Branched from Rachel · Aspen Dental Q1 Check-in · Apr 7, 2026
Aspen Dental is pursuing a digital-first patient experience while managing a critical challenge: patient acquisition costs have risen 40% year-over-year (from $180 to $252 per patient), directly threatening the economics of their 15 new market expansion strategy.
The Core Tension: Corporate digital ambitions are colliding with franchise network readiness and economics.
Rachel (CMO) and James (VP Digital) are aligned that digital transformation is non-negotiable, and their tele-dentistry pilot shows promising results (23% improvement in conversion). However, franchisee adoption is below 30%, with longer-tenured franchisees resisting corporate mandates and citing unclear ROI at the practice level.
A digital transformation that:
- Reduces patient acquisition cost by at least 20%
- Achieves 70%+ franchisee adoption of key digital tools
- Demonstrates clear practice-level ROI
- Positions Aspen ahead of competitors (Heartland Dental, Pacific Dental)
- Enables profitable expansion into new markets
Escalating: Budget Freeze Limiting Innovation
Escalating: Executive Committee Q2 Deadline for Lab ROI
Escalating: Big Four Encroachment on Mid-Market Advisory
Prerequisites
First meeting with Rachel Kim, CMO of Aspen Dental. Discussed rising patient acquisition costs and the competitive landscape among DSOs. Rachel shared frustration with franchisee adoption of digital tools and expressed interest in strategic guidance on their digital patient experience. Strong alignment on values and approach.
Q4 review with Rachel covering progress on the patient acquisition funnel project. Tele-dentistry pilot results exceeded expectations with 23% conversion improvement. Rachel raised new challenge: corporate wants to push digital mandates, but franchisees are pushing back. Discussed potential next engagement around digital transformation strategy.
alignment · review
Aspen Dental's patient acquisition costs have increased 40% year-over-year, driven by rising digital advertising costs, increased competition from other DSOs, and declining organic referral rates. This puts pressure on unit economics and threatens the expansion into 15 new markets.
Stage
Status Actions
Started at Alignment
Mar 23, 2026 · 2 weeks ago
