> Industry News
Smile Brands affiliates with two-location practice in Illinois Smile Brands (Irvine, CA) announced it has partnered with Burmeister Atteberry Family & Cosmetic Dental (Decatur, IL). The existing dental team and staff will remain with the office and the business will continue to operate under the name Burmeister Atteberry Family & Cosmetic Dental. Dr. Chad Burmeister founded Burmeister Atteberry Family & Cosmetic Dental in 2001. He currently leads a staff of nine. The Decatur location also includes associate Dr. Cale Atteberry, who leads a staff of five. Through the partnership, Smile Brands will provide administrative support and services to the practice including purchasing, payroll, accounting, IT, billing, facilities management, and marketing.
Heartland Dental names Stacy DeWalt as chief marketing officer Heartland Dental (Effingham, IL) announced the hiring of Stacy DeWalt as the organization’s EVP, Stacy DeWalt Chief Marketing Officer. As Chief Marketing Officer, DeWalt is responsible for revenue growth by leveraging marketing and business strategy to optimize internal processes and help propel the dental support organization (DSO)
50 MAY/JUNE 2021 • DENTAL GROUP PRACTICE
into its next phase of growth. DeWalt brings more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning public and private equity environments in financial services, gaming, education, and technology services for brands including One Main Financial, Quicken Loans, Isle of Capris Casinos, and Learning Care Group.
Washington state experiencing staffing shortages for hygienists, assistant positions Washington state is currently undergoing a massive dental staffing shortage, reports the Everett Herald. Those shortages are reportedly leaving dentists overwhelmed and undermanned. A survey released in February by the state’s dental hygienist and dental association outlined the significant demand. More than 900 open hygienist positions were reported statewide with only about 220 hygienists actively seeking employment. Dental assisting had more than 1,100 openings and fewer than 200 qualified folks in search of a job. On average, hygienist jobs are open for more than four months before being filled, and assistant positions are open for about three and a half months, the herald says. The article, which shares the struggles of many area practices, notes that the problem is partly due to the requirements of the job, namely the requisite degrees, training and licensing. Several dentists in the article express concern that
the competition fueled market is unsustainable and worry that that longer the issue persists, the higher costs will be passed along to patients.
GPS Dental acquires three practices in Q1 2021 GPS Dental LLC (Jonesboro, AR), a DSO backed by The Firmament Group, has partnered with three dental practices during the first quarter of 2021: > ADC of Joplin (Joplin, MO) > Hermitage Dental Group (Nashville, TN) > Walnut Ranch Dental Spa (Ardmore, OK) GPS is led by experienced dentists and DSO operators Dr. Hunter Smith and Dr. William Little, who co-founded the company in 2015. Firmament initially invested in GPS in December 2020 and has provided additional capital to support the company’s acquisitions during the past quarter. GPS is a DSO provider that manages 20 dental practices in Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, and Oklahoma. GPS offers a variety of management services to its practices, including billing and accounting, patient scheduling assistance, HR functions, marketing, and insurance.
Henry Schein One announces new Dentrix Imaging Center Henry Schein One (American Fork, UT), a subsidiary of Henry Schein, Inc.,
dentalgrouppractice.com
