Dental Sleep Medicine Insider April 2016 | Page 15

DR. RICHARD DRAKE

Remember that what we do is save lives. We help people
sleep better, breathe better, oxygenate better, feel better,
and live longer. And, yes, we can still get paid for it.
We simply must learn to be more efficient.
soared. Managed care
began to creep in, and the
roller coaster began its
downhill plunge. No one
is sure whether or not it’s
even hit bottom yet.
So why are things so
different now?
Patients complain about
their
high
premiums
and that their insurance
company
never
pays
for anything anymore.
Doctors complain that
they simply can’t do the
procedure for what the
insurance company allows.
Doctors and large groups
are starting to drop out of
some plans, namely BC/
BS, simply because they
can’t stay in business at

reimbursement levels that
are about what they were
in the 1970’s.
As dentists, we grab onto
the teeth and reposition
the jaw, but in doing so, we
cross a line from dentistry
to medicine.
As such,
we live in the physicians’
world of insurance, patient
expectations, and lower
reimbursements. I don’t
know about you but I
didn’t become a dentist so
I could be told what to do,
when to do it, and what I
could get paid to do. I’ve
been doing nothing but
dental sleep for over 15
years now, so I guess I
relate more to physicians
than I do dentists these
days, hence the tales of woe.

BUT…..there is a silver
lining behind that storm
cloud. REMEMBER that
what we do is save lives. We
help people sleep better,
breathe better, oxygenate
better, feel better, and
live longer. And, yes, we
can still get paid for it. We
simply must learn to be
more efficient.
We strive, in everything
we do at Dental Sleep
Solutions, to help you
provide a superior service
in an efficient manner at a
reasonable price. Give me
liberty or…...at least let me
make a living with dignity!

Give me liberty or......
at least let me make a living with dignity!
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