How EndoConnect Can Improve Endodontic Care for Both Practices and Patients

Carrie:

Welcome back to the Jameson Files. I’m your host, Carrie Weber. Dr. Randy Middleton, of Dallas, Texas, thank you so much for joining me today. 

Dr. Randy Middleton is an endodontist in the Dallas Fort Worth area, and he has started a new company called EndoConnect. He is on a mission to help make the referral process of the endo needs in a general practice as easy as possible by providing a service that makes that in-house for general practices. Dr. Middleton, I’d love to learn a little bit more about your services through EndoConnect, but before we do that, let’s back up a little bit and would you mind telling the listeners and viewers a little bit about your backstory? What led you to endodontics and what ultimately led you to the path that you’re on today in your professional career?

The Beginning of EndoConnect

Dr. Middleton:

So I found endodontics actually in dental school. It was something I was drawn to– the actual work itself, the meticulous nature of doing the actual procedures attracted me. So I just ran with it from there. That was probably my second or third year in dental school, so I had a lot of time to reflect on what practice life looks like. It never seemed right to me to duplicate everything that a general dentist has, an office, the chairs, the staff. Everything is literally a carbon copy, but down the street, and it just didn’t seem right. I thought there’s a better way for this. Patients don’t like traveling. It’s hard to collaborate on cases when you’re down the street. So I always thought this would be something I did, and it’s slowly building, so I’m excited for the future. 

Carrie:

So exciting! For some time, you’ve been doing this on your own. You’ve been going into the practices, you bring your assistance, you bring all of the equipment that you need, and you basically are collaborating and partnering with these practices, providing your endodontic services however many days a month that they need you there, correct?

Dr. Middleton:

That’s right. It’s interesting that it can grow organically, you know, just vendors and assistants and dentists. Everybody you know knows 10 more people, and it’s really grown bigger than I thought it would without a whole lot of advertising, at least so far.

Carrie:

Yes. What’s interesting to me is when this started taking off, had you known about this model before or is this something that you took the lead on and said, why don’t I just come to you? How did this really begin?

Dr. Middleton:

Well, I kind of conceptualized it loosely in dental school and then residency. Then I was actually connected with a DSO, which had the same model. And I thought that I would just link up with them. And then as I got my footing there and learned the business side of it– things that I like and things that I can do better. And then it grew in parallel. It started with vendors, and I’ve found connections through hygienists that I’ve met. Word of mouth is very powerful.

The Advantages of Formal Marketing Over Word-of-Mouth

Carrie:

That leads me to something interesting. You said just a minute ago that this has really started pretty organically. You made one connection, and then the word got out about you and that this was something that you would provide. You had mentioned that to this point it’s been organic, but you are definitely a forward thinker in terms of all aspects of marketing your business. You really do put your own effort forward to help that word-of-mouth marketing grow. But also you’re investing in your own marketing efforts and you’ve been trying to do that since I’ve met you. So how do you see marketing in terms of its role that it plays in your career in this particular approach to endodontics that you’re taking?

Dr. Middleton:

Word of mouth isn’t direct. You can’t control where that goes. And I like that I can control where I’m marketing the practice. That’s really the onus of, number one, to scale the practice, but also, to be able to direct it geographically in certain areas. That’s a lot more easily controlled with formal marketing, so that’s what drove me to the formal marketing campaigns.

Carrie:

It’s really a matter of being able to direct the message that you want to get out there, because it is a very specific process of how you work with these practices. So I’m sure you want to make sure that they understand what this is all about and what we do. Would you agree?

Dr. Middleton:

It’s a different practice type. A lot of practices have never heard of it. And formal marketing is not my area of expertise. I’m not a marketer, right? I have a loose vision, but I don’t know the psychology of what a flyer needs to look like. How does my website need to flow? And so that’s what led me to find a professional that does this. So yes, I don’t pretend to be an expert in marketing, so I’ll just stay in my lane.

The Role of Endodontists in Patient Care

Carrie:

You have your expertise, right? You know what your expertise is. So let’s talk about your expertise– endodontics. Interestingly, in 2024, I’ve been doing some work more specifically in specialties. Something that’s very unique about Endo is there’s not very many of you out there. You are one of the lowest represented specialties nationwide which could lead to definitely the demand of what you provide. What do you see in terms of what you all bring to the profession and bring to patient care? Why do you think there’s so few people that choose the Endo path?

Dr. Middleton:

I don’t know if too few people choose it. I think there’s just not a lot of programs. It’s highly competitive, so I don’t think there’s any programs that aren’t full. I think the interest is there. I think it’s an attractive specialty to a lot of dentists. I don’t know why we don’t have enough specialists, but I don’t think it’s a lack of interest.

