8 responses

  1. Mike Rice, DMD
    January 16, 2014

    Couldn’t agree more! Would LOVE the opportunity to tell them about the issues that we face on a daily basis, and have them actually listen.

    Reply

  2. Kate
    January 16, 2014

    You have me seriously debating about renewing my membership.

    Reply

  3. Michael Nugent
    January 17, 2014

    Kate,

    I dropped my membership this year. I joined right after Dental School in 2005.

    ADA is not doing anything for me.

    Reply

  4. Fred Joyal
    January 17, 2014

    I imagine that they scoured your website and blog for anything incriminating after reading your post about their inevitable death, Mike. Imagine their disappointment when their attorney only found their logo. The problem with most institutions and governments is that they become deeply entrenched and inflexible, and married to their bad or outdated decisions and policies. By their nature they are hard to reinvigorate, but not impossible. It will start with listening, and not being defensive but trying to remember what their actual purpose is. They console themselves that they have 65% of dentists. What percentage of the KOL’s do they have, I wonder? That’s the real indicator of irrelevance or imminent death, to me.

    Reply

    • The Dental Warrior
      January 17, 2014

      Hi Fred,

      Thanks for your insightful comments. If I recall, the membership rate used to be 80% or higher. I know the local branches are having a tough time with membership.

      Reply

  5. David Moffet
    January 17, 2014

    Nice post Mike, I’ll be sharing it with some of my colleagues Down Under.

    You raise some great points!!

    Reply

  6. Brian K. Van Netta, DDS
    January 29, 2014

    Hi Mike. I have another thought I’d like your feedback on. When I was an ADA member, our state dental organization endorsed the concept of ‘direct reimbursement’ in which a company set up an in-house benefit system for the employees. It could essentially be run by a few individuals and could be structured anyway the company desired. Yearly maximums, percentages, etc. could be determined as desired. The patient could see any doctor they wished, decide on treatment, pay the doctor, then simply present the receipts to the HR dept. and be reimbursed according to the company’s framework plan. Pretty simple.

    Essentially, these are the patient’s benefits: could see the doctor they desired. No interference or limitations from 3rd parties, very straight forward, and reimbursement in a fairly expedient manner.

    The companies benefitted in this way: simple to set up and run, cheaper than paying insurance premiums in advance, and if any employees didn’t go to the dentist, there was nothing to be paid out.

    We benefit as this places care and decision making back where it belongs, with doctor and patient, and less hassles administratively with no claims, pre-auths., and all the other crap we deal with.

    Sounds great. I did some of the math. It really has huge potential. Here in Michigan, White Castle Systems, the hamburger corporation, has implemented this system for years with success. It literally could save corporations millions over the long haul.
    Why has the ADA not pushed this more? Why hasn’t anyone pushed this more? I rarely hear anymore about this currently. Do you feel the ADA has swept it under the rug due to their relationship with the insurance industry? With the exception of eliminating insurance participation altogether at our individual offices, the concept of ‘direct reimbursement’ could surely solve quite a few problems if adopted on a large scale. I could not figure out why it wasn’t done. Thanks, Mike

    Reply

    • The Dental Warrior
      January 30, 2014

      When I was on the board, DR was a big thing. And, I have to admit never quite understanding it. It seemed rather convoluted and effectively a duplication of so-called “insurance.” To me, it appeared to be the same thing (as “insurance”) but with a different administrator. Still had to submit claims, yearly maxes, percentages, etc. I never “got it.” I never understood how it was DIFFERENT.

      As for your speculation of why the ADA dropped the effort… It could be simple apathy. Or it could be more nefarious, as you alluded. I just don’t know.

      Reply

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