The Business of a Clinic (BOAC)

The Business of a Clinic (BOAC) is a podcast for private healthcare leaders who want to run not just a great clinic, but a great business. Each episode explores the overlooked commercial side of healthcare — how to grow revenue, improve patient retention, fill empty calendars, and build high-performing front-office teams. Hosted by the team at Coherent and led by founder Jared Aaron, we sit down weekly with clinic owners, practice managers, and industry experts to unpack the real challenges behind no-shows, cancellations, and disengaged patients, and share practical frameworks and playbooks that any clinic can apply. If you’re a private healthcare operator such as dentist, aesthetic practitioner, chiropractor, physio, or private GP looking to bridge the gap between excellent care and effective business operations, this is your roadmap to running a clinic that thrives — for your patients, your staff, and your bottom line. The

The Business of a Clinic (BOAC) is a business podcast hosted by Jared Aron, with 54 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jared Aron hosts The Business of a Clinic (BOAC), a business show with 54 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #60

  The Next AI Advantage in Healthcare Starts With Clean Data | Pablo Perea at GoHub Ventures, BOAC #60

  Sep 11, 202637 minS1

  What does healthcare AI look like 12, 24 or 36 months before it reaches the mainstream ? Pablo, partner at GoHub Ventures, joins Jared to explain how an early-stage investor thinks about the next generation of digital health companies. GoHub is investing around six to ten companies a year, and Pablo says roughly 80% of the fund is set to focus on digital health. But more AI does not necessarily mean better healthcare technology. Pablo explains why many horizontal AI products look increasingly similar, why highly vertical solutions can become difficult to scale, and why he believes AI-enabled services could offer a more compelling model for private healthcare: using AI for leverage while developing enough depth to understand how the clinic actually operates. They also explore the infrastructure underneath successful AI adoption. A clinic can connect a tool to its systems quickly, but if its data, workflows and operating procedures are not ready, the promised efficiency can disappear into hidden implementation and verification costs. The conversation then turns to how investors make decisions. Pablo shares how GoHub uses customer conversations, technical advisers, pattern recognition and market signals to form conviction, and why investing at pre-seed often means evaluating the people behind a company before there is enough technology to evaluate. Finally, they look ahead to the next 12 months: data readiness, operational efficiency and patient-facing workflows are areas Pablo expects to keep accelerating, while clinical applications will continue to move at different speeds depending on regulation and the underlying medical problem. A conversation about healthcare AI after the hype: what has defensibility, what creates real value inside a clinic, and what investors believe is coming next.

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  Episode #59

  He Went From Vet Hospitals to Running a 130-Office Dental Group | Dave Gaspar, BOAC #59

