{"podcast":{"title":"The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes","slug":"the-dentalpreneur-podcast-w-dr-mark-costes-467923","podcast_index_feed_id":467923,"rss_url":"https://markcostes.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://www.truedentalsuccess.com/the-dentalpreneur-podcast/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/1/2/9/6/12969003544dad6fe55e3c100dce7605/podcast-1400.png","author":"Author, speaker, dental business coach and practicing dentist, Dr. Mark Costes chats with the leader","episode_count":2558,"summary":"The goal of this podcast is to assemble the greatest minds of the dental profession and to pass on their most valuable and succinct lessons, in order to help you to achieve your full potential in practice and in life. Let's face it. Dentistry can be a frustrating and isolating profession... but you don't have to be an island anymore. It's possible to become more profitable, less stressed and more fulfilled in your career and it's our mission is to help you get there. For a whole host of free practice building tips and resources, visit our website at TrueDentalSuccess.com","last_synced_at":"2026-07-28T06:21:34.304535+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dentalpreneur-podcast-w-dr-mark-costes-467923"},"episode":{"title":"2503: Why Merchant Fees Are Draining Dental Practices","slug":"2503-why-merchant-fees-are-draining-dental-practices","published_at":"2026-05-06T16:59:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dentalpreneur-podcast-w-dr-mark-costes-467923/2503-why-merchant-fees-are-draining-dental-practices","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dentalpreneur-podcast-w-dr-mark-costes-467923","url":"https://markcostes.libsyn.com/2503-why-merchant-fees-are-draining-dental-practices","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/markcostes/2503.mp3?dest-id=265820","summary":"On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Chris Sands, co-founder of Crown Card Services and Pro-Fi 20/20, to unpack the often-overlooked world of credit card processing fees in dentistry. Chris explains how merchant fees quietly chip away at profitability, EBITDA, and even practice valuation, while sharing why more dental offices are exploring compliant surcharge programs to recover 70–90% of card fees. They also dive into the difference between rates and fees, the importance of PCI compliance, state-by-state surcharge restrictions, and how PPO contracts may create additional challenges for practices trying to pass fees along to patients. Chris also breaks down why software integration can come with a massive hidden cost, how bridge solutions may help practices avoid inflated processing rates, and why startups and first-time buyers may have an advantage by implementing these systems from day one. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://crowncardservices.com https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast","meta_description":"On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Chris Sands, co-founder of Crown Card Services and Pro-Fi 20/20, to unpack the often-overlooked world o…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2890,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-dentalpreneur-podcast-w-dr-mark-costes-467923/episodes/2503-why-merchant-fees-are-draining-dental-practices/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-dentalpreneur-podcast-w-dr-mark-costes-467923/2503-why-merchant-fees-are-draining-dental-practices.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}