Mike's Newsletter | AI Security, Humanoid Robots & Smarter Practice Systems
- Mike Vidikan
- Jun 22
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 1
Welcome Orthopreneurs!
Every week, we bring you the latest in practice management, marketing, profitability, and next-level ortho techniques so you can work smarter, grow faster, and build the practice you want.
In this issue:
🚨 News Update🦾 Mike’s Prompt
🗓️ Plan Your 2026 CE Calendar
📢 Juan’s Marketing Tip
🔥Trending in the OrthoPreneurs Facebook Group
🎙️ The Orthopreneurs Podcast
✨ Final Thought
🚨 Prime Day Deal on Plaud - 20% off
One of my favorite gadgets is PLAUD which I use for recording and transcribing conversations. They have two versions and I use the Plaud Note Pro which magnetically attaches to the back of my phone. The Plaud Note Pin is better if you prefer a wearable. I find it incredibly useful for meetings and even capturing random thoughts. It combines the best AI models to get accurate transcriptions, summarizes meetings into very useful notes and even generates To Dos from the conversations.
You can also search and ask questions.
With Prime Day offering 20% off, it’s only about $150 so it’s a great time to try it or upgrade to a new model.
View Plaud's Prime Day Deal
🚨 News Update
🦾 Nvidia Launches Safety System for Humanoid Robots
Nvidia introduced Halos for Robotics, a safety platform designed to help humanoid robots work more safely around people. The system uses Nvidia’s work in sensors, software, computing, and inspection tools, and early adopters include Agility Robotics for industrial environments.
Why it matters: Humanoid robots are not walking into orthodontic practices tomorrow, but the safety layer is what makes real-world robotics more practical. As robotics moves from demos to service, logistics, sterilization support, and repetitive physical tasks, orthodontists should watch what becomes safe, affordable, and useful — not just what looks futuristic.
🛡️ OpenAI Launches Daybreak — AI Tools Built to Find and Fix Security Gaps
OpenAI announced Daybreak, a new cybersecurity initiative built around tools that help approved defenders find, validate, prioritize, and patch software vulnerabilities faster. The update also includes GPT-5.5-Cyber, a more advanced security-focused model, plus Codex Security workflows designed to move teams from “we found the issue” to “we fixed it.”
Why it matters: Orthodontic practices are becoming more dependent on cloud software, patient communication platforms, payment systems, imaging tools, and AI vendors. That means cybersecurity is no longer just an IT problem — it is a leadership problem. Before adding another AI tool, practices should ask about MFA, backups, audit logs, vendor access, permissions, HIPAA posture, and incident response.
🦾 Mike's Prompt: 90 Day automation roadmap
This Week’s Prompt:
“Create a 90-day automation roadmap for my orthodontic practice. Separate tasks into four categories: automate now, delegate, improve the process first, and keep human. Focus on scheduling, patient follow-up, claims and verification, lab tracking, inventory, and team communication.”
🤔 How to Use It:
Add your current practice management software, texting platform, payment tools, team size, and biggest daily bottlenecks.
📍 When to Use It:
Before signing another software contract.
💡 Why It Works:
Not every annoying task should be automated. Some need a better workflow first. This prompt helps you avoid buying tools that simply make a messy process faster.
✨ Astro Outlook: Week of June 22-28
Key date to prepare for: June 29
This is a “get your house in order” week because June 29 brings a major astrological pileup: Mercury stations retrograde in Cancer, the Full Moon lands in Capricorn, and Jupiter moves into Leo. That means next week may bring more emotion, more visibility, and more need for structure all at once. Cancer is about trust and emotional safety. Capricorn is about systems, accountability, and results. Leo is about leadership and being seen.
For orthodontists, this is the week to prepare before things get noisy. Clean up unclear team expectations, double-check patient communication, review follow-up systems, and avoid launching anything sloppy. The signs most likely to feel this are Cancer, Capricorn, Leo, Aries, and Libra. The takeaway: if a system is already fragile, next week may expose it.
Best use of the week: Fix one communication or workflow issue before it becomes a bigger problem.are patients repeating? Where is your team confused? Which part of your consult process creates hesitation? Which messages are not landing the way you intended? The signs most likely to feel this are Cancer, Capricorn, Aries, Libra, and Virgo. The takeaway: retrograde periods are not just about mistakes. They are useful for finding the places where your message needs to be clearer.
Best use of the week: Review patient objections, team confusion, or missed follow-ups and look for patterns.
🗓️ Plan Your 2026 CE Calendar
Late August and September are packed with opportunities to learn, connect, and plan ahead.
TC & Marketing Mastery Workshop — Seattle, August 28 at W Seattle Hotel.
The Clarity Summit at Mountain Thunder Lodge — August 28.
Straumann International Esthetic Days — Copenhagen, September 3–5.
AADOM Annual Conference 2026 — Orlando, September 3.
Wissenschaftliche Jahrestagung — Multiple dates beginning September 16.
Bookmark the calendar, pick your priorities early, and stop letting CE planning become a last-minute scramble.
📢 Juan’s Marketing Tip
Stop Buying Tools Before Fixing the Workflow
A new platform will not save a broken handoff.
If your consult follow-up is inconsistent, your recall list is stale, your reviews are random, or your no-show process changes by the day, software will only expose the mess faster.
Here’s the play:
Pick one workflow. Start with consult follow-up, no-shows, recall, fee presentation, or review requests.
Map the current process. Who does what? When? In which system? What happens if they are out?
Define the outcome. More booked consults? Fewer no-shows? Faster starts? Better reviews? Lower admin time?
Assign one owner. Automation without ownership becomes digital clutter.
Measure the baseline. Know your current conversion rate, response time, or completion rate before changing anything.
Test one improvement for 30 days. Do not rebuild the whole practice in a week.
Cut overlap. If two tools do the same thing, your team will trust neither.
The bottom line:The best software makes a strong workflow stronger. It does not replace leadership, ownership, or consistency.
🔥Trending in the OrthoPreneurs Facebook Group🔥
💬 "An orthodontic colleague in my area is needing to shut down their practice. They asked me to take over their approximately 150-200 active patients. Besides asking to transfer the A/R, has anyone else ever dealt with a situation like this? What questions do I need to ask from a logistical standpoint, financial standpoint and legal standpoint?"
Practice management software is different from what I use.
If anyone has dealt with this specific situation and is willing to discuss, let me know.
🎙️ On the Podcast: Fractional Executives: The Growth Hack for Orthodontists w/ Zach Nathan
Zach spent over a decade in the corporate world at American Airlines before helping build a multi-location healthcare company from the ground up. Along the way, he discovered that many growing businesses don’t need another employee—they need access to the kind of executive-level expertise that helps organizations scale, solve problems, and avoid costly mistakes.
Whether it’s finance, operations, marketing, HR, or strategy, Zach explains how fractional C-suite leaders can provide the guidance and experience most practices can't afford to hire full-time.
If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to get your practice to the next level, this conversation will help you identify the blind spots that may be holding you back—and show you a practical way to overcome them.
✨ Final Thoughts: Your Practice Does Not Need More Logins. It Needs Cleaner Systems.
🧑🤝🧑The goal is not to replace the human side of your practice.
The goal is to protect it.
Automate the repetitive.
Systemize the messy.
Keep the relationship-driven work human.
That is where the real growth happens.
– Mike Vidikan
Our e-mail address is:
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can unsubscribe from this list.
Comments