  Sep 9, 202646 minS1

  In this episode of The Business of a Clinic , Jared speaks with Dave Gaspar, CEO of SmilePartners, a dental support organisation with 130 offices across seven states. Dave’s career has taken him across two different but surprisingly connected areas of healthcare: veterinary hospitals and dental clinics. Before becoming CEO of SmilePartners, he worked at Banfield Pet Hospital, then Pacific Dental Services, before moving from COO to CEO at SmilePartners. That journey gave Dave a deeply operational view of what makes clinics work. He has spent time in the field, inside practices, alongside clinicians, front office teams, dental assistants, veterinarians, and dentists. His perspective is that successful retail healthcare is not necessarily complicated, but it is hard. Clinics need providers, patients, care delivery, and payment. The challenge is that human beings sit inside every part of that system. Jared and Dave discuss the similarities and differences between veterinary medicine and dentistry, including patient communication, insurance, payment, emotional decision-making, treatment acceptance, and the role of empathy. Dave explains why veterinary medicine taught him so much about trust, especially because the patient cannot speak for themselves and the family has to make decisions on their behalf. They also explore what it means to scale a dental group without losing touch with the frontline. Dave shares why he believes leaders need to spend time in the operatory, understand how dentists think, learn the insurance side of the business, and stay close to the clinical and non-clinical realities that shape the patient experience. The conversation also covers hiring and onboarding dentists, moving from COO to CEO, reducing friction across a large group, and how to evaluate new technology and AI. Dave’s framework is simple: does it help the patient, the clinician, the team, and the business? If technology does not reduce friction across those areas, it may create more problems than it solves. The episode closes with one of Dave’s most important leadership lessons: slow down, build the relationship, align on the why, and do not disappear when things get difficult. In a healthcare world increasingly focused on automation, Dave’s view is that people, trust, communication, and relationships still sit at the centre of great clinics. In this episode Dave’s journey from veterinary hospitals to dental group leadership SmilePartners and scaling to 130 offices across seven states What dental clinics can learn from veterinary medicine Why retail healthcare depends on reducing friction The difference between dental insurance and veterinary payment models Why veterinary medicine can be more emotionally charged Patient communication when the patient cannot speak for themselves Empathy, sympathy, and trust in healthcare decisions Why clinic success is simple, but not easy The four things every successful dental or vet clinic needs Providers, patients, treatment delivery, and payment Why human beings make every process harder to execute Learning dentistry from inside the operatory Why leaders need to understand the front line Treatment acceptance and motivating patients before pain starts Hiring, onboarding, and supporting new dentists Being shoulder to shoulder with clinicians Moving from COO to CEO Why Dave’s role now is to reduce friction at scale How to evaluate technology and AI in healthcare Patient, clinician, team, and business impact Why explaining the “why” matters before rolling out change AI receptionists, verification tax, and hidden friction Why healthcare still needs people, even as automation grows The leadership lesson Dave learned in veterinary medicine Why showing up during hard moments builds trust Key idea Great clinics are not built by technology alone. They are built by people who reduce friction, explain the why, stay close to the frontline, and build enough trust to help patients, clinicians, and teams move forward together. About the show The Business of a Clinic explores how private healthcare clinics can grow by improving patient relationships, patient engagement, clinic operations, retention, follow-up, commercial systems, and the overall patient experience.

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  Episode #58

  Why Dentistry Should Never Become a Commodity | Steven Lynch, BOAC #58

  Sep 7, 20261 hourS1

  In this episode of The Business of a Clinic , Jared speaks with Steven Lynch, CEO of Total Dental Ireland. Steven’s route into dental group leadership was not conventional. He began in accounting and finance, trained as a chartered accountant, worked at BDO, moved into banking, and then found his way into dentistry through a tooth-whitening distribution business. After that, he co-founded MedAccount Services, an accountancy firm focused on dentists, which grew to serve around 35% of the dental market in Ireland. That experience gave Steven a rare view into the business side of dentistry: where practices succeed, where owners struggle, where systems break down, and where consolidation can help. After meeting Lonsdale, Steven stepped out of MedAccount and into the CEO role at Total Dental Ireland. The group has grown to 10 sites, with more in exclusivity and a target to reach over 20 practices in the near term. The conversation explores what Steven looks for when acquiring dental practices. He is not interested in commodity dentistry or purely high-street volume. Instead, he looks for quality, conservative dentistry, returning patients, community focus, loyal teams, and practices where patients trust the clinicians enough to bring their families back. Jared and Steven discuss the practical realities of buy-and-build healthcare: integration, compliance, regulation, central teams, regional managers, practice managers, culture, systems, and what should and should not change after acquisition. Steven explains why Total Dental Ireland does not rebrand practices, why he prefers to promote internal practice managers rather than impose outsiders, and why the central team exists to remove burdens from dentists so they can focus on clinical work. They also discuss AI in dentistry, including virtual assistants, AI note-taking, imaging as a second opinion, digital consent, PMS systems, cloud software, patient communication, verification risk, and why Steven sees AI as a tool to support dentists and front-of-house teams rather than replace them. The episode closes with Steven’s view on the future of dentistry in Ireland: more consolidation, larger practices, more in-house services, safer and more modern environments, and a patient experience built around trust, community, and quality rather than commodity care. In this episode Steven’s journey from accounting and finance into dentistry Training as a chartered accountant and working at BDO Leaving banking for a tooth-whitening distribution business How a lost agency opened the door to dental accounting Co-founding MedAccount Services Serving around 35% of the dental market in Ireland Meeting Lonsdale and stepping into Total Dental Ireland Growing to 10 sites, with more in exclusivity Why the first five practices were the hardest Building a central team around operations, clinical leadership, people, and M&A What Steven looks for in a dental acquisition Why dentistry should not become a commodity Conservative dentistry, maintenance, and returning patients Buying practices with history, community, and trust Why Total Dental Ireland does not rebrand acquired practices Compliance and regulation as the first integration priority Building an internal web portal for practice tasks Promoting practice managers from inside the team Removing the ownership burden from dentists What Steven learned from seeing the Irish dental market at scale Why over-centralisation can fail Practice manager learning days and group-wide training Ethical sales in dentistry How Total Dental Ireland thinks about AI Virtual assistants and front-of-house patient experience AI note-taking and digital consent AI imaging as a second opinion Why AI should reduce risk, not replace dentists The verification tax of AI reception Why missed calls matter in dental practices Cloud PMS, digital scanners, and practice-level choice Keeping practices community-focused while scaling The future of dental consolidation in Ireland Safer, more modern, full-service dental practices Key idea Steven’s view is that dental consolidation should not turn dentistry into a commodity. The strongest groups will preserve the trust, history, and community feel of local practices while adding the systems, compliance, technology, and support that help dentists focus on care. About the show The Business of a Clinic explores how private healthcare clinics can grow by improving patient relationships, patient engagement, clinic operations, retention, follow-up, commercial systems, and the overall patient experience.

