The Power-Grab
Forces abound which would usurp the power of your license should you let them. This is not a new problem in health care, but today the stakes are higher, the competitors are stronger and much smarter, and a precedent for surrender has already been set by our medical colleagues.
Some significant facts are:
The traditional solitary practice of dentistry.
The "scarcity mentality" exhibited by many dentists, who still don't understand that they do not compete with other dentists, but rather with other forms of discretionary spending.
The lack of solidarity within the profession.
The proven fact that fifteen percent of the dentists in any community will sign up for any plan, no matter how bad.
The reactive history of Organized Dentistry.
The duality of practice styles (fee-for-service and managed care) that many if not most specialists bring to Organized Dentistry as they participate and vote.
The "Expert Oriented" marketing approach that dentistry still clings to- a kind of "if you build it they will come" mentality that has been abandoned long ago in the corporate world.
Medicine, a profession with a longer, stronger, and better liked tradition than dentistry, has already suffered a successful hostile takeover from the corporate world.
| What is the significance of these factoids? Let's look at dentistry from the eyes of a for-profit, managed care organization Board of Directors. |
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Last Update 11/28/97