Dental reimbursement rates have failed to keep pace with the cost of running a dental practice for decades, and the gap has reached a breaking point, according to Thomas Allen, DDS, dental director of Old Farm Dental in Salt Lake City.
The industry is facing mounting pressure from a number of fronts, but they all circle back to reimbursement rates. As operational costs continue to increase, stagnant reimbursements put dentists in a tough position when it comes to staffing.
“What we’re looking at is the perfect storm situation where it’s staff shortages, it’s cost of doing business, it’s insurance reimbursement, and all together it’s at a point now where it is make or break,” Dr. Allen told Becker’s.
Source: ‘We are our own worst enemy’: Why dentistry needs to stand up to payers / Becker’s Dental