Associate Readiness Toolkit

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How to Use This Checklist

Adding an associate is one of the biggest operational decisions an owner makes. Done at the right time, it expands access for patients and relieves pressure on the owner. Done too early, or without a plan for where the new doctor’s patients will come from, it strains cash flow, the team, and the relationship with the associate.

Work through the sections in order. Each one builds on the last.

Section	What it answers
1. Are We Ready?	Is there real demand, space, team, cash, and leadership capacity for a second doctor?
2. Where Will the Patients Come From?	Does the owner shift patients, does the associate build a base, or is it a blend?
3. Marketing the Associate	How patients and the community learn the new doctor is here and worth seeing.
4. Reviewing Candidates	What to verify, what to ask, and what to look for.
5. Compensation and Contract Review	The terms to settle with your attorney and CPA before an offer.

Practice name

Completed by

Date

1. Are We Ready?

A full schedule is not the same as a practice that needs a second doctor. Confirm the demand is real, then confirm the practice can support another provider.

Rule out a scheduling problem first

A schedule can look full because of cancellations, no-shows, open time that is never recovered, inefficient templates, or treatment that is diagnosed but never accepted. Adding a doctor to those problems multiplies them. Review these items before deciding the answer is another provider.

A. Patient Demand

Checklist

Note how many weeks out the owner’s next open new patient exam is.

Note how many weeks out the owner’s next opening is for fillings, crowns, and larger treatment.

Review new patient numbers month by month for the past 12 months. Is the trend steady or growing?

Add up the treatment that has been diagnosed but not yet scheduled.

Review your active patient count and how many patients you lose each year.

Calculate Your Active Patient CountOpens in a new window so you can come back to it on your own time.

This calculator is also a public tool on Stephanie's website, so it will ask you to enter your practice and doctor information again. Nothing from this checklist carries over.

What is an active recall patient count?

What it is

Your active recall patient count is the number of patients who keep coming back for routine preventive care. It is the most honest measure of patient loyalty.

How it is figured

Add up one full year of cleanings and periodontal maintenance visits, then divide by 2: (Adult cleanings D1110 + Child cleanings D1120 + Periodontal maintenance D4910) ÷ 2. A patient on a six-month recall has two of these visits a year, so dividing by 2 counts each patient once.

Why it is different from your software's active patient report

Most practice software calls a patient "active" if they were seen at all within a set time frame. That count includes one-time emergency visits and patients who only come in when something hurts. Those visits do not show loyalty. A patient who keeps coming back for preventive care does. This count is intentionally conservative, because most software cannot see 3 to 4 month periodontal maintenance intervals or recall shared with a periodontist.

Checklist

Check whether emergency patients are being turned away or pushed out.

List procedures currently referred out that an associate could keep in house.

Check whether hygiene exams are pulling the owner away from their own patients.

Review how often patients cancel or no-show, and how often those openings get filled the same day.

Review case acceptance.

B. Owner Goals

Is the goal growth, fewer clinical hours for the owner, or a future transition or sale?

Which procedures does the owner want to keep, and which would they gladly hand off?

Is the owner prepared to produce less personally as patients move to the associate?

Does the owner want a long-term associate, a future partner, or a future buyer?

C. Physical Space and Equipment

Checklist

Count operatories available at the times the associate would work.

Decide whether the associate works alongside the owner or on different days or hours (evenings, Saturdays, owner’s off days).

Confirm equipment, instruments, handpieces, and imaging can support a second column.

Confirm sterilization flow can handle the added volume.

Set up the associate in your practice management software: provider profile, schedule column, and fee schedule.

D. Team Capacity

Checklist

Decide whether an additional assistant is needed and start that hiring early.

Confirm the front office can handle more calls, scheduling, and financial conversations.

Confirm the dental plan and billing team can absorb added claims and verifications.

Build schedule templates for the associate column before the start date.

Plan how the team will be told, and what their role is in introducing the new doctor.

E. Financial Readiness

Checklist

Review the P&L, overhead, collections, and AR with your CPA.

Estimate the total cost of the associate (compensation, benefits, malpractice, added staff, supplies, marketing).

Plan for the months it takes the associate’s schedule to fill, and confirm you have the cash to cover their pay in the meantime.

Confirm production and collections can be tracked by provider.

If the associate is paid on collections, review how your fees and dental plan write-offs affect what they earn.

F. Systems and Compliance

Checklist

Document clinical protocols and treatment philosophy so the associate has a standard to follow.

Document standard operating procedures for the team supporting the associate.

If the practice participates with dental plans, map the credentialing timeline. Credentialing can take months, and the associate may not be able to see plan patients as an in-network provider until it is complete.

Confirm malpractice coverage requirements.

Confirm what state licensure, controlled substance registration, and permits the associate will need in place before day one.

G. Leadership Readiness

Is the owner willing to share patients, including some long-time patients?

How will the owner respond when the associate diagnoses or treats differently?

Who mentors the associate, and how much time is set aside for it?

Who handles associate performance conversations?

Is the team culture strong enough to welcome a new leader in the clinical area?

2. Where Will the Patients Come From?

There is no single right answer. The best approach depends on the owner’s goals, the current demand, and how quickly the associate needs a full schedule. Decide this before hiring, and share it with candidates, because it shapes what they will earn and how quickly.

Approach	When it fits	What has to be true
Owner shifts patients to the associate	Owner wants fewer clinical hours, is booked out, or is planning a transition.	Owner accepts a change in personal production. A clear list of which patients and procedures move. A warm handoff plan so patients feel cared for, not passed along.
Associate builds their own base	Strong new patient flow beyond what the owner can see, or owner wants to keep their full schedule.	New patient demand already exceeds capacity, or a marketing plan and budget are in place. Associate understands the ramp-up and how it affects pay. Front office routes new patients intentionally.
Blend of both	Owner releases some work while the associate grows.	Written routing rules the whole team follows. Agreed timeline for adjusting the split. Tracking by provider to see what is working.

