30323_OP_Fall2023_Newsletter_Digital_100623

FALL 2023
OUR 1 ST EVER
OP SUMMIT!
page 2
ALSO
OSO Equity: Explained
with Wylan Simpson, page 4
Five Strategies for Improving
Clinical Efficiency
with Dr. Jeff Kozlowski, page 6
Creating A World Class
Office Culture
with Dr. Stuart Frost, page 8

Friends,
Orthodontic Partners began in 2019 with our founders’ two practices and a vision to create an
affiliation of the best orthodontic practices providing the highest quality of orthodontic care,
creating beautiful smiles and transforming lives. Today, our partnership has grown to encompass
thirty (and counting) practices across 15 states, pursuing a mission to build a better orthodontic
partnership model by bringing together leading business and clinical minds and sharing insights
that inspire our partners, teams, and patients.
The measures of our successes are many: from the beautiful smiles crafted every day in our
practices to the unrivaled Net Promoter Scores (NPS) awarded to our practices by our raving fans
and patients.
Looking ahead as we close out this year and beyond, I see so much promise for OP. We are poised for
significant growth while delivering the promise of a beautiful smile to tens of thousands of patients.
We’ll also continue to live out our Core Values of Collaboration, Excellence, Growth, and Trust.
In particular, as I think about the future, I think about the importance of Collaboration and Growth
to our success. The promise of OP rests in the sharing of best practices. I also think about the
importance of a growth mindset to the success of our organization. To grow, we must continue
embracing the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and continue to improve in everything
we do. That attitude is, I believe, at the core of what makes OP so special.
Ultimately, OP’s success stems not just from what we do, but how we go about our work.
Each individual’s commitment to their practice, to their colleagues, and their patients is
what makes me proud to be a part of this team and proud to be an Orthodontic Partner.
With gratitude,
Chip Hurlburt
Chief Executive Officer
CONTENTS
1 OP Gives Back
2 First Annual Orthodontic Partners Team Summit
4 Demystifying Orthodontic Service Organization Equity with Wylan Simpson
6 Five Strategies for Improving Clinical Efficiency with Dr. Jeff Kozlowski
8 Creating a World Class Office Culture with Dr. Stuart Frost
Back We Would Love to Hear from You and Conference Circuit

OP GIVES BACK
Our Commitment to
Helping Communities Smile
In the orthodontic community, we as practitioners recognize just how much a beautiful and healthy smile
can change the entire trajectory of someone’s life. Our communities recognize this, too — but not everyone
can afford orthodontic treatment. As professionals, orthodontists are uniquely qualified to give their
communities a reason to smile, and at Orthodontic Partners we do this by encouraging participation in
philanthropic orthodontic treatment at all of our partner practices. We proudly support the following
initiatives to bring radiant, healthy smiles to those who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
A Chance to Smile
Bovenizer & Baker Orthodontics – Cary, NC
We want to give children from foster care a
chance to smile. Providing orthodontic care to
these children helps offset some of the
disadvantages they are already facing, letting
their personalities shine through so the world
can see who they truly are!
Smile for a Lifetime Foundation
Nationwide
Our mission is to create self-confidence, inspire
hope, and change the lives of children in our
communities in a dramatic way. The gift of a smile
can do all this for a deserving, underprivileged
individual who, in turn, can use this gift to better
themselves and their community.
Project Mariposa
Reynolds Orthodontics – West Bloomfield, MI
Small changes can have extraordinary impacts.
Our mission is to identify those in need whose lives
will be transformed by the impact of an amazing
smile, and then provide them with orthodontic
scholarships and treatment.
Smiles Change Lives
Nationwide
Smiles Change Lives provides access to lifechanging
orthodontic treatment for children from
families that cannot afford the full cost of braces.
Based in Kansas City, the program has treated
more than 16,000 children since 1997.
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First Annual Orthodontic Partners Team Summit
BRINGS TOGETHER
THE PROFESSION’S BEST
AND BRIGHTEST
Last September, we welcomed nearly 100 of our
doctors, practice managers, and service center
team members from across the nation to the first
annual Orthodontic Partners Team Summit. Set in
the beautiful J.W. Marriott in Atlanta on a perfect
fall day, this gathering marked the first formal
opportunity for those across the Orthodontic
Partners network to connect and learn from one
another. We shared laughter over duckpin bowling,
and lessons over afternoon coffee.
While excitement was high with a range of speakers
and topics throughout the weekend, the pinnacle
was the unveiling of our company mission, vision,
and core values.
• Our mission is to build a better orthodontic
partnership model by bringing together
leading business and clinical minds and
sharing insights that inspire our partners,
teams, and patients.
• Our vision is to create an affiliation of the best
orthodontic practices providing the highest
quality of orthodontic care to create beautiful
smiles and transform lives.
• Our core values are collaboration, excellence,
growth, and trust.
We were also delighted to recognize members of
the Orthodontic Partners team who excelled in
living out these values, advancing our mission,
and bringing our vision to fruition.
“What a success our first OP Team Summit proved to be! Thanks to everyone who joined together for a weekend
that resulted in ideas, interests, and initiatives sure to inspire and motivate our doctors, practice managers,
service center team members, and office staffs throughout 2023, and beyond.”
Chip Hurlburt, Chief Executive Officer

