As we approach the end of the year, many dentists are focusing on their goals for 2025 and changes they'd like to see next year.
Five dentists recently spoke with Becker's about how they'd like to see the industry evolve in 2025:
Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity.
Thomas Allen, DDS. New Jersey Endodontics (River Edge): My hope is that insurance company reimbursement rates will be increased to the levels that are at least equal to the inflation rate so that we can better deal with increasing overhead costs.
Bridgett Jorgensen, DMD. North Gwinnett Dental Care (Sugar Hill, Ga.): I hope a higher percentage of dentists realize that going out of network is their best option for maintaining a profitable dental practice. Having prices go up on everything to run a dental practice but not being able to raise fees because of insurance participation is a recipe for disaster. If a dentist is out of network, patients can still use their insurance, but they can set appropriate fees.
Private practice dentists would also love it if our dental schools and organizations did not accept sponsorships from insurance companies. They obviously aren’t advertising to dentists, but their names and logos all over schools and in dental societies give patients the impression that dental insurance companies are helpful to dentists. If they took the money they are spending on advertising to instead raise fees and pay claims on time, we could have a cordial relationship.
Latoya Joseph, DMD. Sebastian (Fla.) Dental Spa: The change I hope to see next year is dental insurance doing something different and actually trying to help patients pay for the care they need. This year, so many insurances changed policy coverage mid year with new rules and caused a lot of patients to not be eligible for coverage for specific procedures that were covered in the beginning of the year. The dental insurance industry needs standardization to be more fair to patients and should not be allowed to change coverage rules after the coverage term has begun for the year.
Javier Perez, DDS. Times Square Family Dental (Tyler, Texas): I would like to see a major improvement in the reimbursement from the payers. Insurance companies should pay us better in order for us to continue offering our services to their members. At the same time, the cost of supplies should improve.
Marc Wilk, DDS. Tudor City Dental (New York City): I’m hoping that revenue cycle management, on the cusp of full workflow automation with Henry Schein One’s Eligibility Pro, will enable DSOs and offices to predict dental insurance reimbursements and patient copayments. This will allow both patients and offices optimal financial predictability for each procedure and treatment plan.