While you may have excellent clinical skills and a great rapport with your patients, dental practice management may be a daily stressor. The constant demands of administrative work, billing, and insurance can be a major headache. That is why a growing number of dentists are working with Dental Support Organizations (DSOs).
DSOs provide administrative and other non-clinical services, allowing dentists and their team to focus on healthcare and patient interactions. At Dental Practice Enhancement, we are proud to provide remote administrative services, allowing dentists to provide better quality care to their patients.
To schedule a coaching session or to learn more about our services, contact Dental Practice Enhancement today.
What is a Dental Support Organization?
A Dental Support Organization is a third-party company that provides non-clinical services to dentists and their team. In many cases, these services may be remote, giving dentists greater flexibility in terms of time and finances.
At top DSOs, virtual administrators are specifically trained in dentistry. With this training, they can assist with even the most complex billing and insurance issues.
When did DSOs arise?
DSOs first arose in the late 1990s when several orthodontists banded together to create a company that handled only the business management end of dentistry. Their hope was that they could reduce stress for dental professionals, improve patient experience, and increase practice income.
Because the first DSO was so successful in achieving these goals, the industry has grown tremendously in the last two decades, becoming even more prolific after the 2008 recession.
What are the advantages of working with a dental support organization?
There are numerous reasons that more and more dentists are choosing to contract with a DSO. The advantages include:
- Dentists can focus solely on clinical work
- Dentists have more time to spend one-on-one with patients
- Better work-life balance for practitioners
- Improved patient satisfaction
- Increased profits
- Reduced overhead
- Better return on overdue bills
- Improved patient follow-through and retention
- Access to administrative and clinical training
- Flexible scheduling
- Administrative tasks handled by specially trained experts
Is dental support right for my practice?
If you feel like you are struggling to keep your head above water, and you feel bogged down by business and management tasks, dental support is likely a good option for you.
Dental support can be a great benefit to younger dentists who are still adjusting to the industry. In fact, about 20% of all dentists under the age of 34 work with a DSO.
At the same time, more experienced doctors are also joining the trend, with 10% of dentists over the age of 50 partnering with a DSO. In fact, remote support offers additional benefits to practitioners who are looking to retire because it reduces the financial complications when they sell their practices.
Contact Dental Practice Enhancement Today
Find out why more dentists are switching to DSOs. Contact Dental Practice Enhancement online or give us a call at (833) DPE-FOR-U.
