The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes 2433: Why Paper Referrals Are Holding Dentistry Back
Jan 28, 2026
Dr. Brian Bhaskar, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and founder of Cindy, is a third-generation dentist turned tech entrepreneur. He discusses why paper referrals slow dental care. The conversation covers his journey from athletics to residency, building a HIPAA-compliant digital referral platform, the features that streamline specialist-general dentist communication, and balancing surgery with growing a practice-focused startup.
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Referrals Are A Major Friction Point
- The referral process in dentistry is surprisingly antiquated and relies heavily on paper, fax, and phone tag.
- Modernizing referrals removes friction and improves care coordination across fragmented practices.
Make Referrals Easy And Trackable
- Design referral tools to be frictionless for general dentists by auto-populating custom referral forms.
- Add secure case chat and referral tracking so specialists can convert and coordinate care efficiently.
Replace Phone Tag With Secure Messaging
- Use HIPAA-compliant cloud messaging for case collaboration instead of phone calls, emails, or faxes.
- Specialists should adopt tools with reminders and statuses to automate scheduling and follow-up.
