt before the first patient is even seen or derail the momentum of a growing practice. Build outs and remodeling must be done efficiently, economically, and in compliance with a myriad of laws and codes. In this presentation we will explore some of the legal and practical issues involved in new office construction and remodeling an existing office. This presentation will review some of the issues related to office construction and remodeling.

Learning Objectives:

• Determine whether to build from the ground up verses purchasing an existing building
• Determine whether to own or lease: which makes better financial sense
• Explain how to work with architects, contractors, and tradesmen
• Assess and evaluate construction contracts
• Determine how to finance your project
• Discuss subleasing space during construction or remodeling
• Manage cost and time overruns

2013 AAO Webinar - Leasing Your Office and Negotiating Your Build-Out

Credits: None available.

In order to create beautiful smiles you will need an office to work in. Dealing with an office lease or an office build-out can be a stressful and expensive proposition. This lecture is designed to take some of the mystery out of lease negotiations and the build-out of an office space. Attendees will come away with a basic understanding of the critical issues in leasing office space as well as how to work with a contractor to insure a successful build-out.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain what a comprehensive lease and build-out agreement should contain
• List the traps and pitfalls that can be contained in a lease or build-out agreement
• Explain how to protect yourself from an aggressive landlord or unscrupulous contractor

2012 AAO Webinar - Choosing and Working with an Attorney and Understanding and Negotiating Contracts

Credits: None available.

Choosing and Working With an Attorney: A good attorney can help insure a favorable outcome. Whether it is to negotiate an employment agreement, purchase or sell a practice, collect a fee, defend against an accusation of professional negligence, or interpret a complex dental regulation, having a good attorney can make the difference between a successful outcome and a debilitating loss. This presentation will explore some of the issues every orthodontist needs to understand and consider when choosing and working with an attorney.

Understanding and Negotiating Contracts: Whether you are negotiating your lease, a managed care plan, the purchase of supplies and equipment, an employment agreement, or a contract with a vendor, understanding some basic legal concepts can help improve the outcome. This presentation will review the legal fundamentals of contract law and discuss how they apply to every contract your sign. In addition, we will review strategies that can level the playing field in contract negotiations.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how to efficiently, effectively, and economically utilize the services of an attorney
• Explain how to work with an attorney to better achieve their desired outcomes
• Discuss the basic concepts of contract law and contract construction
• Discuss the traps and pitfalls that can be contained in a contract
• Discuss how to better negotiate a contract

2012 AAO Webinar - Understanding Associate Agreements

Credits: None available.

Understanding Associate Agreements: Hiring or becoming an associate is a major decision for every orthodontist. This presentation will review a number of the legal and practical issues both the employer and the employee need to consider in entering into an associate agreement. We will examine the important issues relevant to an associate agreement in a presentation that balances the interests of both the employer and the employee. Attendees will come away with an understanding of the fundamentals of an employment agreement.

Learning Objectives:

• Recall what a comprehensive employment agreement should contain
• Explain the difference between an independent contractor and an employee
• Explain how to properly address associate compensation
• Discuss what an effective restrictive covenant should (and should not) include

2016 AAO Webinar - Mergers - A Transition Structure with Multiple Benefits

Credits: None available.

Orthodontics is in the midst of much change. Practice mergers are a rapidly emerging practice structure. This structure allows doctors to operate much as they always have within the bounds of a structure that provides cost savings, strategic advantages, increases their competitive position and has a built-in transition plan.

After this lecture you will be able to:

• Distinguish a merger from more traditional models;
• Explain how a merger can increase practice value and reduce overhead costs;
• Explain how the doctor’s financial benefit is increased;
• Explain how a merger provides a defense against encroachment from non-orthodontic practices.