HEART OF OP AWARD
To collaborate is to demonstrate generosity
of time and knowledge.
We introduced The Heart of OP Award, which
recognizes team members who go above and
beyond in living out OP’s values. It was our honor
to present Dr. Mike DePascale, our partner and
Co-Clinical Director at Kozlowski orthodontics,
with the very first Heart of OP award. There are few
people who live out this definition of collaboration
quite like Dr. DePascale. He has spent countless
hours investing his time and knowledge into others
in the orthodontic profession, while holding
himself to an exemplary standard. We were
thrilled to celebrate him!
HOUR OF POWER
“Host an Hour of Power… but make it
educational!”
With so many world-class orthodontists and
practices in one room, we were tasked with finding
a way to share as many implementable pearls from
our leaders as we could. We held the first OP Hour
of Power, a rapid-fire hour with leaders from across
the country at bat, sharing their best “take home
and start on Monday” pointers in 5 minutes each —
Hour of Power beverages optional.
COLLABORATION: More Than Just Once a Year
To foster collaboration among a national network
of extremely busy orthodontic practices is no
easy feat. With so many voices to be heard, no
annual summit could be enough. And so, the
Doctor Pod (Partner Orthodontist Discussion)
was born: a monthly gathering of partner doctor
breakout groups, with conversations led by
doctors and focused on topics relevant to that
specific group. The pods are built upon
operationally-similar practices, so the information
shared between doctors can be specific,
relevant, and implementable.
Pod Leader Dr. Terry Giangreco of Get It Straight
Orthodontics says, “The best thing to come out of
our pods has been an ongoing text group chat . . .
We are constantly discussing how to improve our
playbooks. As orthodontists, we all have ideas that
present themselves daily. Our pod gives us that
constant open communication with each other that
I can't imagine happening any other way, and is also
one of the main reasons we all joined OP.”
PHOTOS from left to right
1. CEO Chip Hurlburt awarded Dr. Mike DePascale of Kozlowski Orthodontics with the Heart of OP Award.
2. Dr. Nicole Wax and Dr. Jason Scherer of Dr. Wax Orthodontics were awarded the Raving Fans award for outstanding customer service.
3. Aldo Benedetto, COO of Orthodontic Partners, awarded Trulove Orthodontics the OP Cup for the highest year over year organic growth in the organization.
4. Our Missouri practices Moshiri Orthodontics, Embrace Our World Orthodontics, and Robinson & Ries Orthodontics connected for this “stately” photo.
5. Managers Mindy and Angela of LOA Orthodontics shared a team bonding moment.

OSO Equity:
EXPLAINED
by Wylan Simpson, Chief Development Officer, Orthodontic Partners
You’ve likely heard many opinions about equity in
Orthodontic Service Organizations (OSOs), and don’t
know what to believe. What is equity truly worth?
Which partnership model is right for your practice?
While there are many opinions, there are a few true
facts when it comes to equity in an OSO and the
wealth it can bring for you as an owner doctor.
What are the ways equity grows wealth for
owner doctors?
When an owner doctor joins an OSO, they trade
the significant equity they have in their own private
practice for equity in the OSO they are joining. The
equity opportunity is the largest source of long-term
wealth creation for an OSO partner. It will replace
— and, at a successful OSO, materially exceed — the
cash flow distributions an owner-doctor takes from
a private practice, including for the many early and
mid-career doctors who are electing to partner
with OSOs.
2. What tools and playbooks does the OSO bring to
create value at your practice and others?
3. How is the equity structured, and what type of
ownership are you getting?
Once the deal is closed, then what?
Before getting into the specifics, here is how OSOs
make money for their investors — and why OSO
equity is such a valuable opportunity. Equity in an
OSO appreciates for the same reason equity in a
public company grows — growth in the earnings of
that company over time. OSOs focus on growing
value in three primary ways:
While this should be one of the biggest areas of due
diligence for any doctor evaluating an OSO, it can
also be the most complex area to understand. There
are three key areas to evaluate when working to
understand the equity opportunity with a potential
OSO partner:
1. What is the OSO’s track record of growth — both
to the overall business and the value of that
group’s equity?
4

Playbooks: tested best practices and operational
support that will accelerate the growth in a
practice. Continued above-market growth
across an OSO grows equity value faster than an
independent practice can.
Arbitrage: the valuation investors place on different
profiles of business. An investor is going to
assign a higher valuation to a large OSO — with
hundreds of millions of dollars of production and
diversification across multiple states and markets
— rather than an individual orthodontic practice.
New Partnerships: OSOs acquire new practices to
join the partnership. This leverages the benefits
of playbooks and arbitrage, creating a cycle
that super-charges the growth trajectory of the
organization as a whole.
Not All Equity is Equal
The success of an OSO and its growth strategy both
have a direct impact on owner doctors’ equity value.
Here’s how a doctor can assess the quality of equity
in any OSO:
partner). The best OSOs are excellent at driving
both internal (organic) and external
(acquisition) growth.
Given the importance of internal growth, ask —
what specific best practices do you bring, what is
your track record deploying them, and what is
the internal starts and production growth of
your group?
3. How is the equity structured, and what type
of ownership are you getting?
This is a critical — and complicated — question.
The majority of OSOs and DSOs have multiple
classes of equity, where larger investors (private
equity, founders, etc.) receive preferential
treatment relative to minority investors (partner
doctors). If possible, a doctor should ensure they
have the same rights and return expectations
as all other classes of investors, and should
avoid any type of equity that caps a doctor’s
returns and upside while subjecting them to
equity-level risk.
1. What is the OSO’s track record of growth —
both to the overall business and the value of
their equity?
Ask the OSO management team: what is the starts
and production growth of your affiliated practices,
and how does it compare to the markets you
operate in? How many practices have joined the
partnership per year over the recent years? What
is the average practice size of your partners?
With these questions, you are looking for stable,
consistent, above-market growth, both through
new partnerships and, most importantly,
internally at practices that have affiliated with
that group.
2. What tools and playbooks does the OSO
bring to create growth in each practice?
The biggest value-add an OSO can bring is
supporting the internal growth of affiliated
practices. It is much more impactful to grow
equity value internally (which leverages existing
resources), than through acquisition (which
require outlay of cash and equity to the new
If you’d like to learn more about how OP
answers these questions — our consistent
track record of above-market growth,
our successful and scalable growth
playbooks, or our single class of equity for
all partners – please reach out to me at
wylan.simpson@orthodonticpartners.com.
I look forward to sharing what we’ve
built at OP.
5

Five Strategies for
IMPROVING CLINICAL
EFFICIENCY
Adapted from Episode 34 of the Elevate Orthodontics Podcast with Dr. Lance Miller:
“Clinical Efficiency,” with Dr. Jeff Kozlowski
The most impactful way to drive word of mouth
referrals, a key to marketing any business, is to not
only provide beautiful finishes, but to do so on time.
The average braces treatment time in the United
States is 27 months, yet the average estimated
treatment time is 24 months. On average across
the profession, orthodontists are completing their
patients’ treatment 3 months behind schedule,
which is frustrating for patients. Happy patients
refer more patients, therefore finishing on time is
critical to marketing success and practice growth. At
our practice, efficiency is driven by two key metrics:
starts per day and the number of appointments
to complete treatment. However, we also track a
third important metric — the “Happiness Metric” —
which is the percentage of patients completed on
time. The goal is always to provide the best results
in the least amount of time possible, but what is
often overlooked is how our actual treatment time
compares to what we promised the patient. Our
average estimated treatment time for braces is
20.3 months and our average actual treatment time
is 18.8 months, so on average we are exceeding
patients expectations by finishing 1.5 months ahead
of schedule. More importantly, we are finishing over
75% of our patients on time! If you don’t know what
percentage of patients you finish on time, I strongly
encourage you to track this metric. Getting patients
out of treatment on or ahead of schedule is just as
important as getting them in the door; setbacks
in treatment timelines lead to a swell in patient
load, which correlates to a decrease in your team’s
capacity. Clinical efficiency takes self-awareness and
discipline, but there are small steps we can all take
to shorten treatment times without sacrificing
quality outcomes.
1. Commit Yourself to Lifelong Learning
As doctors, we need to understand the mechanics
of the treatment decisions we make. At our
practice, we take photos of every patient at every
appointment; it visually streamlines the clinical
process of orthodontics and helps the entire team
discern what is effective and what is not. While it
is important to take advantage of opportunities to
learn new technologies and techniques, we should
also give attention to improving our
current treatment strategies.
2. Empower Your Clinical Team
If you have good clinical knowledge with a team
that is incapable of following through with your
wishes, that is problematic. I try to teach the clinical
team for 15 to 30 seconds at every appointment
so that they learn a little bit about orthodontics
every time. Eventually, they become robust and
knowledgeable clinicians that can enhance our
clinical decision-making with a mind towards
efficiency. I want our team to be able to put this
knowledge into practice with as much precision
as possible, so each member of the clinical team
wears loops and headlamps for better vision.
6

