We take a quick look at four different DSOs, and they explain, in their own words, what they offer and what sets them apart.
Benevis
QUICK FACTS
Founded: As NCDR LLC in 2002; renamed as Benevis in 2014
Headquarters: Marietta, Georgia
Leadership: Tom Nance, CEO
No. of affiliated practices: ~150
IN THEIR WORDS
Benevis provides high-quality, nonclinical practice services to dentists and dental practices. We partner with dentists who are looking to transition their existing practices to our affiliate network, as well as with dentists who are looking for practice ownership.
For dentists looking to sell or transition their practices, we provide a cash-based investment in the practice with ownership transferred upon a mutually agreed date. The dentist sets the terms of the affiliation agreement and runs the practice until he or she is ready to leave. For dentists pursuing practice ownership, buying into a Benevis-supported practice allows for many of the financial and administrative burdens of building or buying an office to be avoided.
If you affiliate with Benevis, you will have access to a range of support services-including accounting, payroll administration, facilities management, marketing, and human resources-that will help you manage and grow your practice. We also offer discounted rates with labs and dental supply companies, as well as comprehensive review and recommendations of payor agreements, which help to lower practice costs and increase profitability. You'll also have access to our compliance and auditing programs, built around our proprietary Boomerang practice management systems.
Simply put, affiliating with Benevis allows you to spend more time doing what you do best: practicing high-quality dentistry.
DentalSense
QUICK FACTS
Founded: 2014
Headquarters: Charleston, South Carolina
Leadership: R. J. Adolfi, founder and managing director
No. of affiliated practices: ~7
IN THEIR WORDS
Your desire is to own your own dental practice and provide quality dentistry. But managing a dental practice can involve an overwhelming myriad of tasks and business processes that make it feel like dentistry is the last thing on your list.
DentalSense gives you the power to achieve the dream of practice ownership while enjoying your work and maintaining the lifestyle that you deserve. DentalSense is not corporate dentistry. Nobody will tell you how to practice dentistry. We are simply a support structure that allows you to own your practice without your practice owning you.
Heartland Dental
QUICK FACTS
Founded: 1997
Headquarters: Effingham, Illinois
Leadership: Rick Workman, DMD, founder and executive chairman; Patrick Bauer, president and CEO
No. of affiliated practices: ~725
IN THEIR WORDS
The impact Heartland Dental has on supported dentists and team members extends beyond the nonclinical support we offer. Certainly, support in areas such as marketing, information technology, human resources, and accounting is a vital part of our mission, but this mission also includes supporting continuing education opportunities, offering mentorship, and creating an open and collaborative environment.
For new dentists, we offer the chance to start a career out on the right foot. For dentists looking for work-life balance, we offer the support necessary to achieve that. For dentists looking for the right exit strategy, we offer the means for them to control their careers on their terms.
We offer supported dentists and team members the opportunity to not only focus on dentistry but to advance themselves in every aspect of their lives. This has been the motivation of our company from the start and continues to drive us today.
Heartland Dental's vision is to become the leader in dentistry. We look to accomplish this by helping all supported dentists and team members become definitive leaders themselves, to help them reach the ultimate goal: providing the highest quality of care possible.
Pacific Dental Services (PDS)
QUICK FACTS
Founded: 1994
Headquarters: Irvine, California
Leadership: Stephen E. Thorne IV, founder, president, CEO
No. of affiliated practices: ~500
IN THEIR WORDS
Pacific Dental Services (PDS) has been a leader in the dental industry for more than two decades and has become one of the largest DSOs in the nation, operating in 17 states and providing business support services to almost 500 locations. This growth has been due, in large part, to PDS's culture of service-service to the ~1,500 dentists they support, the communities they practice in, and to those in need of dental care around the world.
Founder, CEO, and President Stephen Thorne IV, as the son of a dentist, has a history of working for and serving clinicians. The PDS Owner-Doctor/"Private Practice +" business model provides dentists who have chosen to contract with PDS with autonomy and support where and how they want and/or need it. The business support services provided by PDS allow practitioners to focus more of their time on their patients and patient care.
Dentists, similar to other health providers, have an innate desire to care for people-it's why many got in the health field. PDS, through its "We Serve" department and the Pacific Dental Services Foundation, provides opportunities and a platform for supported dentists to connect with community partners and to give back using their skills and talents.
