Originally published January 5, 2009 at 12:00 AM | Page modified January 5, 2009 at 8:52 AM
Interface
Sesame opens "door" to dentists
A weekly column profiling companies and personalities.
What: Sesame Communications, Renton
Who: Frith Maier, 46, CEO and founder
Mission: To help dentists market themselves on the Web and communicate with patients through Web pages and e-mail.
Web drill: Sesame provides a custom Web site where patients can log on at any time to view medical records, billing data and even X-rays. They can ask specific questions by e-mail, so they don't need to chase the doctor down. They have access to reference data and get an e-mail reminder for the next appointment. And for those who prefer the traditional way, the program has the capacity to generate automatic phone calls to confirm appointments.
Lip service: The software won't allow dentists to take on more patients, but to serve them more efficiently. Patients appreciate 24/7 access to their records, especially when taxes or insurance are due. Sesame doesn't restrict patients to the clock, the phone or the fax machine to get information. "A lot of patients are working moms who can only deal with this stuff at 10 at night," Maier said.
Employees: 58
Financials: The private company does not disclose financial details but is profitable, according to Maier. Founded in 1999, the company has been self-funded until 2008, when it received its first venture round.
More than they can chew: Maier said Sesame decided to pursue the dental market in detail, rather than chasing a wider customer base. Being specialized and focused provides the company an advantage, and its budget module allows the differentiation between a dentist, which needs to be paid off immediately, and an orthodontist, where payment plans are often required. "It was a good decision to not spread ourselves too thin," Maier said. "If we moved into the general health-care market, it would dilute our effectiveness."
In the chair: "I love building businesses," Maier said. "It really drives me. What we have been able to build here with this group of people has gotten me very excited about coming to work. I am always thinking of the next step."
— Charles Bermant
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 09:46 AM
Exxon Mobil wins ruling in Alaska oil spill case
UPDATE - 09:32 AM
Bank stocks push indexes higher; oil prices dip
UPDATE - 08:04 AM
Ford CEO Mulally gets $56.5M in stock award
UPDATE - 07:54 AM
Underwater mortgages rise as home prices fall
NEW - 09:43 AM
Warner Bros. to offer movie rentals on Facebook

nwautos
Turismo upgrade "Gran Turismo 5: XL Edition" for PlayStation 3 has features such as new car-tuning settings, new NASCAR vehicles, better replay video...
Post a comment
- Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details
- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families
- Social worker recounts minutes before Powell fire
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Washington men walloped by Oregon, 82-57
- Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
- Quick decisions: How Washington hired its new football staff
- Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looms
- Justin Wilcox's versatile defensive style is the right fit for Huskies | Jerry Brewer
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
510 - Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
421 - AP Source: Obama to change birth control rule
421 - Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details
395 - Rough road again
111 - A few late-night notes
98 - Marijuana legalization initiative set to go on Nov. ballot
77 - USA Today further spells out how Mariners, handful of clubs next in line for huge cash windfall
76 - New TV deals won't guarantee everlasting success; that part will still take work by Mariners and others
69 - UW throttled at Oregon
68
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Economy, blogs give survivalists new reason to look to Northwest
- Bellevue College adds a third bachelor's degree program
- State's share of mortgage settlement: $648 million
- Darren Berg gets 18-year sentence for Ponzi scheme
- One man's audacious pursuit of sailing history
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- 'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match | Art review










