DSOPro: Tell us about your background and what brought you into dental.

I’m a finance guy by trade. I graduated with a degree in finance from Michigan State University. I saw an ad in the newspaper that said, “Dental sales, fax resume.” So, I did. It happened to be Brasseler USA. I worked in the sales field there for about 3 years and then moved up the corporate ladder, as they say. Eventually, I ran their corporate account division, which is their groups segment, before anyone knew what a DSO was. I stayed at Brasseler for about 10.5 years, then jumped over to a management role with Heraeus Kulzer as Regional Manager and Special Markets Manager. I was continuing in the special markets field as the DSO world took hold. I was calling on groups, universities, community health centers, and managing a region. Then I was recruited by Benco Dental. I was there about 15 years, again in various roles, but predominantly in sales and management. I ran Benco’s DSO platform for a number of years. We had fantastic growth in this area. We really had a great DSO team.

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Shortly after the pandemic, a DSO customer of mine was looking for someone in business development, and thought I was a great fit. So, I moved to Florida to pursue this opportunity. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian hit, and several of the offices were severely damaged or shut down. Because our offices were all up and down the Florida coast on both the Gulf and Atlantic sides, it was not a good adventure for us for the next 3 or 4 months. Ian really shut us down. So, we pivoted and invested more on the operations side of the business.

Shortly after Ian, a good friend called me about a procurement role. Knowing my background in vendor relations, distribution, management, special markets, and manufacturing, he asked if I’d take on the role of procurement at Frontline Dental Implant Specialists, which I did. I was there for almost 2 years and assisted Frontline in saving millions of dollars before I came over to CureMint as VP of Sales and Business Development. Working with Tyson Nargassans, CEO, and Brandon McCarty, Founder & Chief Vision Officer, and the rest of the fantastic CureMint Team, we are diligently getting the word out about what CureMint does (procure to pay workflow platform) and what CureMint is (efficiently streamlining processes). The benefits to the end user and DSOs have been awesome, which I saw firsthand at Frontline.

DSOPro: Tell us why your DSO chose CureMint and if you were involved in that decision?

It was predominantly my decision to implement CureMint at Frontline, with support from the other department heads. Originally, we picked another procurement platform. However, their software didn’t quite fulfill what we were looking for. It didn’t have the functionality we needed. So, after about a year, we switched to CureMint.

The reason we switched was CureMint’s functionality and workflow across both procurement and accounts payable (AP), linking the two departments so we had visibility across the entire workflow process. We now had visibility across the entire procure to pay platform. and We were able to pull everything into a centralized platform, view purchasing, and wrap our heads around it. I needed a way to manage all the products, workflow and process, and to have visibility of the entire workflow on both the procure and AP sides. I needed a platform to make it efficient for our offices and AP team, and that’s what CureMint offered, and what other platforms were lacking.

Now, on what I call backend management or the AP side, CureMint also had the workflow module to be able to check invoices, pricing, and transcribe the invoices into our system. Posting invoices into the accounting system, being able to cross-check invoices, and take about 70% of the manual aspect of checking of invoices out of the equation for our AP personnel was huge. The visibility into the entire procure and AP functions made our lives easier and more efficient. The ease with which you can search, organize products, customize catalogs and shopping lists, and track orders is unmatched. The amount of frustration and manual work decreased greatly. This allowed me to spend valuable time on other projects, partner with vendors, make better spend decisions, and save money along the way.

DSOPro: What do you see as common challenges DSOs and emerging groups are having with procurement?

We all have the same problem in procurement. The first is the visibility of your purchases, not having everything on one platform. So instead of having to keep track on different spreadsheets, which I was doing, and getting reports from various manufacturers and distributors. The visibility to purchases is an enormous issue. You need to know what you’re spending.

The second part of that is the efficiency of the ordering process. Without a system like CureMint, the process is time-consuming and clunky when you need to visit several different sites to order a product. You also have to remember where to go to find the products, which manufacturer or which supplier you are ordering this or that from. It is extremely difficult to keep track of it all. Now multiply this by “X” number of locations. Getting everyone on the same ordering page is difficult. CureMint solves this issue.

When you’re ordering from multiple vendors, it’s difficult to have visibility of where the product is coming from. Are things back ordered? Is my order stuck in shipping? Having all that information on one site is absolutely fantastic. CureMint cuts down on all the manual checking and processing. And that’s just on the procure side.

DSOPro: How does it impact these processes on the accounts payable side?

On the AP side, they have the same issues but on a different scale. The CureMint platform automates much of the workflow. In traditional AP workflows, when someone in AP receives an invoice, they often have to verify the pricing and details by contacting multiple departments—procurement, purchasing, or even the vendor themselves. This typically results in a flurry of emails and phone calls, all of which can be time-consuming. With CureMint, this process is automated and streamlined.

For instance, if there is a price discrepancy, the platform automatically flags the invoice at the line-item level. This eliminates the need for our AP personnel to manually check every line of the invoice. They no longer have to rely on back-and-forth communication with purchasing or other departments to verify details. Instead, they easily identify and focus on “exception invoices,” which need attention due to discrepancies.

The automated workflow functionality of the platform ensures that the correct invoices—those without discrepancies—flow smoothly through the system and are automatically routed to the accounting software with the appropriate GL codes and pricing. With much of the manual work taken out of the equation, the AP and procurement teams focus only on the invoices that need attention, while the rest are processed without intervention.

