Gian McCoyGuides for practice owners
Straight answers for owners and office managers of independent medical, dental, and specialty practices. Each guide answers the question in the first paragraph, cites its sources, and tells you what to do next.
Phones and the front desk
Missed calls, answering options, and what staffing really costs.
9 min read
How many patient calls is your practice actually missing? (And what each one costs)
How many calls is your practice missing? Pull the number from your phone system, then work out what missed new-patient calls cost with a simple worksheet.
9 min read
AI receptionist vs human front desk vs answering service: what actually fits a small practice
AI receptionist vs answering service vs in-house front desk: a fair comparison of hours, booking, hard calls, HIPAA, and cost for small practices.
7 min read
Why you can’t keep a front desk person (and what to do instead)
Can’t keep front desk staff at your practice? Why the job burns people out, what MGMA polls say helps, and how to take the phone load off the desk.
7 min read
What a medical receptionist really costs vs an AI front desk
Medical receptionist cost vs virtual: BLS pay data, the loaded costs to add, a worksheet, and how an AI front desk is priced and who you pay.
Scheduling and no-shows
Keeping the schedule full once patients book.
8 min read
How to cut patient no-shows without nagging your patients
How to reduce patient no-shows at a small practice: measure your rate, send two-way reminders, make rescheduling easy, and set a fair no-show policy.
6 min read
Automated appointment reminders: what works for small practices
Automated appointment reminders for a medical practice: which channels work, when to send, what HIPAA allows in a text, and what to check in software.
Getting found on Google
Local search, Google Business Profile, and reviews.
7 min read
Practice not showing up on Google? Here’s why.
Practice not showing up on Google or Google Maps? Check these 8 causes in order, from verification and categories to duplicates, distance, and reviews.
8 min read
How to get more Google reviews for your practice (the compliant way)
How to get more Google reviews for a dental office or medical practice without review gating, incentives, or HIPAA mistakes when you reply.
10 min read
Local SEO for dental practices and medical offices: a plain-English guide
Local SEO for dental practices and medical offices in plain English: your Google profile, service pages, reviews, tracking calls, and a 90-day plan.
AI and compliance
What AI is worth using in a small practice, and how to keep it within HIPAA.
9 min read
Is an AI receptionist HIPAA compliant? What practice owners need to verify
An AI receptionist can be set up to handle PHI under HIPAA, but no product is compliant on its own. The checklist practice owners should verify.
10 min read
AI tools worth it for a small medical or dental practice in 2026
Which AI tools for a medical practice or dental office are worth it in 2026, sorted by job, with what each needs, its risk level, and how to vet any tool.
Rather have it handled for you?
I meet practices in person across Orange County, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and San Diego. We look at your phones, your Google presence, and your patient list, and you leave with a short list of what to fix first.