3. Do Everything You Can at Each Visit
When we started looking closely at our emergency
appointments, we found that for many patients
we were able to make progress meant for the next
appointment, which shaves weeks off a patient’s
total treatment time. For example, let's say a patient
comes in five weeks after their last appt, with four
weeks until their next appointment. Can you do
everything at this visit that you were planning on
doing in four weeks? Oftentimes, you can. My team
and I have a shared understanding that we will do
everything we can at each visit so that we have less
to do later on, which prevents our schedule from
becoming oversaturated.
4. Help the Patient Understand You’re on
Their Side
Our goal is to have the patient understand that we
are on their side. A patient who actively participates
in their treatment will help you save visits, get
done on time, and achieve your treatment goals.
We believe “compliance” with things like elastics
and brushing increase when we have a practice
focus on education and encouraging ideal patient
participation!
5. Consolidate Treatment Stages
There was a time when orthodontic treatment
progressed through three distinct phases: leveling
and aligning, major mechanics, and finishing.
One of the ways we focus on being as efficient as
possible is by blending those stages together.
For example, in 95%+ of our braces patients, our
start consists of bonding upper and lower and
starting early elastics. Bracket placement is THE KEY
for effective and efficient treatment and ultimately
the finishing of a case starts with ideal bracket
placement. In our office it takes 7-8 minutes on
average for us to bond upper and lower 7–7, with
only 2–3 repositions later on in treatment.
That's pretty effective.
Final Thoughts: Evaluating Your Processes
to Achieve Great Results
When asked why you do something a certain way,
if the answer is anything other than, “because
we've evaluated that system and this is the best
way to do it,” then it should be open for change.
If you have any doubts about whether that system
or technique is the most effective, search for a way
to improve it. Your approach to treatment should
be a combination of what has been proven to work
for you, and new strategies that you feel have the
potential to improve your clinical outcomes and
efficiency. It doesn't matter what any other doctor
in the world uses as long as you’re getting great
results, taking great care of your patients, and
taking measures to improve your craft each step
along the way.
7

