Key Discussion Topics
- Hiring Process Change For Assistant Replacement: One of the practice's three assistants is retiring at the end of the month due to an injury. The team's usual hiring process — doctors sourcing and posting their own candidates, with Matt approving offers directly — is shifting to an official application/profile process, and Carla is concerned the added steps could cost her a strong candidate as the timeline stretches out.
- Marketing Spend For Dr. Elliot's Ramp-Up: Combined marketing spend for the two newer doctors was about $1,400 in August (lunch-and-learns, coffee, bagels, and higher-touch outreach for Dr. Elliot's introductions). Carla has a call with John Mezick next week and plans to nail down an expected budget for the remainder of 2026.
- Dr. Harrell's Phased Retirement Schedule: Dr. Harrell returns the last week of September for three full days, then drops to two days a week in October and one day a week in November and December before fully retiring. A December 5 retirement open house in Alpharetta — invite-only for his closest referring partners — has a save-the-date out, with the venue already reserved.
- September Production Pacing Without Dr. Harrell: With Harrell out of the practice for most of the month, the team is intentionally pushing to keep production up. As of the call, the practice was already at $104K month-to-date against a $181K September target.
Marketing Initiatives Discussed
- Referral Lab Vs. Referral Growth Engine Usage: Carla has been leaning on Referral Lab (managed mostly by her front-desk team) and hadn't checked the Referral Growth Engine in about four weeks while covering extra roles; she planned to confirm her access the same day. Jayme reiterated that the Growth Engine is a supplemental resource, most useful for its route-optimization tools (including an app called Road Warrior, worth investigating) and prospect lists.
- Dr. Elliot's Field Marketing Outreach: Dr. Elliot is actively working the 10-12 target office list from the earlier prospect research and introducing herself to additional offices in the area, picking up traction faster than Dr. Michelotti did at the same stage. Jayme's guidance is to keep her marketing ramp going for the next 90 days if the traction holds, with Carla confirming the specific budget with John.
- 3% Credit Card Surcharge Rollout: Signage has been ordered for the reception area and front desk. A September 15 meeting with Clover will finalize the paperwork, with the surcharge expected to go live in early October. Carla has drafted email copy but hasn't yet gotten into Modento to send an email campaign herself — a reminder that email sends currently stay at the office level, with SGA able to help with copy or a banner if needed.
- Dr. Harrell Retirement Handoff Communications: Beyond the invite-only open house, Carla and Jayme discussed the possibility of a future mass email to all referring partners announcing the transition to Drs. Michelotti and Elliot, contingent on an internal email-send solution being in place by then.
Wins & Opportunities
The team is more than halfway to its September production goal despite Dr. Harrell being largely out of the practice this month, and has consistently cleared its production targets in recent months. Dr. Elliot's early field marketing is showing strong traction, picking up faster than Dr. Michelotti did at the same point. The September 17 hygiene study club has also outperformed expectations, with 60 RSVPs confirmed against a 30-35 target.
Action Items
| Action | Owner | Due |
|---|
| Confirm 2026 marketing budget (remaining 4 months) with John Mezick | Carla Quinn | Next week (per scheduled call) |
| Verify Referral Growth Engine access and resume regular use | Carla Quinn | TBD |
| Research Road Warrior (or similar) route-planning app for PRD field visits | SGA Marketing | TBD |
| Finalize surcharge effective date at Sept. 15 Clover meeting, then send patient email campaign on the 3% surcharge | Carla Quinn | Early October |
| Get set up in Modento to execute email campaigns at the office level | Carla Quinn | TBD |
