Dental Firms Target Children
Dentists Step Up for Interfaith Patients
Maximizing a Patient Financing Program
Expertise Can Be Worth Any Price
Fosamax Lawsuit Brings Risks to Light
Training Programs Prepare Dentists to Operate Practices
Austin Business Journal (04/17/06) Rife, Matt
Dental schools prepare students to diagnose and treat patients, but they do not provide the information future dentists need to run a practice. Most dentists start as associates, which gives them time to learn about staffing, human resources, marketing, accounting, and other duties associated with running a business. Austin-based Origin Dental hopes to change that with a training program that gives young dentists the management knowledge and money they need to launch their own practices. The doctors cover 3 percent of the purchase price, with the expectation that they will eventually buy the practice from Origin. The doctors handle all of the practice's day-to-day operations, receiving support from Origin as necessary over a period of approximately three years. San Diego-based Fortune Management offers another training program with sessions on economics, communication, marketing, and retirement planning. The customizable program takes a holistic approach to running a practice, helping the doctor build a team with his/her entire staff.
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Dental Firms Target Children
Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) (04/05/06) P. B-01 ; Smith, Tammie
Certain out-of-state companies witness opportunity in Virginia's Medicaid program's restructured dental plan, including Kool Smiles PC of Atlanta and Forba LLC of Pueblo, Colo., both of which have launched clinics in the Richmond vicinity focusing on children partaking in Medicaid. Providers are more open to working with the redone program because it heightens payments, mandates less paperwork, and no longer involves bargaining with various managed-care groups. The selection of dental services is a change for Medicaid participants. Just around 30 percent of eligible children in the program got dental benefits two years ago. Numerous dentists refused to accept Medicaid patients because the program paid so badly and because of paperwork problems. In 2005, though, the Virginia General Assembly passed a 30 percent rate hike in Medicaid payments to dentists. Virginia is referring to its restructured dental program as Smiles for Children, and employs management company Doral Dental to handle benefits. Virginia Medicaid officials claim 153 dentists have enrolled since July 1, bringing the dental network to over 773.
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Dentists Step Up for Interfaith Patients
Bellingham Herald (WA) (05/20/06) Gallagher, Mary Lane
Because it can take months for adults with low incomes to obtain an appointment at Bellingham, Wash.'s Interfaith Community Health Center's dental clinic, a group of volunteer Whatcom County dentists are seeing patients on weekends to help get them in sooner. Interfaith mostly serves child patients who have low incomes or who are uninsured. The center just has a handful of appointments available to adults during the week, and a lot of adults are seen on a stand-by basis. It is hard for adults on public aid to receive dental care because Washington state's reimbursement rate does not include dental expenses. This means a large number of adults do not have dental care, or wait until an emergency. A minimum of 40 dentists have signed on to provide a volunteer turn on a Friday or Saturday, and certain hygienists have also provided their services. The Whatcom County Oral Health Coalition is also seeking ways to heighten access to low-cost dental services.
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Maximizing a Patient Financing Program
Dental Practice Management (06/06) Jameson, Cathy
Rather than wasting money by letting accounts receivable sit on the books, it may be a good idea to actively try to transfer as many accounts as possible to a patient financing system. The first step is to analyze the accounts receivable to see how many are insurance-covered and how many are private pay, as well as to see how many delinquent private-pay accounts there are. Extremely past due accounts with no activity may need to be turned over for legal action, but for other accounts, a letter should be written to tout the benefits of transferring the account to the patient financing system. Among the benefits that could be touted are a longer time to pay the account, smaller monthly payments, no initial or annual fees, and the availability of credit for future medical needs. A telephone campaign, as well as further mailings, can reach out to patients who do not respond to this early mailing. One problem is that many professionals have difficulty finding time to perform chart audits. An idea for dealing with this is to use the morning meeting to go over treatment plans for the day's patients, who can be then introduced to the patient financing program while they are being informed about their future treatment needs. Bigger benefits can be realized from a full-blown chart audit, although the marketing phone calls should not be put off until after all the charts are audited; instead, a goal of 20 charts a week should be audited, and then phone calls should be made for those 20 charts before moving on.
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Expertise Can Be Worth Any Price
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA) (06/06/06) Rice, Mark
Because many dental businesses are small, the staff often does not have the knowledge to assess itself. In addition, dentistry is too specialized for certain free consulting services that are provided. As such, some dental practices are spending their own money to get the advice they need. One practice, McLaurin & McLaurin of Columbus, Ga., pays around $2,400 a month to the dental consulting practice company the Levin Group. The service has performed an on-site assessment, quarterly seminars, monthly conference calls, and several other tasks that comprise around two hours per week to do. A consultant from Levin is available as well by cell phone at any time. Subjects include customer service, finances, marketing, technology, and management. McLaurin & McLaurin employees claim the effort has been beneficial economically. One of the largest changes the practice made due to the consultant's recommendation was to initiate a 15-minute meeting each day just before the practice opens, during which employees update one another on leftover matters from the day before and inform each other on what is on the agenda for the coming day.
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Fosamax Lawsuit Brings Risks to Light
Salt Lake Tribune (UT) (06/20/06) Hamilton, Carey
The risks of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) among dental patients, who are also taking bisphosphonates or bone-strengthening medications, are relatively unknown among dentists and their patients. However, the devastating disease, which breaks down the jawbone and results in lost teeth, has prompted some dental patients to consider litigation. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to recommend that Fosamax and other bisphosphonates carry warning labels about the risks of ONJ. Earlier this year, the American Association of Endodontists encouraged dental providers to consider all patients on bisphosphonates at some risk for ONJ, and the group urged dental patients to disclose the use of these medications to their dentists. However, the fear of litigation has prompted some dentists to turn away these patients or at the very least, request that they stop taking the bone-strengthening medication until their dental treatments are completed. Critics argue that many dentists and patients need further understanding about the risks of ONJ among dental patients also being treated with bisphosphonates.
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