Annual Clinic Meeting - March 5, 2027
Inside the Dental Business:
What Every Team Should Know
Featuring: Rick Garofolo
FRIDAY, March 5, 2027
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Sinclair College, Building #12
Dayton, OH 45402
The address for your GPS is:
301 West 4th Street, Dayton OH 45402
Parking passes will be included for the event.
Cost:
DDS Members - $300
Non-ADA Members - $350
Staff - $150
Includes lunch
5.5 CE Credits Available
Registration/Cancellation Deadline:
Friday, February 26, 2026
Schedule
7:30 am - Registration/Continental Breakfast/Exhibitors Open
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Diagnosis to Dollars -
How Every Role Drives Claim Approval
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Break / Exhibitors Open
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Diagnosis to Dollars cont.
12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Fellowship Luncheon
12:45 pm - 1:30 pm
Visit Exhibitors
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
25 Things You Don't Know About Running a Dental Business
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Break / Exhibitors Open
3:30 - 4:30 pm
25 Thins You Don't Know About Running a Dental Business cont.
Rick Garofolo
Speaker Biography:
Rick Garofolo is the founder and CEO of The Practice Mechanic, a dental revenue cycle management company dedicated to helping practices optimize profitability through smarter systems, stronger processes, and real-world execution. With a career rooted in dental billing, coding, and insurance strategy, Rick has worked with practices across the country to improve cash flow, reduce claim delays, and navigate the ever-changing landscape of dental insurance. He is also the founder of the Dental Billing and Business Academy Facebook group and the Dental Men’s Network, where he fosters collaboration, education, and growth within the dental community.
A nationally recognized speaker who has presented in all 50 states, Rick delivers engaging, high-impact education designed for immediate application in today’s dental practice. Known for his practical, results-driven approach, he brings clarity to complex topics like insurance reimbursement, compliance, and operational efficiency. He shares his insights daily through his popular “Drive Live” videos within his Facebook community, extending his reach beyond the stage and into the everyday challenges dental teams face. With a signature style that blends real-world experience, relatable examples, and a touch of humor, Rick equips attendees with the tools they need to “drive” their practice performance to the next level.
Morning Topic Summary:
"Diagnosis to Dollars – How every role drives claim approval"
In this course designed for your entire team, Rick connects clinical accuracy, administrative workflows, and payer requirements to show how great documentation translates into faster, cleaner claim payment. This course breaks down what insurance companies require for successful claims processing and how missing or weak documentation creates delays, denials, and audits. Attendees will learn how each role—from front desk and clinical team to billing and management—contributes critical information that supports medical necessity and payer compliance. Real-world scenarios will illustrate how breakdowns in communication impact reimbursement and how coordinated workflows prevent revenue leakage. Participants will leave with a clear, team-based framework for producing defensible claims that get paid quickly and consistently.
What Attendees Will Learn:
- Identify core insurance company documentation and submission requirements that impact claim approval and payment timelines.
- Explain the specific responsibilities each dental team member plays in supporting complete, compliant claims.
- Recognize common documentation gaps that lead to denials, delays, and audits—and how to prevent them.
- Implement practical, role-based workflows that improve claim accuracy, efficiency, and reimbursement outcomes.
Afternoon Topic Summary:
"25 Things You Don’t Know about running a dental business"
25 Things You Don’t Know is a fast-paced, practical course that reveals the overlooked management and operational “blind spots” that quietly drain profit, time, and team performance in a dental practice. Drawing from real-world examples, it breaks down the business fundamentals owners and managers rarely get formally trained on—profit and loss thinking, true cost accounting, and the key performance indicators that actually predict practice health. You’ll also learn leadership habits that improve accountability and execution, plus HR essentials that reduce risk and strengthen hiring, expectations, and performance management. Attendees leave with clear, immediately usable systems and takeaways to run a tighter, more predictable, better-led office.
What Attendees Will Learn:
- Interpret core business metrics (e.g., P&L, chart of accounts concepts, and practice KPIs) to make smarter operational decisions and spot problems early.
- Calculate the true cost of operating and staffing so fees, goals, and scheduling decisions are grounded in real overhead and profitability.
- Apply leadership practices that improve performance by setting clear expectations, monitoring outcomes, and equipping the team with the tools and systems to succeed.
- Strengthen HR and office systems by improving hiring controls, accountability structures, and compliant handbook/communication practices that protect the business.
Why This Matters for the Entire Team
Inside the Dental Business: What Every Team Should Know and Understand is a practical, team-focused course designed to help dental professionals see how their individual responsibilities connect to the overall health of the practice. This program goes beyond insurance and documentation to cover the business fundamentals every team member should understand, including budgeting basics, role clarity, operational systems, accountability, and the key numbers that help a practice stay on track. Through real-world examples and straightforward explanations, attendees will learn how breakdowns in documentation, communication, scheduling, or follow-up can impact reimbursement, efficiency, and profitability as well as how well-defined systems and shared understanding can help the entire team contribute to a stronger, healthier dental business