Carrie:

Well, and it’s interesting because it seems as if this is one of those pieces, especially complex endo cases, that the GPs want to pass off to somebody else. And that’s what brings you to the table. So for those that are considering endodontics or those younger doctors that are just getting started in Endo, what kind of advice would you give them that you’ve learned at this point in your career as an endodontist that would really help them thrive in this specialty?

Dr. Middleton:

I think just viewing the specialist as a partner to the practice. It doesn’t have to be in my model, it can be in the traditional model, but the goal is partnering with them to take care of this patient. So whatever that means or whatever that looks like for that practice and you know, specialist and dentist together. But the more that I lean into the partnership aspect, the better we collaborate together. And I think the patient feels that seamless transition when the care is passed from the general dentist to the specialist. We all know what’s going on, and so that makes everybody look competent and the patient feels even that much more comfortable with us.

How EndoConnect Partners with GPs

Carrie:

The ideal piece about what you’re doing is it really puts the emphasis on a partnership, a true collaborative relationship for the sake of the patient. This feels like a good time to share a little bit more specifically. Endo Connect is your company that’s creating this community of partnership with GPs and Endodontists, yourself included. You’re going into the general practices and providing that Endodontic care, Can you give a little bit more of a deep dive description of what that looks like? What is the relationship between the partnership with the practice and with you and your company? How is that realized? What’s that look like?

Dr. Middleton:

So an office would traditionally send their patients to the office down the street. They don’t do that anymore. They schedule them in their own office on a day of their choosing, and based on their volume. We’ll come in and we’ll see their patients, morning and afternoon, all day, however many they need seen and at whatever frequency is good for them. So the patient never really knows of this relationship behind the scenes, but all they know is they go to the same office, they have a procedure done by a new dentist, but one that their dentist is endorsing because it’s in their office. And most of them will get their final restorations right after the endodontic procedure. So they’re not running around in a temporary crown. They’re not driving across town.

EndoConnect Benefits Both GPs and Patients

From the patient’s perspective, it’s seamless, and the relationship on the backside is not complex. They bring us in, we charge them a fee for every procedure that we do, and then they bill their patients as they normally would. So it really works well. I think that the idea seems intimidating, but in practice the offices seem to be able to integrate it quickly and easily. The front desk staff don’t change much of what they’re doing. They just add a new column, you know, for the Endo day. It seems to be pretty smooth once we get past the mental hurdles of having a new provider in the office.

Carrie:

Yes. To me, it’s brilliant. It answers such a high level of customer service for the patient, Time is one of the biggest obstacles for care for patients. So to me, the convenience and the time saving is so huge. Plus for the patient, they don’t have to go somewhere new and strange. They can go to the place that they’re most familiar and comfortable with. And then also in terms of the comfort level for the actual practices: they get to schedule, they get to do the financial arrangements, they get to care for that patient and lead that patient through treatment like they would any patient in any treatment. The only difference is that it’s an endodontist that comes in and provides that actual treatment. I think that’s just such a brilliant way to be able to make it seamless for the practice and also a very seamless and positive experience for the patient. I have to imagine that’s what you experience on a regular basis, is it? 

Dr. Middleton:

Yes. Patients really do appreciate not having to be sent down the street. Every office that we connect with says, “My patients just begged me, ‘Please don’t send me. can’t you do this?’” And sometimes the case is just not a good case for the dentist to do. So they’re stuck between attempting this thing or sending the patient down the street. So bringing that into their office seems like a no-brainer. It’s a win-win for everybody. 

Carrie:

I was telling you before we got on here that I just need you to go nationwide, Dr. Middleton. I need you in many, many states. 

Dr. Middleton:

We’re working on it.

How to Connect with EndoConnect

Carrie:

You’re working on it, for sure. So tell me and especially those listeners or viewers that are in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, which is where you are based and where your services are provided right now, how they can find you, how they can learn more about Endo Connect, and if they’re curious or want to take any next steps, how they can connect with you.

Dr. Middleton:

It’s endoconnect.net. Browse there. It has pretty much everything, the ins and outs. They can get 80% of the information on how we work and what they can expect. All that is on the website. If they want to connect, they can fill out a form and somebody will be in contact with them. We would love to connect.

Carrie:

Perfect. So all you Dallas-Fort Worth people make a point to go visit endoconnect.net, get to know Dr. Middleton and his team, and explore this as a new opportunity for you to not only take care of your patients, but have a new productive entity in your practice that serves both you and your patients to the highest possible level. Dr. Middleton, thank you so much for joining me today. I appreciate it. Thanks.

Dr. Middleton:

Thanks for having me. I’ve enjoyed speaking with you.

Carrie:

Thank you. 

And thanks to all of you for listening. We appreciate you being a part of our community, and we’ll see you next time.

Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Jameson Files. Visit us online. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. See you next time.