The platform also reduces the costs associated with invoice processing, which can be substantial. Because discrepancies are automatically flagged, it allows teams to quickly address issues, such as overcharges, and resolve them with vendors. The visibility also allows AP teams and the procurement teams to make necessary adjustments directly with vendors.

CureMint transformed the AP process from a manual, time-consuming, tedious task into a more efficient, automated system that saves both time and money. The exception management system gives the AP and procurement teams better visibility into discrepancies, ensuring they only focus on the issues that need attention, while the rest of the invoices were handled automatically. At Frontline, because the workflow was automated, our teams did spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on strategic projects, which helped improve the overall business and bottom line.

DSOPro: What do you see as the future of procurement in dental? How do you think it will continue to change?

I can see how AI could play a major role in the procurement side. Not just from a predictive index, like indicating it’s time to order certain products. Most ordering personnel know that. However, AI being able to talk to your practice management software, and say, “You’ve got this procedure coming up in 3 weeks. These are all the products you’re going to need,” and automatically build the order for the ordering assistant who then can just look at it and say, “Yep, that’s exactly what I need” then click the send button. That makes the process even more streamlined. Now the office personnel can spend their resources on working with patients and other projects within the practice. So, I definitely see AI playing a major role within the next several years.

DSOPro: What do you think about the future of the industry, dental product technology services, and equipment purchasing?

As far as dental products are concerned, I’ll split it into two categories, the equipment side and the consumable side. We’ve come a long way in the last 10 to 15 years on the materials side. Materials are getting stronger and better. For instance, composites are better now than 20 years ago. The materials used to create crowns such as zirconia are fantastic. So, the materials have improved greatly, and I am not sure how much better they are going to get. I will leave that to the material folks to answer. Companies will always try to improve products, but I am not certain of the scale.

On the equipment side, I see AI technology playing a role as a predictive index, such as knowing when a piece of equipment needs servicing or is about to break down. Right now, you don’t really know if the piece of equipment is going to break until it breaks. An advantage to AI technology in terms of equipment would be if it can alert you when it needs to be serviced so it will last longer.

I relate it to a car. When that engine light comes on you know, “Uh oh, I need to go get it serviced.” Right now, there is no engine light on the equipment side in dental. You have to guess, and if it’s broken, now you need to fix it. I’m seeing some manufacturers working on AI predictive indexes, so the technology itself can tell you it needs service.

Other companies out there are now tracking service repairs as well. You basically had a notebook to keep track of repairs, if you even did that. Now all that information can be stored within the softwares either in the distributor service department or with third-party service departments and softwares.

DSOPro: Any final words?

Based on my background experience as a manufacturer, distributor, and key contributor within a DSO, I saw firsthand the obstacles that DSOs face running their business. Technology exists to streamline processes, offer visibility into your business, and save money. I don’t want this to come off as an obvious sales pitch, but if you’re running a multi-location business, and you don’t have a procure to pay software, you’re spinning your wheels. What I mean is, you’re not as efficient as you could be. When I demo CureMint to AP and procurement teams, it is fantastic to see their eyes light up with relief that this technology exists and can make their lives easier. Technology can automate a good deal of manual processes. This platform offers insight and centralizes your ordering process, increasing efficiency on both the procurement and AP areas of your business. But best of all, it offers your business visibility into all these processes and areas so you can make sound business decisions.

Knowing what I know now, after experiencing it firsthand, I’m not sure how any organization can live without a procure to pay software. And I truly believe it. I lived it. I joined CureMint because I saw firsthand what a platform like this can do for a business. I became a believer, after being skeptical at first. There are such advantages to using this type of platform. A procure to pay platform, like CureMint, will help streamline your business and remove the lack of visibility and much of the manual, tedious, annoying, frustrating, tasks of procurement and AP from the equation. To quote a Vice President of Procurement friend at a large DSO (and I echo this sentiment), “I would rather lose my left pinky than not have a CureMint.” This is a truly revolutionary technology platform that will assist you in running your business and save money in the process.

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About John Klavon

John Klavon has had an extensive and successful career in the dental industry, with a focus on business development, leadership, and strategic growth. His experience spans various leadership roles, including Vice President of Procurement & Facilities at Frontline Dental Implant Specialists and Director of Business Development at Divergent Dental Group. John’s work with Benco Dental’s DSO Department as the DSO Managing Field Director, Special Markets, drove growth for the sales team, further highlighting his ability to lead teams to success in competitive markets. With his background in developing strategic partnerships, driving long-term growth, and expanding market opportunities, Klavon is a seasoned professional skilled at navigating complex business landscapes and delivering strong financial outcomes.

CureMint

CureMint is the only solution provider to offer a single, seamless Procure-to-Pay (P2P) platform exclusively for growing dental organizations. The CureMint Platform closes the gap between procurement and payments through seamless workflows, empowering DSOs to execute on their procurement strategy efficiently, automate AP processes, and gather critical insights to assess their practices and partners. With a single source of truth, business leaders gain visibility and control of their spend, maximize cash flow, and improve their bottom line. As of September 2024, CureMint manages over $200 million of annual spend across nearly 2,000 dental offices. Learn more at www.curemint.io.