The Growth of Itinerant Dental Specialists Itinerant dental specialists are growing in numbers and popularity. Due to dentists’ declining income and patients’ increased demand for special dental services, these specialists are in high demand. Still, many dentists are reluctant to work with an itinerant dental specialist. They have questions about how it works, or are not sure if it is right for their practice. In this article, we will talk about what an itinerant dental specialist does and how they can help your business.
What is an Itinerant Dental Specialist? An itinerant dental specialist travels to other dentists’ offices to perform services. Itinerant dental specialists may rotate between several different dentists’ offices on a weekly or monthly basis, or they may be contracted on an as-needed basis. This differs from the traditional model, where dentists refer patients out to specialists. A wide variety of specialists choose to travel—periodontists, endodontists, and oral surgeons can all be itinerant dental specialists. They perform services such as dental implants, extractions, or root canals, all in the offices of a general dentist.
Itinerant Dental Specialists vs. the Traditional Referral Model How does using an itinerant dental specialist compare to the traditional model of referring patients out? There are several advantages to working with a travelling specialist. First, general dentists lose money when they refer patients out. Each year, dentists refer out billions of dollars’ worth of services to specialists. By using an itinerant dental specialist, these services are kept in office. The dentist now controls the billing and contracts with the local traveling specialist to perform the treatment services. The dentist and specialist will agree on a treatment sharing percentage which typically includes sharing the costs associated with performing the treatment. Without an itinerant dental specialist, dentists may feel that the only way to keep their clients in house is to hire a full-time specialist. This can leave already struggling dentists paying another salary. Other dentists have chosen to perform minor procedures themselves, such as extractions. While this may work financially, it means patients are not receiving the high-quality services they would get from a dedicated specialist. The assumption of treatment liability becomes a major hurdle for private practice dentists who feel compelled to perform specialty dental services. When case treatment becomes compromised such as when there is a catastrophic failure of an implant, the cost and complications of remediating these cases rises substantially. It is simply a matter of numbers. Private practice dentists typically do not see enough cases in a month or year to provide the patient with the necessary care and experience when cases become unexpectedly challenged. An oral surgeon, on the other hand, will often see 10-50 times more implant cases in a month then the average individual dentist. In addition, the ongoing education that an oral surgeon goes through every year is utterly dedicated to these types of specialty treatments whereas a general dentist may have different educational and training priorities.
There are also advantages for specialists who choose to travel. Itinerant dental specialists can travel full time and avoid the high cost of renting and maintain medical office space and running their own private practice. They may also decide to have their own practice, then travel specific days out of the month to supplement their income. This works well for dental specialists who do not have enough clients to fill their schedule. It is also an extremely powerful method for strengthening the relationships with their existing referral base who are undoubtedly being courted by other local specialists. Dental specialists who are in high demand may especially benefit from travelling. Often, dentists and patients are willing to pay a premium for itinerant dental specialists. Highly qualified itinerant dental specialists can make hundreds or thousands of dollars in a days’ work, without worrying about the overhead costs that come with a private practice. Finally, there are major benefits for patients. When patients require special services, a referral to an outside specialist can be a hassle. The patient has to call the specialist, set up an appointment, and go to an office they do not know for a procedure that is expensive and complex in nature. There is also more paperwork involved for the patient. Not surprisingly, many patients do not follow through when they receive a referral from their dentist and in many cases, the patient never returns to the original dental office. With an itinerant dental specialist, patients do not have to go anywhere—they can receive treatments right in their regular dentists’ office. Studies have demonstrated that patients are much more likely to accept treatment when the treatment is provided within the office of the general dentist.
A Growing Market The market for itinerant dental specialists is growing fast. More dentists are employing itinerant specialists rather than referring patients out. This is due to a number of factors, specifically, the rising costs of running a dental practice, dentists’ declining income, and the easy availability of itinerant dental specialists. As the cost of doing business rises and dentists’ income fall, many dentists are looking for new ways to increase revenue. Adding the services of an itinerant dental specialist provides dentists an opportunity to accomplish this goal. In addition to bringing specialty dental treatment revenue back into the dentist, the patient enjoys a much more comfortable and convenient dental treatment experience. Today, nearly 25% of private practice dentists have reduced or eliminated the tradition of referring patients to specialists. They do this by either acquiring the specialty clinical skills themselves or by hiring itinerant specialists a few times each month. It seems pretty clear that more and more specialty work will continue to be performed within the confines of the private practice dental office.
How To Find A Local Traveling Specialist The internet has made it easier for dentists to locate specialists. One of the fastest-growing of these sites is mypractice9. Mypractice9 is a bit different than other sites in that it connect dentists and specialists in a 100% web-based application. On mypractice9, dentists can use the site for free. The site quickly and easily provides a thoughtful method for dentists to identify and hire itinerant specialists like oral surgeons, orthodontists and prosthodontists. It took us less than 45 seconds to fill out their short registration information and with one click we were ready to post a case. Dentists post jobs that they
need completed—for example, a dentist may have a patient in need of an implant. Specialists can search and find jobs that are in their local geographic area and area of expertise. By matching general dentists and itinerant dental specialists in this way, mypractice9 is creating a new kind of market for dental services. Mypractice9 charges a flat monthly membership fee to specialists. There are several other sites that help dentists connect with itinerant dental specialists who can perform the services they need. Sites like Dental Specialist Network and Synergy Specialists provide a pool of dental specialists from which dentists can select through a contracted basis. These services can be expensive but they do provide a nice resource for dentists looking for help within their practice. Unfortunately, these sites offer services in very limited markets. The advantages to dentists partnering up with itinerant dental specialists are numerous. By working with a travelling specialist, dentists can save money and provide better care for patients. Now that it has become easier than ever for dentists and itinerant dental specialists to connect, there is no reason all dentists cannot offer high-quality specialty services in their own office.