PLAYING IT SMART WITH UMBRELLA PPO’S
By Bill Rossi Many of the “smaller” dental insurance companies group together under “Umbrellas” in order to compete with Delta and others. Examples of these groups are: Careington, Connection, Premier PPOs (not to be confused with “Delta Premier”), and DenteMax. These groups line up doctors who will agree to a fee schedule so that […]
DROPPING DELTA/PPO’S – Patient Attrition and Replacement
By Bill Rossi No matter how well you prepare in any PPO transition there will be a loss of patients. So, what happens after that? Let’s say a practice is producing $100,000 of which $10,000 is with XYZ PPO. At that $10,000 per month, the practice is collecting just $6,000 because there is a […]
Busy Practice Conundrum – Drop Delta or Hire an Associate?
By Bill Rossi, President of Advanced Practice Management Sometimes dentists are at a crossroads when art capacity. They are as busy or busier than they want to be, it is hard to fit in new patients, and hygiene help is tough to come by, etc. At the same time, the doctor may be writing off […]
Hire An Associate Or Drop Delta?
By Bill Rossi Sometimes dentists will be at a crossroads where they are at capacity. They are as busy or busier than they want to be. Their schedule is jammed up. It can be hard to fit in new patients. Hygiene help is hard to come by. And so on. At the same time, the […]
Can Vanity Be a Virtue in Dentistry?
Vanity: “An excessive pride in or admiration of one’s own appearance or achievements.” While some people might sneer at vanity, I agree with Winston Churchill when he called it, “That vice that promotes so many virtues.” The National Research University Higher School of Economics found that people spend 1/6th of their lifetimes enhancing their appearance. […]
Top Errors In Dealing With PPOs
APRIL 2023 ISSUE APRIL 1, 2023 Source | By Bill Rossi With inflation running rampant, doctors have been hard-pressed to maintain their profitability. Unfortunately, the most commonly overlooked strategy is also the most lucrative—decreasing your practice’s participation in reduced-fee PPO plans. Below, practice management expert Bill Rossi* discusses six profit-robbing mistakes doctors routinely make and […]
What year is your PPO in?
All of us are aware that over the years, PPOs rarely give increases and those that do are rather meager. Meanwhile, reality marches on in dental offices where, especially post Covid, expenses like PPE, wages, etc. have gone up. But even before Covid, clearly PPO fee increases were not at all keeping up with the […]
DON’T FAIL YOUR NEXT EXAM—DEBUNKING D0180
This code was created, in part, to give periodontists an exam/evaluation code. General Dentists are held to the same standard of care as Periodontists, and since a complete periodontal exam (CPE) for all adult patients is recommended annually, utilizing code D0180 (Comprehensive Periodontal Evaluation) can and should be utilized in general dental practices. It is […]
WHAT IS YOUR JOB? What is it that you do?
You’re not just a dentist, therapist, assistant, hygienist or administrative team member. You are in the business of creating longer, healthier and happier lives. And you get to do that every day! What a privilege. Sometimes it is easy to overlook the difference you are making while dealing with the challenges of practice ownership and […]
EFFECTIVE PERIO CO-DIAGNOSIS
Prior to beginning the assessment portion of the hygiene appointment, it is essential to explain to the patient what you will be doing and why. This allows the patient to be a part of the decision-making process and will aid in treatment acceptance. “I’m measuring the natural space between your tooth and gums in millimeters […]