In his letter, Dr. Gillette brings up several important points. I believe we agree on many of the same issues, though we may approach them from a different perspective. For any dental practice to be successful, patients must come first. Practice management supports the goal of quality patient care by allowing dentists to focus more on dentistry and less on the business side of their practices.
As a third-generation dentist, I value the tradition of patient care my grandfather and father passed on to me. We owe a debt of gratitude to the dentists of their generations for building a profession based on quality patient care. Dentistry can only go forward by placing the needs of patients first. Practice management is a tool that helps dentists do just that. It allows for optimal patient care—a goal of every practice.
Excellent patient care and practice management go hand-in-hand. A successful practice depends on skilled dentistry along with solid fiscal management. When practices have both, it is a win-win situation for both dentists and patients.
