In his thoughtful letter, Dr. Patthoff touches on several important points. However, I am not certain our views differ very much. In fact, I believe we are actually looking for the same answers, only we are phrasing our questions differently.
Obviously, ethics are vital to the dental profession, and by no means do I wish to imply that they are any less important than business considerations. Without ethics, we are doing our patients an extraordinary injustice. We must be wise, however, about how we put our professionalism into action.
In my seminars over the years, I have met literally thousands of dentists, all of whom put the needs of the patient first. At the same time, however, these dentists are all trying to make a living, pay off debts, send kids to college or plan for retirement—all in an unfriendly economy. Many extremely conscientious, highly skilled dentists have experienced stress and high staff turnover by failing to properly manage their practice. This has inevitably resulted in lower quality of patient care. Guided by a high ethical standard, dentists must develop the ability to view their practices as businesses that should be managed carefully in order to thrive and grow.
Who comes first in the dental practice? The patient, of course. I believe one of the most important ways to do that involves taking steps to ensure that the practice does not function in a constant state of chaos, something I have seen happen too many times in the past 18 years.
In a well-run dental practice, everyone benefits. Patients get the time and attention necessary to receive the highest quality treatment because the dentist and staff experience the satisfaction of helping and healing. We are in the business of helping people and, as I am sure Dr. Patthoff would agree, we should never lose sight of that fact.
