CASE STUDY
From Expanding Capacity to Unlocking Potential
How Dr. Mahogany Miles Redesigned the Patient Experience to Create Sustainable Growth
Dr. Mahogany Miles entered The Leadership Thread during a pivotal chapter in her practice’s journey. As the only periodontist in her county, she had built a respected practice that consistently produced around $1.2 million annually. At the same time, she had just completed a major relocation into a larger, newly renovated facility with expanded surgical capacity—creating tremendous opportunity, but also introducing new operational demands.
The practice had grown. Now it needed the systems and leadership to grow with it.
Although patient demand remained strong, many of the processes inside the practice had not evolved to match its next stage of growth. New patient interactions felt compressed and transactional, referral development lacked consistency, and the team was trying to accomplish too much during a single patient visit. Looking ahead, the anticipated retirement of a longtime hygienist—and the ongoing challenge of recruiting hygienists in the post-COVID environment—made it even more important to build a practice that could scale through stronger systems rather than simply working harder.
One of the biggest mindset shifts came when Dr. Miles realized the opportunity was not finding more patients.
The real opportunity was designing a better patient journey while empowering the team to take greater ownership of both the patient experience and the growth of the practice. As the practice began exceeding previous production milestones sooner than expected, her thinking expanded beyond simply growing revenue toward building a practice capable of sustaining much larger ambitions.
After joining The Leadership Thread, Dr. Miles and her team began redesigning the patient experience from the very first interaction.
The new patient process was divided into two conversations instead of one. Financial discussions and insurance details were intentionally moved away from the initial call, allowing the team to focus first on understanding the patient’s concerns and building trust. New leadership roles—including a Patient Concierge, Treatment Consultant, and Strategic Growth Partner—created greater ownership, consistency, and accountability throughout the patient journey.
The practice also implemented structured onboarding workflows, clearer communication scripts, stronger leadership accountability, and more defined team responsibilities. Rather than approaching conversations transactionally, the team learned to slow the process down, listen more intentionally, and create greater confidence before discussing treatment recommendations.
Referral development also became significantly more proactive. The practice strengthened relationships with referring doctors while helping them better understand the full scope of services available, including implants and surgical procedures. The team positioned itself not simply as a specialty practice, but as a trusted resource for improving patient communication, treatment planning, and case acceptance.
The impact created immediate momentum.
Key Early Results
- Q1 production increased from $389,671 to $447,427
- 15% year-over-year Q1 revenue growth
- Significant improvement in treatment acceptance and patient trust
- Reported periods of 100% treatment acceptance following implementation of the new onboarding process
- Increased enrollment in the practice wellness and membership plan
- Stronger referral engagement and increased responsiveness from referring doctors
“Patients are saying, ‘You all are the first people to see me and hear me.'”
Dr. Mahogany Miles
While the numbers reflected meaningful progress, the most significant transformation occurred within the culture of the practice.
Leadership became something shared across the team rather than carried by one individual. Team members embraced expanded responsibilities, remained aligned through staffing challenges, and developed a stronger sense of ownership over the patient experience and the future of the practice.
What once relied primarily on Dr. Miles’ clinical expertise began evolving into a practice where systems, leadership, and culture worked together—creating a stronger foundation for sustainable growth long into the future.
