Dental Support Organizations (DSOs): A New Model for Dental Care Delivery

 

Dental Support Organizations (DSOs) are becoming increasingly popular in the dental industry as a new model for dental care delivery. DSOs offer a range of support services to dental practices, including administrative, marketing, and financial services. In this article, we will explain what DSOs are, how they work, and the benefits they offer to dental practices and patients.

 

What is a DSO?

A Dental Support Organization (DSO) is a company that provides support services to dental practices, allowing them to focus on providing high-quality patient care. DSOs can provide a range of support services, including administrative, marketing, and financial services.

DSOs typically acquire dental practices and then provide these support services to the practices. The dental practice continues to operate as usual, with the dentist and staff providing patient care, while the DSO takes care of the administrative and financial aspects of the practice.

How Does DSO Dentistry Work?

DSO dentistry works by providing support services to dental practices, allowing them to focus on providing high-quality patient care. DSOs typically acquire dental practices and then provide these support services to the practices. The dental practice continues to operate as usual, with the dentist and staff providing patient care, while the DSO takes care of the administrative and financial aspects of the practice.

DSOs can provide a range of support services to dental practices, including:

• Administrative Services: DSOs can take care of tasks such as billing, scheduling, and insurance verification, allowing dental practices to focus on providing patient care.
• Marketing Services: DSOs can help dental practices with marketing tasks, such as advertising, social media management, and patient retention strategies.
• Financial Services: DSOs can provide dental practices with financial planning and accounting services, helping them to manage their finances more effectively.

By providing these support services, DSOs can help dental practices to become more efficient and cost-effective, while also improving the patient experience.

The Benefits of DSOs for Dental Practices and Patients

DSOs offer a range of benefits for both dental practices and patients. Here are some of the key benefits of DSOs:

Benefits for Dental Practices

• Improved Efficiency: DSOs can help dental practices become more efficient by taking care of administrative tasks, allowing dentists and staff to focus on providing patient care.
• Cost Savings: DSOs can help dental practices save money by providing support services at a lower cost than if the practice were to provide these services in-house.
• Access to Resources: DSOs can provide dental practices with access to resources and expertise that they may not have otherwise, such as marketing and financial planning.
• Reduced Risk: DSOs can help dental practices to reduce their risk by providing compliance support and other risk management services.

Benefits for Patients

• Improved Access: DSOs can help to improve access to dental care for patients by making it easier for dental practices to expand their services and locations.
• Improved Quality: DSOs can help to improve the quality of dental care for patients by providing support services that help dental practices to focus on providing high-quality patient care.
• Improved Affordability: DSOs can help to improve the affordability of dental care for patients by helping dental practices to become more efficient and cost-effective.

The Challenges and Controversies Surrounding DSOs

While DSOs offer many benefits, there are also challenges and controversies surrounding their use in the dental industry. Here are some of the key challenges and controversies:

Challenges

• Loss of Control: Some dental practices may feel that they lose control over their practice when they partner with a DSO, as the DSO takes over certain administrative and financial tasks.