Braces for a better bottom line
Arnold J Malerman
L & M Orthodontics, Philadelphia
: Dent Health Curr Res
Abstract
For the most part, today’s dental treatment is funded whole or in part by 3rd parties, be they Insurance Plans, Subscriber Savings accounts, or Government Programs. These treatment payment plans provide a fixed maximum reimbursement for services rendered based not on the complexity of the procedure, but on the procedure code menu. Preparing a tipped tooth for a crown and fabricating a temporary might take, for example, an hour and a half. Upright the tooth and the restorative procedure may be reduced to an hour, a full 33% savings in chair time. The 3rd party payer’s compensation is the same whether the procedure takes an hour and a half or only an hour. Teaming with an Orthodontist can produce the best possible platform on which to do restorative treatment. Placing teeth over better bone support results in better engineering and stability of the restorative product, easier treatment for the Dentist, better esthetics and function for the patient, and enhanced longevity of the treatment result. By thinking malocclusion correction before restorative correction the patient profits from better treatment and the Dentist profits from less chair time at the same compensation rate. Case examples will be presented.
Biography
Malerman is a 1968 honors graduate of Temple University School of Dentistry. He practiced General Dentistry in the US Air Force form 1968-1970. He received his specialty certification from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1972 and joined Penn’s faculty the next year. He currently practices Orthodontics in Glenside, PA, directly north of Philadelphia, and serves as a Clinical Professor of Orthodontics at Penn. He has authored numerous papers and has had the opportunity and privilege to lecture widely.
E-mail: molarman@drmalerman.com
