How Patterson Dental streamlined the startup process for one new practice

September 18, 2015

After 29 years working as a dental hygienist, Hanna transitioned to the front office, where she now serves as office manager. With past experience helping to build three other dental offices, and a desire to work with her good friend Nancy Shelton, DDS, Hanna was confident when she approached Shelton about building a practice that would bring something different to the Pasco area.

For Office Manager Cyndi Hanna and the staff at Downtown Dental on 4th in Pasco, Wash., dentistry is about far more than clean teeth and healthy mouths – it’s about people, friends and community.

As soon as Shelton was on board with the idea, the two began looking for property and making plans. “We sat down at lunch one day and sketched out what we wanted our practice to look like as far as the design, the placement of the operatories and the flow of the practice,” said Hanna. The planning stage also involved contacting suppliers and representatives from at least four different companies – which made the process disjointed and confusing.

Then Hanna connected with Patterson Territory Representative Annette Halverson and things began to look up. Halverson took the time to meet for coffee and talk over Hanna’s vision before introducing her to Patterson Equipment Specialist Jack Brown. “Once we started working with Annette and Jack, it just became such an easy process,” said Hanna. “We went from gathering information from all of these different companies to working with a cohesive team that provided solid information, including pricing and guarantees on equipment packages.”

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Brown helped with equipment selections by showing Hanna and Shelton a variety of equipment options and helping them determine what was important to spend money on and why. Halverson helped them create a supply list, anticipating what they would need when they opened the doors of the practice. The list was created in plenty of time to plan payments, and Halverson introduced them to the Patterson Advantage Program, which provides rewards for purchases.

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One of the most important additions was the implementation of Eaglesoft practice management software. After looking at other software systems, they chose Eaglesoft because of the many features, its intuitive design and how easy it is to use. “It was seamless,” said Hanna. “Everything just went together. Eaglesoft is an all-inclusive program that makes coordinating between the front and back office simple and easy. This was a huge decision for us and I’m so glad we went with Eaglesoft. It affects all of my day-to-day responsibilities.”

“I’m really grateful that Patterson was part of this office build,” said Hanna. “Our Patterson team simplified everything and made it such an easy process. They were great – once everybody got together it was like a family. I’ve worked with other dental companies before and you don’t get that kind of personal service. And the result is amazing – we have a great practice. We have a private practice with a doctor who cares in an area where there aren’t a lot of private practices. It’s so nice to offer our patients high-end equipment and the best dental care possible.”

Downtown Dental on 4th opened in March of 2015. With a bilingual assistant as part of the team, they are able to serve the Latino population in the area. “There’s a lot we can do individually for each patient and there’s a lot we can do for the community,” said Hanna. “We think if we treat people right they’ll bring in their family members and friends, and we’ll take care of them as well. We’re just really looking forward to growing this practice. We want everybody in Pasco to know that we’re here and that we’re available to them.”