One in four dentists who own a practice raised their practice fees at the end of 2021 to maintain financial stability, according to a recent poll by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
Raising fees was the most common measure to maintain financial stability for all months in 2021, according to a Dec. 22 news release from the ADA.
Other financial stability measures identified in the ADA's December 2021 poll:
- 6.8 percent downsized their teams
- 10.9 percent reduced their team's hours
- 10.4 percent disenrolled from dental benefits plans
- 16.7 percent changed suppliers and labs
- 9.2 percent borrowed money from a bank
The poll also found patient volumes in private practices remained stable for several months, reaching 90 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels during the week of Dec. 13. Patient volumes were highest among dentists under the age of 35 and between ages 35-44.