Action Briefing · Network state, week of Apr 28
The backlog is on the demand side, not the supply side. 14 practices have outgrown their dentists; 22 providers should be on PIP or out within 90 days.
Active patients per FTE dentist is 1,612 across the network — well above the 1,500 plan threshold. 71% of practices are over plan, and 18% are above the 1,800 critical line where new-patient lead times collapse and case-acceptance drops. Headway flags 14 of those for immediate hiring action (HIS ≥ 90), concentrated in OD-3 and OD-5 territory. Meanwhile, labor overage is up $120K vs Q1, driven mostly by overtime concentration in 9 practices, not wage drift.
- Top tension: 6 practices show HIS ≥ 90 *and* a current dentist with RIS ≥ 68. Hire to upgrade, not just to add capacity.
- Watch: OT > 8% of clinical labor in 9 locations — 4 of them are also overstaffed on FOA. Reduce FO before adding hours.
- Counter-signal: 3 of the "Hire Now" practices are within 90 days of new-doctor onboarding. Suppress alerts for those until ramp completes.