Ocean, I started a new thread here since you brought up an interesting topic. Hope you don't mind.
I'm all for up to 6 months of having the old doc stick around. Here has been my experience as a front desk scheduler, assistant and friend to the new dentist.
I was a part of a transition team when I scheduled for a dentist who had just bought a 25 year old family practice in an upper-middle class suburban area. The new dentist had 5 years experience including a 1 year GPR and 1 year of owning his own 2-chair practice before purchasing this 5-chair practice. The old dentist had built up the practice from scratch. Again it had 5 chairs and was in a small shopping center with good visibility and lots of free parking. It was grossing an impressive $800,000+ doing bread and butter dentistry.
There was a letter sent out to patients introducing a new partner (not as the new owner) but most never read it. The new doc's name was added under the old doc's name on white paper and scotch-taped on the front door. The old doc stuck around for 6-8 weeks and then was sort of asked to leave. That's it. Certainly, there were concerned patients who would call up asking why they couldn't get an appt with the old doc. "he's in Florida right now recovering from a back injury" we'd tell them (which happened to be true) and that we didn't know when he'd return (which we staff thought was true when in fact he was never coming back), but I can get you in to see Dr. "New" " Many would grudingly agree. The point here is you don't go on over the phone talking about the transition, you get the patient in the door to try the new doc. Then, after they've experienced the new doc you can have a sit down and explain that old doc is leaving and won't be coming back. However, most enjoyed the new doc and stuck around. You know it all worked out for almost all the patients. I think we may have lost 10-15% who could not deal with the change and a few wouldn't even try the new doc once. No design changes were made the first year, the same goofy dentist pictures, and annoying inspirational posters ("Team: It doesn't have an "I" in it" you know --all that crap) were in the hallways and operatories as they had been forever. The new doc just left them there.
Another thing that made the transition work was that both docs were on the same skill level and were basically family practice dentists. The old doc did crown and bridge, remo, but referred all OS and endo. The new doc did all the above with limited endo plus offered implant placement in house. Both docs had a good personality with the patients.
Another thing I saw was that the selling doc can really get on the new doc's nerves and vice versa. Its tough for the old doc to let go of the practice and patients he built for 25 years and its tough for the new doc to implement changes with staff with the old doc still around. Staff know who is the new boss but they still go running to the old doc for support to complain about the new doc or another staff member. After 6 weeks it was time for the old doc to hurry up out the door. When I do this someday, I'll have a 6 month transition and pay the old doc as an associate with the ability to ask the old doc to leave at anytime after 1 month.
Its been 3 years since the transition and the practice has grown and become very successful. I don't see the books but I assume its making more money. Specialists are now in 2 days a week, Implants and molar endo are now routine. 75% of the staff and all the hygiene team have remained. All in all, I would say it was a damn good transition.
Lessons:-buy a practice that does dentistry that you do and can handle
-write a clear transition contract agreed upon by all parties
-If a new pt calls up asking about the old doc, get them appointed
-Don't flip out if some staff and pt's can't adapt. Let them leave.
-Keep your hygiene team. Do not fire the sweet hygienist.
-Be ready to step into the shoes as soon as you learn that business.
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