There are dentists that practice independently and those that contract with Dental Support Organizations. Currently, the trend appears to be dentists choosing to work with DSO’s to have the business portion of their practice taken care of. In this way, the dentist can concentrate their efforts on clinical treatment. DSO’s will hold the practice’s assets and handle management and administration duties. This frees up a majority of a dentist’s time so that they can spend more time with patients.
What Do Dentists Consider Before They Choose the DSO Model?
There are several reasons why a new dentist may choose to go with a DSO model for their practice. The most important benefit is that dentists do not have to be bogged down with business operations and administration. It is estimated that independent practices require dentists to put a significant amount of their time into management. The end result is that a dentist will only have about 60% of their time to put towards caring for their patients. However, when a dentist works with a DSO, they can dedicate up to 90% of their time to their patients.
There are also the following benefits:
- Greater work/life balance.
- Increase experience working directly with patients.
- Mentorship with patient files.
- Increased revenues.
- Take on overhead through the use of private investment funds.
- Better regulation compliance.
- Offer patients newer dental procedures and services.
With all of these benefits, it may seem curious why all dentists are not choosing the DSO model. There are some drawbacks for dentists to think about when they are establishing their practice.
Working in such a corporate structure could mean more pressure to hit profit targets. This may come at the expense of dentists being able to provide excellent care to their patients. Also, because some of the equity firms invest in various DSO’s there is the reality of having one or more be publicly traded. As a result, working in a DSO environment can come with a significant amount of stress and pressure to meet those profit goals. This sentiment is echoed by the American Dental Education Association.
Even though dentists are able to focus more time on their patients, they may lose out on gaining beneficial experience learning about how to treat various dental conditions. This is because they may have to send certain patients to specialists for treatment. Also, a new dentist may lack an understanding of how to run a practice because the DSO handles all of those tasks.
Speak with a Los Angeles DSO Today
As with anything, there are pros and cons to consider before making a decision. This is true for dentists that may have the choice between working with a DSO or going solo with their practice. DSO’s are becoming quite popular and if you are a new dentist who would like to explore more about the operations of a DSO, then the Los Angeles DSO attorneys at Leiva Law can help. To learn more about your rights and responsibilities in California, the Los Angeles Dental Service Organization lawyers and the Leiva Law Firm can meet with you during a free consultation that you can schedule by calling (818) 519-4465.
