25
Volume3 Issue2
|
I
ssues and
P
eople
HelpingDentistsSucceed
in a Changing Paradigm
Dr.KathyO’Loughlin is the executive director of theAmericanDentalAssociation (ADA). She delivered the keynote
address at theAmericanAssociation ofDentalConsultantsAnnual SpringWorkshop inSantaAnaPueblo,New
Mexico, inMay2015.Dr.O’Loughlin spokewithCDAabout her presentation,“HelpingDentists toSucceed ina
ChangedParadigm.”
KathyO'Loughlin
Dr.O’Loughlin is the
executive director of
theAmericanDental
Association.
We’re trying tohelp students in theirfinal yearmake
intelligent business choices andfind somewhere to practise
where there’s sufficient demand to support their success.
Fordentists in theUS,whatare themain
elementsof this “changedparadigm”
thatyou refer to?
There’s a lot changing in theeconomic
environment for dentists that isgoing to
haveaprofound impact on them. First of all,
we’ve seena
significantdecline indental
demand
across all ageand incomegroups
that precedes theeconomic recession. Even
amongyoungadultswithdental insurance,
theyaren’t seekingcare to the samedegree
peoplemyagedid in the60s, 70s, and80s.
Financeshavebecomea larger barrier
topeopleaccessingcare. Unfortunately,
dentistry isoneprofession that didn’t recover
from the setbackduring theglobal recession
in2008; dentists still havemorecapacity
than theyhavepatients. The
combination
ofweakdemandandexcess capacity
is
going toaffectmillennial dentists,whoare
comingout of school nowandwhohave
different values andaspirations than the
babyboomers,whohavebeen themainstay
of organizeddentistry for the last 50years.
Additionally, in theUS, therehasbeena
massivehealthcare reform initiative
that
has resulted inahuge increaseof people
whoarenoweligible for publicbenefits.
Now therearemoreMedicaidbeneficiaries,
andwedonot have the same increase in the
number of dentists accepting that program.
Thereare several problemswith theprogram
that keepdentists fromparticipating, and
theADA isworkingwith stakeholders tohelp
dentistsmanagepublicprograms inaway
that doesn’t causeharm to their practices
andbusinessmodels.
Thefinal element is the
rapid increaseof
“super-practices,”
where largenumbersof
dentists areaggregating ina singlepractice.
Theycouldbeownedbydentists, non-
dentists, or for-profit companies, depending
onwhat the state licencingallows.Wehave
even seendental practiceswith the same
owner operating in10or 15 states. Organized
dentistrywasnot built for thatmodel, so
we’reworking tounderstandwhat those
