Page 70 - The Dental Entrepreneur

The Dental Entrepreneur

Complete dentistry is giving the
patient the opportunity to do all the

work that you have diagnosed at their
own pace within their financial and

psychological comfort zones.”

Thomas Larkin DDS

CHAPTER 11

Insurance

By far, one of the most challenging aspects of being a dentist today involves the issue of
dental insurance and the role it plays in the business of dentistry. I can tell you without
reservation that the primary reason why dental office overheads have increased to
unreasonable levels is that dentists have not been able to properly raise their fees because of
insurance limitations. The cost of doing business has increased steadily across the board but
Insurance companies have keep yearly maximums the same for nearly three decades. Proper
fee increases have been stagnant and the unethical tactics of contacting patients and telling
them that your charges are excessive is becoming standard place.

PPO, Are You Really Preferred?

Insurance companies are run by smart suits who also know that dentists are woefully prepared
for the business side of dentistry and many prey heavily on this. Nowhere is this more evident
that in the presentation of the PPO. I can imagine a boardroom that was filled with great
laughter when someone proposed the concept of calling theses programs ” preferred
providers”. “Do you think anyone would be stupid enough to go for that asked one of the
Mba’s?” “Absolutely” ,the marketing director responded. The uneducated, uniformed
consumer picks someone who they think is somehow “preferred” and the dentist blindly signs
up because he is intimidated with the concept of not being “preferred.” Its crazy semantics.
Watch this blog and realize that there is nothing preferred about being ignorant.

Page 64