Dr. William Miletic

Dr. William Miletic's practice is situated in a busy retail area in Windsor, Ontario. Analysis of his practice indicates an active base of approximately 5,200 patients, which is very busy and has experienced tremendous growth in the past five years. While part of this growth is due to the purchase of and integration with another practice, much of the growth can also be attributed to the strong customer service orientation of the office.

Dr. Miletic has an associate who assists him in servicing the patient base. Dr. Kent Howie has been associated with the practice for approximately seven years. When Dr. Miletic was asked what makes his present practice different from others, he responded with "our staff and office philosophy." Everyone is confident in their abilities and tries to foster the same in the other team members with the help of Transitions.

Together the team sets goals, decide how to implement the process and the time frame for completion, then monitor and makes subtle adjustments to make goals attainable. Their practice philosophy is when a patient walks through the front door, they need to be made to feel welcome, wanted, valued and comfortable, like they are coming home. Customer service is above all else.

An identified challenge in his practice is the lack of available hygiene time. He believes the success of his hygiene program is due to assistance from Transitions' strategies. Transitions periodontal program has made it possible for their hygiene department to really take off.

We asked Dr. Miletic what advice he would give a new graduate. "Become the best you can ... honesty and integrity are your first responsibility to your patients. Being a good clinician is not good enough; it is only half way there. Service to your patients first should be the basis of all decisions made."

His advice for the seasoned dentist is, "stretch your comfort envelope." Be comfortable with your craft in order to get outside your envelope in other areas. You can then push your envelope to grow in your practice and your personal life. If Dr. Miletic had to put his finger on one way to be able to grow it would be, "learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable."