Episodes

The Invisible Revenue Leak in Your Dental Practice

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 06:16:48 GMT

Most dental practices are losing money they never see. It doesn't show up as a line item. There's no invoice for it. It hides inside everyday communication: the front desk call, the treatment plan nobody followed up on, the billing conversation that sent a patient somewhere else.

On this Behind the Bite roundtable, I sat down with a panel of experts across dental marketing, HR, branding, technology, and benefits to trace where that money goes. Here's what stood out.

What actually causes a revenue leak?

The leak usually isn't one big mistake. It's a pattern. When a practice fixes problems one at a time without looking at how the team communicates, the same leaks come back. The root is organizational: who owns what, and whether the message stays consistent from the ad, to the phone, to the chair.

Two gaps came up again and again. First, unclear ownership. When nobody is clearly responsible for answering inquiries or following up on a treatment plan, those tasks fall through the cracks. Second, inconsistent messaging. When every team member says something different, patients feel it, and trust erodes right when they're deciding whether to move forward.

How does communication affect case acceptance?

Case acceptance lives or dies on trust, and trust is built through clear, consistent communication. A patient who hears one story on your website, another on the phone, and a third in the chair starts to doubt. That doubt shows up as "let me think about it." And a lot of "let me think about it" is really a communication problem wearing a scheduling problem's clothes.

The fix isn't fancy. It's clarity. Say the same true thing everywhere, follow up when you said you would, and explain the money before the patient has to ask.

Where does AI help, and where does it hurt?

AI can take repetitive work off your team's plate. It can also quietly damage the human connection that makes patients stay. The panel's take was consistent: use AI where speed matters, but protect the moments that need a person. A rushed, automated reply to a sensitive question can cost you more than the time it saved.

What do benefits have to do with revenue?

More than most owners think. Your team communicates with patients all day, and stressed, underpaid, or poorly supported staff communicate worse. Employee benefits, explained clearly and often, are one of the most cost-effective ways to keep good people. Lower turnover means steadier patient relationships, and steadier relationships mean less revenue walking out the door.

The takeaway

The leaks draining your practice usually trace back to how you communicate, inside your team and with your patients. You don't plug them with a new tool or a bigger marketing budget. You plug them with clarity, consistency, and follow-through. So start with one honest question: are we talking with our patients and our team, or just at them?

Watch the full roundtable: https://youtu.be/nrNvsQaBWB8

Behind the Bite is part of the Behind the Premium network. Subscribe on YouTube for new episodes, and if you run a dental practice, come join the conversation.

By Kody King, host of Behind the Bite. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kodyking/

Partnership Disclosure: Behind the Bite is part of the Behind the Premium network, produced in partnership with Dental Skool, a free educational community for dental professionals. This is a promotional collaboration, not a paid sponsorship. Disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Disclaimer: The content shared on this series, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Discussions of employee benefits, health plans, insurance, coverage, claims, costs, and related topics are general in nature and are not financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits-planning advice, and should not be relied upon for any specific decision. Benefit plans, coverage options, pricing, and applicable regulations vary by individual, employer, and location, and change over time. Engaging with this content does not create a professional, advisory, broker-client, agent, or fiduciary relationship of any kind. Always consult a licensed insurance broker, benefits advisor, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified expert before making decisions about your benefits, coverage, or finances. Statements made by hosts, guests, and panelists including any who are owners, employees, or representatives of a partner company are their own. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content. Any references to dental or medical topics are general and are not a substitute for advice from a licensed dentist or physician.

How to Vet Insurance Carriers and Benefits Vendors Before You Sign

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 05:27:43 GMT

Most employers pick a health insurance carrier the way they take the lowest bid. Then renewal shows up, the number jumps, and they find out what they actually bought. On the latest Behind the Premium roundtable, I sat down with brokers Ken Wosczyna ( EBA-1 ) and Jon Knudson ( Knudson Benefits Group ) and Weltrio CEO Jacob Davis to talk through how to vet carriers and benefits vendors before you commit. Here is what stood out.

Stop repeating the same renewal

The pattern Ken and Jon kept coming back to: employers rotate through the same carriers and expect a different result. The old playbook was cost shifting. Raise the deductible, push people into high deductible plans, ask employees to pay more. That move is running out of room, and it does not fix what is actually driving the spend.

Transparency is the real leverage

Jacob made the case that the employers who win are the ones who can see their own data. When you can watch where the dollars go, you can ask better questions and act before renewal instead of after. Employers who take control of their plan data and press for transparency can often cut real cost, frequently in the range of 15 to 23 percent, without cutting benefits or narrowing access. More on getting ahead of spend before it hits the plan: pre-claim analytics .

Red flags when a vendor pitches you

The panel was blunt about what kills trust in a vendor meeting. If a vendor cannot back a claim with a real case study or hard numbers, that is a flag. Ask for proof. Ask for the ROI math. Ask what happens if it does not work. A good vendor has answers. A weak one has a brochure.

Ask the questions most employers skip

The best vetting question is simple: where are my dollars going, and who is getting paid along the way? Most employers never ask. The ones who do tend to find waste hiding in plain sight. Getting your CFO into that conversation early changes how the whole plan gets managed.

Give a new solution 90 days

Nobody expects a plan change to be perfect on day one. But if a solution is not showing results inside about 90 days, the panel agreed you should be willing to adjust fast rather than wait for the next renewal cycle. Speed beats loyalty to a bad fit.

The takeaway

Vetting is not about finding the cheapest option. It is about knowing what you are buying, who is accountable, and whether the numbers hold up. Ask hard questions, demand proof, and keep control of your data.

Watch the full roundtable on the Behind the Premium YouTube channel and connect with us on LinkedIn . For a sharper take on why employers should stop renting their plan and go self-managed, read this on the Weltrio blog . To see what taking control of your plan data could be worth for your company, learn more about Weltrio .

Disclosures

Partnership Disclosure: Behind the Premium is produced in partnership with Weltrio. This is a promotional collaboration, not a paid sponsorship. Panelist Jacob Davis is the CEO of Weltrio. Disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Disclaimer: The content shared on this series, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Discussions of employee benefits, health plans, insurance, coverage, claims, costs, and related topics are general in nature and are not financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits-planning advice, and should not be relied upon for any specific decision. Benefit plans, coverage options, pricing, and applicable regulations vary by individual, employer, and location, and change over time. Engaging with this content does not create a professional, advisory, broker-client, agent, or fiduciary relationship of any kind. Always consult a licensed insurance broker, benefits advisor, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified expert before making decisions about your benefits, coverage, or finances. Statements made by hosts, guests, and panelists — including any who are owners, employees, or representatives of a partner company — are their own. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content.

Actress to Dental Practice Coach: What Micky Chorny Teaches Dental Teams

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 02:43:52 GMT

Most dental practice advice starts with systems, software, and hacks. Micky Chorny starts somewhere else: with people. On this Behind the Bite interview , the dental practice coach and founder of Aligned Dental Practice explains why human connection is the engine behind every system that actually works, and how her years as a professional actress shaped the way she coaches dental teams today.

From the Stage to the Operatory

Micky trained in acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She spent about three years as a working actress in New York City. The lifestyle drained her, and a weekend personal development workshop changed how she saw her own choices. That discovery pulled her into coaching. She started in the corporate world and later moved into the dental space, where she found the people and problems she loves. Today she runs Aligned Dental Practice, coaching dentists and their teams on leadership, communication, and growth.

Why Performing Arts Skills Are Undervalued

Micky calls people with performing arts degrees some of the most underestimated people in the workforce. She makes a strong case. Actors spend years developing the ability to listen and respond in the moment. That same skill helps a practice owner read a nervous patient, a stressed front desk, or a team meeting that has gone quiet. Energy matters too. A monotone leader puts the room to sleep, and a team that feels no energy from the top will not bring any of its own.

The Three Pillars: People, Leadership, Systems

Ask Micky what makes her approach stand out and she gives you three linked pillars. You cannot have strong systems without strong leadership. And you cannot have strong leadership without being connected to the people who make the engine run. Her brand promise is bright and colorful on purpose. If practice life does not feel more vivid and more fun after working together, she says she has not done her job.

Management by Agreement

One of the most practical ideas in the episode is what Micky calls management by agreement. An agreement answers three questions. Who is responsible? What exactly does done look like? And by when? Vague hopes let systems drift. A written agreement, accepted out loud by a named person, builds the follow-through that makes a system repeatable and a practice able to scale.

Honesty in a Saturated Market

Kody and Micky also dig into a harder topic: overpromising. Dental is a crowded market, and plenty of vendors promise results they cannot back up with data. Micky's answer is honesty. Track real numbers, set goals you can reach, and judge marketing by patients who book and show up, not by clicks. Dental is a relationship field. Watered-down automation cannot replace knowing what works.

Hire for Potential, Then Develop It

Micky is living proof of her own hiring rule. She was hired for potential, not experience, and built a career on it. She urges owners to interview for curiosity, problem-solving, and emotional smarts. Unicorn hires are rare. Growing the right raw talent is a far more repeatable path.

Start Tomorrow: The Gap-Closing Morning Huddle

Her one tip every practice can start this quarter? A daily morning huddle that spends at least five minutes on two questions: what are today's gaps, and how do we close them? It is simple. It costs nothing. It sets the tone for the whole day.

Watch the Full Interview

The full conversation covers Micky's origin story, the social media marketing gap in dentistry, financial complexity, and much more. Watch the full interview on YouTube and connect with Micky on LinkedIn or through Aligned Being .

More from the network: practice teams also loved our Behind the Bite conversation on dental virtual assistants with Dan Johnson . And because people costs reach past the front desk, Weltrio helps employers get ahead of healthcare costs before claims hit.

Written by Kody King, host of Behind the Premium. Connect with Kody on LinkedIn .

Partnership Disclosure: Behind the Bite is part of the Behind the Premium network, produced in partnership with Dental Skool , a free educational community for dental professionals. This is a promotional collaboration, not a paid sponsorship. Disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Disclaimer: The content shared on this series, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Discussions of employee benefits, health plans, insurance, coverage, claims, costs, and related topics are general in nature and are not financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits-planning advice, and should not be relied upon for any specific decision. Benefit plans, coverage options, pricing, and applicable regulations vary by individual, employer, and location, and change over time. Engaging with this content does not create a professional, advisory, broker-client, agent, or fiduciary relationship of any kind. Always consult a licensed insurance broker, benefits advisor, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified expert before making decisions about your benefits, coverage, or finances. Statements made by hosts, guests, and panelists — including any who are owners, employees, or representatives of a partner company — are their own. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content. Any references to dental or medical topics are general and are not a substitute for advice from a licensed dentist or physician.

Olympic Bobsled Coach Chris Fogt on Winning Under Pressure

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:45:33 GMT

By Kody King , Host of Behind the Premium.

Picture a four-hundred-pound sled flying down an icy track at ninety miles an hour, carrying four people with no brakes and no seatbelts. The difference between an Olympic medal and fourth place comes down to about three tenths of a second. Who do you want directing the program that builds those teams? For Team USA, the answer is Chris Fogt.

Most of us will never push a bobsled, yet the way Chris builds a team under that kind of pressure applies well beyond the ice. He is a three-time Olympian, a 2014 silver medalist, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, and today he is the head coach of USA Bobsled. On this episode of Behind the Premium, he joined me for an honest conversation about finding overlooked talent, leading when the stakes are highest, and giving kids a real path back into sports.

What follows are the moments that stayed with me, including how Chris finds athletes who have no idea they are athletes yet, the lessons he took from his own coach, and why he built a platform to make youth sports easier to reach. It begins with how a track kid from Utah reached an Olympic podium.

From College Track to the Olympic Podium

Chris never grew up dreaming about bobsled; he ran track in college until a recruiter noticed him at a meet and invited him to try out. Bobsled is a transfer sport, which means the program looks for three qualities: speed, power, and strength. Because Chris had all three, he made the team in his first year while keeping his ROTC commitment, and he found the Army's World Class Athlete Program at Fort Carson, which let him serve and compete at the same time.

The path was anything but tidy. He competed in his first Olympics in 2010, then deployed to Iraq for a year barely three months later. He came back, raced again in 2014 and won silver in the four-man event, then returned for a third Games in 2018. If you want a portrait of pursuing two demanding careers at once, his story delivers it.

They Have Been Training Their Whole Life and Do Not Know It

Here is the insight from Chris that I keep revisiting. Most of the athletes he needs are already out there competing, with no idea that bobsled is even an option, so he spends much of his year recruiting sprinters, football players, and other college athletes who can run, jump, and move serious weight. What they do not realize, he explained, is that they have probably been training for bobsled their whole lives. That is a valuable reminder for anyone who hires people or builds teams, because the talent you want may not arrive with the title you expected, so evaluate the underlying skills first.

Leading Under Pressure, the Brian Shimer Way

Chris moved into coaching in 2023 and took over as head coach a year later. He credits much of his philosophy to his own coach, Brian Shimer, and two lessons stuck. The first is to show up with real passion every day, even when you feel terrible, because your team reads your energy. The second is to stay tough and positive when the conditions turn brutal. Bobsled races never stop for weather, and Chris has stood atop a track in eight-degree wind while rival teams retreated to the corner and skipped their warm-ups. His crew stayed outside and went to work, because that lead-from-the-front discipline came straight from the Army and carried into how he runs the program today.

Fueling Elite Performance When the Conditions Keep Changing

Feeding a bobsled team is its own complicated puzzle, because the men can weigh around 225 pounds and therefore eat enormous amounts while relying on protein and creatine. The women face the opposite challenge, staying strong enough to push a heavy sled while remaining under strict weight limits, supported by a nutritionist and regular bloodwork that manage details like iron and vitamin D. Weather adds another layer, because Chris has watched snowfall thin out at training sites he has visited since 2008, so the team travels more and arrives in Norway and Latvia early, where the tracks hold ice sooner. The principle underneath all of it is simple: when the conditions shift, you adapt and keep going.

Why Youth Sports and Confidence Matter So Much

Chris is also building something meaningful off the ice. About two-thirds of children quit sports before turning twelve, often because the environment became too competitive far too early. He wants to widen that door again, because his belief is that youth sports are not really about scholarships; instead they teach kids how to work hard, build friendships, and get through difficult moments. So he created Arena Sports , a youth sports marketplace that works a bit like Airbnb for camps and coaching, where parents can find nearby camps within minutes and part-time coaches can list their programs without living on social media. Chris runs a speed and agility camp for about twenty kids himself, co-founded the company with former college and G League player Steven Ashworth, and built the app with privacy in mind, so participant data is never sold or shared.

How to Get Involved

Interested in trying out for the team? Chris is looking for college athletes with speed, power, and strength who are also a little fearless. You can post a combine at GMTM or find tryout details at USA Bobsled and Skeleton . Active-duty soldiers can explore the Army World Class Athlete Program , and parents and youth coaches can join the community through Arena Sports . You can also connect with Chris on LinkedIn .

Chris packs more discipline into a single week than most of us manage in a month, and his perspective on talent, leadership, and grit is worth your attention. Watch the full interview on the Behind the Premium channel , and borrow whatever helps you lead your own team.

For more conversations like this one, read our sit-down with insurance veteran Paul Flowers Jr. on ethical leadership , or see how HR leaders prove their impact on Benefits 3.0. Behind the Premium is produced in partnership with Weltrio , which helps self-funded employers lower healthcare costs without cutting benefits or access.

Disclosures

Behind the Premium is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Across our network we share conversations, stories, experiences, and opinions about healthcare, employee benefits, insurance, costs, and wellness — along with any products, services, or topics mentioned. All of it is general information — not medical, financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits advice — and engaging with it doesn't create a professional relationship of any kind. Behind the Premium is produced in partnership with Weltrio; this is a promotional collaboration, not a paid sponsorship. The views of our hosts, guests, and panelists are their own. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions about your health, coverage, or finances. You are solely responsible for any action you take based on this content.

How Ethical Leadership Cuts Healthcare Costs: Paul Flowers Jr.

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:38:29 GMT

By Kody King , host of Behind the Premium.

Can the way a leader behaves really change what a company pays for healthcare? Most employers never get to test that idea. The health plan shows up as one big number, the renewal climbs every year, and nobody explains why.

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. Most business owners are kept in the dark about how their plans get priced, so the yearly jump feels like weather instead of a choice. Paul H. Flowers Jr., founder of Superior Insurance Advisors , says the fix starts with ethical leadership: open books, honest broker pay, and the nerve to ask where every dollar goes. On this Behind the Premium interview , he shows how that shift turns healthcare costs into something a company can steer.

Below, we break down the big ideas from the talk. Why transparency beats price shopping. How broker pay can quietly work against you. Why "too small to self-fund" is a myth. And the questions every CFO and HR leader should ask before the next renewal. Start with the idea that reframes the whole thing.

1. Ethical leadership is a cost lever, not a soft skill

Paul spent more than 20 years inside the insurance industry, and he keeps coming back to one point. The health of a company's plan tracks the honesty of the people running it. When leaders treat benefits as a black box, waste hides easily. When they ask for clear answers, the waste has nowhere to go.

So he frames ethics as a money issue, not just a values issue. A leader who questions pricing and incentives protects the budget and the employees at the same time. The soft stuff and the hard numbers turn out to be one conversation.

2. The renewal merry-go-round hides the real problem

Every year the renewal lands with a double-digit increase, and the standard move is to shop for a new carrier. Paul calls this the merry-go-round. Switching carriers can mask a rise for a year, yet it rarely fixes what drives the cost.

He sat in renewal meetings that focused on how much the carrier could earn, not on the care employees received. That backward focus is the pattern he wants leaders to catch. If nobody studies the claims under the number, the number keeps climbing.

3. Follow the money: how broker pay shapes your plan

Here is the question Paul wants every employer to ask. How is my broker paid? When a broker earns more as premiums rise, the incentive points the wrong way.

His answer is a fee-based, fiduciary model, where the client sees exactly what they pay and what they get. That structure lines up the broker's pay with the client's savings. It also opens the door to the claims data most plans keep locked away.

4. The myth of too small to self-fund

Plenty of owners believe self-funding is only for large companies. Paul busts that idea fast. A group with as few as 50 employees can self-fund with the right guardrails.

The key is knowing the tools that manage risk, like stop-loss coverage, and knowing who truly holds the plan's financial risk. Size is not the barrier. Understanding is. Once leaders grasp the mechanics, a self-funded or level-funded plan can hand them control a fully insured plan never offers.

5. Data is the edge most employers never use

Control starts with visibility. When a company can see its own claims and cost drivers, it can act instead of react. Paul points to data pools and claims analysis as the way to find waste and design a smarter plan.

This is the same theme we explored in our episode on pre-claim data and analytics . Get ahead of the claim, and you get ahead of the cost. Sit back, and you pay for problems you could have caught early.

6. The questions to ask before your next renewal

Paul's advice turns into a short checklist any leader can use:

Ask your broker how they are paid. Commission or flat fee changes everything.
Request real data in your renewal meeting, not just a new rate.
Look into self-funded options even if you feel too small.
Use claims and trend data to find waste inside your plan.
Treat education as the first step, not the last.

None of these need a finance degree. They need a leader willing to ask. That habit is the through-line for HR and finance teams who want a seat at the table, a topic we covered in how HR can prove its impact in dollars .

Watch the full conversation

Paul shares his origin story, the moment he walked away from practices he could not stand behind, and the model he built instead. You can watch the full interview on the Behind the Premium channel .

Learn more about Paul at paulhflowersjr.com , connect with him on LinkedIn , or see his firm at Superior Insurance Advisors . For more on cutting employer healthcare costs without cutting care, visit Weltrio .

Ready to challenge your own renewal? Start with one question at your next benefits meeting: where is the money really going? Then subscribe to Behind the Premium for more conversations that make the healthcare system easier to read.

Partnership Disclosure: Behind the Premium is produced in partnership with Weltrio. This is a promotional collaboration, not a paid sponsorship. Disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Disclaimer: The content shared on this series, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Discussions of employee benefits, health plans, insurance, coverage, claims, costs, and related topics are general in nature and are not financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits-planning advice, and should not be relied upon for any specific decision. Benefit plans, coverage options, pricing, and applicable regulations vary by individual, employer, and location, and change over time. Engaging with this content does not create a professional, advisory, broker-client, agent, or fiduciary relationship of any kind. Always consult a licensed insurance broker, benefits advisor, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified expert before making decisions about your benefits, coverage, or finances. Statements made by hosts, guests, and panelists — including any who are owners, employees, or representatives of a partner company — are their own. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content.

How to Prove HR's Impact and Stop Being a Cost Center

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 04:37:33 GMT

HR keeps getting told to earn a seat at the table. Almost no one explains how to actually prove HR's impact in dollars once you get there. That gap is the whole problem, and it keeps capable HR teams invisible to the people who control the budget.

Most HR leaders carry genuine value, but they struggle to translate it into the numbers a CFO respects. On this episode of Benefits 3.0 , host Kody King and Weltrio CEO Jacob Davis lay out a cleaner path. Treat your benefits plan as the lever, attach hard numbers to it, and walk into the executive room with a solution instead of a question.

Below, we cover why HR gets stuck, the formula that turns soft work into dollars, where AI genuinely helps, and the questions to bring to your broker and your CFO.

Why HR struggles to prove HR's impact

The profession attracts people with high emotional intelligence. That is a real strength, and it is also where the gap begins. HR leaders tend to be careful and people-first, while most executives want the bottom line up front in twenty seconds.

Jacob noticed the same pattern at Disrupt HR, where half the speakers circled one theme: HR's relevancy at the executive table. The sensitivity that makes HR effective with people can make the financial conversation feel foreign. So the work stays invisible, and the budget gets treated as a cost to trim.

The formula that turns HR work into dollars

One presentation stuck with Jacob. A speaker named Tuan Wynn laid out a formula for calculating HR's impact on the bottom line, using tenure, churn, and competency. The principle is simple: put a defensible dollar figure on what HR drives, and then say it directly to finance.

This is where most teams stop short, because they sense the value is real but cannot connect culture, hiring, and retention to a number on a spreadsheet. A formula like Wynn's closes that gap, and it hands HR a language the CFO already speaks.

Where AI helps, and where it does not

Artificial intelligence is a useful tool in this conversation, but it is not a replacement for judgment. As Jacob explained, AI can help HR connect qualitative work to quantitative measurement, like a thinking partner that asks how a process or a hiring practice feeds the bottom line. It can help you build the measurement, even when the judgment behind it stays yours.

Benefits are HR's strongest lever

Here is the move most teams overlook: benefits are often the second highest cost in an organization, and HR usually owns the decision outright. That makes the benefits plan one of the most strategic levers HR holds, because the same line item affects recruiting, retention, morale, and cost at once.

Self-funding makes that lever stronger, because it gives you direct control over cost plus the claims data to see where every dollar goes and where dollars get quietly wasted. That visibility is the real starting point for a credible numbers conversation with your CFO.

Pre-claim analytics: cut cost before the claim

This is the part Jacob is proudest of, and he frames it with a memorable picture: employees shopping at a healthcare grocery store every month, choosing prescriptions, providers, and imaging with no price tags and a small copay at the register. Nobody sees the real cost on the back end, where a single prescription can climb into the tens of thousands.

Weltrio walks down those aisles with the employee and clips the coupons before checkout, using pre-claim analytics and health advocacy to steer toward the generic or resolve a chronic issue early. The expensive claim never lands. It never reaches the third-party administrator, because the claim never happens. That is money saved at full value, and it is why Jacob repeats a line from the Weltrio site: a dollar not spent is 100% of a dollar saved.

The questions to bring to your broker and your CFO

If you want to be the hero in the room, start with two conversations. Ask your broker one direct question: who is getting paid in my benefits plan, and how much? Look for flat fees, percentages, front-end fees, and back-end carrier bonuses. A good broker answers without flinching, and if the question offends them, that itself is a red flag.

Then change how you approach the CFO. Do not bring a question, bring a solution. Find out the top financial goal this quarter, tie your plan to it, and hook the executive in twenty to thirty seconds before you open a deck. Keep the full pitch near fifteen minutes and expect to be interrupted, because that is the sound of a CFO finally taking HR seriously.

Watch the episode and keep going

Jacob and Kody go deeper on all of it, including how Weltrio works as an extension of the HR team at renewal. Watch the full conversation on YouTube , then keep reading on Behind the Premium. For the data side, see how employers get ahead of healthcare costs . For the people side, see whether customized benefit plans reduce absenteeism . And for Weltrio's own take on why engagement beats raw data, read Jacob's piece on the Weltrio blog .

Want a seat at the table? Benefits 3.0 invites HR leaders, CFOs, brokers, and benefits consultants to join as panelists. Reach out through Behind the Premium and bring your take to the conversation.

Disclosures

Partnership Disclosure: Benefits 3.0 is part of the Behind the Premium network, produced in partnership with Weltrio. This is a promotional collaboration, not a paid sponsorship. Co-host Jacob Davis is the CEO of Weltrio. Disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Disclaimer: The content shared on this series, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Discussions of employee benefits, health plans, insurance, coverage, claims, costs, and related topics are general in nature and are not financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits-planning advice, and should not be relied upon for any specific decision. Benefit plans, coverage options, pricing, and applicable regulations vary by individual, employer, and location, and change over time. Engaging with this content does not create a professional, advisory, broker-client, agent, or fiduciary relationship of any kind. Always consult a licensed insurance broker, benefits advisor, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified expert before making decisions about your benefits, coverage, or finances. Statements made by hosts, guests, and panelists — including any who are owners, employees, or representatives of a partner company — are their own. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content.

Metabolic Health: Warning Signs Your Doctor Might Miss

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:56:02 GMT

Your annual labs came back "normal." So why do you still crash by 2 p.m., feel hungry an hour after lunch, and carry more around the middle than you did five years ago? That gap between "normal" and "well" is where metabolic trouble likes to hide.

You are not imagining it, and you are not alone. Metabolic disease builds quietly for years before a routine checkup ever flags it. That is why so many people feel off long before anything shows up on paper. On this episode of Second Opinion, Rhonda Nerenberg breaks down what metabolic health really is, the red flags standard bloodwork tends to miss, and the exact tests worth asking your doctor for. The encouraging part: you can rebuild your metabolic health at almost any age, and you do not need a fad diet to do it.

Below, we cover the five ideas from the conversation that change how you read your own health. Why fat is a symptom and not the cause. The markers your doctor probably is not tracking. And the one shift Rhonda says matters more than any meal plan. Start with the part most people get backwards.

What is metabolic health, really?

Metabolic health is how well your body turns food, mostly sugar, into energy. When that process functions properly, you feel steady and energetic, but when it deteriorates, the damage surfaces downstream as prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more.

Here is the key point Rhonda makes: metabolic disease develops over years, sometimes decades. That slow build is bad news and good news at once, because although metabolic trouble can hide undetected for a long time, it also gives you a lengthy runway to interrupt the progression and reverse the trajectory.

Why do "normal" labs miss metabolic disease?

Most physicians read a single lab result against a reference range, then reassure you that it falls inside the normal boundaries. What they rarely do is track the underlying trend over time. According to Rhonda, that trend is where the real story lives. Watch the numbers move year over year and you can see chronic disease coming ten or twenty years before a one-time reading would catch it.

She uses liver enzymes as an example. The cutoff most labs treat as normal has drifted upward over the decades as population health declined. So a result that reads fine today might have looked like a warning sign a generation ago. The lesson is simple: one "normal" does not mean well, and the pattern matters more than the snapshot.

This is the same logic smart employers now use with their health plans. Instead of reacting after a big claim lands, they spot risk early and act first. We covered that shift with Weltrio in our episode on pre-claim analytics . Catch the signal early, on your labs or on a plan, and you change the outcome.

Why is fat a symptom, not the cause?

We tend to treat body fat as the problem to attack, but Rhonda flips that assumption entirely. Fat storage is merely a symptom, she explains, and the real drivers are excess sugar and chronically high insulin. Chase the fat without addressing the cause and you treat the smoke instead of the fire.

She is blunt about what this means in practice: body shape is just a shape. You can be heavier and still be metabolically healthy. You can also be thin and quietly sick. So the objective is not a number on the scale, but rather how efficiently your body actually processes fuel.

Which tests should you ask your doctor for?

Rhonda's honest answer is that it depends on you, which is exactly why personalized care beats a generic panel. Still, she names markers worth asking about when metabolic health is the question. Think fasting insulin, a complete blood count, a comprehensive metabolic panel, triglycerides, and ferritin to check iron saturation.

Her best tip costs nothing. Before your blood draw, write down the symptoms you are feeling and bring that list to your appointment. Walk in with a purpose instead of waiting for a nurse to call and say everything looks fine. You know your body better than a reference range does.

What actually rebuilds your metabolism?

Rebuilding comes down to real food, sensible moderation, sustainable movement you will actually continue, and the psychological piece underneath all of it. That final element is where Rhonda concentrates the most attention, because it is the component that makes change genuinely durable.

She refuses to shame anyone or label foods as evil. Food is a tool, she says, not a villain. Take away the guilt and you make room for small, durable habits instead of all-or-nothing diets that collapse by February. That is also the model behind Weltrio, where Rhonda serves as Founder and Chief Health Innovation Officer. A dedicated coach builds trust over time, then helps each person change what they are actually ready to change. You can learn more about that approach at Weltrio .

Frequently asked questions

Watch the full episode

This is the short version. The full conversation goes deeper on testing, DNA, the psychology of eating, and why a trusted human coach beats an app every time. Watch the episode on YouTube , then subscribe to Behind the Premium so you catch the next one.

Want more from this series? Start with Part 1, How to Flatten Your Blood Sugar Roller Coaster , and our earlier conversation, Understanding Diabetes . If you lead HR or run a company, see how the same early-detection idea lowers health costs in this episode .

Partnership Disclosure: Second Opinion is part of the Behind the Premium network, produced in partnership with Weltrio. This is a promotional collaboration, not a paid sponsorship. Co-host Rhonda Nerenberg is the Founder and Chief Health Innovation Officer of Weltrio. Disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Medical Disclaimer: The content shared on Second Opinion, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. All conversations, discussions, topics, stories, personal experiences, opinions, and any products, services, or nutrition information mentioned are general in nature and should not be interpreted as medical advice, health advice, nutritional counseling, diagnosis, treatment, or professional guidance of any kind. Engaging with this content does not create a doctor-patient, provider-patient, or any other professional relationship. The information may not apply to your individual circumstances and may not reflect current medical research. Always seek the advice of a qualified physician or licensed healthcare provider with any questions about a medical condition, symptoms, medications, diet, or treatment, and never disregard, delay, or stop professional medical advice because of something you heard on this show. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content.

Do Customized Benefit Plans Reduce Absenteeism?

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:21:39 GMT

Absenteeism rarely shows up as one big bill. It leaks out in scattered sick days, a caregiver running on empty, and people who clock in but check out. So we put a simple question to a roundtable of benefits and HR pros: do customized benefit plans actually reduce absenteeism? The short answer the panel kept landing on was yes, but only when you do it on purpose.

This Behind the Premium roundtable brought together four people who see the problem from different seats. Host Kody King was joined by Rhonda Nerenberg , Founder and Chief Health Innovation Officer at Weltrio; Jacob Davis , CEO of Weltrio; and Steven J. Smith , co-founder of ApplicantPro and host of the HR Life Podcast . Here is what stood out.

Why do generic benefits miss the real cause of absenteeism?

Most plans are built for the average employee, who does not exist. The panel's point was blunt. Broad health or financial perks often skip the actual reason a person disengages. Tailoring benefits around individual conversations surfaces the real barriers, and those barriers are usually not what a standard plan covers.

One example landed hard. A company talked with its working parents and learned that house chores, not health coverage, were driving burnout and missed days. Offering a cleaning benefit fixed the real problem, and engagement climbed. That is the difference between a perk and a solution.

How does plan flexibility cut costs and change behavior faster?

Rigid plans cannot respond to a problem you spot in March. Self-funded and flexible designs can. The panel walked through how a small change, like covering a minor procedure in office, can lower costs and keep people out of the hospital and at work. Flexibility is what makes a targeted fix possible without a year-long wait.

Where do data and pre-claim analytics come in?

Without data, a benefits plan is a guess. With pre-claim analytics, you can tie a specific change to a measurable result and prove it to a CFO. Weltrio's approach connects benefit adjustments to lower claims and better attendance, which is how HR stops being a cost center and starts being a strategy. For more on the data and ROI side, read the Weltrio opinion piece: Why customized benefits beat a bigger paycheck .

What is the throughline?

Listen to your people, use your data, and adjust the plan to fit real lives. The panel's verdict was unanimous. Customized benefits can reduce absenteeism, as long as the customization is deliberate and informed.

Frequently asked questions

Watch the full episode

Watch the complete roundtable on YouTube , then read Kody King's take on the Weltrio blog .

Partnership Disclosure: Behind the Premium is produced in partnership with Weltrio. This is a promotional collaboration, not a paid sponsorship. Host Kody King is the Chief Experience Officer of Weltrio. Disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Disclaimer: The content shared on this series, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Discussions of employee benefits, health plans, insurance, coverage, claims, costs, and related topics are general in nature and are not financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits-planning advice, and should not be relied upon for any specific decision. Benefit plans, coverage options, pricing, and applicable regulations vary by individual, employer, and location, and change over time. Engaging with this content does not create a professional, advisory, broker-client, agent, or fiduciary relationship of any kind. Always consult a licensed insurance broker, benefits advisor, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified expert before making decisions about your benefits, coverage, or finances. Statements made by hosts, guests, and panelists — including any who are owners, employees, or representatives of a partner company — are their own. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content.

Pre-Claim Analytics: How Employers Get Ahead of Healthcare Costs

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 05:34:46 GMT

By Kody King · with Weltrio CEO Jacob Davis

By the time a claim hits your health plan, the money is already spent. Most employers still manage costs from the rearview mirror — reading last year’s claims and reacting — while the next expensive event is already forming. There’s a better place to intervene, and it sits before the claim.

That’s the whole idea behind pre-claim analytics, and it’s what we unpacked on this Benefits 3.0 episode with Weltrio CEO Jacob Davis. The short version: spotting health risk early only pays off when two things happen together — the data is actionable, and a real person gets the member to act on it. Software alone stalls. Coaching backed by data is what moves engagement, changes behavior, and keeps costs from ever reaching a claim.

Below are the five takeaways that matter most if you run or advise a health plan — from what “pre-claim” actually means, to the engagement gap nobody likes to talk about, to where Jacob thinks this all goes next.

The Pre-Claim Playbook: 5 Takeaways for Employers and Brokers

1. Pre-claim data means getting ahead of the claim, not limiting care

A claim is a receipt — it shows up after care has happened. Pre-claim analytics flip that, using data to flag risk early so a member sees a primary care doctor instead of an emergency room. Jacob’s analogy was couponing: you look for the savings before you check out, not after. And to be clear, this isn’t about restricting access — it’s about treating issues before they escalate into chronic, expensive ones.

2. Data only matters when it’s actionable

Every vendor in this space says they have analytics. That’s table stakes. The real question Jacob kept returning to is whether the data actually changes what someone does. Industry numbers back the urgency: Aon reports that 5% of members drive about 60% of medical and pharmacy spend — and more than half of high-cost claimants are predictable. Mercer lists managing high-cost claimants as employers’ top cost priority. Predictable plus actionable is the opening; data sitting in a dashboard is not.

3. The engagement gap is the real problem

Here’s the part most wellness tools quietly fail at. On the show, Jacob put engagement in typical wellness programs at roughly 8% — people don’t enter data, don’t trust where it goes, and drift away. Weltrio’s answer is human, not technical: coaches who start without shame, set small goals collaboratively, reach out proactively, and use light incentives to build a habit. Done consistently, Jacob says engagement climbs past 90%. That gap — single digits versus 90% — is the whole ballgame.

4. AI amplifies a good coach; it can’t replace one

Jacob is a tech person, and even he drew a hard line here. AI is a force multiplier — it makes a strong coach far more effective — but it doesn’t supply empathy, and empathy is what gets a hesitant member to actually change. His framing: AI takes a great coach and makes them 10x, not an average interaction into a great one. The human relationship is the thing technology amplifies, not the thing it replaces.

5. The future is owning your data and acting before the claim

Looking out two to five years, Jacob’s vision is simple: everyone gets a DNA test and a full blood panel, understands their markers, and changes behavior long before any claim. The harder question is ownership. He believes your health data is yours — you should be able to share it, revoke it, and see it — and he flagged a problem benefits leaders feel directly: today you can’t even see what underwriters know about you when they set your premium. He was notably skeptical, for the record, about monetizing that data — ownership and control, yes; selling it, not so much.

Where this leaves you

Reacting to claims after the fact rarely moves your number — getting ahead of them can. If your plan is still managed from the rearview mirror, this conversation is a useful nudge to look upstream. Watch the full episode , then drop a comment on how your team is getting ahead of costs, and subscribe to Behind the Premium for new Benefits 3.0 episodes.

Sources: Aon 2026 Health Survey (high-cost claimant concentration; cost trend); Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans (cost priorities).

Disclaimer: The content shared on this series, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Discussions of employee benefits, health plans, insurance, coverage, claims, costs, and related topics are general in nature and are not financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits-planning advice, and should not be relied upon for any specific decision. Benefit plans, coverage options, pricing, and applicable regulations vary by individual, employer, and location, and change over time. Engaging with this content does not create a professional, advisory, broker-client, agent, or fiduciary relationship of any kind. Always consult a licensed insurance broker, benefits advisor, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified expert before making decisions about your benefits, coverage, or finances. Statements made by hosts, guests, and panelists — including any who are owners, employees, or representatives of a partner company — are their own. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content.

Exclusive Interview: Dan Johnson

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Is your front desk drowning in insurance verifications, recall calls, and scheduling while patients wait? You're not imagining it — admin load is one of the quiet drains on a dental practice.

Most owners feel that squeeze, and it makes sense: clinical training rarely covers operations or staffing. On this episode of Behind the Bite , Dan Johnson — founder and CEO of Peak Performance VA — makes the case that trained virtual assistants can absorb routine admin so your in-office team can focus on patients. Below is his story, his framework for human versus AI support, and a few practical first steps.

Here's what stood out: where Dan came from, how he thinks about people and technology, and what to check before you hire any kind of remote support. Watch the full conversation here.

1. An unusual road into dentistry

Dan's background is the opposite of typical. He spent fifteen years owning and operating multiple KFC franchises, where he learned systems, staffing, and the daily grind of a service business.

From there he moved into dental, helping expand Acre Wood Dental from a small four-operatory office into a multi-location group across Central Texas. He later built Lucent Spot, a dental marketing agency, before co-founding Peak Performance VA with two dentists, Dr. Chad Latino and Dr. Benjamin Johnson. That cross-industry path is the lens for everything he says next.

2. Why he says every business runs on people

Dan's core belief is simple: fast food or healthcare, the work comes down to people. Patients remember how a practice made them feel, and staff stay where they feel supported.

That's the frame for how he positions virtual assistants. The goal isn't to remove humans — it's to take repetitive tasks off your team so the people in your office have more room for the patient in the chair.

3. What a dental virtual assistant actually does

According to Dan, the work is administrative and repeatable — the tasks that pull a front desk away from patients. His team trains assistants on dental terminology and matches them to a practice's management software.

Answering calls and front-desk support
Scheduling, confirmations, and recall / re-care outreach
Insurance verification, predeterminations, and claims follow-up
Payment collection and basic billing support

Action step: list the routine tasks that eat your team's day. Those are the first candidates to hand off.

4. AI vs. human support: a complement, not a replacement

Dan draws a clear line between automation and people. AI is fast and inexpensive for high-volume, rote tasks; trained humans handle nuance, complex calls, and the trust that patients expect.

His recommendation is a hybrid: let automation handle reminders and simple checks, and keep people on anything that needs judgment or empathy. Used together, he argues, they free your team without flattening the patient experience.

5. Data security and HIPAA: how Dan frames it

Security is the first question owners ask about remote support, and Dan addresses it head-on. He says Peak Performance VA screens and trains assistants on data privacy, keeps patient data inside the practice's own systems, and runs routine audits.

Treat these as the company's described practices, not a guarantee — and do your own diligence. Whatever provider you consider, ask how data is handled, who has access, what training and background checks are in place, and how compliance is monitored over time.

6. Practical first steps for owners

Find your bottlenecks — scheduling, verification, billing, recall.
Vet providers on industry experience and security practices, not price alone.
Start with one role, set clear expectations, and measure results.
Invest in onboarding so the assistant learns your software and tone.
Keep the human touch where it matters most — patient-facing moments.

The takeaway

Dan's story is a reminder that operations and care aren't at odds. The right support — human and automated — can give your team back the time that patient relationships deserve.

Want to see how this maps to your practice? Watch the full conversation or learn more at peakperformanceva.com .

FAQ

What does a dental virtual assistant do?

A trained remote professional handles administrative work — calls, scheduling, insurance verification, recall, and billing support — inside your practice management software, without adding in-office staff.

Can AI replace a human virtual assistant?

Per Dan, no. AI is strong for fast, repetitive tasks, but human assistants handle complex situations and the trust patients expect. He recommends using both.

How is patient data kept secure?

Dan says his team screens and trains assistants on privacy, keeps data within the practice's systems, and audits regularly. Confirm any provider's specific safeguards before you sign.

How quickly can support start?

Dan describes a short onboarding window once a practice's needs and software are mapped. Timelines vary by practice.

Disclaimer: The content shared on this series, part of the Behind the Premium network, is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Discussions of employee benefits, health plans, insurance, coverage, claims, costs, and related topics are general in nature and are not financial, insurance, tax, legal, or benefits-planning advice, and should not be relied upon for any specific decision. Benefit plans, coverage options, pricing, and applicable regulations vary by individual, employer, and location, and change over time. Engaging with this content does not create a professional, advisory, broker-client, agent, or fiduciary relationship of any kind. Always consult a licensed insurance broker, benefits advisor, attorney, tax professional, or other qualified expert before making decisions about your benefits, coverage, or finances. Statements made by hosts, guests, and panelists — including any who are owners, employees, or representatives of a partner company — are their own. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the hosts, guests, panelists, and Behind the Premium disclaim any and all liability arising from your use of or reliance on this content. Any references to dental or medical topics are general and are not a substitute for advice from a licensed dentist or physician.