Group Practice Task Force Report

Terry L. Norris, DDS, FACD Regent, Regency 4 Chair, Group Practice Task Force

Following the ACD Annual Meeting in October of 2021, President Richard E. Jones appointed several special task forces to research and develop recommendations to further the work of the College. One such task force was given the directive to study Dental Service Organizations (DSO).

Early on in our research and deliberation it was evident that the scope that we were tasked with was broader than just DSO’s. It was expanded to include all group practices whether private or corporate.

The task force charge included developing professional guidelines for group practice, for the employed dentist, and developing business models for small, medium, and large group practices based on professionalism and efficiency. In addition to a White Paper, the Task Force developed a resource guide and a “Bill of Rights” for Group Practice. The White Paper and resource guide are published in their entirety at www.acd.org. This group was well versed in dealing with this topic having a recent graduate in a group practice, two seasoned dentists in a group practice, one retired dentist from a solo practice who has dealt with group practices on the ADA level, one seasoned dentist in a solo practice, a vice president of a large dental supplier with expertise in dental products and sales and an ethicist from the academic realm. They are:

Former Regent from Regency 6, Doug Bogan President-elect, Robert Lamb Vice President, Terri Dolan SPEA Liaison, Erik Klintmalm Regent at Large, Joe Crowley Ethicist and ACD Fellow, Phyllis Beemsterboer

The Rights of Dentists in Group Practice

1. The dentist is ethically bound to place the needs of the patient as primary, striving to create and maintain trust in the patientdentist provider relationships.

2. The dentist is a professional with autonomy defining their role in the provision of dental care and diagnosis of dental disease.

3. The dentist must fully examine any patient that has presented for dental care and prepare an appropriate treatment plan.

4. The dentist should present to every patient all the appropriate treatment plan options, advantages, and disadvantages. The dentist must assure that each patient understands the rationale for each treatment option.

5. The dentist should address the cost of each treatment that is clinically acceptable and should not be pressured to propose more expensive options, encourage overtreatment, or engage in upselling to generate more revenue. 6. The dentist should provide the dental treatment they planned for each patient under care. If the patient has been assigned to a new dentist, that dentist should re-examine the patient to assure agreement with the treatment plan.

7. The dentist must not perform any procedures outside of the scope of practice or for which they are untrained.

8. The dentist must know the rules, regulations, and laws in the jurisdiction in which they are practicing and are required to adhere to these guidelines.

9. The dentist should have their dental educational degrees and dental license displayed where patients can observe.

10. The licensed dentist as leader with the dental team should be sure all allied individuals are educated, credentialed, and maintaining appropriate skills to assure the safety of the patients.

Regent’s Reflection

Unusual Times and What I Learned

Tom Raimann Regency 5

The last couple of years have been strange times for all of us. Who would have thought that streaming movies and series would be so popular? Who would have thought that to Zoom would take on a whole new meaning? Who would have thought that wearing a mask would become so controversial?

I had started 2020 as president of the Wisconsin Dental Association looking forward to a great year visiting all the state components and meeting with members in person. Then Covid hit and the world changed. We had conference calls, then virtual meetings like all of you did. I had daily calls with my Executive Director. We adapted to the ever-changing conditions that the pandemic threw at us. During that year I was honored to learn that I was named to be the American College of Dentists Regency Five Regent starting at the ACD Annual meeting. I also learned that the ADA and ACD meetings were to be virtual. I thought how are they going to pull that off? They both pulled it off in remarkable time and done well. It was not what many of us were used to or would have liked.

During the early days of the pandemic, dentists stepped up and did the right and ethical thing by seeing only patients with emergent needs. This action possibly helped prevent the spread of the disease and freed up valuable professional protective equipment for hospitals. Later, as more was learned, dentists got back to work with updated protocols and the vaccine. Meetings were held virtually for many of the groups I was associated with, including the ACD. I thought these were great, I was close to the bathroom and refrigerator! They even had a virtual meeting to celebrate the 100 years of the ACD that I was invited to even though I was not a Regent yet. Slowly, more and more meetings were held in person.

Here is what I learned:

Dentists are a caring, ethical group that worked for the good of their patients and society at large.

Dentistry was way ahead of other health professions with infection control and protection. Dentists had routinely washed their hands, used gloves and masks, sprayed, or covered surfaces and sterilized all their instruments. The proof of this is shown by there being no documented cases of transmission in dental offices even though the offices have been listed as high risk. We should be proud of that.

The ACD is an incredible organization, and I am proud to be a Fellow and Regent. The staff and leadership put together two years of virtual convocations and programs in a trying situation. There were also many virtual meetings that I attended set up by the ACD staff.

The biggest thing I learned, though is that dentists are social creatures. We crave human interaction. We sorely missed being with our patients and having meetings in person. I had thought that virtual meetings could be the way of the future, but I was VERY wrong. I know we needed to do what we did at the time. However, in meeting after meeting, I learned we all wanted to see each other in person and interact. I felt this somewhat at the ribbon cutting for the new ACD office last August where I met the leaders, board members and staff of the ACD for the first time. It truly hit me at my first true in person ACD Board meeting in Asheville in Spring of this year. So, I hope to see you all in Houston and next year in Orlando IN PERSON. Please find me and say hi!

The biggest thing I learned, though is that dentists are social creatures. We crave human interaction.