Membership Matters
Building Up in a Down Economy
Across the state , both established and new dentists are reporting that the economy is negatively impacting patient care , office revenue and practice hours . Your Pennsylvania Dental Association ( PDA ) has benefits and services to assist you with responding to these challenges .
According to the American Dental Association ’ s ( ADA ) Survey of Economic Confidence for the Third Quarter 2010 , a few of the most common approaches used by members to address patient needs related to the economic downturn include extending treatment durations to help patients pay for care , encouraging patients to use third-party financing , offering patient discounts , acquiring continuing education to broaden scope of services , increasing the use of patient education materials and revised office hours . Full results from the report can be found by visiting www . ada . org / 1440 . aspx .
In addition to sharing ideas on how your colleagues are coping with the downturn , these survey results also provide assurance that you aren ’ t the only one facing this challenge .
PDA ’ s endorsed vendor program includes a vendor for third-party financing for patients , debt collection services and merchant credit card processing . Endorsed vendors have been thoroughly evaluated and offer high quality products and services at a very competitive price and are a great way to reduce office overhead . Visit www . padental . org / vendors for a complete list and more information .
PDA provides a patient referral service to members who participate in the PDA Senior Dental Care program ( SDCP ). Participating members agree to offer at least a 15 percent discount to patients who are over the age of 65 , don ’ t have dental insurance and are living on a very limited income . Each month , we refer an average of 30 qualified senior citizens to PDA members through this program . Many participating members use the program to broaden their patient base and increase patient referrals . Visit www . padental . org / sdcp to learn more or to participate .
Other ideas for increasing your patient base include a number of “ member-only ” resources . Both ADA and PDA websites offer an online member directory available to the public . Patients have the option to search for a dentist based on location , specialty or name . PDA directory results include even more detailed information , such as office phone number and website , office hours , accepted insurance , languages spoken and handicap accessibility and allows you to update your profile at your leisure . With the decreasing number of published telephone books , the online directory serves as a valuable tool for marketing your office to the public .
The PDA Members ’ Library is an invaluable resource for conducting patient education programs . The library has more than 400 informational brochures , manuals , posters , DVDs , videotapes and slide presentations available to members for a minimal shipping and handling fee . Borrow materials to help build your patent base , give presentations at day care centers , elementary schools and retirement communities or learn more about practice management . Visit www . padental . org / library to view the complete list of materials or place your order .
PDA ’ s complimentary online Placement Service is available to assist members with finding either full-time or part-time employment . The Placement Service connects dentists who have available job opportunities or practices for sale with dentists looking for employment or to purchase a practice . To enroll in this complimentary member service , please visit www . padental . org / placementservice . These are just a few examples of how organized dentistry is helping you cope with the challenging economy by saving you time or money . It is important for you to know that PDA is aware of this challenge and will continue to pursue and promote resources that will help you increase your bottom line .
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July / August 2011 • Pennsylvania Dental Journal
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