Decision Questions

Which patient types go to the associate first (new patients, emergencies, specific procedures, specific age groups)?

Which procedures does the owner keep?

How are hygiene exams split between doctors?

How will the owner personally introduce the associate to existing patients?

What happens when a patient asks to stay with the owner?

How are new patient calls routed, and what does the front office say?

Will the associate be guaranteed a minimum number of patients or hours, and who is responsible for filling their schedule?

When will the plan be reviewed and adjusted?

Patient Introduction Checklist

Checklist

Owner introduces the associate in person during hygiene exams and appointments.

Announcement to patients by email, text, or letter.

Associate bio and photo added to the website.

Front office has agreed wording for introducing and recommending the associate.

Patients are offered sooner appointments with the associate when the owner is booked out.

When the owner hands a treatment plan to the associate, it is noted in the chart so the patient hears the same message from both doctors.

Tracking the Plan

Checklist

Associate production and collections.

Associate schedule fill.

New patients seen by each doctor.

Case acceptance by provider.

How many patients come back to the associate after their first visit.

How many patients leave, or ask to go back to the owner, after moving to the associate.

4. Reviewing Candidates

A. Before You Post

Checklist

Define the days and hours.

Define the procedures and patient types the associate will handle.

Decide the patient flow approach from Section 2 so you can explain it.

Outline the mentorship and support the associate will receive.

Outline the compensation structure to discuss (see Section 5).

Decide whether there is a path to partnership or ownership.

Decide who is involved in interviews (owner, office manager, lead assistant).

B. Verify Credentials and Compliance

Checklist

C. What to Look For

Area	Look for
Clinical skill	Comfort with the procedures you need covered, honest about what they want to learn, sound diagnosis and treatment planning.
Treatment philosophy	Alignment with the practice on how conservative or comprehensive care should be.
Pace	Ability to work at the practice’s schedule pace with quality.
Patient communication	Explains treatment clearly, listens, builds trust with patients who are loyal to another doctor.
Team leadership	Respectful with assistants and front office, gives clear direction, takes feedback.
Business awareness	Understands how production, collections, fees, and dental plans affect the practice and their pay.
Long-term goals	Career plans that match what the practice can offer (associate, partner, buyer).
Community fit	Reasons to stay in the area and connect with the community.

D. Questions to Ask

Clinical

Which procedures do you enjoy most, and which do you prefer to refer out?

Walk me through how you plan treatment for a patient who needs extensive work.

Tell me about a case that did not go as planned. What did you do?

How do you decide whether to watch an area or treat it now?

What technology and software have you used?

Patients

How do you present a large treatment plan?

How would you earn the trust of a patient who has seen our owner for years?

Tell me about a time a patient was upset with you. How did you handle it?

Team

How do you want your assistant to support you?

Tell me about a disagreement with a team member and how it was resolved.

How do you prefer to receive feedback?

Working Together

What role do you want mentorship to play in your first year here?

Tell me about a mentor who shaped you. What made that relationship work?

What does good mentorship look like to you?

What I learned in school and what you learned may look different, and I want to understand your approach. What’s the best way for us to talk through a plan when I have questions?

Pace and Workload

What does a typical day look like in your current or most recent role?

How many chairs have you run at once, and with how many assistants?

How do you manage running behind?

Goals and Fit

Why are you leaving your current position?

Where do you see yourself in three to five years? Is ownership a goal?

What drew you to this practice and this community?

What experience do you have with dental plans, fee-for-service patients, or both?

How have you been paid before, and what structure do you prefer?

E. Red Flags

Checklist

Several short positions without a clear explanation.

Vague answers about clinical cases or outcomes.

Speaking negatively about former patients, teams, or employers.

Reluctance to provide references or complete a working interview.

A treatment philosophy that does not match the practice.

Long-term goals that conflict with what the practice can offer.

Disciplinary or claims history that is not disclosed up front.

F. Working Interview

Checklist

Confirm with your attorney how your state treats working interviews (licensure, pay, and employment status).

Observe patient communication and chairside manner.

Observe how the candidate works with the assistant and front office.

Review chart notes and treatment plans written during the day.

Note time management against the schedule.

Collect feedback from each team member who worked with the candidate.

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Disclaimer

This content was generated with the assistance of AI. It is intended as a resource, not an absolute.

It is the reader’s responsibility to know and follow their own state and national laws, licensing board rules, and dental plan and insurance contract obligations. Consult a qualified attorney, CPA, and other licensed professionals before making hiring, compensation, or contract decisions.

How to Use This Checklist

1. Are We Ready?

A. Patient Demand

What it is

How it is figured

Why it is different from your software's active patient report

B. Owner Goals

C. Physical Space and Equipment

D. Team Capacity

E. Financial Readiness

F. Systems and Compliance

G. Leadership Readiness

2. Where Will the Patients Come From?

Decision Questions

Patient Introduction Checklist

Tracking the Plan

3. Marketing the Associate

Decide First

Internal Marketing (Existing Patients)

External Marketing (New Patients)

4. Reviewing Candidates

A. Before You Post

B. Verify Credentials and Compliance

C. What to Look For

D. Questions to Ask

Clinical

Patients

Team

Working Together

Pace and Workload

Goals and Fit

E. Red Flags

F. Working Interview

5. Compensation and Contract Review

Employment Structure

Compensation

Benefits

Patients and Practice Terms

Protection and Exit

Future Ownership

Ready to Print?