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  Episode #57

  He Learned How to Grow a Clinic From a Fruit & Veg Stall | Jonathan Shearer, BOAC #57

  Sep 4, 202656 minS1

  In this episode of The Business of a Clinic , Jared speaks with Jonathan, a podiatrist, clinic leader, and director of a podiatry and sports therapy practice near Birmingham. Jonathan’s journey into podiatry started unusually early. At 16, he had an ingrown toenail treated and remembers the immediate difference it made to his life. That experience shaped his decision to become a podiatrist, because he saw how quickly podiatry could improve someone’s pain, mobility, and quality of life. After training in Southampton and working in the NHS, Jonathan moved into private practice and built his own clinic in Tamworth. Twenty years later, the practice has evolved from a one-person operation into a team-based clinic built around podiatry, sports therapy, MSK care, technology, training, patient experience, and community relationships. The conversation explores what it really takes to move from clinician to clinic leader. Jonathan explains why many clinicians are never trained to run a business, why private healthcare has matured, why podiatry practices often undercharge, and why charging properly is necessary if you want to invest in your team, your equipment, your training, and the patient experience. Jared and Jonathan also discuss the shift from self-employed associates to an employed team model, and why that changed the culture of the clinic. Jonathan shares how he thinks about trust, vulnerability, cross-referrals inside the team, weekly training, team alignment days, and building a culture where practitioners can ask each other for help without ego or embarrassment. A major theme of the episode is growth outside the clinic walls. Jonathan explains how lessons from working on a fruit and veg market stall shaped his approach to building relationships. He talks about local businesses, sweet shops, running shops, football clubs, PTA nights, leaflets, free treatment vouchers, and why clinic owners need to “go where the buffalo are” instead of relying only on digital marketing. The episode is a practical look at how clinics grow through trust: trust with patients, trust inside the team, and trust across the local community. In this episode Jonathan’s journey from NHS podiatrist to private clinic owner How an ingrown toenail at 16 shaped his career Building a podiatry clinic in Tamworth over 20 years Why private practice was not really taught to clinicians How podiatry, sports therapy, MSK, and technology came together Moving from self-employed associates to an employed team Why clinic owners often burn out Why many podiatry practices undercharge Charging enough to invest in training, equipment, and experience Improving the clinic environment and first impressions Weekly training, CPD, and internal team development Building a vulnerable culture where people ask for help Cross-referring patients to the right practitioner inside the team Why good clinic is good business Using reviews, rebooking, and feedback to spot training needs Team alignment days and building culture outside the clinic Hiring mistakes and letting candidates test-drive the clinic Why staff retention depends on career development Learning relationship-building from a fruit and veg market stall Connecting with local businesses, GP surgeries, and community groups The sweet shop referral story Why clinic owners should give first and build trust Building symbiotic relationships with local partners Why local networking still matters in a digital marketing world The PTA night that helped launch a clinic Why clinic owners need to “go where the buffalo are” Key idea Clinic growth is not only built through ads, websites, or digital funnels. Jonathan’s story shows how much growth can come from trust, community, team culture, local relationships, and consistently showing up where patients and partners already are. About the show The Business of a Clinic explores how private healthcare clinics can grow by improving patient relationships, patient engagement, clinic operations, retention, follow-up, commercial systems, and the overall patient experience.

