The Cyber Threat Dentistry Keeps Ignoring (E.36)

Virginia Jones, CEO of Village Family Dental (14 locations, 400 employees) & Gary Salman, CEO of Black Talon Security reveal the silent threat that could shut your practice down — not a bad review, not a slow month, but a cyber event you never saw coming.

Post-Change Healthcare breach, dentistry is still 3–4 years behind the rest of healthcare on cybersecurity — and the hackers already know it. Small practices think they're flying under the radar. Large groups think their IT team has it covered. Both are wrong.

Key Revelations:

The Invisible Threat Inside Your Practice

• 70% of dental practices treat cybersecurity as a once-a-year checkbox — the hackers treat your network as an everyday opportunity
• The government doesn't care if you're a 1-chair solo practice or a 50-location DSO — HIPAA fines hit everyone equally, and dentistry has been slow to realize it
• Dentistry is 3 to 4 years behind the rest of healthcare on cybersecurity. And the hackers already know it.
• Stop calling it an expense and start calling it an investment — because a cyber event isn't a month of downtime, it can be years

 

💡 The "Ask Ken" Question: 

"At what point does adding more locations actually start destroying value instead of creating it?"

Ken's answer: The real question isn't how fast you can grow — it's whether your operational infrastructure has room to breathe. Before you sign on that next location, ask yourself: are your regional managers tapped out or do they have capacity? Growth without operational leverage isn't scaling — it's a slow-motion collapse. Know your limits before your skis outrun your legs.

 

Top 3 Episodes of The Dental Truth Project. Listen Now!

• (E. 22) The DSO Leaders' Imposter Syndrome Epidemic: Thomas Passalacqua - Ascend Professional Pathways, LLC
• (E.11) Unqualified Practice Brokers Are Costing Dentists Millions: Maria Melone - Caber Hill Advisors
• (E.3) How Associate Mismanagement Is Bankrupting Dental Groups: Eric Roman - Dental Associate Growth

 

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