{"id":15464,"date":"2025-08-23T07:35:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T14:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/?p=15464"},"modified":"2025-08-24T17:58:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T00:58:20","slug":"dso-leaders-top-priorities-fall-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/blog\/dso-leaders-top-priorities-fall-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"DSO Leaders Reveal Top Priorities for Fall 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This DSO article was written by Planet DDS and originally published in DrBicuspid.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite ongoing technology changes and staffing challenges, dental support organization (DSO<\/a>) leaders are doubling down on smart, sustainable growth strategies<\/a> to take them through the final months of 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From talent retention and tech optimization to expanding clinical access and building infrastructure, six executives at Dykema<\/a>\u2019s 12th Annual DSO Conference shared their top priorities for the rest of the year, offering key insights to where the industry is heading next.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talent Retention and Provider Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With staffing shortages<\/a> still top of mind, DSOs are prioritizing efforts that keep providers supported and engaged, both clinically and culturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur priorities are focused on talent retention, technology optimization, and disciplined growth,\u201d said Mick Janness, CEO of Oakpoint<\/a>. \u201cWe are working to expand our human resources reach in helping practices better recruit, engage, and retain team members.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Yahya Mansour, DDS, co-founder and chief dental officer of Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics<\/a>, strengthening the doctor pipeline is as much about systems as it is support: \u201cOur top priorities are strengthening doctor retention, streamlining clinical operations, and expanding leadership capacity at the office level. As demand continues to grow, we must build durable systems that support scale without sacrificing quality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dale Hockel, CEO of Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC<\/a>), also emphasized the importance of team support: \u201cRecruitment and retention of providers remain a critical priority, and we are advancing efforts to create supportive, high-performance environments where operators and clinicians can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progressive Dental Management<\/a> is focusing on provider development at every stage. \u201cOur key priorities include building out centralized systems, advancing provider enrichment programs, and launching two prototype practices,\u201d said COO Emma Cifuentes. \u201cWe\u2019re also doubling down on doctor leadership<\/a> development and team retention to ensure we\u2019re building a sustainable and resilient foundation for the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding Access to Patient Care <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As DSOs scale their operations<\/a>, improving access remains central to their strategies, particularly in underserved communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the second half of 2025, our priorities are focused on expanding access, enhancing patient care<\/a> and engagement, and continuing to invest in our clinical teams and leadership,\u201d said Dale Hockel. \u201cThese initiatives reflect our belief that sustainable growth comes from continuously improving the experiences of both patients and providers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At SOHDental<\/a>, increasing access is tied to facility and provider growth. \u201cWe\u2019re expanding multiple facilities and hiring more providers to increase access to care,\u201d said Samson Liu, DDS, CEO. \u201cWe\u2019re also ramping up our affiliation pipeline to continue expanding our geographical footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smile Brands<\/a> is focused on boosting availability of services through expanded provider schedules and procedures. \u201cSmile Brands will continue to focus on expanding provider days and access to care while expanding the procedure base by offering an ever-widening array of continuing education opportunities,\u201d said CEO Steve Bilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operational Efficiency and Technology Optimization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Improving internal workflows, automating processes, and integrating smarter tools is a priority across organizations as DSOs look to scale more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re investing in technologies<\/a> that can simplify the electronic claims processing and revenue cycle,\u201d said Dr. Samson Liu. \u201cThis will reduce human error, reduce the administrative burden on practices, and increase efficiency and accuracy. We are also focused on education and training for the new providers we\u2019ve hired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oakpoint is taking a similar approach. \u201cWe\u2019re accelerating AI-powered<\/a> analytics and automation to streamline workflows, improve patient journey tracking, and enhance back-office operations,\u201d said Mick Janness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Smile Brands, technology is also playing a central role in organizational efficiency. \u201cWe will continue to streamline our technology and process backbone to enable more efficient support to each of our practices,\u201d said Steve Bilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GEDC\u2019s executive team is focused on digital patient engagement and optimizing front-office operations. \u201cThe teams are focused on streamlining the patient journey by leveraging digital tools and optimizing front-office processes,\u201d said Dale Hockel. “We also plan to deepen our use of AI and analytics to personalize care delivery and improve clinical outcomes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clinical Expansion and Specialty Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From launching new products to expanding specialty services, DSOs are doubling down on strategic expansion. \u201cThe first priority is growth,\u201d said Dr. Samson Liu. \u201cWe\u2019re rolling out Curodont<\/a>, a remineralizing dental gel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mick Janness noted that Oakpoint is allocating capital toward footprint growth in targeted areas. \u201cWe continue to invest CapEx dollars to expand our existing footprints, with an emphasis on specialty care, where we see a significant runway for growth and differentiation in underserved markets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma Cifuentes added that Progressive Dental Management is testing new clinical models for broader application: \u201cOur key priorities include building out centralized systems, advancing provider enrichment programs, and launching two prototype practices\u2014one general dentistry and one pediatric-led specialty office\u2014that will serve as scalable models for future expansion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smile Brands is also exploring opportunities to grow through affiliations. \u201cFinally, we continue to look at like-minded groups to extend our reach over time,\u201d said Steve Bilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership and Scalable Infrastructure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Strong leadership and system-wide support remain a shared priority as DSOs look to scale with consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“By investing in our providers, anchoring teams with strong local leadership, and enhancing same-day care protocols, we\u2019re positioning ourselves to grow smart\u2014and sustainably\u2014through the back half of the year.\u201d said Dr. Yahya Mansour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GEDC is building a leadership team designed for long-term impact. \u201cWe\u2019ve built a high-caliber and industry leading executive team, with recent promotions of Dr. Jessica Buehler, DDS, as CCO and President, Nathan Smith as SVP of Care Delivery, and added a critical role and industry veteran, Theresa Neuhauser, as Chief Growth Officer,\u201d said Dale Hockel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build Your Growth Strategy Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While each DSO or dental group<\/a> brings a unique approach to growth, they are all focused on building scalable systems that support both providers and patients. Whether through AI adoption, talent development, or expanding access to care, these DSO leaders are preparing for a future in which innovation<\/a>, efficiency, and clinical excellence will define the most successful dental organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to strengthen your growth strategy? Contact us today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Request a Demo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This DSO article was written by Planet DDS and originally published in DrBicuspid.com. Despite ongoing technology changes and staffing challenges, dental support organization (DSO) leaders are doubling down on smart,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":15472,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,562,54,8,1427,1416,244,88],"tags":[559,27,13,43,169,454,289,68,57,147,879,136,152],"class_list":["post-15464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dso","category-artificial-intelligence","category-cloud-software","category-dental-cloud-technology","category-dental-service-organization","category-growth","category-industry-trends","category-planet-dds","tag-ai","tag-dental-practice","tag-dentistry","tag-dso","tag-growth","tag-leadership","tag-patient-care","tag-patients","tag-planet-dds","tag-practice-management","tag-retention","tag-staffing","tag-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}