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  Episode #56

  He Built 80 Dental Practices Without Taking Away Autonomy | Lane Theriault, BOAC #56

  Sep 1, 202645 minS1

  In this episode of The Business of a Clinic , Jared speaks with Lane Theriault, CEO of Independence Dental. Lane started his career as an investment banker at Citigroup before moving into dental consolidation. After helping launch 123Dentist in Canada, he moved to the U.S. to build Independence Dental, which has grown from 8 practices at the end of 2020 to around 80 practices today. The conversation explores how Independence Dental thinks about scaling differently from a traditional DSO. Instead of forcing every clinic into one rigid playbook, Lane describes a supported autonomy model where successful practices keep control of their clinical and business identity while gaining access to group-level support. Jared and Lane discuss what dentists actually want after acquisition, including recruiting support, marketing accountability, revenue cycle management, payroll, procurement, and operational infrastructure. They also go deep on why marketing alone does not fix growth if the practice has a “leaky bucket” at the point of call handling, conversion, diary capacity, and patient retention. Lane also shares how Independence Dental is approaching AI. Rather than treating AI as a single product or outsourcing everything to vendors, the group is building an internal culture of AI, where people closest to the operational problem can build tools for their own workflows. They discuss custom apps, knowledge bases, coding agents, PHI, BAAs, AI receptionists, patient trust, and why transparency matters when patients interact with AI. The episode closes with Lane’s view on what will and will not change in dentistry. Customer service, relationships, and trust will remain central. But labour shortages and automation may change how care is delivered, including the possibility of robots completing tasks like crowns in the future. In this episode Lane’s journey from Citigroup to dental consolidation Launching 123Dentist in Canada Building Independence Dental from 8 to around 80 practices Why Independence Dental chose a supported autonomy model How DSOs can support practices without removing local identity What dental owners actually want after acquisition Recruiting support in a difficult dental labour market Marketing accountability and holding vendors responsible Why marketing spend fails when patient handling is weak The leaky bucket problem in dental practices Call conversion, diary capacity, and new patient flow Why consensus matters in a partner-led dental group How Independence Dental thinks about organic growth Building custom tools instead of only buying software Creating a culture of AI across the organisation Why people closest to the problem should help build the solution Buy vs build decisions in healthcare technology Revenue cycle management and automation AI receptionists, transparency, and patient trust PHI, BAAs, compliance, and security requirements Knowledge bases, organisational context, and AI workflows Lane’s four steps for AI transformation What will change in dentistry over the next decade What will not change: service, relationships, and trust Dental robots and the future of clinical work Key idea The future of dental groups may not be one rigid playbook. Lane’s view is that the strongest model is one where successful practices keep their autonomy, while the group provides the infrastructure, systems, support, and technology that help them grow. About the show The Business of a Clinic explores how private healthcare clinics can grow by improving patient relationships, patient engagement, clinic operations, retention, follow-up, commercial systems, and the overall patient experience.

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