Increasing the transparency of costs and expenses, breaking the pricing power of insurance companies and getting rid of gimmick advertising are three things that dental professionals would like to see done differently in the industry.
The leaders featured in this article are all speaking at Becker's 2024 dental conferences. This includes our Spring Future of Dentistry Roundtable, which is set for June 19-21 at the Swissotel in Chicago, and our Fall Future of Dentistry Roundtable, which is set for Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.
If you work at a DSO or dental practice and would like to be considered as a speaker, contact Randi Haseman at rhaseman@beckershealthcare.com.
As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our roundtables. The following are answers from our speakers at the events.
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What is something you would like to see done differently in the dental industry?
Alexander Einbinder, DDS. Dentist of Caterpillar Dental (West Babylon, N.Y.): Improving transparency in dental care costs and exploring ways to make services more affordable for a broader range of people could contribute to better overall oral health in communities. A lot of offices are totally overpriced, and it actually begins with the supply companies charging huge markups once "dental" is put on the label. I know that many of the factories where the same exact brands are made are exactly the same, yet one company may charge double the other company. The same exact instrument or implant made in Brazil is literally one-fifth the cost of the same exact implant in the U.S. We need to work collectively to pass savings on to patients, and it starts with suppliers and being diligent and forming groups to purchase in bulk.
Haim Haviv. Founder and CEO of Hudson Dental (New York City): I'd like to see a change of dynamics in the power insurance companies have over pricing and how unfair it is. They make all the money and pass on next to nothing to the doctors who are providing care. Occasionally they come back with different audits to try to recoup money from providers and it's not usually based on the work that was done, it is based on the rubric that they set for how they think work should be done.
Robert Trager, DDS. Dentist at JFK Airport (New York City): I would like to see gimmick advertising in the dental supply industry go away. Suppliers will advertise buy two and get the third free as a way to [unload] backlogged inventory and dentists buy extra supplies that they don't need or expires before they get a chance to use it all. Supply companies should also stop double dipping and charging both handling and processing fees. If that is the case, dentists should start charging acceptance and placement fees to teach them a lesson.