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Please stop what you’re doing and read this op/ed piece from Journal of the American Dental Association. No, seriously . . . read the article right now because it MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORKS IN THE ECONOMICS OF DENTISTRY IN OUR LIFETIME. When you’re done reading it, I’ll rejoin you in the next paragraph.
Glad to have you back. Dr. Marko Vujicic, the chief economist of the ADA, summarized several years of his research. Flat growth in adult dental care usage—cost is the major barrier to accessing care—it’s all laid out. Then Dr. Vujicic presents his four-part plan for how the dental profession can respond. He believes how people access care and how dentists are paid for their services will change radically.
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DENTISTS CANNOT AFFORD TO SIT THIS ONE OUT WITH THEIR HEADS IN THE SAND.
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I’m sure you don’t like hearing that restorative, fee-for-service care on senior citizens may be largely replaced with preventive, Medicare reimbursements. Of course, that’s a scary thought. We already feel that we’re not as busy as we used to be and that government insurance is only slightly more pleasant than private insurance. You’re supposed to feel some rage right now.
But I agree with Dr. Vujicic’s predictions. We don’t know how soon this change will take place. We don’t know exactly how traditional business models will fare after a surgical-preventive payment shift takes place. But here’s what we do know: dentists cannot afford to sit this one out with their heads in the sand.
Dr. Vujicic and I would love to hear your thoughts. Please email me at [email protected] or Dr. Vujicic at [email protected]. Or better yet, share this story and leave your comments (positive or negative) on social media. The ADA would love to hear from you on Twitter @adahpi. We absolutely must have a dialogue about the economic data and about what the future may hold. If you disagree, then disagree loudly and politely so that civil discourse can continue.
Cheers,
Chris
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