Creating a
WORLD-CLASS
OFFICE CULTURE
Adapted from Episode 12 of the OrthoPreneurs Podcast with Dr. Glenn Krieger:
“Your Dream Practice is All About Positive Attitude,” with Dr. Stuart Frost
When I was fresh out of orthodontics school, I had a
simple and humble goal: be the best orthodontist in
the world. For a decade, I honed my craft, perfected
my finishes, and sent people out of our clinic with
perfect smiles. Frankly, I was on my way to being
great — but something was missing. The clinic
environment felt less than it could be.
I sought wise counsel and came back with a new
goal: create a vibrant, positive, and professional
clinic culture.
With a little trial and error, I’m more than proud to
say we got there. Today, my low-turnover clinic is
filled with a smiling team, calm patients, and an air
of relaxed professionalism that makes Frost Nichols
Orthodontics a true experience for our patients.
Here are some of the tools I used to get there.
Get Real with Yourself
My mentor insisted I get very clear about my values.
What was important to me, and why? He had me
write it down, being concise, concrete, and specific.
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Why? Because if I was going to ask a group of
humans to follow me on a mission, and even
introduce individual goal setting in our team
culture, I’d better be able to articulate why.
This journey wasn’t easy. It’s uncomfortable to take
a human-centered approach when we spend all day
looking at teeth and deciding what kind of brackets
to use. Having a clearly defined set of values keeps
us focused on the larger mission. It also makes hiring
easier, no longer done on “hunches” about whether
or not someone seems like a good fit. I can assess
values and make decisions quickly.
Moments of Excellence
One technique we use is The Moment of Excellence.
I ask my team to share moments when they saw a
colleague being great. Admittedly, the first few asks
were met with awkward silence, but now our team
could go on all day if we had time.
Moments of Excellence don’t have to be huge.
(It could be noticing that someone took extra time
talking with a patient rather than rushing to clean.)
Starting the day by sharing positive contributions
boosts the mood in the morning and changes
everyone’s mindset. We spend the day searching
for excellence, not problems — and people love
being recognized.
Keeping It Positive
You can put any activity into your morning huddle.
For us, Monday mornings are reserved for sharing
week-long work goals. People want to get better
at their jobs. Letting them share creates a natural
framework for that to happen. Our team encourages
each other to meet their goals and gives shoutouts
for progress.
Another successful activity is our “I Am” statements.
Each team member starts the phrase, “I am,” and
finishes with how they see themselves, or what
they aspire to be. For instance, “I am a hygienist,” is
valid. But so is “I am strong”. I have been shocked
at the impact this activity has had on my team. The
vulnerability paired with encouragement builds a
high-trust environment.
Hire To Fit
I was encouraged to “hire people that shared our
values and let the rest find their own way”. It was
great advice. Not everyone likes change, even if it’s
for the better. In a transformative process, it is not
uncommon to lose up to 80% of your staff. We lost
some of our team when I started changing things
up, but it is much easier to hire a person to fit your
values than it is to change someone’s values. You
may find that people who don’t fit will leave of their
own accord. Every time someone leaves, look at it
as an opportunity to find a better match.
Invest in the Team
Not putting resources into team development gets
you the same result as not putting money in the
bank: no growth. I put my employees through
what I call The Frost Academy to raise their
emotional IQ and job skills. This does three things:
1. It demonstrates I am willing to spend time
improving their skills. They sense I am giving
more than the average boss, so they are willing
to give more than the average team member.
2. The lessons they learn in the Academy improve
their on-the-job performance.
3. The Academy is another affirmation of how
important our values are.
My team wants to be better orthodontic
professionals, colleagues, and humans. I treat them
as though I want them all to be junior orthodontists.
When I give them the support to rise to a challenge,
they almost always do.
Well-Oiled, Happy Culture Machine
These days, I don’t struggle to keep a full crew.
People find us now – the word is out that we are
a great place to work. I look forward to going to
work every day. I still have my challenges. I am
not “done” in any sense. Building culture is a
journey that doesn’t end, but now, I love
every step of the way.
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We Would Love to HEAR FROM YOU
Whether you’re curious and have more
questions, or are actively looking for an
organization to partner with, our lines
are open.
If you want to learn about the benefits a partnership
can bring to you and your practices, contact us to
discuss your needs, interests, and how OP would
fit in with your practice.
Our experienced Partner Development Team
welcomes the opportunity to develop solutions
that will help you achieve your unique goals and
provide you with all you need to experience a
seamless partnership.
Wylan Simpson
Chief Development Officer
wylan.simpson@orthodonticpartners.com
Dr. Jeff Kozlowski
Co-Founding Orthodontist
jeff.kozlowski@orthodonticpartners.com
Dr. Jamie Reynolds
Co-Founding Orthodontist
jamie.reynolds@orthodonticpartners.com
Gene Ruffing
Director of New Partnerships
gene.ruffing@orthodonticpartners.com
Kari Manning
Director of New Partnerships
kari.manning@orthodonticpartners.com
CONFERENCE CIRCUIT
OrthoPreneurs Summit
September 7-10, 2023
Orlando, FL
SAO & SWSO Annual Session
October 26-28, 2023
Amelia Island, FL
PCSO Annual Session
November 2-5, 2023
Anaheim, CA
Women in Orthodontics Conference
January 12-13, 2024
Phoenix, AZ
AAO Winter Conference
January 26-28, 2024
San Antonio, TX
OrthodonticPartners.com