Andre is from Philadelphia and studied fine arts and design. After years in high-end retail sales and customer service his brother-in-law, a local dentist, asked him to help with his practice and he got hooked on dentistry. This year, Andre celebrates 25 years of helping practices create systems for treatment planning, team training, goal attainment and technology integration. He was the founder of The Systems, a dental practice management, training and consulting firm that created the C.R.E.W. training process and was contributing creator of the companies Dentalife, Dynamic Dental Systems and HMS and the periodontal protocol Stat-Ck. His presentations have informed and entertained hundreds of audiences across the country while motivating practice to generate better results and creating fluent processes.
Andre’s favorite quotes:
“Do you have ten years of experience or one year of experience repeated ten times?” – Zig Ziglar
“I build engines. The rest of the car, I just throw in for free.” – Enzo Ferrari
“Personal service always equals outstanding result.” – Andre’s Dad
What Andre does for the dental profession:
In 2002 Andre, in association with periodontist Neil R. Gottehrer, DDS, developed the Stat-Ck System. Stat-Ck allows dentists and hygienists a way to predictably treat and manage patients with 4-6mm of pocketing. Designed similarly to the PSR screening tool developed by the ADA in 1992, the Stat-Ck System goes farther and makes it easier for the patient to understand the need for periodontal treatments. Where the PSR was graded in sextants and numbers, Stat-Ck provided consumer-oriented information by quadrants with letter grades from A-F, which makes it easier for patients to understand consequences of disease and the clinician with a more consistent treatment routine.
The “Stat-Ck: Recall Sanity” program is part of an ongoing series of courses that Andre presents, including “Recall: If Disney Did It, Solving the Periodontal Puzzle,” “The Business of Dentistry and Un-blocking Scheduling.” Andre’s programs are presented in a lecture format using PowerPoint. He provides handouts, and all course materials are available in a digital format. His interactive, highly energetic programs are reflective of Andre’s personality, one that draws you in to want to learn as much as you can about a topic. Course evaluations describe his programs as very enthusiastic, energetic, and presented in an interesting fashion that pumps the audience up.
C.R.E.W. is not consulting, it’s not training –a new form of clarity that rest between a warm hug and a slap to the back of the head. Creating a system of employee participation strengthens performance by leveraging individual skills and improving upon other weaknesses. The process is designed to raise overall performance, strengthen inter-personal relationships, and ultimately, help the business/practice at its highest potential.
What Andre sees as the up and coming thing in dentistry:
“Corporate Dentistry. To me, I have no fear of corporate dentistry. If I can get some VC money, I’d do it tomorrow but I would do it with the idea that you could do really good dentistry – the dentistry that I receive from my brother in law — great hands, great information, great technology, great knowledge…”
“I think the biggest problem with what’s happening in dentistry right now is people are losing their passion in dentistry and they are going into selling multi-level marketing products out of their practice or doing services that they really don’t have a desire to do, just to pay the bills. I think if you get passionate about dentistry, you never work. You’ll love what you’re doing.”
The best advice Andre has ever received:
“When I was about 13 or 14, I worked with my dad who owned a consumer finance company and I did collections from him. He taught me compassion for other’s financial reality, and it made me a good person for collecting money.”
Habit that contributes to his client’s success:
“I try to teach them to lead with an outcome in mind. When they walk a really clear path, they have success.”
Clinical or Management pearl (tip):
“Everybody should have at least a staff meeting once a month. Try this with your staff meeting: Get a card that’s “yes” on one side and “no” on the other side and all your staff members get one of these cards. Ask everybody philosophy questions like, ‘We believe in our practice in replacing amalgams?’ And everybody flip their cards over at the same time — Yes or No? See where everybody believes you are in that idea. ‘We believe that all our patients leave our practice without removables — Yes or No?’ ‘We believe that everybody should pay at the time of service — Yes or No?’ That is the most telling test that any practice can do. And if you do that Monday morning, it will set the tone for where you go with the rest of your practice.”
Internet / App resource that Andre feels is awesome:
Eaglesoft – Dental Practice Management Software
His book recommendations:
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life– Spencer Johnson
- Hardcover edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Kindle edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Audiobook edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants – Malcolm Gladwell
- Hardcover edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Paperback edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Audiobook edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney – Lee Cockerell
- Hardcover edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Kindle edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
- Audiobook edition can be purchased on Amazon here.
Dental Insurance and Reimbursement Coding and Claim Submission Manual – Tom Limoli
- The book can be purchased here. (Enter the promo code “Andre” to get 10% off!)
His recommendations for those who are about to start new or restart:
- “First would be go back to know who you are, know your philosophy of care.”
- “Find a mentor – a clinical mentor – and have breakfast with them at least once a month. Get out there and meet with them, and really get involved with that person.”
- “Get involved with really good CE. Don’t just go to get the CE.”
- “Embrace the technology, but don’t be afraid to fail in the technology.”
- “Don’t be afraid of your choices.”
Andre Shirdan can be reached at:
- Personal mobile: 484-437-5562
- Email: andresyst@comcast.net
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shirdan
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