Medpundit draws our attention to a Wall Street Journal article writing:
While medical reimbursement declines, dentistry is booming. Which makes doctors the poor relations of dentists.
I’ve got quite a few dentists who are clients. In my
professional capacity I have found them personable,
respectful, grateful for services rendered, not technology-averse,
and extremely hard-working in improving their businesses
as businesses. For dentists the greatest business
challenge is finding and retaining good staff.
I’ve had medical doctors as clients, too. They’ve been
smart, peremptory, technology-averse, knew more than
I did about my own specialty (or gave that impression at any
rate), jealous of their prerogatives, and slow to pay. I’m
not sure what the greatest business challenge for medical
doctors is today. It may be reimbursement.
That having been said I think that there are other reasons
for the change in fortunes of dentists.
First, dentists don’t seem to be quite as beholden to insurance
companies as medical doctors are. Quite a few of my dentist
clients don’t accept insurance at all. And government doesn’t seem quite as involved, either. It may be that entrepeneurialism is a more successful strategy than rent-seeking.
Second, dentistry is structured quite a bit differently than medicine.
The really successful dentists of my acquaintance are not just
billing their own time but have quite a team of hygienists, etc. whose
time they’re billing.
Have I mentioned that most dentists’ offices (scores) I’ve been in are cleaner
than the doctors’ offices (also scores) I’ve been in?
Dentists are pretty cool. Except if they hurt you.