Systems on the Road - What Four States Taught Us
4 States, 1 Mission: The Systems Road Trip That Changed Everything
Some trips are about sightseeing… ours was about system-seeing.
Four states. Four trainings. One mission: smoother systems and happier teams.
Stacey and I packed up with coffee, playlists, and big “let’s fix this” energy, ready to help practices across the Midwest get their software, billing, and admin processes back in sync.
And what we saw along the way reminded me of something simple but powerful… every practice, no matter how different, is chasing the same thing: calm, clear systems that actually work.
Alabama: RCM & Reality Checks
First stop, sweet home Alabama.
Within the first hour, we hit two major truth bombs.
Refunds and insurance overpayments are never adjustments. Adjustments count toward production, while refunds and insurance overpayments live under collections. If you’re putting refunds under adjustments, your reports are lying to you… and you’re making decisions based on fiction, not facts.
Even if you have a billing company, actually, especially if you do, you need a strong financial policy for both patients and staff. Because if your billing company doesn’t fit your boundaries, they’re rewriting your story.
At one point, someone literally dropped their pen and said, “Wait… so we’ve been doing that wrong this whole time?” Yep. And that’s okay, that’s how growth starts.
Ohio: Office Managers, Open Dental, and WWBD Energy
Next stop, Ohio. Eight rockstar office managers showed up ready to learn, all wearing shirts that said WWBD (“What Would Brittany Do?”) and I just about lost it.
We ran this one like a big Q&A party. They came with questions, we came with caffeine and answers. We didn’t just talk about the how, we talked about the why behind the systems. We dove deep into insurance overpayments, income transfers, and how to keep accounts clean for practices that pay on both production and collections.
Halfway through, one manager looked up and said, “I’ve been doing this for 15 years and never understood why that number didn’t match.” Cue collective head nods. Those are the lightbulb moments that change everything, not because they’re flashy, but because they give people their power back.
Michigan Stop #1: The $800 Wake-Up Call
Our first Michigan stop brought us back to one of our long-term optimization clients. The goal: fix insurance overpayments that had been haunting their books since 2017.
Their payment posters had been writing off both primary and secondary payments for years, which meant thousands of dollars in lost revenue and false refunds. When we started auditing accounts, the reactions were priceless, the kind of “oh my gosh” moments that make you laugh, cringe, and cheer all at once.
One single patient account had $800 incorrectly written off. Eight hundred dollars. From one account. Multiply that across hundreds, and it’s not just money lost, it’s clarity, control, and confidence that slipped through the cracks.
That day, you could feel the shift in the room. From “we’ve been doing this wrong” to “we can fix this.” And that’s the energy that changes everything.
Michigan Stop #2: The Open Dental Lightbulb Moment
Last stop… back to Michigan, but this time for a software conversion. Two local offices joined us for a joint training as they prepared to switch from Dentrix and Eaglesoft to Open Dental.
The verdict? Open Dental is way easier than people think. The real challenge isn’t learning it, it’s unlearning all the overcomplication you’ve been taught. We watched these two offices share ideas, compare workflows, and realize that what once felt impossible was actually doable.
By the end of the day, what started as overwhelm turned into confidence. Proof that clarity beats complexity every single time.
The Wrap-Up: Lessons From the Road
This trip was full of firsts… our first time training together, our first two-office session, our first day dedicated entirely to overpayments. But more than that, it was proof that the heartbeat of every successful practice is the same, clarity and confidence in their systems.
When teams understand why they do what they do, everything clicks. Stress drops. Numbers make sense. People breathe easier.
And that’s the whole point, right?
Final Thought:
Every mile, every “wait… that’s how it works?!” moment, every long drive with coffee and laughter reminded me why this work matters. Systems aren’t just about software, they’re about sanity. When your team finally gets it, you see it on their faces… that mix of pride and peace that comes with finally feeling in control again.
If your team is craving that same kind of clarity, let’s talk. I’d love to be part of your story. Let’s make your next quarter the one where your systems finally make sense again.
👉 Connect with us at SKFPracticeSolutions.com
