I recently received an invitation to join yet another dental managed care plan. This one was even more intriguing than most. It showed complex mathematics proving that their plan guaranteed me $80 per hour for treating their patients.
I don’t know how many of you fellow dentists have ever figured out your hourly overhead; I suggest you do so as soon as possible. I have a suburban practice, one associate, four auxiliaries and an hourly overhead of deductible expenses totaling $157.83. That means that would I lose $77.83 per hour treating patients on that managed care plan. I wonder how much the plan makes?
The argument that $80 is better than nothing fails to make sense. Spend that spare time honing skills, reading self-help books, studying practice management materials or networking, and I believe you’ll reap more. These plans need us, not the reverse. Don’t sell out for less than a fee that allows a reasonable profit.
