Becker's Dental + DSO Review

8 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 2 JUNE 2020 CLINICAL CARE Walmart Health offers $25 teeth cleaning By Mackenzie Garrity A t its new clinic in Calhoun, Ga., Walmart Health is offer- ing consumers $30 medical checkups and $25 teeth cleanings, according to Bloomberg. The 12-room, 6,500-square-foot center is designed to com- pete with CVS and Amazon. Along with an in-house pharmacy, the clinic offers patients diagnostic labs tests, X-rays, eye care and other dental services. However, it's unclear how consumers will respond to the clinic. A survey by CivicScience in September 2019 showed 11 per- cent of Americans polled would "likely" visit a Walmart Clinic. Walmart Health has also not released information on the num- ber of clinics it plans to open. Along with competing for consumers, Walmart Health may find it hard to recruit dentists and other clinicians, reports Bloomberg. One clinician thought Walmart's listing for a posi- tion at the health center was a spam posting. n 'It's not mandatory': Hidden cameras at SmileDirectClub shops show employees misguiding patients By Mackenzie Garrity H idden cameras placed at SmileDirectclub shops in Ohio, New Jersey and Alabama recorded employees misguiding patients, telling them they don't have to see a dentist before starting treatment, according to NBC News, who placed the hidden cameras. "It's not mandatory" to visit a dentist, one employee said. However, SmileDirectClub requires all potential customers to see a dentist within six months before their treatment. This gives SmileDirectClub proof that the patients' teeth are healthy enough to be treated. When confronted with the videos, SmileDirectClub Chief Legal Officer Susan Greenspon-Rammelt, said it was the em- ployees' lack of training or personal opinions, which do not reflect the company's policy. "That may be a Smile guide who didn't actually have or re- member the proper training," said Ms. Greenspon-Rammelt to NBC News. SmileDirectClub currently has more than 1,800 complaints nationwide reported to the Better Business Bureau. While many of the complaints are over customer service issues, such as delivery or payment problems, dozens of patients have filed complaints over treatment results, including bro- ken teeth and nerve damage. The company's network of dentists is responsible for devel- oping treatment plans for patients, not SmileDirectClub itself, said Ms. Greenspon-Rammelt. She also added that the poor treatment results may have been caused by patients not ad- hering to treatment programs properly. "That could be because they weren't following the instruc- tions for use, they didn't come in for a midcourse correction when they were advised to do that, they didn't follow up with the dental team," she told NBC News. If a customer can prove the treatment plan didn't work, they must sign a confidentiality agreement before getting any kind of refund. In response, Ms. Greenspon-Rammelt said that by the time patients sign the agreements they have al- ready posted the news about the treatment to social media platforms and filed other complaints. n SmileDirectClub sues NBC for $2.8B By Gabrielle Masson S mileDirectClub filed a $2.8 billion lawsuit against NBCU- niversal Media on May 18, claiming the news publica- tion ignored facts and broadcast a story with over 40 errors in it. SmileDirectClub accuses NBC of publishing a misleading sto- ry in which NBC said some customers reported painful prob- lems when using the at-home dental alignment product. The investigative journalism piece also included a quote from a SmileDirect employee claiming dentists weren't required to review patients before treatment, which SmileDirect has re- futed. The teledentistry company argues that NBC and reporter Vicky Nguyen "knowingly and intentionally" made "factually inaccurate, misleading and defamatory claims." The lawsuit wants to hold NBC accountable "for its abuse of power and betrayal of trust," adding that, "Readers across the country turn to the media for the information they need to make decisions about their health and well-being." SmileDirect said its market cap dropped $950 million after the NBC report. An NBC spokesperson told The Hill that the company stands by its reporting and "believe[s] this is a meritless claim." n

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