Becker's Dental + DSO Review

22 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 2021 NO. 4 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP 'The dental industry is in the midst of an existential crisis' 8 dentists discuss threats to the field By Ariana Portalatin R ising costs, staff recruitment and retention, and insurance reim- bursements are among the top dental industry threats dentists are think- ing about today. Eight dentists share the biggest threats to the dental industry: Note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity. Oksana Boyechko, DMD. Boyechko Dental (Cameron Park, Calif.): I think it is the rising costs of dental supplies and equipment. Also, rising wages. At the same time, the insurance reimburse- ment for the crown has not changed in 20 years! Before COVID, I paid $4.99 for a box of 100 gloves. Now it is $15 at the least. Caroline Zeller, DDS. SmileKeepers Dental (Salem, Ore.): [The first threat] is provider burnout. I sense an increas- ing dissatisfaction from newer dentists about the profession they have joined. However, I think the main contributor to this mindset is that it has not turned out to be the kind of job or profession that they thought it would be. Either they thought they would own a private practice without financial struggle, or they were motivated by wanting to help their patients and be part of the health- care community. The current dental delivery system fails to support either one of these dreams. The dental indus- try is in the midst of an existential crisis. They don't know who they are or what they want to be. Holding onto the past and being reluctant to accept necessary changes for survival has created a disap- pointing professional experience. [There is also] the belief that the old way is the best and only way. We cannot hide from the rest of the American healthcare system forever. Our profession's capaci- ty to care for our most vulnerable pop- ulations is limited. Our delivery systems are failing to provide care for a popula- tion of Americans that continues to grow in size. Accepting that change is neces- sary, and being a part of that charge is the best and only way to shape what our profession becomes. Robert Boff, DMD. Ramsey (N.J.) Family Dental: I believe declining profit mar- gins in combination with increasing debt loads and business management ex- penses will weigh heavily on the viability of delivering quality dental care. A good percentage of the declining margins can be attributed to over-regulation and leg- islation, third party involvement, taxation and employee retention. Charles Schlesinger, DDS. Comfortable Dentistry 4U (Albuquerque, N.M.): The biggest long-term threat to dentistry is the reluctance of insurance companies to reimburse dentists at a commensu- rate rate for the work they do. Along with this, as the costs of dental procedures rise, the patient benefit cap has not ris- en in over 25 years. The combination of these two factors make it hard for pa- tients to afford the dentistry they need, and it drives dentists to cut corners to stay profitable. Dental offices are profitable only when they are part of a larger group that has buying power to decrease expenditures. The solo practitioner or small group does not benefit from dealer discounts and [that makes] it very tough to be com- petitive with larger DSO groups. In order for this profession to continue to grow in a healthy way and be encouraging for new doctors and those potentially looking at the profession, the insurance industry must change. Rolinda Harsany, DDS (Napa, Calif.): The first [threat] is the HMO dental insurance industry. The second is large corpora- tion-owned dental offices that accept these low-reimbursement plans. Corporations push profit over patient care. This often results in over-diagnosis and excessive treatment planning. We often see patients who come in for a sec- ond opinion with large treatment plans that require no treatment at all other than routine cleanings and exams. If a patient is unaware of how insurance-driven cor- porate practices are managed, they end up paying thousands of dollars for un- necessary treatment. Brian Harris, DDS. Harris Dental (Phoe- nix): The biggest threat is doctors not seeing the massive shift that is happen- ing in the market and how people are buying today. We make it difficult for people to do business with us and get simple questions answered. People want convenience, trust, transparency and value, and that can all be given today by leveraging virtual dentistry platforms. If doctors continue to do the things the

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