Keep Moving Forward: How Maxillofacial Surgeon Larisa Dakhno Built a Reference Clinic Over 30 Years

Smiddle is launching a series of stories dedicated to customer service, where business owners and executives share their experience and insights. The focus is on communication approaches in business.

Our first feature spotlights medicine, bringing together two perspectives:

Larisa Dakhno – a doctor, PhD in Medical Sciences, and clinic owner who has been handling the most complex maxillofacial surgery cases for over 30 years. Her clinic not only treats patients from across Ukraine but also serves as a referral center for other doctors. She shares the secrets of building a successful medical practice where professionalism and personal attention to every patient are the foundation.

Oleksandr Akhtyrko, CEO of Smiddle – who believes the future of healthcare is inseparable from technology. He explains how modern voice solutions help clinics optimize operations and maintain a high level of service, even with limited resources.

Ukrainian private medicine is facing a paradox. On one hand, large networks are expanding rapidly; on the other, patients increasingly seek highly specialized clinics.

Private Medicine Market: Between Networks and Specialization

“The medical business is moving toward networks. But patients are looking for individual approaches and focused expertise,” notes Larisa Dakhno. “Trust is built around a specialist and a clinic dedicated to a specific field. This is clearly reflected in patient requests.”

Oleksandr Akhtyrko adds: “This tension between scale and personalization exists in many industries. Voice technologies enable smart routing — the system can ask patients about symptoms and preferences, then direct them to the right specialist. It’s like having a personal concierge who knows all the doctors and their competencies.”

War as a Catalyst for Change

The full-scale war has fundamentally changed the Ukrainian medical landscape. After the initial shock came recognition of Ukrainian medicine’s advantages.

“Patients who had visited clinics abroad realized the difference: in Ukraine you can reach a doctor the same day and access treatment and medication much faster,” says Larisa Oleksandrivna.

As a result, patient trust grew, and many returned to seek care at home.

The Art of Balance: Doctor vs. Manager

How do you combine practicing medicine with managing a business? Larisa Dakhno has developed a system:

“I separate clinical and non-clinical days. On clinical days, I’m only a doctor. On non-clinical days, I’m available as a manager.”

The approach has an unexpected benefit: “Half of the questions my staff initially wanted to ask me, they ended up solving themselves. It’s excellent training for the team.”

Defining Quality Service

For Larisa Dakhno, quality service isn’t a luxury — it’s a standard.

“Quality means the same level of care at every touchpoint, at any time, in every office.”

The philosophy is clear: “The patient is the central figure in the clinic. Not me, not the accountant, not the chief doctor — the patient. Everything is built around their success.”

Personal Approach to Communication

In an era of digitalization, the Dakhno clinic swims against the current: “We don’t send automated SMS or collect reviews through systems. I keep communication human-to-human, by voice.”

“Only through voice can my administrator truly understand a patient’s needs — and it’s many times faster,” she explains.

Oleksandr Akhtyrko agrees: “Larisa Oleksandrivna highlighted an important trend — people are returning to phone calls instead of messaging. It’s logical: complex issues are explained faster by voice, and intonation reveals a person’s emotional state. Modern voice systems conduct natural conversations, clarify patient needs, and hand over complex cases to specialists. This way, routine tasks are automated without losing the human touch.”

A Day in the Life of a Clinic Administrator

“Every day the administrator prints a list of 50–60 patients and calls them. They arrive an hour before opening, stay an hour later, handle reminders, take incoming calls, and greet patients,” says Dakhno.

Oleksandr Akhtyrko notes: “The administrator is overloaded — managing calls, welcoming patients, and handling paperwork. Routine requests should go to a bot, freeing them to care for visitors. A bot can make as many reminders in 30 minutes as an administrator does in 3 hours, ensuring no patient is missed and information stays up to date. For urgent cases, the bot transfers the call immediately.”

A Loyalty System That Works

How do you keep patients coming back? The classic 80/20 rule applies:

“Just 20% of our patients bring 80% of referrals. We know them personally, congratulate them on holidays, and give professional gifts,” says Ms. Larisa. “When new patients say they were referred, we always ask by whom — so we can thank them.”

Working with Patient Archives

“If a patient hasn’t returned within five years, we archive their record — but not before calling to offer a preventive check-up,” explains Ms. Larisa.

Team stability makes this possible: “My staff hasn’t changed in 25 years. We can greet a patient who hasn’t been here for a decade with: ‘Valentin Evgenievich is here, waiting to see how you’re doing with your implants.’”

Oleksandr Akhtyrko adds: “Personalization based on treatment history is the future. Imagine a system that remembers your implant from three years ago, tracks your check-up schedule, and naturally asks how you’re doing. That’s how technology creates a sense of continuous care.”

Emergency Care: Keeping It Simple

“We get about three emergency calls per week. If a patient says they’re in pain, the administrator asks: ‘How soon can you get to the clinic?’ If the answer is ‘I can’t come today, maybe next week,’ then it’s not urgent. This saves time and stress for everyone. We’re always ready to help here and now,” explains Dakhno.

Larisa Dakhno’s Philosophy of Success

Uniqueness Over Copying

“The biggest mistake is copying someone else. You can’t become the second Zablotsky or the second Dakhno — only the first Ivanova.”

Profitability Is Essential

“If a business isn’t profitable, it’s not a business — it’s a hobby. Profit is essential for staff development and new equipment. In medicine, knowledge and technology have a half-life of just two years.”

Patience and Persistence

“Don’t expect profit earlier than two to three years. Whatever happens, keep moving. If you can’t move fast, move slowly — but never stop. Standing still means falling behind.”

Oleksandr Akhtyrko adds: “For clinics, ROI on automation is always a concern. Voice technologies are unique in that they cut costs while improving service. This isn’t about replacing people — it’s about empowering them. For young clinics, it’s a way to compete with networks using technology, not just resources.”

Voice Bots in Global Medical Practice

Voice bots are already transforming healthcare worldwide.

In Poland and the Czech Republic, dental clinics cut call times from over 2 minutes to just 53 seconds by automating reminders and scheduling. Successful connections reached 93.14%, boosting confirmed appointments.
In Asia, Apollo Hospitals increased staff productivity by 46% and saved over 44 hours of admin time monthly thanks to voice AI.

Key benefits include:

• 35–40% less time on calls through automated reminders and scheduling
• Automated bookings for clinics and labs
• No missed calls with all data saved in CRM or management systems
• Consistent communication even during peak hours or weekends

Conclusion

Larisa Dakhno’s experience proves: patient trust is built on consistent quality and attention to every individual. Her philosophy is simple — the patient must always be at the center.

Oleksandr Akhtyrko shows the other side: in times of limited resources, automation removes routine from staff while maintaining service standards.

At first glance, “human-to-human” and “human-to-technology” approaches may seem like opposites. In fact, they complement each other. Without patient care, technology loses meaning; without technology, staff face burnout.

In the medical business, there’s no universal formula. Some rely on unique expertise and team stability, others on innovation and efficiency. But the winners are those who balance both — and never stop moving forward.